-------------------ACAD newsletter--------------------- Newsletter about AutoCAD and AutoLISP ------------------------------------------------------- Vol 1, No 2 February 2001 ------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Welcome to ACAD newsletter! --------------------------- Welcome new subscribers to the newsletter. This newsletter will help you to get a better understanding of AutoCAD and AutoLISP. What's so nice about the newsletter: it's still FREE. Instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing are below. We're eager to hear what you think of this newsletter. Feel free to offer feedback and suggestions. You can send me an e-mail. Maybe you want us to write about a certain aspect of AutoCAD or AutoLISP. Don't hesitate. Feel free to tell us. We'll try to fullfill your wish. You can even ask us questions about AutoCAD or AutoLISP. Please help our list grow!! If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend or family member. Pass this newsletter to him or her. If you're interested in advertising in this newsletter send an e-mail to the editor. Erik Slingerland, editor Contact: mailto:ecs@dds.nl @ 2001 JEbooks Privacy Policy: We respect your privacy. Your e-mail address will never be sold or distributed to anyone. Subscribe: mailto:acadnewsletter-subscribe@topica.com Unsubscribe: mailto:acadnewsletter-unsubscribe@topica.com ------------------------------------------------- For best viewing maximize the window to full size ------------------------------------------------- In this issue we have prepared for you.... 1. Top Sponsor Section 2. Notes from the Editor. 3. Displacement option of the MOVE command 4. AutoLISP Program for Drawing Blanks - Part 2 5. Question 6. Privacy Policy, Advertising Info, and Legal Stuff 7. Contact Information ---------------------- 1. Top Sponsor Section ---------------------- Are they nuts? The ACAD newsletter started the 5-for-1 action. This action is for all subscribers of the ACAD newsletter. You have friends. You know people working with AutoCAD. Find five of them and let them subscribe to the newsletter. And get a free AutoCAD e-book. Did I say friends? You could also go to your closest Internet contacts. Go to your address book and send them an e-mail about the ACAD Newsletter. This is how it works. Let the people you know subscribe to the ACAD newsletter. They do that in the normal way by sending an e-mail to: mailto:acadnewsletter-subscribe@topica.com Send an e-mail to the editor of the ACAD newsletter and let him know the people that subscribed to the ACAD newsletter. He can be reached at: mailto:ecs@dds.nl Also let the editor know what AutoCAD e-book you would like to receive. These are the available titles: - Autocad 14 - Base Course - Autocad 14 - 3D Course - Autocad 2000 - Base Course - Autocad 2000 and Databases Course - Autocad Dialog Boxes Course - Autolisp Course ----------------- 2. Editors notes: ----------------- Welcome to ACAD Newsletter. I hope you'll like it. Please take a minute and forward this to a friend. I would like to welcome all the new members who joined since the last issue, we are now getting a lot of new members all the time.... Depends on what you mean a lot... Also we're thinking of moving to a biweekly schedule meaning you'll get an issue once every two week.. Any drawbacks on this? Let me know... This is the second issue of the newsletter. Here you'll find some more AutoCAD information and we continue with the AutoLISP program for drawing blanks. That's new. We received an AutoCAD question. Read about it further in this newsletter. There you wqill also find the reply. Erik ******************************************************* FREE FUN DELIVERED TO YOUR MAILBOX! * Jokes <--- * News <--- * Computers! <--- * Quotes <--- * Recipes <--- * Books! <--- * Riddles <--- * Freebies <--- * Crafts! <--- * Cartoons <--- * Business <--- * Work @ home! <--- Fresh FREE Newsletters on these topics and others only @ FunEzines.com! It's Free Fun and Addictive it FunEzines.com! Visit: http://www.funezines.com/index.cgi?referrer=josvan ******************************************************* Earn a dime every time you receive e-mail! Sign up FREE at: http://www.MintMail.com/?m=156987 ******************************************************* ------------------------------------------ 3. Displacement option of the MOVE command ------------------------------------------ When the MOVE command is invoked in AutoCAD 14 then the following prompts are displayed: Select objects: Base point or displacement: Second point of displacement: At the first prompt objects are selected. The selected objects will be moved. Pressing the RETURN key or the right mouse button terminates selection of objects. At the second prompt a base point can be entered. If so then the selected objects are moved to the point that's entered at the third prompt. Alternatively also a displacement can be entered at the second prompt. The displacement is entered with an X value and an Y value, separated by a comma. An example of the displacement is 10,10. The selected objects are moved 10 screen units in the X direction and 10 screen units in the Y direction. If a