Leaderboard

Greetings to all members of Cad Tutor, Based on the upcoming holidays and New Year, I'v made something interesting which I want it to share with you. Everything was made using a Lisp. I hope it will interesting to all of you and maybe give some inspiration to the next year to made something different and share it with rest of us . Notice (it is on cyrillic, in Serbian language): - ЗИМСКА СЛУЖБА = Winter service on roads; - СРЕЋНА НОВА ГОДИНА = HAPPY NEW YEAR; - XO-XO-XOO = HO-HO-HOO (). Happy New Year 2026 to all members, and wish you all the best and new codes . NovaGodina2026_CadTutor.mp4 Best regards, Saxlle.

Attempt number 2: This code is intended to always return a centerline whose points are all perfectly equidistant from the margins. This should happen in all cases where two LWPOLYLINEs are provided, one for each margin. The case of islands has not been considered yet. The resulting centerline is geometrically dense. This can probably be simplified in a future version. The approach taken in this code has been to obtain points from the normals and the bisectors of each margin, which are then combined at the end to build a list of points. Therefore, it is a fragmentary and massive approach. For this reason, the code is not very fast. However, there is another, more elegant approach, based on dynamically relating the geometry of both margins. It is more complex, but it would also be faster, and the error margins would be “bridgable”. If this thread has enough life in it, I may feel sufficiently motivated to finish it. That’s all for now. ;|*********************** CENTER-LINE ************************* ************************ G L A V C V S ************************* ************************** F E C I T *************************** |; (defun c:CLG (/ PI/2 lst e1 e2 l1 l2 lp lp1 lp2 p0 p> p< r1? x m a tol autoInt? ordenaPts interCpta ptEqd) (defun autoInt? (l lp / p0 p1 p2);autointersecci贸n? (if l (setq p1 (polar (car l) (setq a (angle (car l) (cadr l))) 0.001) p2 (polar (cadr l) (+ a PI) 0.001) x (if (not (vl-some '(lambda (p) (if p0 (inters p0 (setq p0 p) p1 p2) (not (setq p0 p)))) lp)) l) ) ) ) (defun ordenaPts (lst / pIni dm d ps? ps lr); puntos en orden (setq pIni (mapcar '(lambda (a b) (/ (+ a b) 2.0)) (car lp1) (car lp2))) (while lst (foreach p lst (if (and dm (/= (min (setq d (distance (if ps ps pIni) p)) dm) dm)) (setq dm d ps? p) (if (not dm) (setq dm (distance (if ps ps pIni) p) ps? p)) ) ) (setq ps ps? ps? nil dm nil lst (vl-remove ps lst) lr (cons (cadr ps) (cons (car ps) lr))) ) lr ) (defun interCpta (pM p1 p2 lp / i? i1 i2 d a b); captura de los m谩rgenes (defun i? (pA pB lp / p0 i dm is a) (foreach p lp (if p0 (if (setq i (inters p0 (setq p0 p) pA pB)) (if (and dm (/= (min (setq d (distance pM i)) dm) dm)) (setq dm d is i) (if (not dm) (setq dm (distance pm i) is i)) ) ) ) (setq p0 p) ) (if is (list (car is) (cadr is) 0.0)) ) (if (and (setq a (i? p1 p2 lp1)) (setq b (i? p1 p2 lp2))) (list a b) ) ) (defun ptEqd (A B e1 e2 / eqDist-f t0 t1 f0 f1 tm fm n i v+- v*); captura punto equidistante (defun v+- (o a b) (mapcar o a b)) (defun v* (p s) (mapcar '(lambda (x) (* x s)) p)) (defun eqDist-f (ds A B e1 e2 / pt d1 d2) (setq pt (v+- '+ A (v* (v+- '- B A) ds)); Punto sobre AB: P(ds) = A + ds (B - A) d1 (distance pt (vlax-curve-getClosestPointTo e1 pt)) d2 (distance pt (vlax-curve-getClosestPointTo e2 pt)) ) (- d1 d2) ) (setq t0 0.0 t1 1.0) (while (and (< (setq n (if n (1+ n) 0)) 100) (> (- t1 t0) 1e-6));m茅todo de bisecci贸n (setq tm (/ (+ t0 t1) 2.0) fm (eqDist-f tm A B e1 e2) ) (if (< (abs fm) 1e-9) (setq n 100 t1 tm t0 tm) (if (< (* (if f0 f0 (eqDist-f t0 A B e1 e2)) fm) 0.0) (setq t1 tm f1 fm) (setq t0 tm f0 fm) ) ) ) (if (< t1 1.0) ; par谩metro final y punto equidistante (v+- '+ A (v* (v+- '- B A) (/ (+ t0 t1) 2.0))) ) ) (if (and (setq e1 (car (entsel "\nSelect FIRST LWPolyline..."))) (= (cdr (assoc 0 (setq l1 (entget e1)))) "LWPOLYLINE") ) (if (and (setq e2 (car (entsel "\nSelect SECOND LWPolyline..."))) (= (cdr (assoc 0 (setq l2 (entget e2)))) "LWPOLYLINE") ) (progn (foreach l l1 (if (= (car l) 10) (setq lp1 (cons (cdr l) lp1)))) (foreach l l2 (if (= (car l) 10) (setq lp2 (cons (cdr l) lp2)))) (setq r1? (> (distance (car lp1) (car lp2)) (distance (car lp1) (last lp2)))) (setq tol 0.01 PI/2 (/ PI 2.) lp1 (if r1? (reverse lp1) lp1)) (foreach e (list e1 e2) (setq p0 nil m nil r? (if (equal e e1) r1?) lp (if (equal e e1) lp2 lp1)) (while (setq p (vlax-curve-getPointAtParam e (setq m (if m ((if r? 1- 1+) m) (if r? (vlax-curve-getEndParam e) 0))))) (if p0 (progn (setq lAB (autoInt? (interCpta p (polar p (setq a (+ (angle p0 p) PI/2)) 10000) (polar p (+ a PI) 10000) lp) (if (equal e e1) lp1 lp2));NORMAL AL COMIENZO DEL SEGMENTO lst (if lAB (cons (ptEqd (car lAB) (cadr lAB) e1 e2) lst) lst) ) (if (setq p> (vlax-curve-getPointAtParam e ((if r? 1- 1+) m))) (setq lAB (autoInt? (interCpta p (polar p (setq a (/ (+ (angle p p0) (angle p p>)) 2.)) 10000) (polar p (+ a PI) 10000) lp) (if (equal e e1) lp1 lp2)) ; Bisectriz lst (if lAB (cons (ptEqd (car lAB) (cadr lAB) e1 e2) lst) lst) lAB (autoInt? (interCpta p (polar p (setq a (+ (angle p p>) PI/2)) 10000) (polar p (+ a PI) 10000) lp) (if (equal e e1) lp1 lp2));NORMAL AL FINAL DEL SEGMENTO lst (if lAB (cons (ptEqd (car lAB) (cadr lAB) e1 e2) lst) lst) ) ) (setq p< p0 p0 p) ) (if (setq p> (vlax-curve-getPointAtParam e ((if r? 1- 1+) m))) (setq lAB (autoInt? (interCpta p (polar (setq p0 p) (setq a (+ (angle p0 p>) PI/2)) 10000) (polar p0 (+ a PI) 10000) lp) (if (equal e e1) lp1 lp2)) lst (if lAB (cons (ptEqd (car lAB) (cadr lAB) e1 e2) lst) lst) ) ) ) ) ) (vla-AddLightWeightPolyline (vla-get-modelspace (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object))) (vlax-Make-Variant (vlax-SafeArray-Fill (vlax-Make-SafeArray 5 (cons 0 (- (length (setq lst (reverse (ordenaPts lst)))) 1))) lst)) ) ) ) ) (princ) )

