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I apologize @BIGAL, because I don't think I explained myself well. The code was generated entirely by COPILOT, Microsoft's AI, following the instructions I gave it. If there had been a previous author in this case, I would have mentioned it, just as I've confessed that I'm a huge fan of @Lee Mac's work. And I don't think I made it clear that if any member of this group, expert or not, feels like improving this code, I'll be very grateful, as it's code that could be very useful in my profession. I'll try to add the necessary code to account for the UCS rotation (Array if a new UCS OB). Replying to @SLW210, I think the simplicity of the code lies in the fact that it can use NFPA values as well as FM Global or UNE EN 12845 values, since it only requires adding distances.

Wow, BIGAL. That is an absolute masterpiece of CAD engineering. When I mentioned Lee Mac’s hundreds of plugins, I knew it was just the tip of the iceberg. Your 3,000+ LISP repository, driven by a massive custom CUI drop-down menu, is exactly the kind of industrial-scale ecosystem I was talking about. Since this thread is focused on our FREE tier and community tools, I’ll share how VedaCAD handles this massive volume natively: The very core of VedaCAD is built on a completely decoupled "Demand-Loading Proxy" architecture. Even for free users, loading 130 scripts into the manager won't freeze AutoCAD at startup. The microkernel only registers lightweight proxy hooks in memory. For the UI, the system automatically generates a clean, paginated visual matrix to manage and trigger them, acting as a menu panel out-of-the-box. However, I know veterans want to keep their beloved, highly-customized .cuix interfaces. That's where our PRO tier integration comes in. Traditionally, migrating a .cuix file means manually fixing Support Paths and APPLOADing all those scripts. In VedaCAD PRO, the system natively supports environment files. It silently mounts your CUIX via _.MENULOAD. Because the core proxy hooks are already sitting in memory, when you click your drop-down menu, the proxy catches it and lazy-loads the actual binary in milliseconds. Hit "Cloud Config Sync", go to a new PC, and your entire top ribbon and 130 scripts are wired up in seconds. Scaled up to the Enterprise tier, an IT Admin can mount this exact setup into a central Foundry and deploy it silently to hundreds of employee terminals simultaneously. Managing 3000+ files manually is a monumental task. Massive respect for keeping that running smoothly for decades! -- Additionally, I would like to ask how you manage the versions of each plugin for such a large number of Lisp?

I am sure if you ask some one will beat this number I have 3000+ lisps, some are client lisps some are forum, some are a package, some downloaded for future reference. This has 130 lisps behind it. Just one of 3 pop menu's. This is a package

I very much agree with you that the forum form is an optimal mode of non-immediate and efficient knowledge precipitation (and the best way to reach through search at any time), but it is inevitably fragmented. The solution I provide is not to replace the function of the forum, but to collect everyone's achievements and count them independently. It is just an optional element in the forum flow, such as a card. In my ideal framework, it should run like this: 1. You (the developer) publish plug-in promotion posts or reply to other people's posts to provide solutions. You describe your algorithm, ideas or solution code in words, and provide such as [VCID]123ABC[/VCID] to attach your plug-in (as optional). Of course, you can also mention The source code or LSP file is available for you to download. You can completely publish it in LSP format for open source. 2. Whenever anyone finds the plan you left at that time in any way, they can download LSP or directly use VCID to download your plug-in to obtain the knowledge crystallization you selflessly share. 3. Difference: If you use the source code or attachment, if you want to update your plug-in in the future, you must find the original location, and then update the latest version, such as 1.1; if you use VCID, even after 10 years, others will use the you left at the beginning VCID download plug-ins can be downloaded to the latest version, such as version 1.2 (you updated it 3 years ago and did not notify any users). 4. Through the VCID protocol, version fragmentation is eliminated, and importantly, anything downloaded through VCID will be collected to vedacad.com/pioneers and the total number will be calculated and ranked. More importantly, our original distribution logic ensures the signature at the time of publication. Anyone who downloads is the original version provided by you, not the secondary modified version of Vico on the basis of Steven P 1.0 (we all know that the original author's signature may be omitted in this process) . It's a pleasure to discuss with you. --- The arrival of AI is inevitable, and the market prospects you describe are highly likely to come true. This is also the reason why I want veterans to VCID their achievements, because for the same demand, would you use someone's XXX (VIA AI) or the veterans' XXX? It's an obvious thing, because any software, besides what it can do, also includes the long-tail value that the people behind it can provide. What do you think?

