AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 2

AutoCAD 2013 SP2 is now available to download here. You don’t need to install earlier SP before installing SP2. If you have AutoCAD LT 2013 the download is here.

I and other beta testers have used SP2 for some time but if you don’t want to be the first to run into any unexpected problems you might want to wait a few weeks. (remember SP1 that quickly was replaced by SP1.1) Other than that there are a lot of fixes in SP2 making it worth installing.

This Service Pack can be applied to AutoCAD 2013 installed as a standalone application as well as AutoCAD 2013 installed from the following Autodesk Design Suites.

• AutoCAD Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013

The following operating systems are also now officially supported for 32-bit and 64-bit AutoCAD 2013 with Service Pack 2.

• Windows 8 Standard edition
• Windows 8 Enterprise edition
• Windows 8 Professional edition

_VERNUM (product version) details:
AutoCAD 2013 SP2: G.204.0.0 (UNICODE)
AutoCAD 2013 SP1.1: G.114.0.0 (UNICODE)
AutoCAD 2013 SP1: G.112.0.0 (UNICODE)
AutoCAD 2013: G.55.0.0 (UNICODE)

As a result of detailed information from customers who used the Customer Error Reporting Utility, a number of problems were identified and fixed. Updates have been made in the following commands and features:

3D Navigation Tools

• Occasional crash related to navigation tools.

Autodesk 360

• Crash with long file path in the Autodesk 360 folder.
• Occasional crash when opening AutoCAD with the InfoCenter off.

Block

• Occasional crash when clicking a block table grip with only one row of values available.

Command Line

• Crash when switching Input Method Editor (IME) after canceling a command when DYNMODE is set to 0 and the command window is docked.

DGN Support

• Fatal error when scrolling the DGN linetype in the Properties Palette.

Dimensions

• Occasional crash when grip-editing annotative dimensions.

External Reference (XREF)

• An OLE Object in an xref was not correctly set before the xref was detached. This crash issue has been resolved by opening the xref before erasing it.

MLEADER

• Occasional crash when using MATCHPROP with multileaders.

OLE

• Occasional crash when closing the application with a drawing that contains an OLE object.

OPTIONS

• Occasional crash when changing or switching profiles in Options.

Plot

• Occasional crash when plotting with a wipeout in the drawing.

PDF Underlay

• Crash when specifying other PDF file from Saved Path field in External Reference palette.

General

• Occasional crash when opening AutoCAD drawings in Windows 8.
• Occasional crash due to using Intersection object snaps on lightweight polylines.
• Some corrupt drawings crash when opened or saved and are not fixed automatically.
• Exiting the Text Editor while previewing text style causes a crash.

The following defects have been fixed:

3D Navigation Tools

• Zoom speed varies with 3Dconnexion device in perspective view.

3D Modeling

• Issue with the MASSPROP command with sliced 3D solids.

Block

• Issue with the display of the Block Property Table cascading menu.

CUI (Customize User Interface)

• Missing checkboxes in the Customize User Interface (CUI) dialog box when NET 4.5 is installed.

DGN Support

• Issues with exporting files to DGN, even after exploding contents of file.
• Import of a DGN arc as an Ellipse.

Dimensions

• Radial dimensions for regions can become associated to wrong arc.
• Dimension text background fill cannot be reset in Properties.
• Jogged radial dimensions in paper space may reflect the wrong value of an extruded cylinder in model space.

Image

• MONOCHROME BITMAP attached in DWG file is not shown correctly.

INQUIRY

• MASSPROP reports an incorrect mass and centroid for a solid swept along a planar spline.

MLeader

• Multileader scale is not always updated when multileader style is changed.

Model Documentation - Detail View

• Changing the Hatch property of a Detail view derived from a Section view sometimes causes AutoCAD to hang.

Modify

• Ellipse is sometimes distorted during stretching.

MTEXT

• The font doesn't match the setting in -STYLE command in Windows 8.

Plot

• There is a black stripe when plotting some drawings with a clipped image.
• A printer cannot be added after adding multiple driver folders in the Options dialog box.
• Drawings cannot be plotted with the oversized paper size and transparency on.

Selection

• Grips for attributes of blocks are not automatically made hot upon sub-selection.
• Selection preview is reset to off when IntelliMouse^® zooming is ended.

Visual Lisp

• DCL files whose code page matches the system but not the product are not recognized and loaded properly.

General

• Saving some DWG files that contain 3D solids is slow.
• A UCS other than the World UCS results in an incorrect location for the wipeout frame.
• Prompts to save are not displayed when closing a hyperlink drawing that has been changed.
• Performance is slow when saving the drawing created with Release 2010 and earlier.

Fixes in the previous AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1 are included.

See also more details in the posts AutoCAD 2013 SP1 & AutoCAD LT 2013 SP1 and AutoLISP and VBA Security Controls in AutoCAD 2013 SP1.

How to fix error: ActiveX Server returned an error: Error loading type library/DLL

I just got this error running some AutoLISP code in AutoCAD 2014 that I know there is no error in.

; error: ActiveX Server returned an error: Error loading type library/DLL

I tried to repair the AutoCAD installation but it did not help so I tried a reinstall instead and that solved the issue.

I think this problem happened because I also have AutoCAD 2013 installed and applied the service pack to it after AutoCAD 2014 was installed.

How to rotate or twist the view in AutoCAD

Here are some AutoLISP commands that can be useful if you want to rotate or twist the view. Change 90 to any other angle if you like. For counterclockwise change to –90. If you have a recent version of AutoCAD and just want 90 degrees relative rotation use the built in ViewCube functionality and the two arrows at the top right.

The DVIEW command can be used to also manually to twist the view using the twist option that twists or tilts the view around the line of sight. The twist angle is measured counterclockwise, with 0 degrees to the right.

