Take control of AutoCAD for a more efficient, streamlined workflow AutoCAD Platform Customization is the most comprehensive guide to streamlining and personalizing the AutoCAD platform. The AutoLISP and VBA programming languages open up a myriad of customization options, and this book provides expert guidance toward applying them to AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Plant 3D, and other programs based on the Autodesk AutoCAD platform. Detailed discussions backed by real-world examples and step-by-step tutorials provide user-friendly instruction, and downloadable datasets allow for hands-on learning. Through customization you can increase screen real estate, streamline workflows, and create more accurate drawings by unleashing powerful programming languages that allow the user to command the software how to work, instead of the other way around. AutoCAD customization is commonly performed by system administrators and CAD managers, but senior drafters and savvy users are increasingly taking customization into their own hands. AutoLISP and VBA are two popular and versatile tools that allow for going beyond the boundaries of normal user interface customization options, allowing users to: Enforce drawing and CAD standards, and automate repetitive tasks Customize the workspace, including tool sets, ribbon tabs and panels, and palettes Modify graphical objects, set system variables, integrate with external software, and more Manage blocks, change the interface, create dialog boxes, and communicate with Microsoft Office applications The ideal design environment puts the tools you need right at your fingertips, removes unnecessary steps, and fosters precision through good communication. Customizing, including applying AutoLISP and VBA to AutoCAD, enables all of this and much more. For the designer who needs to work smarter because it's impossible to work any harder, AutoCAD Platform Customization provides the key information, insight, and techniques that will help to increase your productivity with AutoCAD.

Boost productivity and streamline your workflow with expert AutoCAD: VBA programming instruction AutoCAD Platform Customization: VBA is the definitive guide to personalizing AutoCAD and the various programs that run on the AutoCAD platform, including AutoCAD Architecture, Civil 3D, Plant 3D, and more. Written by an Autodesk insider with years of customization and programming experience, this book features detailed discussions backed by real-world examples and easy-to-follow tutorials that illustrate each step in the personalization process. Readers gain expert guidance toward managing layouts and external references, changing the menu and other interface items, creating forms, and communicating with Office applications—all designed to streamline the workspace and improve productivity. An additional resources appendix, downloadable datasets, and customization examples provide extra information and tools that allow users to implement the most advanced customizations. Autodesk's AutoCAD platform is the basis for much of the software that is integral to the modern design and engineering processes. VBA allows users to customize the AutoCAD interface and other features to increase screen real estate, create macros, validate drawing information, and more, leaving less repetition, fewer distractions, and more time for design. AutoCAD Platform Customization: VBA walks readers through the many options available, teaching them to: Create, modify, annotate, and view drawing objects Interact comfortably with the application, open documents, and the user Manage external data, communicate with other applications, and define user forms Debug custom programs and handle errors Customization allows users to keep their favorite tools at their fingertips, and put away the ones they don't need. For AutoCAD users looking to streamline their workflow, AutoCAD Platform Customization: VBA provides expert instruction and insider advice.

Customize and personalize programs built on the AutoCAD platform AutoLISP is the key to unlocking the secrets of a more streamlined experience using industry leading software programs like AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Plant 3D, and more. AutoCAD Platform Customization: AutoLISP provides real-world examples that show you how to do everything from modifying graphical objects and reading and setting system variables to communicating with external programs. It also features a resources appendix and downloadable datasets and customization examples—tools that ensure swift and easy adoption. Find out how to remove unused buttons from the ribbon to gain screen space Discover how to create macros for frequently performed actions, or add your company's logo to the bottom of every drawing Learn to perform more involved customizations, like communicating with a database to validate and update information entered in drawing layers Ideal for CAD administrators, senior drafters, savvy users, and other professionals and students Through detailed discussions and tutorials that include real-world examples, this book gives you the power to enhance your program's experience and output.

Make AutoCAD your own with powerful personalization options Options for AutoCAD customization are typically the domain of administrators, but savvy users can perform their own customizations to personalize AutoCAD. Until recently, most users never thought to customize the AutoCAD platform to meet their specific needs, instead leaving it to administrators. If you are an AutoCAD user who wants to ramp up personalization options in your favorite software, AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface and Beyond is the perfect resource for you. Author Lee Ambrosius is recognized as a leader in AutoCAD platform customization and can help you get the most out of AutoCAD. Establish and manage CAD standards for the drawings you create Control the startup process and settings that define the drawing environment Modify the user interface to display the commands you use most frequently and create new commands Create macros to speed up frequently repeated tasks Define custom shapes, linetypes, and hatch patters to control the linework in a drawing Use real-world tips and tutorials to reinforce the author's topical discussions A perfect resource for CAD administrators, students, senior drafters, and other CAD enthusiasts, AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface and Beyond features in-depth discussions of customization options as well as detailed examples and tutorials. As an eight-year customization and programming session leader with Autodesk University, Lee Ambrosius is uniquely qualified to help users get the most out of software based on the AutoCAD platform. His AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface and Beyond is the go-to resource for those who are ready to take their software customization to the next level.

"I've been using AutoCAD for 22 years and have written a hundred books on the subject. I reviewed many CAD books back in the days when book reviews were common in CAD publications; some were innovative, others were just sad. But for nearly a decade, it's been mostly silence on the book review front. Then earlier in the summer, a book arrived in the mail from Sybex: AutoCAD Secrets Every User Should Know by Dan Abbott. Reading it, I got excited: here's a book for every AutoCAD user, even old-timers like me." - Ralph Grabowski, Editor, upFront.eZine.com: The Business of CAD Learn the "why" behind the "how" in this one-of-a-kind reference packed with tips and techniques from award-winning AutoCAD expert Dan Abbott. This info-packed guide reveals some of the best kept AutoCAD secrets on technical standards, AutoLISP programming, DOS functions, scripts, 3D, and everything in between. Based on his popular "Things Every AutoCAD User Should Know" session at Autodesk University and other industry events, Dan gives you the answers to frequently asked AutoCAD questions in his direct and entertaining style while using real-world case studies to put your skills into practice. Read it cover to cover or dive right in to the sections you need most, then get ready to improve your productivity, save more time, and become an AutoCAD all-star.

* Major update of Sutphin’s successful AutoCAD 2000 Programmer’s Reference. * Introduction to Visual Basic allows use by experienced AutoCAD developers who are new to programming. * Comprehensive coverage of the AutoCAD object model. * New coverage of AutoCAD 2000 features including file and security programming, customizing the IDE and accessing the Win32 API.

VBA is the Key to Automating Your Work and Reusability in AutoCAD... ...and Mastering AutoCAD VBA unlocks the secrets to VBA programming, teaching you everything you need to know to write macros, customize your interface, and even develop independent applications that will speed your work and enhance your results. Written specifically for AutoCAD users, this book is filled with detailed examples that often walk you through the manual approaches to tasks, then show you—step by step—the VBA techniques that can get you there faster. Coverage includes: Creating, debugging, and editing code using the Visual Basic Editor Using variables and constants to store information Writing code using AutoCAD object properties, methods, and event procedures Repeating sections of code and designing code to be run conditionally Creating drawings from macros Automating tasks with templates and VBA macros Developing Windows applications to interface with AutoCAD Adding new menu commands to your AutoCAD environment Setting grid and snap spacing from a macro Combining primitive solids using union, intersection, and subtraction Creating solids using extrusion and revolution Performing hidden-line removal and rendering Creating ActiveX controls for exchanging data with other applications Using AutoCAD 2000i's Internet features to upload/download web files Readying drawings for the Internet using the "Publish to Web" wizard Using hyperlinks in drawings that lead to local or Web