Obviously, this has now become something more than just the search for a solution to a single user’s problem. First of all, I should say that I myself was also reluctant to accept the concept of equidistance advocated by @GP_ and @dexus For the simple reason that applying this principle forced me to accept that the centerline should be the same in these two drawings. Equidistance requires ignoring those areas of the margins that do not geometrically affect the axis. This, which initially caused me some resistance, I eventually came to accept conceptually when I realized that it could serve as a criterion for defining what is a “recodo/inlet” and what is not. So I have abandoned my previous approach and adapted it to this new situation. Having made this clarification, I must say that this concept of equidistance makes the calculation of a centerline more feasible. I’ve been running some tests with Dexus’s latest code, which is the best so far. However, I’ve discovered some “holes” that I hadn’t noticed before. I’m attaching a few images showing this. In my view, these are conceptual errors rather than geometric limitations. And what can we consider “geometric limitations”? I believe that, in any case, every vertex of the centerline must be equidistant from both margins. If this is not the case, the result is not correct. However, the intermediate regions along each segment may be subject to geometric limitations depending on the desired precision. Therefore, in bends or turns, the points taken within the adjustment or “problematic” segments may deviate (within a tolerance) from strict equidistance. The goal, therefore (in my opinion), should be to achieve equidistance at every vertex and to remain within a tolerance in the intermediate zone of each segment. After everything written here so far, some might wonder: is it really possible to obtain a centerline that meets these requirements? As far as I’m concerned, I’m running some tests. GusanoAcad.mp4 I’ll post something over the weekend

Use this and simply switch: *dist* (- *dist*) To: (- *dist*) *dist*

The reason I clean the drawing is I once wrote a program to generate instrument loop diagrams from an excel file. I found the most stable and easy way was not to use a script but stay in the current drawing and from there save(as) each loop. I also made use from templates and also had the option to update the drawing in stead of generating the entire drawing. But at some time some templates had been given an update to a block definition and to be certain the latest version was used I had to make sure the old block was purged. Overkill , some times yes , but in my case it worked as it should. In this case , dxfin , probably overkill , but it doesn't hurt either. I tested it on Bricad 22 and the dwg extension was no problem, it worked as it should. The recommendation from the annoying paperclip oh , sorry , AI its called these days , to pimp the filename and use vla-saveas is not wrong though. Just didn't need it on my computer. Had it gave me an error I would have fixed it but it worked right from the start for me.

