Last updated July 28, 2026
Thirteen files of 3D AutoLISP, collected from the CompuServe CAD forums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is the most historically interesting download in this library, because you can see where the pieces came from: some files are forum messages with the sender’s ID still in the header, and at least one was written by Autodesk staff.
The spring generator carries the credit “by Simon Jones — Autodesk UK Ltd. and Duff Kurland — Autodesk, Inc., November 1986”. The 3D intersection routine is a verbatim forum post from April 1989, addressed to somebody called Jaime, with the sender’s CompuServe number attached. This is not a polished product; it is a folder somebody kept.
The commands
- SPRING — generates a 3D coil spring. The Autodesk-authored file.
- SPIRAL and 3DSPIRAL — a 2D spiral and its three-dimensional counterpart.
- 3DHOUSE — a parametric house shell.
- 3DCABNT — a 3D cabinet.
- CHAIR, TABLE, ARMCHR and 3DCAB — a furniture set, all in one file.
- 3DWIN — a 3D window.
- EXT3D — the 3D intersection routine, which needs a 3D face and a line.
- PL2D-3D and 3PLTHK — polyline conversion between 2D and 3D, and polyline thickness.
- 3PEDIT and 3DPEDIT — two separate files with near-identical names, editing 3D polylines.
Three of the thirteen files define no command at all. They hold supporting functions that the others call, or were saved as reference — loading them on their own will appear to do nothing, which is not a fault.
Watch the two near-identical names. 3PEDIT and 3DPEDIT differ by one character and live in separate files of similar size. Load both and you have two commands one keystroke apart doing similar things. Pick one.
What to expect from 1980s 3D
Worth setting expectations. This predates AutoCAD’s solid modelling entirely. Everything here builds surfaces and meshes — 3D faces, polygon meshes, 3D polylines — because that was what AutoCAD had. You will not get an editable solid you can subtract from, and nothing here understands the modern 3D workflow.
That does not make it useless. Mesh geometry still renders, still plots, and still works as a visualisation. And for anybody curious about how 3D was done before solids, this is a primary source rather than a description of one.
How to load it
Unzip the archive somewhere outside your support path and load individual files with APPLOAD as you want them. With thirteen files of unknown vintage and two near-duplicate command names, loading the lot at once is asking for confusion. Our AutoLISP guide covers loading individual files.
Try each in a scratch drawing with a 3D view already set. In plan, most of what these produce looks like a flat outline and tells you nothing.
Compatibility notes
1986 to about 1990, going by the dates in the headers. Written-for rather than tested-on by a very wide margin, and the mesh and 3D face functions these rely on are among the oldest parts of AutoLISP — which cuts both ways, since old and stable often means still working.
No dialog boxes and no Express Tools calls anywhere, so nothing requires the full product; LT users on LT 2024 or later, the release that brought AutoLISP to LT, could try them, though LT’s 3D capabilities are limited in other ways. See what runs on AutoCAD LT. Test in a scratch drawing rather than live work.
Download
| Name: | 3D Lisp Collection |
| Description: | A whole bunch of LISP routines relating to 3D drafting |
| Type: | LISP Routine |
| Author: | Various, see files for credits |
| File Size: | 30 Kb |
| Cost: | Free |
| Worked on: | AutoCAD |
| Download File: | 3D Lisp Collection.zip |
Related routines
- Spiral staircase — 3D mesh generation done well, from 1995.
- CAD Tools — Autodesk’s own Bonus Tools from the same era.
- CABINET — parametric cabinet elevations in 2D.