displacement is entered then the RETURN key is pressed at the second prompt or the right mouse button is clicked. AutoCAD 2000 has the same options. Different is the prompts that are displayed. The prompts for the MOVE command are: Select objects: Specify base point or displacement: Specify second point of displacement or If a displacement is entered at the second prompt then at the third prompt the RETURN key is pressed or the right mouse button is clicked. ------------------------------------------------------- About the author: **************************************************** * Writer of this article is Jos van Doorn. He is * * an AutoCAD specialist, AutoLISP programmer and * * ACAD newsletter publisher. The newsletter is * * for people who want to learn more about AutoCAD * * and AutoLISP. It's FREE. To subscribe: * * * * mailto:acadnewsletter-subscribe@topica.com * * * * He has written six AutoCAD books. Interested in * * the books. Let him know. Send an e-mail to: * * * * mailto:josvandoorn@zwallet.com * **************************************************** ******************************************************* Send a FREE Animated ECARD Greeting. The cards can be set up in these languages: Italian | Japanese | Korean | Polish | Portuguese Russian | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Dutch French | German | Greek | Hindi Many categories. Go to: http://www.blab.com/ecards ******************************************************* MAKE BIG MONEY AS AN EZINE PUBLISHER! My Online Success newsletter was made while I was sleeping! NO pain...lots of gain! Become a prestigious newsletter publisher in 5 minutes! http://www.EzineHelp.com/resellers/10124 ******************************************************* ----------------------------------------------- 4. AutoLISP Program for Drawing Blanks - Part 2 ----------------------------------------------- In this episode an explanation is given of the main program and the layer function. In the main program is a loop. Also the layer has a loop. That loop is a control loop. Here's the main program: (defun c:blank (/ p1 tx) (setvar "cmdecho" 0) (setla) (while (setq p1 (getpoint "\nFirst point: ")) (setq tx (getstring T "\nText blank: ")) (drwbl p1 tx) ) (setvar "cmdecho" 1) (princ) ) At the start of the program the system variable CMDECHO is set to 0. That's done to prevent the display of command prompts while the program is running. At the end of the program the system variable CMDECHO is given again the value 1. Command prompts should be displayed as the AutoCAD program is manually operated. The PRINC function at the end of the program prevents that the number 1 is displayed at the command prompt as the program terminates. After the system variable CMDECHO is set the layer function is called. In that function a layer name can be entered and the layer is set or created. Then the loop of the main program starts. As long as a point is entered the loop continues. Pressing the left mouse button enters a point. The loop stops when no more point is entered. If the left mouse button is not pressed but a RETURN is entered then no point is entered. The loop then terminates and with it the program terminates. To start the loop two functions are used. The WHILE function is used and the GETPOINT function. The GETPOINT function gives back a point if entered. If no point is entered then the GETPOINT function gives back NIL. The WHILE function checks what is given back by the GETPOINT function. If a point is entered then a loop starts or continues. If no point is entered then NIL is given back by the GETPOINT function. The WHILE function stops the loop. The WHILE function and the GETPOINT function have been used here in a very convenient way. Their use prevents that a dummy variable must be used for the loop. The entered point is saved in the variable P1. In the loop are two lines. In the first line the text of the blank is entered. In the second line a call to the function for drawing the blanks is made. The function for drawing the blanks has two parameters. The first parameter is point P1. The second parameter is the text of the blank. Both parameters are needed in the function ------------------------------------------------------- About the author: **************************************************** * Writer of this article is Jos van Doorn. He is * * an AutoCAD specialist, AutoLISP programmer and * * ACAD newsletter publisher. The newsletter is * * for people who want to learn more about AutoCAD * * and AutoLISP. It's FREE. To subscribe: * * * * mailto:acadnewsletter-subscribe@topica.com * * * * He has written six AutoCAD books. Interested in * * the books. Let him know. Send an e-mail to: * * * * mailto:josvandoorn@zwallet.com * **************************************************** ******************************************************* Looking for a FREE affiliate program to join? Here's a good one. Check it out. They give a good support and they help you to make a lot of money. http://www.sixfigureincome.com/?689664 ******************************************************* Get free e-mail and get paid. That's what zWallet.com is offering. They have two programs: 