Anyone use AutoLISP in AutoCAD before?

Continuing a discussion from Scroll saw bowl reborn.

We were talking about parametric design and AutoCAD came up. I didn’t know this before but AutoCAD has a designated scripting language called AutoLISP. Has anyone used this before?

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No experience with LISP and AutoCAD, but OpenSCAD is basically C++ which outputs SVG files. So if you like doing things in code rather than visually, which is great if you are trying to create something with a mathematical formula, I would look at it.

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That’s what we were talking about but I have way more experience with AutoCAD. Just curious if people actually use AutoLISP.

In 1987 (or maybe '88) I spent 6 months writing a Facilities Management application that connected AutoCAD to a Foxbase Pro database (:laughing:) using AutoLISP. A year or so later AutoDesk made breaking changes to their AutoLISP implementation, and I went out of business.

The language is really cool, and it gives you pretty low level access to a lot of the drawing tools, and I will NEVER use it again!

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No, but I’m guessing you have to enjoy recursion.

Small world… I don’t do much programming except in python (for some web apps) but I might have to read into it a little more. I did a lot of parametric design with Rhino3D and Grasshopper but that was in school and I cannot afford a Rhino3D license so I might resort to something using this.

I have, but it has been many years.

I did a little bit for my past company. Never really beyond just utilizing drawing tools in slightly more efficient ways… essentially the equivalent of recording Macros. Whenever I found anything truly difficult, I would spend some time looking through help files, but then would reach out to the ACAD forums and they would generally step-up for me.

Me too, about 25-30 years ago. I hope the language has improved since then. (I did a thing that controlled a 2.5D cutter based on a multilayer design file, and it worked better than doing the same job by hand. But just barely.)

Another vote for openscad.