AutoCAD

AutoCAD® software provides a flexible development platform for specialized design and drafting applications. Its open architecture enables you to customize AutoCAD to suit your unique purposes. Examples of customizations include Autodesk’s industry-specific design software and thousands of add-on applications from members of the Autodesk® Developer Network.

AutoCAD provides the ObjectARX® programming environment with the object-oriented C++ programming interfaces, the managed AutoCAD .NET API, the complete Visual LISP® development environment and the ActiveX® interface.

My First AutoCAD Plug-in:

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Video: Overview of My First AutoCAD Plug-in Guide
"My First Plug-in" is a self-paced tutorial guide for a smooth introduction into the programming world. This is a "one-stop shop" learning path for users who know Autodesk products but are absolutely new to programming and are thinking about taking the plunge. In this guide, you will be working with the AutoCAD .NET Application Programming Interface (API) and the Visual Basic .NET programming language to create a ‘plug-in’ – a module that loads into AutoCAD to extend its functionality. Once you have finished this tutorial, you will understand the basics of .NET programming and how they are applied to AutoCAD.

Click here to start your very first plug-in

Community

Blogs
Get news, expert tips and insider resources directly from Autodesk software engineers

AutoCAD Customization blog: Through the Interface – Kean Walmsley
ADN AutoCAD DevBlog

Discussion Groups
Take part in active API discussion forums moderated by Autodesk software engineers.

AutoCAD Customization

Showcase

Autodesk Exchange Apps for AutoCAD: Easily extend the power of AutoCAD using apps created for the end user community.

Cloud Computing: Find out how to develop and integrate Cloud Computing (Software as a Service) solutions with your AutoCAD plug-in application.

Learning

DevTVs:
Visit DevTV section of AutoCAD DevBlog for self-paced video tutorials on AutoCAD customization.

Samples:

The self-paced ObjectARX training labs for AutoCAD.
ObjectARX 2014 Training
ObjectARX 2013 Training
ObjectARX 2010/2012 Training
The self-paced AutoCAD.NET training labs for AutoCAD.
AutoCAD 2014 .Net Training
AutoCAD 2013 .Net Training
AutoCAD 2012 .Net Training
Several ObjectARX and .NET samples are included in the ObjectARX SDK

Documentation:

The online DXF Reference Guide
An installer for integrating the ObjectARX help files with the Visual Studio 2010 help system
ObjectARX 2013 Documentation
An installer for integrating the ObjectARX help files with the Visual Studio 2010 help system
ObjectARX 2012 Documentation
The online AutoCAD 2013 .NET Developers Guide
The online AutoCAD 2012 .NET Developers Guide
The ObjectARX SDK also contains documentation on the object-oriented C++ and .NET APIs.
The ActiveX API documentation is organized into two guides:
- The AutoCAD Developer’s Guide. Covers the fundamentals of using the API.
- The AutoCAD Developer’s Reference. Explains the classes in the API, and contains sample code demonstrating various aspects of the API in both VBA and Visual LISP.