@Danielm103 ""with mtext, you have to use a fixed width font" I agree, Monotxt.sHx I think was what I used. monotxt_.ttf EXTRA FONTS A-Z.txt Banner heading3.lsp

I don't believe I posted my Import multiple PDF pages as AutoCAD objects LISP. It does most of what I need, so I doubt if I'll spend any more time on it. ;;; Imports indicated page(s), converts to DWG entities, then arranges them spaced along +X. | ;;;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ;;; ImPDF.lsp | ;;; | ;;; By SLW210 (a.k.a. Steve Wilson) | ;;; | ;;; Requires: AutoCAD 2024 + | ;;;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| (defun c:ImPDF (/ pdfPath pgStart pgEnd pg insPt gap doc ms layerColor bgColor layerName blk ) (vl-load-com) ;; Detect background color (setq bgColor (getvar "BACKGROUNDCOLOR")) ; 0=black, 7=white (setq layerColor (if (= bgColor 0) 7 0 ) ) ; white on black, black on white ;; Select PDF file (setq pdfPath (getfiled "Select PDF file to import" "" "pdf" 8)) (if (not pdfPath) (exit) ) ;; Page range (setq pgStart (getint "\nStart page <1>: ")) (if (not pgStart) (setq pgStart 1) ) (setq pgEnd (getint "\nEnd page <same>: ")) (if (not pgEnd) (setq pgEnd pgStart) ) ;; Starting insertion point (setq insPt (getpoint "\nInsertion point: ")) (if (not insPt) (setq insPt '(0 0 0)) ) ;; Gap between pages (setq gap (getreal "\nGap between pages <5.0>: ")) (if (not gap) (setq gap 5.0) ) ;; Get AutoCAD document (setq doc (vla-get-ActiveDocument (vlax-get-acad-object))) ;; Set all entities inside block definition to layer + color (defun set-block-contents-color (blkRef layer color / blkDef) (setq blkDef (vla-item (vla-get-Blocks doc) (vla-get-Name blkRef))) (vlax-for ent blkDef (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-layer (list ent layer)) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-color (list ent color)) ) ) ;; Loop through pages (setq pg pgStart) (while (<= pg pgEnd) (princ (strcat "\nImporting page " (itoa pg) "...")) ;; Attach PDF underlay (command "_-PDFATTACH" pdfPath (itoa pg) insPt 1.0 0.0) (setq u (entlast)) ;; underlay reference ;; Import to geometry (All, then detach) (command "_PDFIMPORT" u "All" "D") ;; The imported block reference is the last entity (setq blk (entlast)) (if blk (progn ;; Create layer for this page (setq layerName (strcat "PDF_Page_" (itoa pg))) (if (not (tblsearch "layer" layerName)) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-Add (list (vla-get-Layers doc) layerName) ) ) ;; Move block reference to layer (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-layer (list (vlax-ename->vla-object blk) layerName) ) ;; Set nested geometry inside block (set-block-contents-color (vlax-ename->vla-object blk) layerName layerColor ) ;; Compute block width for next insertion point (setq minX 1e20 maxX -1e20 ) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-getboundingbox (list (vlax-ename->vla-object blk) 'pmin 'pmax) ) (setq pmin (vlax-safearray->list pmin)) (setq pmax (vlax-safearray->list pmax)) (setq width (- (car pmax) (car pmin))) (if (<= width 0.0) (setq width 100.0) ) ;; Update insertion point for next page (setq insPt (list (+ (car insPt) width gap) (cadr insPt) 0)) ) ) ;; Next page (setq pg (1+ pg)) ) (command "_ZOOM" "_E") (princ "\nAll pages imported successfully." ) (princ) ) With RLX's revision. ;;; Imports indicated page(s), converts to DWG entities, then arranges them spaced along +X. | ;;;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ;;; ImPDF_0.2-RLX.lsp | ;;; | ;;; By SLW210 (a.k.a. Steve Wilson) | ;;; | ;;; Requires: AutoCAD 2017 + (for PDFIMPORT) | ;;; ;;; Revision by RLX ;;; ;;;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| (defun c:ImPDF (/ pdfPath pgStart pgEnd pg insPt gap doc ms layerColor bgColor layerName blk ) (vl-load-com) ;; Detect background color (setq bgColor (getvar "BACKGROUNDCOLOR")) ; 0=black, 7=white (setq layerColor (if (= bgColor 0) 7 0 ) ) ; white on black, black on white ;; Select PDF file (setq pdfPath (getfiled "Select PDF file to import" "" "pdf" 8)) (if (not pdfPath) (exit) ) ;; Page range (setq pgStart (getint "\nStart page <1>: ")) (if (not pgStart) (setq pgStart 1) ) (setq pgEnd (getint "\nEnd page <same>: ")) (if (not pgEnd) (setq pgEnd pgStart) ) ;; Starting insertion point (setq insPt (getpoint "\nInsertion point: ")) (if (not insPt) (setq insPt '(0 0 0)) ) ;; Gap between pages (setq gap (getreal "\nGap between pages <5.0>: ")) (if (not gap) (setq gap 5.0) ) ;; Get AutoCAD document (setq doc (vla-get-ActiveDocument (vlax-get-acad-object))) ;; Set all entities inside block definition to layer + color (defun set-block-contents-color (blkRef layer color / blkDef) (if (and blkRef (vlax-method-applicable-p blkRef 'Name)) (progn (setq blkDef (vla-item (vla-get-Blocks doc) (vla-get-Name blkRef))) (vlax-for ent blkDef (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-layer (list ent layer)) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-color (list ent color)) ) ) ) ) ;; Loop through pages (setq pg pgStart) (while (<= pg pgEnd) (princ (strcat "\nImporting page " (itoa pg) "...")) ;; Attach PDF underlay (command "_-PDFATTACH" pdfPath (itoa pg) insPt 1.0 0.0) (setq u (entlast)) ;; underlay reference ;; Import to geometry (All, then detach) (command "_PDFIMPORT" u "All" "D") ;; The imported block reference is the last entity (setq blk (entlast)) (if blk (progn ;; Create layer for this page (setq layerName (strcat "PDF_Page_" (itoa pg))) (if (not (tblsearch "layer" layerName)) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-Add (list (vla-get-Layers doc) layerName) ) ) ;; Move block reference to layer (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-layer (list (vlax-ename->vla-object blk) layerName) ) ;; Set nested geometry inside block (set-block-contents-color (vlax-ename->vla-object blk) layerName layerColor ) ;; Compute block width for next insertion point (setq minX 1e20 maxX -1e20 ) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-getboundingbox (list (vlax-ename->vla-object blk) 'pmin 'pmax) ) (setq pmin (vlax-safearray->list pmin)) (setq pmax (vlax-safearray->list pmax)) (setq width (- (car pmax) (car pmin))) (if (<= width 0.0) (setq width 100.0) ) ;; Update insertion point for next page (setq insPt (list (+ (car insPt) width gap) (cadr insPt) 0)) ) ) ;; Next page (setq pg (1+ pg)) ) (command "_ZOOM" "_E") (princ "\nAll pages imported successfully." ) (princ) )

