Can AutoCAD be controlled from another AutoCAD version?

Hello.

I'm stuck with AutoCAD R14 due to driver for our plotter. And trying come up with a more practical way of creating .plt files using 2k version (or even possibly newer) through R14 without loading R14 manually.

Is there a command line api I could use to execute commands on R14 without open it? For example, theoretically all I'd need is sent the following information:

drawing file (or if possible the entities, this way I don't need to worry about saving the file), window coordinates that needs to be plotted and filename for .plt file.

Generating and handling this data is not an issue, it's the communication between two different versions of AutoCAD is what I'm looking for.

Thank you.

So what do you do now? Create a drawing in AutoCAD 2000, save it to Release 14 file format, open the drawing in r14 then plot it?

Yep, exactly. Though I set to save in R14 format by default, since there is nothing I do requires 2k format. And in R14 I have hotkey to reload file without asking questions, which is half of the pain in the ass, but still want more!

OK....but we are talking about a plotter driver. Aren't the drivers written with a particular version of Windows in mind and not a particular version of AutoCAD?

Are both releases on the same computer?

Actually not in pre-2000 versions. R14 uses it's own .dll type drivers. 2k changed to .hdi type and it doesn't have the driver that works with our plotter.

Yes, both versions on the same computer.

Why not invest in a new plotter and a recent version of AutoCAD?

I presume you make your living doing this, or is this a hobby?

Actually not in pre-2000 versions. R14 uses it's own .dll type drivers. 2k changed to .hdi type and it doesn't have the driver that works with our plotter.

 

Yes, both versions on the same computer.

Ahhhhh.....yes, the old Windows system drivers versus the My Computer and Network Plotter Server Heidi drivers. I had forgotten about that. What plotter are you using? Talk about going back in time. Is it one with a carousel filled with physical pens? This wouldn't be a HP plotter by any chance would it?

It's getting off-topic here, but if you must know, investi g $50k on a new plotter (it also a cutter) so I could save 1 minute on each plot file is not worth it.

What make / model plotter are you using?

Ahhhhh.....yes, the old Windows system drivers versus the My Computer and Network Plotter Server Heidi drivers. I had forgotten about that. What plotter are you using? Talk about going back in time. Is it one with a carousel filled with physical pens? This wouldn't be a HP plotter by any chance would it?

It somewhat based on a hp plotter I think. It's custom made plotter/cutter that runs along a 50' table. It uses HPGL driver and seem to work with 7450-7586 type drivers in R14 2k also has 7450A driver, but the plot file it creates is 4 times larger and the number of points the plotter has tu run throu is 5-10 times more then from r14

At the moment I can't think of a way it could be done.

Didn't HP make available Windows system printer drivers for some of its older plotters? Would one of those be the 7450A driver you speak of?

It somewhat based on a hp plotter I think. It's custom made plotter/cutter that runs along a 50' table. It uses HPGL driver and seem to work with 7450-7586 type drivers in R14 2k also has 7450A driver, but the plot file it creates is 4 times larger and the number of points the plotter has tu run throu is 5-10 times more then from r14

50'??????!!!!!! Cool.

Back to the problem if you have a startup lisp that gets loaded with R14 you can call a script that opens the correct dwg and does the plot and then exits, you would write the script from your 2000.

Back to the problem if you have a startup lisp that gets loaded with R14 you can call a script that opens the correct dwg and does the plot and then exits, you would write the script from your 2000.

That actually not a bad idea at all.

Thank you.

So to recap my task is:

1) select a window for plotting in 2000i

2) plot the objects in that window in R14 using a .lsp file generated by 2000i

So far its generating a .lsp file within 2000i, starting R14 and executes generated .lsp -done

In order to avoid saving .dwg file in 2000i I'm trying use wblock. Unfortunately it seem wblock saves objects in 2000 format and ignores DefaultFormatForSave setting.

Any ideas what else I can do?

Thank you.

How are you WBlocking?

If using -WBLOCK (commandline version), I believe setting FILEDIA=0 will use the Default saveas version.

From Help in 2011, AFAIK should be the same in AutoCAD 2000.

-WBLOCK

 

Related Topics

 

Saves selected objects or converts a block to a specified drawing file.

 

 

Summary

 

If FILEDIA is set to 1, entering -wblock at the Command prompt displays a standard file selection dialog box in which to specify a name for the new drawing file. If FILEDIA is set to 0, entering -wblock at the Command prompt displays a prompt. The new drawing is saved in the file format that is specified in Save As on the Open and Save tab in the Options dialog box.

 

After the file is created, the selected objects are deleted from the drawing. You can use OOPS to restore the objects.

 

In the new drawing, the world coordinate system (WCS) is set parallel to the user coordinate system (UCS).

 

 

List of Prompts

 

The following prompts are displayed.

 

Enter name of output file:

 

Enter name of existing block or

 

[= (block=output file)/* (whole drawing)] :

Existing Block

 

Writes that block to a file. You cannot enter the name of an external reference (xref) or one of its dependent blocks.

=

 

Specifies that the existing block and the output file have the same name.

*

 

Writes the entire drawing to the new output file, except for unreferenced symbols. Model space objects are written to model space, and paper space objects are written to paper space.

I'm trying -wblock and filedia seems to have no effect on this.

Command: (command "wblock")

nil

Enter name of output file: test.dxf

Current DXF settings: Precision= 16 Format= ASCII Preview= No Version= 2000

Enter decimal places of accuracy (0 to 16) or [binary/Preview] :

Enter name of existing block or

[= (block=output file)/* (whole drawing)] :

Specify insertion base point: 0,0

Select objects: Specify opposite corner: 152 found

Select objects:

Command: (command "-wblock")

nil

Enter name of output file: test.dxf

Current DXF settings: Precision= 16 Format= ASCII Preview= No Version= 2000

Enter decimal places of accuracy (0 to 16) or [binary/Preview] :

Enter name of existing block or

[= (block=output file)/* (whole drawing)] :

Specify insertion base point: 0,0

Select objects: Specify opposite corner: 152 found

Select objects:

Finally got it working by saving current drawing, then creating a text file (autoplot.plot) with filepath to the drawing, plot filename and window coordinates, then executing R14 with acad.lsp that check for existing "autoplot.plot" file, then reads it's content, opens the drawing file and create .plt file.

One kink I can't iron out is how to delete the autoplot.plot file after it was read.

Trying

(command "del" "autoplot.plot")

briefly shows dos window, but file doesn't get deleted. It seems when (open "filename" "r") was used the file get's locked in the system even after (close) command (can't delete it even manually until autocad is closed). For now I'm emptying that file after it was read, which seems to work ok.

Any ideas how to delete this file during current session (just in case, visual autolisp not available in R14)

If you have VL lisp you can do VL delete file, not sure 2000, but you can get at the OS command line and just do DEL Filename, I am trying to remember check acad.pgp look for EDIT it's like (command "shell" "del Filename") put file at top of tree. Like C:\temp