Using Visual Basic with Autocad 2010

[PhoenixPhil]

I work for a company that design & manufacture lifting platforms for the disabled and i'm the designer.

I would like to automate all of the design processes - make it all lot quicker. I do a sales drawing that is sent out with the quote and then the final design for manufacture.

I would like to have Autocad 2010 draw a sales drawing just by, say filling in a box on the screen with the relevant details of the lift and have the drawing created automatically.

Then use the same box interface idea as used for the sales drawing but this time to greate detail drawings plus a cutting list on an excel spread sheet.

The big question is, has anyone done this sort of thing before? and what did you do?

Perhaps the most important thing to mention is that the Lifts are very similar

and it tends to be the same components that change, while all the others are the same.

I can use LISP & VB quite well and quite happy to use it to achieve my goal, however there's not point trying if it's unachievable. Hence the question.

Thanks in advance.

[ReMark]

Maybe you want to stop what you're doing for the moment and read this, from AutoDesk, regarding VBA and AutoCAD 2010 and beyond.

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=12729484&linkID=9240618

[PhoenixPhil]

Thanks for the tip - i'll do some more research

[BIGAL]

Theres no problem in doing what you want to automate the drawing. If you can draw it manually then it can be automated.

 

Use a dialouge box that asks the relevant questions width height type etc and then just do it. It may take time to complete but do a little bit at a time and test as you go.

 

A good example is Struc plus structural software fill in the dialouge box beams rafters angle etc sizes and then the only question is where do you want it drawn on the sheet, splat done.

 

Anything you do over and over really lends its self to be automated.

 

Finally probably do it in lisp at moment with VBA up in the air theirs just to much code out there to be abandoned.