I think with those big side offshoots you need to break the river into multiple plines so you would have two or more centrelines lines in that situation. As suggested by @SLW210 The problem will be how to work out the break offset shape.. Ps image dummied up.

This should achieve the desired result without overriding nested width formatting - (defun c:mtw ( / enx idx sel str wid ) (initget 6) (cond ( (not (setq wid (getreal "\nSpecify new width factor: ")))) ( (setq sel (ssget "_:L" '((0 . "MTEXT")))) (repeat (setq idx (sslength sel)) (setq idx (1- idx) enx (entget (ssname sel idx)) str (assoc 1 enx) ) (entmod (subst (cons 1 (addupdatewidth (cdr str) wid)) str enx)) ) ) ) (princ) ) (defun addupdatewidth ( str wid / ps1 ps2 ps3 ) (cond ( (= "" str) str) ( (and (setq ps1 (vl-string-search "{\\W" str)) (setq ps2 (vl-string-search ";" str ps1)) (setq ps3 (vl-string-search "}" str ps2)) ) (strcat (addupdatewidth (substr str 1 ps1) wid) (substr str (1+ ps1) 3) (rtos wid 2) (substr str (1+ ps2) (- ps3 ps2 -1)) (addupdatewidth (substr str (+ ps3 2)) wid) ) ) ( (strcat "{\\W" (rtos wid 2) ";" str "}")) ) ) (princ)

I think the real-world situation may be more complex than what we’ve seen here so far. I took a look at the links that @SLW210 attached and decided to test the Lisp codes proposed up to this point. I looked through my drawings for something that could serve as an example for this problem, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So, in the end, I decided to look for something in the real world that clearly corresponds to this issue — something like this: So I drew those margins and tested all the codes that have appeared in this thread so far. The result was… this! In the drawing, you can see the ones that managed to reach the end. However, the codes by BIGAL, GP_, GLAVCVS, and MarkoRibar couldn't even do that. Here’s the drawing AxisExple4.dwg

Obviously we don't have your batch LISP - I guess your company paid for this and so you are not going to be popular sharing that for all online. LISPs can be added to scripts - both as a command and as code. There are others out there such as ScriptPro and Lee Macs Script Writer which will do this. BigAl will often post snippets of scripts here to batch process files - last one he did was in the last week or so ago. You could even set this up as a stand alone script to do just the one task (see BigAls last example....) The first step for all is to get a LISP working as you want and well on a single file and then to do it as a batch (first time running the batch with a new LISP, perhaps check carefully that it doesn't do anything unexpected on other files). Plenty of examples out there to change layer names from one to another - have a look to see if you see one you like to use, or if there isn't am sure we can put one together - and use what is above as a started if you want to have a go, I think all the code you need is in the examples, just need to think how to change them to your needs

I did some more tests today and found that when the end segments were parallel, they didn't get added to the line. So I added support for that. This one was easy because the _cornerOffset function already checks for parallel segments and I just had to add a flag to inform the offset loop. And I found another example which it has a hard time on with concentric arcs, attached below. But that will be for another day since I have no more time for that this week. AxisExple3.dxf

Their IT department even has a slogan (and I'm not kidding here) : You name it , we block it