The AutoCAD system variable VIEWTWIST stores the view rotation angle for the current viewport measured relative to the WCS and is also named as “Roll angle” (Displays the rotation angle of the view within your viewing plane, which is a plane parallel to your monitor's screen.) in the View Manager. This is being used for rotating the view relative the current rotation.

; By Jimmy Bergmark, www.jtbworld.com
; Rotate 90 degrees relative the current twist rotation
(defun c:r90 ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" (+ (* 180.0 (/ (getvar "viewtwist") pi)) 90 ) "")
  (princ)
)

; Rotate -90 degrees relative the current twist rotation
(defun c:r-90 ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" (+ (* 180.0 (/ (getvar "viewtwist") pi)) -90 ) "")
  (princ)
)

; Rotate to 90 degrees fixed twist rotation
(defun c:r90f ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" 90 "")
  (princ)
)

; Rotate to 0 degrees fixed twist rotation
(defun c:r0f ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" 0 "")
  (princ)
)

Before

and after rotating the view 90 degrees.

AutoCAD product keys in Visual LISP explained

The product key functions have some news in Visual LISP for AutoCAD 2013. These are extended functions provided by VLISP. You must issue vl-load-com before you can use the functions.

VLAX-MACHINE-PRODUCT-KEY - Returns the AutoCAD product key from the Machine hive in the Windows Registry.  (ie. "Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B001:409") VLAX-MACHINE-PRODUCT-KEY replaces VLAX-PRODUCT-KEY in releases AutoCAD 2013 and later.

VLAX-USER-PRODUCT-KEY - Returns the AutoCAD product key from the User hive in the Windows Registry.  (ie. "Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B001:409")

In AutoCAD these 2 strings will always be identical. The strings will only be different in Core Engine host applications other than AutoCAD.

VLAX-PRODUCT-KEY - Returns the AutoCAD Windows registry path. Old function, still available.

The Core Engine host AcCoreConsole.exe that ships with AutoCAD can be configured to run ’isolated’ in which case the vlax-user-product-key will return a different string than vlax-machine-product-key. Normally, it shares the HKLM/HKCU keys with AutoCAD. However, you can configure it with the /isolate switch to use a different HKCU root key. The /isolate switch can be used to prevent the changes to the system variables from affecting regular AutoCAD. This is useful when you want to set sysvars or other registry based configuration setting for AcCoreConsole.exe but you don’t want these settings to change for your AutoCAD instance.

When using the /isolate switch you also need to include an existing or new userid.

Example: AcCoreConsole.exe /isolate batch

When that is done you will notice how vlax-user-product-key will return a different value compared with the other functions:

Command: (vl-load-com)

Command: (princ (vlax-product-key))
Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.0\ACAD-B004:409
"Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B004:409"

Command: (princ (vlax-user-product-key))
Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.0\CoreUser\batch
"Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\CoreUser\\batch"

Command: (princ (vlax-machine-product-key))
Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.0\ACAD-B004:409
"Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B004:409"

Here AutoCAD registry product keys are explained further. The registry product keys are not the same thing as the Autodesk Product Keys that are used to differentiate products that are both sold independently and as part of a product suite.

Visual LISP and ActiveX/VBA Comparison

The following table compares AutoLISP/Visual LISP functions in AutoCAD with the similar ActiveX, VBA, and Visual Basic 6 functions and operators. The ActiveX Automation equivalents are indicated by “AutoCAD.Application.” and the Visual Basic 6 equivalents are listed as a function or operator. This chart can be useful when you jump between working in different languages as well as if you know one of them and want to learn the other.

