AutoCAD: Building Add-ins with C#

4h 24mIntermediate2018-09-20

Authors

Josh Modglin

Technical Consultant

Course details

Many companies work to customize Autodesk AutoCAD products to suit their business needs and enhance their overall productivity. In this course, learn how to extend AutoCAD functionality by building a library of functions using the .NET AutoCAD API and C#. Using Visual Studio Community 2017 and AutoCAD 2019, instructor Josh Modglin helps you create a project and build commands that incorporate a graphic user interface. Josh goes over basic C# functionality, discusses how to work with application and database properties, and more.

Learning objectives
Creating a project using the Autodesk Wizard
Creating classes, command routines, and functions
Basic C# functionality, including conditions and strings
Working with AutoCAD application properties
Working with database properties
Working with transactions and table records
Getting a user-specified point and distance
Creating and inheriting a base class object
Creating a window interface

Skills covered

AutoCAD2D Drafting and DrawingBIMAutodesk3D ModelingVisualization and Real-TimeAECProduct and ManufacturingAnimation and IllustrationProgramming LanguagesSoftware DevelopmentDeep Dive (X:Y)

Concepts

Introduction

Building Add-ins with C# for AutoCAD

Working with the Development Environment

IDE overview
Setting up your environment
Introduction to C#

Creating Your First Project

Create a project using the Autodesk wizard
Understanding project properties
Class overview
Create a class
Create a command routine
Create a function

Basic C# Functionality

Using conditions
Working with strings
Collections and loops
How to use error trapping

AutoCAD ApplicationServices Namespace

Working with AutoCAD application properties
Working with the DocumentCollection
Working with document properties
Creating a new drawing

AutoCAD DatabaseServices Namespace

Working with database properties
Understanding ObjectIds
Working with transactions
Working with table records
Create a line

AutoCAD EditorInput Namespace

Getting a user-specified point
Getting a user-specified distance
Getting a user-selected entity
Getting a selection set
Using input keywords

Class Object Fundamentals

Creating a base class object
Inheriting a base class object
Using the static keyword

Creating a Window Interface

Create a window
Binding data
Bringing it all together

Conclusion

Next steps