There's an app for that: https://apps.autodesk.com/ACD/en/Detail/Index?id=3434696327413675915&appLang=en&os=Win32_64

new to Bricad but this seems to work : (defun c:DxfToDwg ( / actDoc dxf-folder dxf-list ) (setq actDoc (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object))) (vl-load-com) (cond ((not (setq dxf-folder (_getfolder "Select folder with dxf files"))) (princ "\nNo folder selected")) ((not (vl-consp (setq dxf-list (_getfiles dxf-folder "*.dxf")))) (princ (strcat "\nNo dxf files in folder " dxf-folder))) (t (command ".undo" "mark")(setvar "expert" 2) (foreach dxf dxf-list (command ".erase" "all" "") (vla-purgeall actDoc) (vl-cmdf "_.dxfin" dxf) (vla-ZoomExtents (vlax-get-acad-object)) (command ".save" (strcat (vl-filename-directory dxf) "\\" (vl-filename-base dxf))) ) (command ".undo" "back") ) ) (princ) ) ; generic getfolder routine with possibility to create a new subfolder (_getfolder "select path") (defun _getfolder ( m / f s) (if (and (setq s (vlax-create-object "Shell.Application")) (setq f (vlax-invoke s 'browseforfolder 0 m 65536 "")))(setq f (vlax-get-property (vlax-get-property f 'self) 'path)) (setq f nil))(vl-catch-all-apply 'vlax-release-object (list s)) (if f (vl-string-translate "\\" "/" f))) (defun void (x) (or (eq x nil) (and (listp x)(not (vl-consp x))) (and (eq 'STR (type x)) (eq "" (vl-string-trim " \t\r\n" x))))) (defun _getfiles ( fol ext / lst) (cond ((or (void fol) (not (vl-file-directory-p fol))) (princ (strcat "\nInvalid folder :" (vl-princ-to-string fol)))) (t (if (vl-consp (setq lst (vl-directory-files fol ext 1))) (setq lst (mapcar '(lambda (x)(strcat fol "/" x)) lst)))) ) lst )

I have done something like this a couple of years ago :

with mtext, you have to use a fixed width font import traceback from pyrx import Ap, Db, Ed import art @Ap.Command() def doit(): try: db = Db.curDb() mt = Db.MText() mt.setDatabaseDefaults() val = art.text2art("Sup Dude!", font="big", sep ="\\P") mt.setContents("{\\Fmonotxt8|c0;" + val + "}") db.addToModelspace(mt) except Exception as err: traceback.print_exception(err)

I have to agree with Bigal about to (new)bee or not to (new)bee but to give you an idea ; (setq val (getentitytransparency (car (entsel)))) (defun getentitytransparency ( ent ) (cond ((= 'vla-object (type ent))(vla-get-entitytransparency ent)) ((= 'ename (type ent))(getentitytransparency (vlax-ename->vla-object ent))))) ; (< lower-limit test-number upper-limit) ; (putentitytransparency (car (entsel)) "ByBlock") (putentitytransparency (car (entsel)) 100) (defun putentitytransparency (e v / i o) (cond ((null v)(setq v "ByLayer"))((and (numberp v)(< 0 v 90))(setq v (itoa (fix v)))) ((and (= (type v) 'STR) (distof v) (>= 0 (setq i (fix (distof v))) 90))(setq v (itoa i))) ((and (= (type v) 'STR) (member (strcase v t)'("bylayer" "byblock"))) v)(t (setq v "0"))) (if (setq o (e->o e))(vla-put-entitytransparency o v)))

@mhupp do you want a lisp version of that ? It works same way uses "*". I think it was 1990.s used it as header in lisp programs.

Some really cool stuff here

test with wxPython

Note that you can use my Layer Director to preset & reset a layer (including layer creation) for both standard and custom commands: https://lee-mac.com/layerdirector.html

See on archive of the web: UNMI.LSP

Untested I remember Lee Mac saying it was important to release the html obj as it could cause a memory leak or something. ;;----------------------------------------------------------------------------;; ;; Copy Selected Xref Path to Clipboard with prompt. ;; https://www.cadtutor.net/forum/topic/98871-xref-path-copy-to-clipboard (defun c:XrefToClipBoard (/ SS Blk Path html) (vl-load-com) (if (setq SS (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "INSERT")))) (progn (setq blk (vla-get-effectivename (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname SS 0)))) (setq blk (vla-item (vla-get-blocks (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object))) blk)) (if (= (vla-get-isxref blk) :vlax-true) (progn (setq Path (vla-get-Path blk)) (vlax-invoke (vlax-get (vlax-get (setq html (vlax-create-object "htmlfile")) 'ParentWindow) 'ClipBoardData) 'setData "Text" Path) (vlax-release-object html) (alert (strcat "\nPath Sent to Clipboard\n Xref Path: " Path)) ) (princ "\nSelected Block isn't an Xref.") ) ) (princ "\nNothing Selected") ) (princ) ) -edit updated code.

Thank you all for the replies. Lee & Tsuky, Your code works perfectly for me. Steven P, thanks for explaining what was happening under the hood, made perfect sense. As always, I appreciate it greatly!!

Hi @PGia, wow, you managed to find another example that fails. Good stress testing! The reason mine fails is because it ignores the offset lines that are split in two or more parts. But some of the parts are still be usable and should be used. I looked into fixing this and managed to add those lines, but this resulted in some other problems so I didn't update the code on the earlier post yet. The zigzag problem is coming back on your example. The result below. I really need to find a solution for that, but it looks like I might have to use a path finding algorithm which would slow down the code a lot. Sorting the points by distance on the offset line is not enough anymore.

