AutoLISP Routines

A block created with its base point at some arbitrary corner never snaps where you want it, and the usual fix is exploding and rebuilding it. BASEPIN shifts the base point instead and updates every reference in the drawing. What BasePin does The base point is the grip you insert and rotate a block by. Moving it properly means changing the definition and then … [Read more...] about BASEPIN LISP: Move a Block’s Base Point Without Redefining

Arrows drawn by hand end up whatever size the person drawing them guessed at, and they are wrong again the moment the sheet scale changes. BARB draws leader-style arrows as plain polylines, sized automatically from the drawing’s own dimension settings. What Barb does The arrowhead length is DIMASZ multiplied by DIMSCALE — exactly the size AutoCAD would … [Read more...] about BARB LISP: Draw Leader Arrows Sized from DIMASZ

A background mask punches the drawing out behind a piece of text so it stays readable over hatching or dense linework. AutoCAD offers it — through three different places depending on the object type, one object at a time. BACKDROP does all three types, across a whole selection, from one dialog. What BackDrop does Select any mixture of MText, multileaders and … [Read more...] about BACKDROP LISP: Background Mask on Text, Leaders and Dims

Numbering that has to be maintained by hand is numbering that eventually has a gap in it. AUTOTAG watches a set of blocks and renumbers the whole sequence whenever one is added, copied or erased — so it is always complete and always in order. What AutoTag does Insert another block and it takes the next number. Delete one from the middle and everything after … [Read more...] about AUTOTAG LISP: Keep AutoCAD Block Numbering in Sequence

A long project name in a fixed-width title block box is a familiar problem, and the usual fix is guessing at width factors in the Properties palette and re-checking after each guess. ATTSQUEEZE lets you drag until it fits, with the value shown live at the cursor, and click. What AttSqueeze does Pick a single-line attribute and move the cursor. The width factor … [Read more...] about ATTSQUEEZE LISP: Set Attribute Width Factor by Dragging

ATTPULL reads attribute values out of every drawing in a folder and builds an Excel workbook from them. ATTPUSH writes new values back into every drawing in a folder. No drawing is opened in the editor — a hundred files are processed in the time it takes to open one. What AttHarvest does This is the door schedule pulled straight from the door blocks, the … [Read more...] about ATTPULL & ATTPUSH LISP: Batch Attribute Extract and Edit