AutoLISP Routines

Ordinary DIMALIGNED makes you place the dimension line by eye, so a sheet full of dimensions ends up with a sheet full of slightly different offsets. SPANLINE and SPANPICK compute the offset instead. What QuickSpan does The dimension line is placed perpendicular to the measured run, one DIMTXT — the current text height — clear of it. Every dimension … [Read more...] about SPANLINE LISP: Aligned Dimensions at a Consistent Offset

MATCHPROP pushes the properties of a source object onto other objects. SIPHON does the opposite: it reads colour, layer, linetype, lineweight and linetype scale off one picked object and makes them the current defaults, so everything you draw next inherits them. What PropSiphon does It sets CECOLOR, CLAYER, CELTYPE, CELWEIGHT and CELTSCALE from the object you … [Read more...] about SIPHON LISP: Reverse MATCHPROP for AutoCAD Defaults

POINTBRIDGE reads coordinates from one place and writes them to another. Both ends can be any of five things: block insertion points, a text or CSV file, AutoCAD point objects, lightweight polyline vertices, or 3D polyline vertices. What PointBridge does So one command covers every combination of the five. Import a surveyor’s CSV as blocks on a chosen layer, … [Read more...] about POINTBRIDGE LISP: Convert Point Data, Drawing to File

NUMSTAMP places a sequence of numbered or lettered annotations by clicking, each one stepping on from the last. Grid references, door numbers, revision bubbles, setting-out points, drawing marks — anything that needs a run of labels that count. What NumStamp does The result can be single-line text, MText, or an attributed block, and can be automatically … [Read more...] about NUMSTAMP LISP: Incremental Numbering With a Content Builder

MLSHIFT changes the justification of multilines without moving them. It is the multiline equivalent of the Express Tools TJUST command, which does the same job for text. What MlineShift does The problem it solves. An mline’s justification says which of its element lines sits on the path you drew. Change it the obvious way, by editing the property, and the … [Read more...] about MLSHIFT LISP: Change Multiline Justification in Place

A locked viewport cannot have its zoom scale changed by accident. PORTLOCK locks every one of them, on every layout, in a single command. This is the cheapest piece of drawing hygiene there is. What PortLock does Once a sheet is set up at 1:50, locking the viewport means an absent-minded scroll wheel while inside it can no longer quietly rescale the drawing … [Read more...] about PORTLOCK LISP: Lock Every Viewport on Every Layout