AutoLISP function	ActiveX, VBA, or Visual Basic 6 equivalent
+ (addition)	+ (addition operator)
- (subtraction)	- (subtraction operator)
* (multiplication)	* (multiplication operator)
/ (division)	/ (division operator)
= (equal to)	= (equal to comparison operator)
/= (not equal to)	<> (not equal to comparison operator)
< (less than)	< (less than comparison operator)
<= (less than or equal to)	<= (less than or equal to comparison operator)
> (greater than)	> (greater than comparison operator)
>= (greater than or equal to)	>= (greater than or equal to comparison operator)
~ (bitwise not)	Not operator
1+ (increment)	Use + (addition operator)
1- (decrement)	Use - (subtraction operator)
abs	Abs function
acad_colordlg	Not provided
acad_helpdlg	Search for HELP in the online Help index
acad_strlsort	Search for SORT in the online Help index
action_tile	Use the Dialog Editor
add_list	Use the Dialog Editor
ads	AutoCAD.Application.ListADS method
alert	MsgBox function
and	And operator
angle	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. AngleFromXAxis method
angtof	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. AngleToReal method
angtos	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. AngleToString method
append	Use array manipulation functions
apply	Not provided
arx	AutoCAD.Application.ListARX method
arxload	AutoCAD.Application.LoadARX method
arxunload	AutoCAD.Application.UnloadARX method
ascii	Asc function
assoc	Not provided
atan	Atn function
atof	CDbl Function
atoi	CInt Function
atom	Search for IS in the online Help index
atoms-family	Not provided
autoarxload	Not provided
autoload	Not provided
Boole	Use logical operators
boundp	Search for IS in the online Help index
car/cdr	Use array manipulation functions
chr	Chr function
client_data_tile	Use the Dialog Editor
close	AutoCAD.Application.Documents.Close method
command	AutoCAD.ActiveDocument.SendCommand method
cond	Select Case statement
cons	Use array manipulation functions or AutoCAD.Application.collection.Add<entityname> method
cos	Cos function
cvunit	Use the conversion functions
defun	The keywords Function and End Function
dictadd	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Dictionaries. Add method
dictnext	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Dictionaries. Item method
dictremove	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Dictionaries. Dictionary.Delete method
dictrename	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Dictionaries. Dictionary.Rename method
dictsearch	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Dictionaries. Dictionary.GetName and GetObject methods
dimx_tile and dimy_tile	Use the Dialog Editor
distance	AutoCAD.Application.Utility. GetDistance for interactive method.
distof	Not provided
done_dialog	Use the Dialog Editor
end_image	Use the Dialog Editor
end_list	Use the Dialog Editor
entdel	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. collection_object.Delete method
entget	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. collection_object.property properties
entlast	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Modelspace. Item(count-1)
entmake	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Modelspace. Add<entityname> method
entmakex	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Modelspace. Add<entityname> method
entmod	Use any of the read-write properties for the object
entnext	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.collection. Item method
entsel	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets object/methods/properties
entupd	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Modelspace. object.Update method
eq	Not provided
equal	Eqv operator
*error*	Error object/method/properties
eval	Not provided
exit	AutoCAD.Application.Quit method
exp	Exp function
expand	Not provided
expt	^ (exponentiation operator)
fill_image	Use the Dialog Editor
findfile	Dir function
fix	Fix, Int, Cint functions
float	CDbl Function
foreach	For Each...Next statement
gc	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.PurgeAll
gcd	Not provided
get_attr	Use the Dialog Editor
get_tile	Use the Dialog Editor
getangle	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetAngle method
getcfg	AutoCAD.Application.Preferences.property property
getcname	Not provided
getcorner	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetCorner method
getdist	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetDistance method
getenv	AutoCAD.Application.Preferences.property property
getfiled	Use the file dialog
getint	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetInteger method
getkword	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetKeyword method
getorient	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetOrientation method
getpoint	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetPoint method
getreal	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetReal method
getstring	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. GetString method
getvar	AutoCAD.Application.GetVariable method
graphscr	AppActivate AutoCAD.Application.Caption
grclear	Obsolete function
grdraw	Not provided
grread	Not provided
grtext	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility.Prompt
grvecs	Not provided
handent	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.ModelSpace. object.Handle property
help	Search for HELP in the online Help index
if	If… Then… Else statement
initget	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. InitializeUserInput
inters	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Modelspace. object.IntersectWith
itoa	Str function
lambda	Not provided
last	arrayname(UBound(arrayname))
length	UBound function
list	ReDim statement
listp	IsArray function
load_dialog	Use the Dialog Editor
load	AutoLISP is not supported through Automation
log	Log function
logand	And function
logior	Or function
lsh	Imp function
mapcar	Not provided
max	Max function
mem	Not provided
member	Use collection
menucmd	AutoCAD.Application.MenuBar object
menugroup	AutoCAD.Application.MenuGroup object
min	Min function
minusp	Use < 0 syntax
mode_tile	Use the Dialog Editor
namedobjdict	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Dictionaries collection
nentsel	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets. SelectionSet.SelectAtPoint method
nentselp	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets. SelectionSet.SelectAtPoint method
new_dialog	Use the Dialog Editor
not	Use the logical operators
nth	Use object(n) syntax
null	IsNull function
numberp	TypeName function
open	Open function
or	Use the logical operators
osnap	Not provided (You can use the SetVariable method to control the OSMODE system variable.)
polar	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. PolarPoint method
prin1	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility.Prompt
princ	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility.Prompt
print	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility.Prompt
progn	Not provided
prompt	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility.Prompt
quit	AutoCAD.Application.Quit method
quote	Not provided
read	Not provided
read-char	Input function
read-line	Line Input function
redraw	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Modelspace. object.Update method
regapp	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. RegisteredApplications.Add method
rem	Mod function
repeat	For… Each, While,
reverse	Not provided
rtos	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. RealToString method
set	Set function
set_tile	Use the Dialog Editor
setcfg	AutoCAD.Application.Preferences.property property
setfunhelp	Not provided
setq	Set function
setvar	AutoCAD.Application.SetVariable method
sin	Sin function
setview	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Viewports. Viewport.SetView method
slide_image	Use the Dialog Editor
snvalid	Not provided
sqrt	Sqr function
ssadd	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets. Add method
ssdel	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets. SelectionSet.Delete method
ssget	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets. SelectionSet.SelectOnScreen method
ssgetfirst	Not provided
sslength	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets. SelectionSet.Count method
ssmemb	Compare ID of object with the SelectionSet members
ssname	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.SelectionSets. SelectionSet.Name property
ssnamex	Not provided
sssetfirst	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. PickfirstSelectionSet
startapp	Shell function
start_dialog	Use the Dialog Editor
start_image	Use the Dialog Editor
start_list	Use the Dialog Editor
strcase	StrConv function
strcat	& operator
strlen	Len function
subst	Not provided
substr	Mid function
tablet	Not provided
tblnext	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. collection_object.Item method
tblobjname	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. collection_object.Name method
tblsearch	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. collection_object.Name method
term_dialog	Use the Dialog Editor
terpri	Not provided
textbox	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.space.object. GetBoundingBox method
textpage	Not provided
textscr	Not provided
trace	Not provided
trans	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument.Utility. TranslateCoordinates method
type	TypeName function
unload_dialog	Use the Dialog Editor
untrace	Not provided
vector_image	Use the Dialog Editor
ver	AutoCAD.Application.Version property
vports	AutoCAD.Application.ActiveDocument. Viewports collection
wcmatch	Like operator
while	While… Wend
write-char	Print function
write-line	Print function
xdroom	Not provided
xdsize	Not provided
zerop	Use = 0 syntax

Source: AutoCAD 2013 Active X Developer’s Guide on AutoCAD Developer Center. To utilize the documentation with the VBA IDE or Visual LISP IDE, download and extract the contents of the ZIP file to the following location: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared

AutoCAD ActiveX API History

There have been a number of changes to the AutoCAD ActiveX API since its first introduction with AutoCAD R14. Typically this API is used by AutoLISP/Visual LISP and AutoCAD VBA.

