Wednesday

AutoLISP Programming: Profile grids with MINSERT.

Post a Comment Apr-02-2008 | Posted by Brian Strandberg | Printable Version | Level |

Looking at the post Inserting multiple blocks by using MINSERT Command, it reminded me of my love of the MINSERT command. I always love elegant solutions, so the idea of repeating the same block insert to create a profile / section grid appeals to me, and is quick useful.

I started by creating the block $dotpro.dwg. $dotpro.dwg is simply a 1″ x 1″ profile grid. The dots are drawn as a line with no length. (Think drawing a line with the start and end point at the same coordinates) This avoids the difficulty that happens when you use a dotted linetype for a profile grid. When the LTSCALE changes then the spacing between the dots changes as well.

$dotpro.dwg

I then created a lisp routine to make drawing the profile grid easier. This routine works by requesting the scale of the profile grid, the prompting the user for the lower left and upper right corners of the grid. Simply load the attached lisp routine, dotgrid.lsp Type in DOTGRID at the command prompt, and create grids like crazy!

Related Files:

• [dotgrid.lsp] and [$dotpro.dwg] are zipped in dotgrid.zip