Yes ! Your first step is get a copy of lee-mac dynamic block properties.lsp. I like others have used his code with great success. You may need to get all property names first, so you can then get in turn that property value, eg "Distance1", the current visibility state is much easier to get. If you get stuck just post again. https://www.lee-mac.com/dynamicblockfunctions.html

Just a follow up. I posted that long before I knew the importance of making sure that the Author of the code is noted as well as where I found the code. All credit goes to Gilles Chanteau. I have no idea where I found that code... It is probably somewhere here on cadtutor. I have since, started making sure that ifo is included as a header in the file, that way it doesn't look like I am trying to take claim for it and also, if/when something stops working I know where to go to address the issue. ~Greg original posting of code: https://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=29339.msg350137#msg350137

@Clint Please give it a try (defun c:lay-nam-to-capital (/ (ACAD-OBJ ADOC LAY-COLL)) (VL-LOAD-COM) (SETQ ACAD-OBJ (VLAX-GET-ACAD-OBJECT)) (SETQ ADOC (VLA-GET-ACTIVEDOCUMENT ACAD-OBJ)) (SETQ LAY-COLL (VLA-GET-LAYERS ADOC)) (vlax-for lay lay-coll (vla-put-name lay (strcase (vla-get-name lay))) ) ;_ end of vlax-for ) ;_ end of defun

Like @rlx this is a hard coded plot pdf using preset values, our dwg's used layouts one title block. the code is hard coded for a A1 sheet plotted as a A3 size. We just walked through the layouts and plotted. So does not matter what current plot settings are as they are ignored. We had multiple devices PDF, A1, A3 Color, A3 B-W. So code for each. (setvar "textfill" 1) (setvar "fillmode" 1) (COMMAND "-PLOT" "Y" "" "Plot To PDF" "Iso full bleed A3 (420.00 x 297.00 MM)" "m" "LANDSCAPE" "N" "W" "-6,-6" "807,560" "1=2" "C" "y" "Acad.ctb" "Y" "n" "n" "n" pdfName "N" "y" )

Hi everyone, I’ve been working on a small production tool in AutoLISP/VLISP for AutoCAD / Civil 3D and thought it might be useful to share here for anyone doing a lot of section or profile sheets. ## What problem it solves On corridor / section jobs we often end up with several paper-space viewports that all need to: - Use the same scale and twist - Stay aligned to a centerline / path (alignment, guide polyline, etc.) - Be re-centered after design changes The usual manual workflow for us was: 1. Set up one “master” viewport with the correct scale, twist, layers, etc. 2. Copy that viewport across the layout for each station/section. 3. Manually PAN/ZOOM/DVIEW in each viewport to center the correct station along the path. 4. Repeat that pan/zoom step any time the design or alignment changed. It works, but it’s tedious and easy to make mistakes when you have a lot of sheets. ## What SectionSync LITE does SectionSync LITE is a compiled VLX that: - Lets you pick a polyline path (e.g. alignment, section chain, etc.) - Associates multiple paper-space viewports with positions along that path - Updates the view center of each viewport so it “follows” the path - Preserves the existing viewport scale and twist - Can be re-run after design changes so you don’t have to manually re-pan everything It was written mainly with Civil 3D section/profile sheets in mind, but it’s just working with standard AutoCAD viewports and a polyline. ## Technical notes - Written in AutoLISP/Visual LISP and compiled to VLX for distribution. - Uses vla/vlax functions to read and set viewport center, width/height, and twist. - Path positions are based on cumulative distance along the selected polyline. - No reactors or custom objects – it just runs on demand and updates existing VPs. ## Demo + download Short demo video: https://youtu.be/l1JRbz4_owQ Download / more details (there’s a built-in 5-run / 7-day trial so you can test it on a real project): https://autolispwizard.gumroad.com/l/civabs If anyone is interested in the implementation details (polyline parameterization, handling UCS and VP twist, etc.) I’m happy to discuss approaches or share pseudo-code for the core parts.

maybe just something simple as : (setvar "filedia" 0) (command ".-plot" "No" "" "" "" (strcat (getvar 'dwgprefix) (getvar 'ctab) ".pdf") "No" "Yes") (setvar "filedia" 1)

Great! Thanx! It did gave me an error after the first page so I changed one of your subs a little. added this line : (and blkRef (vlax-method-applicable-p blkRef 'Name)) (defun set-block-contents-color (blkRef layer color / blkDef) (if (and blkRef (vlax-method-applicable-p blkRef 'Name)) (progn (setq blkDef (vla-item (vla-get-Blocks doc) (vla-get-Name blkRef))) (vlax-for ent blkDef (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-layer (list ent layer)) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-put-color (list ent color)) ) ) ) )

Nice test @PGia, thanks! For some reason I didnt consider closed polylines in the _checkOffset function, so I added an extra check there. Should work as expected now: Not sure about the short corner. The lines are so narrow the centerline is pushed back out of the point. Seems to be logical to me but it does feel intuitive. Narrow indents don't get much love from the centerline. So "inlets" don't have enough influence on the shape of the line. What would the expected result be? Below makes sense since there is not enough space to go into the indent. Or are you maybe something like this where the line splits and goes into the hole:

A simple script made with notepad. Open dwg1.dxf qsave dwg1 close Open dwg2.dxf qsave dwg2 close Open dwg3.dxf qsave dwg3 close Open dwg3.dxf qsave dwg3 close The dwg1 would be like "C:\\mydxfiles\\project123\\dwg1" There are various ways to make a list of dwg names, how many are we talking about ?