I've used this for years: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/find-and-replace-text/td-p/5649883 and some discussion here: https://www.cadtutor.net/forum/topic/92643-batch-find-and-replace/ Noting that the slowest part of any LISP is usually the user interfacing with the software, Looks a nice interface. Without the dialogues of course, you can gain an efficiency with batching a series of drawings

Whatever store there is on the internet will suffer similarly from Al generated code, a store where code is uploaded quickly will just become very large, lose its value when there are too many resources to choose all doing something very similar. I think I prefer the forum format (probably always will do), that in creating an answer to the problems asked there is some peer review going on, explanation as what does what and the ability to ask for explanations or how to modify a code supplied to a more unique solution - which is all in itself a great learnign tool

You are right; the Autodesk App Store is indeed a good choice, especially for certain high-value plugins, which might be the best option. It has a long history, but in 2026, it's as niche as the Blackberry App World was back then. The image is from a post by a guy I saw on LinkedIn, probably a week ago: In 2026, If I want to publish any code on GitHub (like github.com/VedaCAD/v-code), I can do so. If I write a Lisp plugin that solves a specific professional problem, I can also publish it in VedaCAD in 1 second and open-source the lsp source code (like [Codebase Packer] VCID: 0FBGZB @ VedaCAD); if I want to keep it closed-source, I can also publish the binary file (such as [Quick Annotator] VCID: 7JAU18 @ VedaCAD). Then let the market test it. It is widely known that Lee Mac has opened up hundreds of plugins, and with the highlight snippets or complete code he writes to assist in solving certain issues on forums from time to time, there could be several hundred or even thousands of plugins. However, there are only 7 plugins that can be publicly searched for on the Autodesk App Store. You and you all have also made a large number of commendable contributions and algorithmic code, which collectively form the robust foundation of our LISP field (including Net and ObjectARX, etc.). This field of research deals with algorithms based on two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces, which is orders of magnitude more difficult than centering a webpage DIV. This is something that all of us should remember and be grateful for, yet all of this has been submerged and scattered among millions of posts. VedaCAD that I created merely provides a solution, a method for even the 2006 version of CAD to enjoy modern package management, and records them so that what should be remembered is forever remembered.

Does this idea not be similar to the Autodesk App store which has been around for a lot of years, some programs are free, some have a cost.

Going back to an old post here, Al. !! I've been updating the above this week - didn't realise how old it was till I came back here. Made a modification to add the commands: EntOrValue (command line ENTry OR select text with a numerical VALUE), EntorText (as before, but select any text), EntorEnt (as before but select any entity) and EntOrPoint (as before but return a point) - pretty much using this base but with filters, and of course, standing on the back of Lee Mac (who was also standing on the back of others for his GRRead LISP giving snaps.. most excellent). So doing some reading at lunch... and warning here... Bings Co-Pilot is quoting the above 'EntOrValue' as if it is a native AutoCAD command... "To select an entity or allow text entry in AutoCAD using LISP, you can use the entorvalue function." (Obviously I am now writing 'AutoCAD Function EntOrValue' as much as I can to screw up the system). (and a thanks to Lee Mac for the work he did on Grsnaps)