A full history of the additions, changes, and removals made to the ActiveX API is now available in the AutoCAD 2013 ActiveX Developer’s Guide (acad_aag.chm) that is found at AutoCAD Developer Center. To utilize the documentation with the VBA IDE or Visual LISP IDE, download and extract the contents of the ZIP file to the following location: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared

Via AutoCAD DevBlog

AutoLISP and VBA Security Controls in AutoCAD 2013 SP1

AutoCAD 2013 was just updated with AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1 and here are more details from Autodesk Knowledge Base TS20327810:

Due to the appearance of malicious applications that use AutoLISP® and VBA, Autodesk is providing controls for several new security measures with Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD® 2013. Equivalent service packs for AutoCAD-based vertical applications will also be released.

These new controls affect the following products when Service Pack 1 is installed:

• AutoCAD 2013
• AutoCAD® 2013 for Mac®
• AutoCAD 2013-based vertical applications

AutoCAD LT® does not run AutoLISP or VBA applications and does not require these security measures.

What the New Controls Do

The new controls provide the following security measures:

• Minimize the possibility of loading and running unauthorized or malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by controlling the folder location from which AutoLISP and VBA applications are automatically loaded (AUTOLOADPATH system variable).
• Limit the impact of malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by disabling autoloading of default AutoLISP and VBA applications (AUTOLOAD system variable).
• Facilitate the cleanup process by completely disabling AutoLISP at startup (/nolisp startup switch).

Control AutoLoading by Specifying a Folder Location

The AUTOLOADPATH system variable controls the folders from which AutoCAD automatically loads the following AutoLISP and VBA files:

• acad.lsp
• acad.fas
• acad.vlx
• acaddoc.lsp
• acaddoc.fas
• acaddoc.vlx
• acad.dvb

The default value of AUTOLOADPATH is the empty string ("") or period (.). When set to either of these values, autoloading follows legacy behavior. It automatically loads the listed files without restrictions in the following order:

1. The AutoCAD startup folder
2. The folder of the current drawing
3. The folders in the AutoCAD Support Files search path

This default setting is not recommended, because malicious applications can anticipate the folders listed above.

To minimize the possibility of loading a malicious application, always set the AUTOLOADPATH system variable to the unique folder where your authorized applications are located.

To specify multiple folders, use a semicolon as the separator. The value of AUTOLOADPATH is saved in each named profile.

Note: To enable the autoloading changes to acad.dvb, uninstall the original AutoCAD 2013 VBA Enabler, and download and install the latest AutoCAD 2013 VBA module that was updated for the changes made in Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013.

Control Autoloading of AutoLISP and VBA Applications

To control whether AutoLISP applications and acad.dvb is automatically loaded at startup, use the AUTOLOAD system variable:

• Setting AUTOLOAD to 0 prevents the previously listed AutoLISP files and acad.dvb from being automatically loaded, which is useful for debugging.
• Setting AUTOLOAD to 1 restores the autoloading behavior, which now depends on the value of the AUTOLOADPATH system variable.

Disable Loading All AutoLISP Applications

To prevent loading any AutoLISP applications, use the /nolisp startup switch to disable AutoLISP in the current AutoCAD session, including all LSP, FAS, and VLX files.

If your system has already been impacted by a malicious application, this option helps you debug and clean up your installation and any impacted files.

The read-only LISPENABLED system variable reports whether AutoLISP is enabled in the current AutoCAD session. If LISPENABLED is 0, AutoLISP has been disabled by the /nolisp startup switch.

Note: Disabling AutoLISP also prevents the Express Tools and some AutoCAD command tools from functioning and should only be used in emergency situations.

For more information on how to use startup switches refer to the solution, Startup switches for AutoCAD.

Changes to acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp Autoloading Behavior

The acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp files will now be loaded only from their default installation folders:

<installation folder>\Support
<installation folder>\Support\<language>

Changes to the Options Dialog Box

The “Load acad.lsp with every drawing” checkbox on the System tab of the Options dialog box (ACADLSPASDOC system variable) is disabled when AUTOLOAD or LISPENABLED has a value of 0.

For more information about these controls see the readme forAutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.

Recommended Setup and Repair Workflow

For the best protection from malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

If your installation has already been impacted by a malicious application that runs on startup, following these general steps:

1. Start your AutoCAD-based product with the /nolisp switch.
2. Find and remove all malicious code.
3. Repair any affected files.
4. Set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

After taking these steps, you can remove the /nolisp startup switch from the shortcut properties of the program’s desktop icon, and resume the normal operation of your AutoCAD-based application.

See also ACAD/Medre.A Malware AutoCAD AutoLISP Malware!

UPDATE: AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1

AutoCAD 2013 SP1 & AutoCAD LT 2013 SP1

AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1 is now available as well as AutoCAD LT 2013 SP1.

UPDATE: AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1

As a result of recent ACAD/Medre.A Malware AutoCAD AutoLISP Malware! and other appearances of malicious applications Autodesk has introduced options to control the operation of AutoLISP and VBA applications in AutoCAD. Worth noting is that if you use VBA consider to download and install the latest AutoCAD 2013 VBA module that was updated for the changes made in Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013. See reasons why further down.