1. Email Rewards Program 2. Email Rewards Plus+ Program Find out about it, get a free e-mail, and get paid. Go to: http://www.zwallet.com/join.html?user=josvandoorn ******************************************************* ---------------------------------------------------- 5. Question ---------------------------------------------------- We received the following e-mail from Bruce Gaber. Bruce has a question about creating STL files with AutoCAD. This is his e-mail: Odd as it may seem, I bought AutoCad 2000i for one purpose only--to convert DXF files to the stereolithography format STL. Now the best I can figure (from the R14 manual, as the 2000i manual does not even address STL), is that I can only generate an STL file from a solid model. Have I missed something here? Is there a path from an imported DXF to an STL export? I case you're wondering, I am importing molecular models which have been transformed into DXF with the hope of generating data suitable for making actual solid models using stereolithography.. Many Thanks Bruce Dear Bruce, You already found the answer to your question. You can only generate a STL file from a solid model. That is one solid model, mind you. You can start with a DXF file as long as a solid model is in the DXF file. A STL file can be generated after reading the DXF file in AutoCAD. If you have more solid models in your drawing and you want to generate a STL file then you need to connect all these solid models. After connecting the solid models stratically use the UNION command to make it one solid model. That will do the trick. You're not looking for an other program to generate STL files. But maybe you can check these sites out: http://www.xdsoft.com/explorer - shareware program for converting AutoCAD files http://www.okino.com - converts all AutoCAD 3D file formats I didn't check the web sites or the programs on the web sites. Maybe you can do that. Just let me know what you found. I'm very much interested. Erik ---------------------------------------------------- 6. Privacy policy, Advertising Info, and Legal Stuff ---------------------------------------------------- This newsletter is only sent on request. Our list of subscribers is strictly confidential. That means that your details have never been and never will be passed on to any third party. Your privacy is greatly respected. Should you ever wish to unsubscribe, full instructions are always provided. To subscribe: mailto:acadnewsletter-subscribe@topica.com To unsubscribe: mailto:acadnewsletter-unsubscribe@topica.com Previous issues of the newsletter can be seen at: http://www.topica.com/lists/acadnewsletter/read But you must first register with Topica. Advertising info: If you wish to advertise in this newsletter, you shouldn't wait a second longer. Ad rates now are the lowest for the season. The ad rates are: Top sponsor message: 10$ per issue Ad in the sponsors section: 5$ per issue Exclusive sponsor mailing: 35$ per mailing The ad guidelines are: Ads have to be up to 8 lines including a URL and a mail to tag. Each line can have up to 60 chars. Exclusive mailing can have up to 75 lines 60 chars per line. Legal stuff: ACAD newsletter publishes original content and tips that are distributed by readers. ALL of our articles are original and copyrighted 2001 and on by Jos van Doorn and any other contributing publishers. If you wish to publish any of the content here in your newsletter please contact Erik Slingerland at mailto:ecs@dds.nl He's the editor of this newsletter. Reprinting or reproducing this newsletter can be done only if you keep it all together. You may NOT reproduce any part of this newsletter in a way without a written permission from the list owner. The signatures are to be kept intact. ------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: ACAD newsletter accepts no responsibility whatsoever for the content or legality of any customer's advertisement shown in any e-mailing. It is the advertisers' responsibility to check and abide by the Local, State, Federal and International laws pertaining to the products, services or business opportunities they advertise, as well as all laws pertaining to the products, services and/or business opportunities promotions. All offers in this publication, are void where prohibited by law! ---------------------------------------------------- 7. Contact Information ---------------------------------------------------- ----------------josvandoorn@zwallet.com---------------- Jos van Doorn - publisher ACAD newsletter Jalan Watan 12 CA-4-24 68000 Bandar Baru Ampang Malaysia (03) 42706214 ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------ecs@dds.nl----------------------- Erik Slingerland - Editor ACAD newsletter Thorbeckestraat 8 2941 VJ Lekkerkerk The Netherlands (0180) 661571 ------------------------------------------------------- -- Jos N. van Doorn. AutoCAD specialist, AutoLISP programmer. Also publisher of ACAD newsletter. Subscribe for FREE. To subscribe to ACAD Newsletter: mailto:acadnewsletter-subscribe@topica.com ______________________________________________________ Get Paid... With Your Free Email at http://www.zwallet.com/index.html?user=josvandoorn