Hi everyone, Like the vast majority of people in the AEC industry, we are ordinary draftsmen and engineers who sit in front of CAD terminals every single day. Across thousands of drawing offices worldwide, millions of silent professionals get their drawings issued, survive crazy deadlines, and make it home to their families on time because of the incredible, free AutoLISP utilities shared across legendary communities and archives like CADTutor, TheSwamp, Lee Mac Programming, GileCAD, and AfraLISP. The physical world is quite literally built on the unsung labor of these elite creators. Yet, we noticed a bizarre and unjust technical paradox in the modern software era: A web developer can write a simple script, publish it on GitHub, and instantly get millions of downloads and global acclaim. Meanwhile, the legendary CAD developers who wrote the complex, non-linear algorithms that literally automate the construction of our physical cities often remain hidden from the broader software engineering landscape. While our beloved forums and reference sites have done an incredible, heroic job hosting these tools with thread-specific attachment counters for decades, these invaluable metrics remain scattered across the vast, fragmented sea of historical discussion. We currently lack a unified, global space to aggregate this data and show the software world the true, cumulative scale of AutoLISP’s real-world impact. We think our community's creators deserve to have their collective footprint visible to the world. To give back to the legends who paved our way, we built the Pioneers Index (hosted under the VedaCAD directory). Our starting point is pure, non-commercial community gratitude: to provide a clean, central space where the CAD developers who build our world finally get the recognition and global metrics they deserve. We want to make one thing absolutely clear: The Pioneers Index is built entirely on our FREE Tier. The FREE tier is permanently free, designed from day one as our Community Edition. You do not need to buy a PRO subscription, nor do we want you to. The entire ranking and sharing ecosystem is 100% open and free for the community: Claim Your @username: Any developer can sign up for a free community account and secure their unique, permanent creator page (e.g., vedacad.com/@vico ) at zero cost. Dual-Track Sharing (Creators & Curators): For Creators (Developers): You can publish your individual AutoLISP, FAS, or VLX utilities to generate unique 6-character shortcodes (VCIDs) for instant, manual-free loading. For Curators (Workflow Architects): Even if you aren't a coder, you can aggregate other creators' public assets into job-oriented toolkits (e.g., steel detailing, structural annotation packs) to generate curated collections (with a B- prefix). Both individual assets and curated bundles are dynamically ranked on the global Pioneers leaderboard based purely on their natural, cumulative download and installation counts. The B2B Enterprise Footprint Indicator (Enterprise Adoptions): To truly visualize your impact in the professional world, our database tracks a unique metric: Enterprise Adoptions. The leaderboard will display exactly how many companies, design firms, and general contractors have imported your plugin into their workspaces and registered it as an official, locked-in component of their corporate drafting standard. Strict Sovereignty Boundaries: VedaCAD operates purely as a neutral, "As-Is" delivery conduit (Upload as-is, store as-is, download as-is). We will not decompile, modify, or encrypt your work. We built this space not to sell a proprietary sandbox, but because we—as a global drafting community—believe that the legends of AutoLISP should never be forgotten. We'd love to invite the developers, curators, and CAD managers here to explore the live index, secure your @username, and share your thoughts on this initiative. Explore the live board here: vedacad.com/pioneers Respect and cheers, Vico & the CAD Community --- Note: English is not my native language. I use Google AI to translate and polish my posts to ensure clarity and respect for the community's technical depth.

When I get it to be able to connect and play against others, let's set a time to play together

@indiancad @Javier Longa there may be a way of using Array if a new UCS OB is used to orient the grid. In the changed rotation need to rotate the block as well. A question @Javier Longa " since I have no programming knowledge whatsoever" then how did you come by the code ? It is considered good manners to acknowledge who wrote the code, if known, or mention Author unknown.

nice!

Does this follow a standard like NFPA?

Of course, I appreciate any observations like the ones you mentioned in your post, @BIGAL, but I'm sorry to say I can't have a conversation about programming since I have no programming knowledge whatsoever. I would only ask that if you deem it appropriate to modify the code by adding considerations such as ensuring the routine can work in any SCP, or drastically shortening overly long code, or any other relevant element I may have overlooked, I would be very grateful.

Nice work! For a preliminary sprinkler/detector layout, this looks very practical, especially considering it handles irregular boundaries and islands. The idea of inheriting the selected block's layer and scale is a smart touch—it saves a lot of manual cleanup. One suggestion would be to add an option to rotate the grid based on a user-defined angle or a reference line, since many buildings aren't aligned with the UCS. It might also be useful to preview the calculated grid before inserting the blocks, giving the user a chance to adjust spacing. Great project overall, and thanks for sharing it with the community. I'm sure many fire protection designers will find it useful.