_VERNUM is now “G.112.0.0 (UNICODE)” (without SP1 it is “G.55.0.0 (UNICODE)”)

Here is what Autodesk has to say about it and where you can download it for AutoCAD as well as download it for AutoCAD LT:

You can apply this update to AutoCAD 2013 running on all supported operating systems and languages. Consult the readme file for installation instructions and more details on the primary issues resolved by this update. Be sure to install the correct update (32-bit or 64-bit) for your software and operating system.
This Service Pack can be applied to AutoCAD 2013 installed as a standalone application as well as AutoCAD 2013 installed from the following Autodesk Design Suites.

• AutoCAD Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013

NOTE: You can also use Autodesk Exchange to install the Live Update Maintenance Patches, which will automatically show the correct Service Pack for your product.

For Windows 7 users: When you apply this Service Pack while running AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, do not click the "Automatically close applications and attempt to restart them after setup is complete" option. Instead, close AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT manually, and click the "Do not close applications. (A Reboot may be required.)" option in the dialog box. It is recommended that you reboot your system after installing the Service Pack.

Problems Reported with the Customer Error Reporting Utility

As a result of detailed information from customers who used the Customer Error Reporting Utility, a number of problems were identified and fixed. Updates have been made in the following commands and features:

3D Navigation Tools

• Unexpected exit while panning.
• Occasional crash related to navigating in 3D drawing.

3D Modeling

• Occasional crash while selecting a face during a Presspull operation.
• Crash when opening multiple 3D drawings containing a large number of 3D objects.

Autodesk 360

• Crash in Japanese AutoCAD when logging into Autodesk 360 from the Options dialog box.
• Occasional crash when opening a drawing that contains xrefs, when logged in to Autodesk 360.

CUI (Customize User Interface)

• Occasional crash while loading a custom CUI file.
• Unhandled exception occurs while clicking the Customize button from Quick Properties palette on a computer running .NET 4.5.

Design Center

• Occasional crash while working with DesignCenter.

DGN Support

• Fatal error when attaching or importing certain DGN files.

Dimensions

• Crash after undoing the creation of a non-associative continued or non-associative baseline dimension.

Hatch

• Occasional crash while zooming during Hatchedit.

InfoCenter

• Crash when clicking any option from the Stay Connected button in the title bar when no drawings are open.

Inquiry

• Crash while calculating area of a polyline that contains at least one segment that has been reduced to zero length.

Plot

• Occasional crash while plotting to PDF.
• Crash while plotting to a PDF file and the PDF driver is not present.

Point Cloud

• Crash if the PCG file used to create a point cloud object does not exist.

Express Tools

• Occasional crash during a MOCORO (Move/Copy/Rotate) command.

Startup

• Crash due to corrupt graphics cache files on startup.
• Crash occurs while canceling a LISP routine that runs at program startup.

General

• Crash on undo/redo after adding 256 or more objects to a group.
• Crash while switching IME language for double-byte characters, when Dynmode is turned off.
• Crash on viewing thumbnail in AutoCAD 2012 when installed side-by-side with AutoCAD 2013.
• Occasional crash when exploding splines created by third-party applications.
• Crash when AutoCAD exits on computers running .NET 4.5.

General Service Pack Updates

The following defects have been fixed:

3D Navigation Tools

• The Keep Scene Upright option in the 3DConnexion Settings dialog box cannot not be changed.

3D Modeling

• Issue with the centroid computation for 3D solids.

Action Recorder

• Action macros recorded in previous releases are not working correctly in AutoCAD 2013.

Autodesk 360

• Pressing F1 does not display Help for the ONLINESYNCSETTINGS dialog box.
• Drawing files with names containing language-specific characters do not get saved to Autodesk 360.
• User is not automatically logged in when launching Autodesk 360 from the AutoCAD ribbon.
• Sometimes the Share Drawing dialog box opens behind the main application window.

Customization Sync

• Customization Sync progress animation runs continuously.
• Customization Sync does not sync new custom commands in tool palettes.

DGN Support

• Export to DGN does not use the Global Origin specified in the seed file.
• The DGNIMPORTUNITCONVERSION system variable is missing in AutoCAD LT.

Display Drivers

• Integrated chipsets are unable to return available video memory correctly.
• When using COPYCLIP and PASTECLIP on a 64-bit operating system, you might see the object color change from the original color.

Dimensions

• Existing drawings lose Qleader settings when edited in AutoCAD 2013.
• Dimensions created using the Perpendicular object snap will shift when the drawing geometry is moved, copied, or otherwise modified.

External Reference (XREF)

• External reference drawings (XREFs) show as unresolved in AutoCAD 2013.

Hatch

• The Hatch Preview option is not available from the context menu when creating a hatch.

Field

• An object's angular property uses linear format instead of angular format in the Field dialog box.

MLeader

• Multileaders incorrectly display a dot at the content block's insertion point.
• If the Extend Leaders to Text option is turned on, the text in multileaders moves if the drawing is opened or edited in AutoCAD 2013.

Modify

• The SCALE command gets cancelled while dragging when small scale factor is acquired with object snap turned on.

PDF Export

• Plotting to a PDF file with a plot style causes wipeouts to appear black.

Performance

• Slow performance while running a large script.
• Slow performance while creating Layers quickly.

Plot

• Using Plot Preview turns the Command window back on.

Properties Palette

• When an object is selected, the tooltip is missing in the Properties Palette for the following languages: Traditional Chinese, Czech, Russian, and Hungarian.

Ribbon

• The Visibility drop-down control on the Block Editor Ribbon is not working properly when property preview is enabled.

Selection

• Pressing Shift with a window selection fails to remove multiple Drawing Views from the selection set on a layout.

Sheet Set Manager

• A high network utilization will result with the SMB V2 (Server Message Block) protocol while working with the Sheet Set Manager.

Visual Lisp

• Menucmd does not display the drop-down menu when the Command window is docked.

