The AutoCADET's Guide to Visual LISP (Paperback)

by Bill Kramer (Author) "When using a tool, it can be helpful to know where it originated, so this chapter begins with a brief history of Visual LISP..." (more)
Key Phrases: entity data list, subr returns, drawing edit session, Visual Basic, Expression Result, Subr Description (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
AutoCADet: A person who uses AutoCAD directly or indirectly to create or analyze graphic images and is in possession of one or more of the following traits: wants to learn; has an interest in improving the way AutoCAD works; is a visionary AutoCAD user; is willing to try new approaches to solving problems; or just loves to play with computers.

Customize AutoCAD to include productivity enhancements such as new commands, combinations of existing commands, or list processing scripts for the storage and manipulation of data. This tutorial offers a complement of AutoLISP programming skills - from the basic concepts to advanced programming techniques - that you can use to enhance your AutoCAD 2000, 2000i, and 2002 environments. You begin with an introduction to the language and the environment. Then you dig into the nuts and bolts of Visual LISP, such as data types, basic programs, and converting data to different formats. Next, you learn about user interfaces and activities involving the operator. And finally, you look at the interfaces available in Visual LISP including an overview of ActiveX objects and files.

Develop utilities that you can use to create increasingly complex programs. The companion CD-ROM contains demonstration applications that reinforce the concepts presented in each chapter. Because LISP is a building-block language, you can use the resulting blocks of working code as the foundation for your own customizations.

About the Author
Bill Kramer is a computer scientist with 20+ years experience in CAD systems. He is a leading authority on AutoCAD customization regularly leading tutorial presentations at Autodesk University, and contributing articles to industry publications, including his 'Programmer's Toolbox' column in Cadence magazine. In addition to writing for Cadence since its inception in 1986, Bill is the author of AutoLISP Treasure Chest and co-author of AutoCAD VBA Programming Tools and Techniques. Bill has recently taken time away from his duties as president of Auto-Code Mechanical to organize and lead the popular CAD-Cruise for programming and system management training.

Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: CMP Books (December 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157820089X
• ISBN-13: 978-1578200894
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #891,178 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great intermediate lisp book., January 8, 2003

By	Jason W. Roper (BOISE, ID United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found Bill Kramer's book to be very helpful in really understanding how the lisp language for AutoCad works. I would not say it is for the absolute beginner. It does not contain tons of non-useful, simple code to use as a tutorial. It does, however, contain a lot of truly useful functions and detailed explanations on how the code actually works. From the very start, it discusses how to use AutoCad's Visual Lisp Integrated Design Environment, one of the best tools for helping programmers write functions. This is something other books, inexplicably, leave till the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is one of the better books out there.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book expains things very well, February 9, 2008

By	Zachariah E. Silkett (Poulsbo, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unlike many technical and programming books, the author of this book shows his love and dedication to programming, and sets down the ground rules with a little bit of history to help understand exactly what it is that you are doing. This book is so full of good information, you almost have to read it one paragraph at a time, yet it is so intriguing that it's hard to put down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Agree - a good intermediate lisp book., January 4, 2009

By	C. Wakefield (Queensland, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had learnt LISP by studying existing code and looking up what each command did in a reference manual. I found Bill's book gave me a better overview of lisp and tied what I already knew together. I now feel comfortable developing routines from the beginning without having to copy and modify somebody else's code. It also helped me make better use of the VLIDE.