This was my 'Offset Inside' program: ;; Offset Inside - Lee Mac - www.lee-mac.com ;; Offsets a set of objects by a specified distance to the inside. (defun c:OffInside ( / acsel pos ) (if (and (setq *dist* (cond ( (getdist (strcat "\nOffset Distance" (if *dist* (strcat " <" (rtos *dist*) ">: ") ": ") ) ) ) ( *dist* ) ) ) (ssget '( (-4 . "<OR") (0 . "CIRCLE,ARC,ELLIPSE") (-4 . "<AND") (0 . "LWPOLYLINE,SPLINE") (-4 . "&=") (70 . 1) (-4 . "AND>") (-4 . "<AND") (0 . "POLYLINE") (-4 . "&=") (70 . 1) (-4 . "<NOT") (-4 . "&") (70 . 120) (-4 . "NOT>") (-4 . "AND>") (-4 . "OR>") ) ) ) (progn (vlax-for obj (setq acsel (vla-get-activeselectionset (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object)) ) ) (vl-catch-all-apply 'vla-offset (list obj (if (and (setq pos (vl-position (vla-get-objectname obj) '("AcDbPolyline" "AcDb2dPolyline"))) (LM:ListClockwise-p (LM:GroupByNum (vlax-get obj 'coordinates) (+ pos 2))) ) *dist* (- *dist*) ) ) ) ) (vla-delete acsel) ) ) (princ) ) ;; List Clockwise-p - Lee Mac ;; Returns T if the point list is clockwise oriented (defun LM:ListClockwise-p ( lst ) (minusp (apply '+ (mapcar (function (lambda ( a b ) (- (* (car b) (cadr a)) (* (car a) (cadr b))) ) ) lst (cons (last lst) lst) ) ) ) ) ;; Group by Number - Lee Mac ;; Groups a list into a list of lists, each of length 'n' (defun LM:GroupByNum ( l n / r) (if l (cons (reverse (repeat n (setq r (cons (car l) r) l (cdr l)) r)) (LM:GroupByNum l n) ) ) ) (vl-load-com) (princ)

maybe its just a matter of name vs effective block name issue , haven't tested that. But I like the routine and maybe gonna extend it a little with above suggestions if I run into a project that could benefit from this. Did find a program , I think it's called able2extact or something , that also has OCR built in but it will set you back around two hundred dollars , lifte time subscription.

First of all , welcome to Cadtutor AutoLisp Wizard! My kind of work is 99% electrical & instrument loop diagrams so I don't often have to work with viewports and when I do its just for simple cabinet views and some instrument layouts. But I do appreciate users who contribute and share their hard work with other users , so although I'm not gonna use it my self , thank you for your contribution.

mhupp, I want AutoLISP code to do that.

AutoCAD is very bad at running a LISP in one file to read another file, it is not something I have looked at with xrefs, however this might give you a starter, listing any xrefs in the current file - I was looking at this to do something different and is in the folder "finish this one day"... so the code might not be 100%. ;;https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/grab-all-xref-names-and-paths/td-p/1661552 ;;(defun filepfil ( / Doc LayoutCol EndList) ;; Returns a list of list of all the Xrefs and Images with their paths within a drawing. (defun c:xreffilepaths ( / ) (defun xreftype ( str / ) ;; (setq lst (list "abcd.dwg" "1234.dwg" "sample drawing with space in file name.dwg" "5566.dwg") ) ;; (mapcar '(lambda (x) ;; (substr x 1 (- (strlen x) 4)) ;; ) ;; lst ;; ) (setq MyLen (strlen str)) (setq MyType (substr str (- MyLen 3) )) ) (setq Doc (vla-get-ActiveDocument (vlax-get-Acad-Object))) (setq LayoutCol (vla-get-Layouts Doc)) (vlax-for i LayoutCol (vlax-for Obj (vla-get-Block i) (cond ((= (vla-get-ObjectName Obj) "AcDbRasterImage") (if (not (assoc (vla-get-Name Obj) EndList)) (setq EndList (cons (cons (vla-get-Name Obj) (vla-get-ImageFile Obj)) EndList)) ) ) ((and (= (vla-get-ObjectName Obj) "AcDbBlockReference") (vlax-property-available-p Obj 'Path)) (if (not (assoc (vla-get-Name Obj) EndList)) (setq EndList (cons (cons (vla-get-Name Obj) (vla-get-Path Obj)) EndList)) ) ) ) ) ) EndList (princ "\nContains Xrefs: ") (princ EndList) (foreach n EndList (if (findfile (cdr n)) () (progn (princ "\nMissing XREF: ") (princ (car n)) ;; (princ n) ) ; end progn ) ; end if ) ; end foreach (setq MyPath (cdr (nth 0 EndList)) ) (setq MyFileType (xreftype (cdr (nth 0 EndList)) )) (setq MyFile (strcat (car (nth 0 EndList)) MyFileType) ) (setq NewPath (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix") (vl-string-trim ".\\\\" MyPath ) )) (if (findfile NewPath) ; find file : if file exists (progn (setq MyPath (vl-string-right-trim MyFile MyPath )) ; take off file from file path (setq NewPath (vl-string-right-trim MyFile NewPath )) ; take off file from file path ) ; end progn (progn ) ; end progn ) ; end if ) Not sure if this is something you can use? https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Determining-whether-a-drawing-is-referenced-as-an-xref-in-other-drawings.html

Use CLASSICXREF will display a window for you to look thought. for the ones that you suspect to be circular switch to overlay.