General

• Error on launching AutoCAD after the QuickCalc palette is anchored.
• INSBASE value is incorrect for a drawing created using -WBLOCK.

New /nolisp Startup Switch and Related System Variables

This Service Pack introduces options to control the operation of AutoLISP and VBA applications in AutoCAD. The new controls provide the following security measures:

• Minimize the possibility of loading and running unauthorized or malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by controlling the folder location from which AutoLISP and VBA applications are automatically loaded (AUTOLOADPATH system variable).
• Limit the impact of malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by disabling autoloading of default AutoLISP and VBA applications (AUTOLOAD system variable).
• Facilitate the cleanup process by completely disabling AutoLISP at startup (/nolisp startup switch).

For more information see this document. AutoLISP and VBA Security Controls in AutoCAD 2013 SP1

Note: To enable the autoloading changes to acad.dvb, uninstall the AutoCAD 2013 VBA Enabler, and download and install the latest AutoCAD 2013 VBA module that was updated for the changes made in Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013.

New /nolisp Startup Switch

Start AutoCAD with this switch to disable AutoLISP execution in the current AutoCAD session, including all LSP, FAS, and VLX files. This switch is useful for preventing malicious AutoLISP code from automatically loading and executing.

Disabling AutoLISP has the following effects:

• Attempting to load any LISP file will fail.
• Attempting to copy and paste AutoLISP code into the Command window will fail silently.

Note: Disabling AutoLISP will prevent the Express Tools and some AutoCAD command tools from functioning and should only be used in emergency situations.

LISPENABLED (System Variable)

Indicates whether AutoLISP is enabled for the current AutoCAD session.

(Read-only)
Type: Integer
Saved in: Not saved
Initial value: 1

0 - AutoLISP is disabled
1 - AutoLISP is enabled

Disabling AutoLISP has the following effects:

• Attempting to load any LISP file will fail.
• Attempting to copy and paste AutoLISP code into the Command window will fail silently.

This system variable is controlled by the /nolisp startup switch.

AUTOLOAD (System Variable)

Controls whether AutoCAD autoloads acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files.

Type: Integer
Saved in: Named Profile/Registry
Initial value: 1

Values:
0 - None of the following 7 AutoLISP/VBA files will be automatically loaded

• acad.lsp
• acad.fas
• acad.vlx
• acaddoc.lsp
• acaddoc.fas
• acaddoc.vlx
• acad.dvb

1 - autoloads the 7 files depending on the value of the AUTOLOADPATH system variable.

AUTOLOADPATH (System Variable)

Controls the folder from where AutoCAD loads acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files.

Type: String
Saved in: Named Profile/Registry
Initial value: ""

Valid strings include the following:
"<folder path or paths separated by semicolons>" = Automatically loads the acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files only in the specified folders and no other locations, including the current drawing folder. To minimize the possibility of loading a malicious application, always set the AUTOLOADPATH system variable to the unique folder where your authorized applications are located.
"" (empty string) or "." (period) - No path restriction. Automatically loads the acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files found in the AutoCAD startup folder, the drawing folder, and the AutoCAD search path, in that order. This duplicates AutoCAD 2012 behavior and is not recommended.

Changes to acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp Autoloading Behavior

The acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp files will now be loaded only from their default installation folders:
<install folder>\Support
<install folder>\Support\<language>

Changes to the Options Dialog Box

The "Load acad.lsp with every drawing" checkbox on the System tab of the Options dialog box (ACADLSPASDOC system variable) is disabled when AUTOLOAD or LISPENABLED has a value of 0.

Recommended Setup and Repair Workflow

For the best protection from malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

If your installation has already been impacted by a malicious application that runs on startup, following these general steps:

1. Start your AutoCAD-based product with the /nolisp startup switch.
2. Find and remove all malicious code.
3. Repair any affected files.
4. Set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

After taking these steps, you can remove the /nolisp startup switch from the shortcut properties of the program's desktop icon, and resume the normal operation of your AutoCAD-based application.

Export layouts to separate drawings freeware for AutoCAD

Want to export layouts to separate drawings? This can be done with LayoutsToDwgs.lsp that recently was updated to handle Map prompt with WBLOCK “Include AutoCAD Map information in the export? [Yes/No] <Y>:”.

Export Paper Space tabs to individual drawings made easy and works for most AutoCAD versions and verticals.

How to automatically remove Autodesk 360 icon in AutoCAD 2013 file dialog boxes

AutoCAD 2013 came with the new Autodesk 360 icon showing up in the places list in file dialog boxes like the open or save as drawing dialog boxes. If you as a CAD Manager wants to remove it automatically from a lot of machines it can be done. To manually remove it is easy, just right click on any of the icons in the places list and you can remove, add or restore. If you have a network drive or folder location it is even possible to add it too.

I’ve updated the RemIcons.lsp AutoLISP code so that any of the icons Autodesk 360, Buzzsaw, RedSpark, Point A and FTP can be removed or added. There is also a VBScript sample included. The icons History, Documents, Favorites and Desktop can also be removed but I’ve not included that in the code. A tip is to look in the registry (where R19.0, ACAD-B004:409 and <<Unnamed Profile>> needs to be changed depending on AutoCAD version, vertical and profile): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.0\ACAD-B004:409\Profiles\<<Unnamed Profile>>\Dialogs\AllAnavDialogs

No source available in Visual Studio debugging AutoCAD .NET code

AutoCAD 2011 through AutoCAD 2013 is being in progress migrating to fiberless operation. See Wikipedia for more about Fibers.