Welome aboard. A couple of suggestions. Google translate is your friend, you can convert Spanish to English so make a English version. Code picks a control point that the grid/blocks is based off, rather than just lower left. Can do answers based on a rotated axis. may have a side on angle as control line. Hint Array & UCS The get pline points you can use this, much shorter than your code. ; thanks to Lee-mac for this get points (setq co-ord (mapcar 'cdr (vl-remove-if-not '(lambda (x) (= (car x) 10)) (entget ent)))) Not sure if extra block outside shape should be there shown in image Yes did something similar in the 1980's. Looks at what is outside of shape and erase. The dcl input is a good idea. Happy to discuss maybe a easier way to make sure erase all objects outside shape.

Very well, the community needs people like you.

Welcome to CADTutor!

Hello. I'm happy to share this routine I created with the help of Copilot, which I believe works acceptably for distributing elements (sprinklers, detectors, etc.) based on user input. I would be very grateful if any member of this forum could improve the code or offer any advice. I'm a big fan of @Lee Mac's programs, whom I consider a master. The routine will ask the user to define the measurements that define minimum and maximum values and then, by selecting a block, from which it acquires the layer and scale properties, by selecting an area, with or without "islands", it will generate a mesh pattern, which for a preliminary design is acceptable or approximate in many cases. I am Spanish and the routine is coded in Castilian Spanish (Spain). PCI_PRO (PFP).lsp

Welcome to CADTutor!

Also, will this "Table" be the only thing in the drawing and just Text and Lines/Plines as per the example .dxf? And will this only be run on a .dxf? Speaking of... Advanced Steel can export BOM/List direct to Excel IIRC. AutoCAD Mechanical can also export a BOM to Excel and comes free with the toolset. AutoCAD Mechanical 2024 Help | To Export a BOM (AutoCAD Mechanical Toolset) | Autodesk Solved: Excel lists from Advance Steel - Autodesk Community Advance Steel - Bill-Of-Material Creation

Hi CADTutor community, I’m Bassam from ProReadyEngineer. I recently released a free CAD inspection tool called Pro3DWorks, and I’d love feedback from people who work with 3D CAD models and model review workflows. Pro3DWorks is a single-file, browser-based CAD viewer and inspector. It runs locally from one HTML file, with no install, no account, and no model upload required. It supports common engineering formats including STEP, IGES, STL, Parasolid .x_t, 3MF, GLB, OBJ, and more. My goal is to make quick CAD model review easier when checking geometry, documenting assemblies, preparing screenshots, or communicating design details. Current features include: - 3D CAD viewing directly in the browser - Measurements on vertices, edges, and faces - Section views - Exploded views - Mass properties - Interference checks - Scaling tools - 4K image export/rendering - Optional AI-assisted component identification, BOM generation, and design review The AI workflow can use OpenAI-compatible endpoints, or local/private models through LM Studio. Free download: https://proreadyengineer.com/products I also published two videos showing the workflow and value: Free AI CAD Tool for Engineers: Save Time & Money with AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWoHOKjx8M8 AI Did 18 Hours of CAD Work for $1.30 — Free Tool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HweKy0U9Gjw I’m the creator, so I want to disclose that clearly. I’m sharing this here because I’d appreciate honest feedback from CAD users — especially around what would make this more useful for real 3D model inspection and review. Thanks, Bassam

A couple of comments, making a table is much easier than rows and columns of *text, one advantage is read all the string number of characters so set correct column width to max STRLEN. Part 2 is have Table to Excel program or just write direct to Excel. You provided a sample dwg but "I need an AutoLISP routine for Advance Steel 2023." so what are you trying to read from AS ? That makes more sense, export the desired answer without a intermediatory step. There is some code out there about reading AS object properties.

If you're looking for a faster alternative to AutoCAD's FIND command, an AutoLISP routine that processes TEXT, MTEXT, ATTRIB, and even block attributes directly through code can be much quicker, especially in large drawings. The slowdown in the built-in command often comes from its interface and broader search options. A LISP can be customized to search only the objects you need, making batch replacements much faster. Just remember to back up the drawing before running global replacements.