Using Bricscad dwg has a solid, finds trace. Or do you mean (setq ss (ssget "_X" (list (cons -4 "<NOT") (cons 0 "3DSOLID,TRACE") (cons -4 "NOT>")(cons 410 (getvar 'ctab)))))

@mhupp this may be useful, it captures command errors so after loading your lisp. You type say p2-3 on command line. Can do say p1-2, Pr3-2, prec1-0 and so on. ; test trap a command used as variable input ; BY Alan H 2019 ; now 2025 ( (lambda nil (vl-load-com) (foreach obj (cdar (vlr-reactors :vlr-command-reactor)) (if (= "fillet-reactor" (vlr-data obj)) (vlr-remove obj) ) ) (vlr-command-reactor "fillet-reactor" '((:vlr-unknowncommand . fillet-reactor-callback))) ) ) (defun fillet-reactor-callback ( obj com ) (setq com (car com)) (alert com) ; do the split com into ; (Change_Prec X X)) ) ; defun (or fillet-reactor-acdoc (setq fillet-reactor-acdoc (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object))) ) Thinking more maybe only check p12, prec10

K updated my code as well. tho this seems to not work well with BricsCAD. moved the vlax-put to only update when the if statment is true. change_prec_fields_update.lsp

I've modified my latest code to introduce current precision and search in the Mtext

@Saxlle just a comment a bit hard to see what is going on in video maybe use a screen area rather than full screen. Win 11, Shit+Window+R allows screen area record. Drag window area then start / stop. This may be useful rather than a list box can tick one or all choices, add an All option so one click. Examples in code. Multi toggles.lsp

(ssget "_X" (list (cons 0 "~3DSOLID")))

And with this syntax? (sssetfirst nil (ssget "_X" '((0 . "*") (-4 . "<NOT") (0 . "3DSOLID") (-4 . "NOT>"))))

Maybe this kind of solution can be interesting (to use a multiple selection, use Shift+Left mouse click, to use a single selection, use CTRL+Left mouse click): ; ************************************************************************** ; Functions : CHRENLAYERS ; Description : Select Layers To Change It To UPPERCASE Or LOWERCASE ; Author : SAXLLE ; Date : December 04, 2025 ; ************************************************************************** (prompt "\nSelect Layers To Change It To UPPERCASE Or LOWERCASE!\nTo run a LISP type: CHRENLAYERS") (princ) (defun c:CHRENLAYERS ( / old_echo dcl_id fname fn laylist lay items rval acad name) (vl-load-com) (setq old_echo (getvar 'cmdecho)) (setvar 'cmdecho 0) (create_dialog) (collect_layers) (setq dcl_id (load_dialog fname)) (if (not (new_dialog "Laylist" dcl_id)) (exit) ) (action_tile "cancel" "(cancel)") (start_list "ls") (mapcar 'add_list laylist) (end_list) (action_tile "ps1" "(read_items) (to_uppercase)") (action_tile "ps2" "(read_items) (to_lowercase)") (start_dialog) (unload_dialog dcl_id) (vl-file-delete fname) (gc) (princ) ) (defun cancel () (done_dialog 0) (terpri) (prompt "Application running were finished...") (princ) ) (defun collect_layers () (setq laylist (list) lay (tblnext "LAYER" T) ) (while lay (if (not (equal (cdr (assoc 2 lay)) "0")) (setq laylist (cons (cdr (assoc 2 lay)) laylist) lay (tblnext "LAYER") ) (setq lay (tblnext "LAYER")) ) ) (setq laylist (vl-sort laylist '<)) ) (defun read_items () (setq acad (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object))) (setq items (get_tile "ls") rval (mapcar '(lambda (x) (nth x laylist)) (read (strcat "(" items ")"))) ) ) (defun to_uppercase () (foreach item rval (setq name (strcase item)) (vla-SendCommand acad (strcat "-RENAME LA " item (chr 13) name (chr 13))) (prompt (strcat "\nThe layer " item " were changed into the UPPERCASE!")) (setvar 'cmdecho old_echo) (princ) ) (done_dialog 1) ) (defun to_lowercase () (foreach item rval (setq name (strcase item T)) (vla-SendCommand acad (strcat "-RENAME LA " item (chr 13) name (chr 13))) (prompt (strcat "\nThe layer " item " were changed into the LOWERCASE!")) (setvar 'cmdecho old_echo) (princ) ) (done_dialog 1) ) (defun create_dialog () (setq fname (vl-filename-mktemp "Laylist.dcl") fn (open fname "w") ) (write-line "Laylist :dialog { label = \"Select layers to change it to UPPERCASE or LOWERCASE!\"; :list_box { key = \"ls\"; multiple_select = true; height = 10; width = 50; } :row { :button { label = \"Change to UPPERCASE >>\"; key = \"ps1\"; fixed_width = true; } :button { label = \"Change to LOWERCASE >>\"; key = \"ps2\"; fixed_width = true; } :button { label = \"Cancel\"; key = \"cancel\"; mnemonic = \"C\"; alignment = centered; fixed_width = true; is_cancel=true; } } }" fn) (close fn) ) Also, you can see the short video example of how it works. CHRENLAYERS.mp4 Best regards.

Have a look at (setq lays (layoutlist)) there is no Model in the list created saves a few if and buts. Can use also (setvar 'ctab "Model") so no Doc required.