This affects ARX application using acedCommand (replaced with acedCommandS and acedCommandC), acedCmd (replaced with acedCmdS and acedCmdC) as well as ARX or .NET application using AcApDocManager functions to create, close or activate documents. If P/Invoke has been used to access acedCommand in .NET API, it will not work.  Finally LISP *error* handlers using the (command) function. In most cases you simply have to replace (command) from within an *error* handler with calls to the new (command-s) function. Worth knowing is that (command-s) is significantly faster than (command). A limitation with (command-s) is that “pause” tokens cannot be used and the expression must represent complete commands..

AutoCAD 2011 introduced two variables FIBERWORLD and NEXTFIBERWORLD to help programmers to test and migrate code.
FIBERWORLD = 1 if Fibers are being used.
Change NEXTFIBERWORLD to 0 to disable fibers and 1 to enable fibers. Close and relaunch AutoCAD, or close all the current documents in AutoCAD and then open/new one.

If breakpoints in custom forms being opened using ShowModalDialog or ShowDialog cannot be hit when debugging .NET addins in Visual Studio 2010 the workaround is to set AutoCAD to run in fiberless operation (FIBERWORLD = 0). When you try to debug you may see this message in Visual Studio: No Source Available. No symbols are loaded for any call stack frame. The source code cannot be displayed.

The problem that you may have with FIBERWORLD = 0 is that the Ribbon is not working, you may get strange crashes and have other issues. If you cannot type any commands you may need to disable and enable the command line using the application menu and search for command. If you need to work on a specific drawing it can help to load it automatically from within the Visual Studio debugger as the open command may break the command functionality.

When ready remember to set back AutoCAD to run in fiber mode again.

How to start a VBS file using AutoLISP

If you in AutoCAD want to start a VBScript file with AutoLISP here are three ways where the variable app holds the full path to the VBS file:

(startapp "WSCRIPT.EXE" (strcat "\"" app "\""))

(command "START" app)

(if (setq WScript (vlax-get-or-create-object "WScript.Shell"))
  (vl-catch-all-apply 'vlax-invoke-method (list WScript "Run" app 1 :vlax-true))
)

If the START command is used you will quickly see the AutoCAD Shell so I prefer to use the startapp function.

If the path contains spaces like (C:\\Folder A\\test.vbs) the startapp function must have the path with double quotes like the snippet above, otherwise the Windows Script Host will show this error: There is no file extension in "C:\Folder".

Some of this works with starting or running other files (EXE, BAT, CMD,…) or open files in their associated application. See also how to Start a Windows application within AutoCAD.

AutoLISP reverse problem

Here is a AutoLISP reverse problem. It is reverse problem as I don’t ask you for the solution but rather like to see if you instead can find what problem this is a solution for.

(defun h (n / c)
  (cons n (reverse (cons 1 
  (while (/= 1 (setq n (if (= (rem n 2) 0) 
  (/ n 2) (+ (* 3 n) 1)))) 
  (setq c (cons n c))))))
)

The exercise is to tell me what this function does and possibly refactor it. Leave a comment (comments with solutions will be posted later on).

UPDATE:

The Collatz conjecture is a conjecture in mathematics named after Lothar Collatz, who first proposed it in 1937. The conjecture is also known as the 3n + 1 conjecture, the Ulam conjecture (after Stanisław Ulam), Kakutani's problem (after Shizuo Kakutani), the Thwaites conjecture (after Sir Bryan Thwaites), Hasse's algorithm (after Helmut Hasse), or the Syracuse problem; the sequence of numbers involved is referred to as the hailstone sequence or hailstone numbers, or as wondrous numbers.

Take any natural number n. If n is even, divide it by 2 to get n / 2. If n is odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1 to obtain 3n + 1. Repeat the process (which has been called "Half Or Triple Plus One", or HOTPO) indefinitely. The conjecture is that no matter what number you start with, you will always eventually reach 1. The property has also been called oneness.

No sequence has been found so far that does not reach the number 1.

The code above (not formatted to make it harder for you to read) will return the hailstone sequence for any given number.

See Collatz conjecture for more on the topic.

How to Use an AutoLisp Routine in AutoCAD

Here’s a video showing both of to load and use an AutoLISP program in AutoCAD as well as how to modify it.

Thanks Bill for featuring my AreaText.lsp code in this video. Check also out Bill’s other AutoCAD videos.

How to Customize AreaText.LSP for AutoCAD to use other formats.

How to Customize AreaText.LSP to change the text justification.

How to select all entities passing through a point in AutoLISP

In AutoCAD if you want to use AutoLISP to select all entities/objects that crosses a point the ssget function can be used by passing the same point twice like this:
(ssget "c" pt1 pt1)

How to write AutoLISP that works on both Windows and Mac

If you want to write AutoLISP code that works for both AutoCAD on Windows and AutoCAD for Mac remember that there is no support for DCL or COM interfaces such as VLA or VLAX (Visual LISP).

There are 4 new AutoLISP functions in AutoCAD 2012 that can help as long as you don’t need backward compatibility:

• dumpallproperties - Outputs all the properties and their current value for the specified entity.
• getpropertyvalue - Returns the current value of the specified property for an entity.
• ispropertyreadonly - Returns T or nil of the specified property for an entity is read-only or not.
• setpropertyvalue - Sets the specified property to a new value for an entity.

The following example demonstrates how to get the current radius value of a circle.
Command: (command "_circle" "2,2" 2)
nil
Command: (getpropertyvalue (entlast) "radius")
2.0

The following example demonstrates how to change the radius of a circle.
Command: (command "_circle" "2,2" 2)
nil
Command: (setpropertyvalue (entlast) "radius" 3)

For more see Hyperpics and Accessing Information About Layers in a Drawing with GETPROPERTYVALUE.

Customize AreaText.LSP to change the text justification

I got a question how to customize this AutoLISP/Visual LISP AreaText.LSP to change the text justification. The solution is to make use of vla-put-attachmentPoint as seen in the example below.

(defun Get-ObjectIDx64 (obj / util)
  (setq util (vla-get-Utility (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object))))
  (if (= (type obj) 'ENAME)(setq obj (vlax-ename->vla-object obj)))
  (if (= (type obj) 'VLA-OBJECT)
    (if (> (vl-string-search "x64" (getvar "platform")) 0)
      (vlax-invoke-method util "GetObjectIdString" obj :vlax-False)
      (rtos (vla-get-objectid obj) 2 0)
    )
  )
)

(defun c:AT (/ entObject entObjectID InsertionPoint ad)
  (vl-load-com)
  (setq entObject (vlax-ename->vla-object(car (entsel)))
        entObjectID (Get-ObjectIDx64 entObject)
        InsertionPoint (vlax-3D-Point (getpoint "Select point: "))
        ad (vla-get-ActiveDocument (vlax-get-acad-object))
  )
  (vla-put-attachmentPoint (vla-addMText (if (= 1 (vla-get-activespace ad))
    (vla-get-modelspace ad)
    (if (= (vla-get-mspace ad) :vlax-true)
      (vla-get-modelspace ad)
      (vla-get-paperspace ad)
    )
  )
  InsertionPoint 0.0 (strcat
  "%<\\AcObjProp Object(%<\\_ObjId "
  entObjectID
  ">%).Area \\f \"%pr2%lu2%ct4%qf1 SQ. FT.\">%"
  )) acAttachmentPointMiddleCenter)
)

acAttachmentPointMiddleCenter can be changed to any of the following Visual LISP constants:

acAttachmentPointTopLeft
acAttachmentPointTopCenter
acAttachmentPointTopRight
acAttachmentPointMiddleLeft
acAttachmentPointMiddleCenter
acAttachmentPointMiddleRight
acAttachmentPointBottomLeft
acAttachmentPointBottomCenter
acAttachmentPointBottomRight

See also Customize AreaText.LSP for AutoCAD and AreaText.lsp updated for 64-bit AutoCAD.

Batch processing for AutoCAD - SmartPurger 3.3 released

SmartPurger is a script and batch utility for processing multiple AutoCAD drawings with full control. Execute LSP or SCR files on multiple drawings. SmartPurger handles crashes so the AutoCAD batch processing continues to the end and leaves bad drawings to be corrected manually if and when needed.

Here are news and fixes in SmartPurger 3.3:

-Support for scripting other applications like Bricscad or AutoCAD OEM by using the “Manually select AutoCAD location” checkbox.

-Version check added to see if a newer version of SmartPurger is available.
-Support for dialog box to be closed: Open - Foreign DWG File
-Support for dialog box to be closed: Annotation Scale - Large Number of Scales
-xstrcase usage within SmartPurger to handle usage of diacritics and accentuated characters in filenames
-Profile list is not always working fixed
-OCX registration problem fixed
-Correctly showing the total time when it is more than 24 hours

Upgrade is free for current customers.

Interested in batch processing AutoCAD? Free trial of SmartPurger available.

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac Licensing and Programming

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac software includes product activation in the authorization process. The process verifies that the serial number is valid and that the software has been activated only on eligible computers. The product activation technology allows an employee to install the software on a second computer owned by the employee’s company, provided it is for use away from the employee’s usual work location, the software is used only by that employee and no other, and only one of the two copies of the software is ever in use at any one time.

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac can be run via a network license. You can run “mixed networks”, with both AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD 2012 for Mac products sharing licenses. Flexera’s FlexNet manager is the licensing system used.

Customers with licenses of AutoCAD 2012 can now activate AutoCAD 2012 for Mac with the same license number and activation code. Customers with licenses of Design Suites that contain AutoCAD 2012 can also activate AutoCAD 2012 for Mac with the same license number and activation code.

Most LISP routines that work in AutoCAD 2012 will run without modification in AutoCAD 2012 for Mac. LISP routines that are dependent upon DCL or COM interfaces such as VLA or VLAX are not supported in AutoCAD 2012 for Mac. Existing ObjectARX applications will require some effort on the behalf of the developer to work in AutoCAD for Mac. At a minimum, ObjectARX applications need to be recompiled for Mac OS X. The API (application programming interface) libraries used by those applications, and the availability of those libraries on Mac OS X, will give some indication of the modification necessary for the application to work in AutoCAD 2012 for Mac. For example, the ObjectARX sample applications compile without modification. Conversely, an application making multiple win32 system calls will need to be modified.

AutoCAD 2012 customizations cannot be directly migrated to AutoCAD 2012 for Mac. However, AutoCAD 2012 for Mac uses a subset of the AutoCAD 2012 cui/cuix XML schema to define the user interface. The values are interpreted slightly differently (for example, ribbon panels become workflow groups) but they are very similar. AutoCAD 2012 for Mac supports Menu and Workflow customization; however, constructs like Profiles and Workspaces are not supported in AutoCAD 2012 for Mac.

AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac and AutoCAD 2012 for Mac

Network licenses can be reported on with JTB FlexReport.

DWGNotes 1.1 released

DWGNotes 1.1 makes it possible to try this app 30 days for free. AutoCAD 2012 and verticals adds support for the new AutoCAD plug-ins autoloader and can add the DWGNotes panel to the Plug-ins Ribbon tab.

With DWGNotes you can add notes or comments in AutoCAD DWG files and optionally be notified about the note when the drawing is opened.
One or multiple notes can be added, edited or deleted.

You can use these notes for yourself or within a team to remind others what needs to be done with the drawing.
Turn on DWG Notes Notification and this is the message displayed when opening the a drawing with a note in it.