HyperPics: Beyond the UI

Chapters 11 - 13 all wrapped up

I have finished putting the final touches on Chapters 11 - 13 for my VBA book this past weekend.

Chapter 11: Storing & Retrieving Data for Future Use
This chapter focuses up working with System Variables, Windows Registry, XData and XRecords.

Chapter 12: Modifying Objects in a Drawing
This chapter focuses up on modifying objects that are already in a drawing.  It covers things like Mirroring, Copying and many other methods that are used for modifying objects.

Chapter 13: Formatting with Colors, Linetypes, Lineweights and Layers
This chapter focuses on formatting properties of an object.  These include work with True Colors along with Layers, Linetypes and Lineweights too.  I also take a look at Layer States and how they can be used to help working on drawings.

I will give an update on what is going on for the next chapters once they have been completed.  As you can see the chapter outline has been revised compared to the original list of chapters that I put together.  As I was working through many of the chapters, things came up before they were talked about so I had to revise the order of some of the content.  If you have any questions or comments just let me know.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Discreet Announces 3ds max 7.5

Discreet will be shipping 3ds max 7.5 to its subscription customers starting in April.  This new release will include three main areas of enhancements.

Hair and Fur—Based on Joe Alter's highly regarded "Shave and a Haircut" solution, Hair and Fur will offer numerous styling and dynamics tools for creating amazingly realistic hair and other strand-derivative effects.

• mental ray 3.4—Delivering numerous optimizations, mental ray 3.4 will include faster final gathering performance, double precision computation for ray tracing and fast rasterization for first-generation rays.
• Autodesk VIZ—With the very latest technologies from Autodesk VIZ, product designers, architects, inventors and others in the design visualization arena will have the advanced modeling, lighting, rendering and animation tools that are exclusive to 3ds max combined with the unique design-oriented functionality of Autodesk VIZ—all in a single package.

Not that along ago, Discreet released the Cloth extension to its customers.  So those that are on subscription with 3ds max are getting their value this year already.  For more information on this from fellow blogger and friend Beau, visit his blog Will Render for Food.

Sincerly,
  Lee

Chapters 1 - 10 are Complete

I have completed the first 10 chapters of the VBA book that I am working on.  This month has been very busy with the new addition to my family and some other things going on.  Below is a breakdown of what is in the first 10 chapters that span almost 200 pages, 198 pages to be exact.

Introduction

Chapter 1: AutoCAD Commands for VBA
Covers the commands that are available in AutoCAD for working with VBA projects.

Chapter 2: Visual Basic Editor
General look at the various tools that are in the Visual Basic Editor (IDE)

Chapter 3: Code Modules
A breakdown of what you can find in a code module and what a code module is.  You will learn how to work with procedures, variables, data types and general error handling.

Chapter 4: UserForm (Dialog Boxes)
You will learn how to add controls to a UserForm and how to manipulate both controls and the UserForm at design-time.

Chapter 5: Basic VBA Functions & Conditional and Looping Statements
A look at some of the most widely used functions that VBA has to offer.  These include string and data conversion procedures, and working with mathematics.  The chapter also covers working with While and For loops, among much more.

Chapter 6:  AutoCAD Entities - Part 1
A look at some of the basic entities that can be added to a drawing and are found in the AutoCAD Object Library.  These are objects like AcadObject and AcadEntity which are the base for objects that can be added to a drawing file.  Then it starts covering objects like Lines, Circles, Arcs and many others.

Chapter 7: AutoCAD Entities - Part 2
A continued look at entities that can be added to a drawing, but these are the complex entities.  Objects like Polylines, Hatches, Splines and many others can be found in this chapter.

Chapter 8: Document Object
This chapter focuses on the Document object which represents the Document window and the database objects that hold the contents of an open drawing file.  It also takes a look at the preferences of the Database, Drawing Properties, File Dependencies and how to work with collections.

Chapter 9: Application Object
This chapter focuses on the Application object which represents the actual AutoCAD session and allows for accessing all the open drawings.  You can also find information about the application preferences, which normally you find under the Options command of AutoCAD.

Chapter 10: User Input Outside of a UserForm
You can find information on how to get information from the user at the Command Line in this chapter.  I have also included some information that I have gathered through out the years to help improve the process of working with the Command Line based input methods.

I should be complete with the next three chapters over the next couple of days and will post an update after they are complete.  Thanks to everyone that has posted comments or have sent me an e-mail on what they would like to see included in the book, so keep the information and concerns coming.

Sincerely,
  Lee

February Issue of HotNews

The latest issue of HotNews by AUGI is out and once again it jammed full of content.  Once again this issue has several topics on customization among many other items of interest.

Tips for Sharing Designs with DWF
Autodesk offers advice on delivering drawings easily and quickly to those with the need to see them.

New! AU Handouts
www.AUGI.com sports a brand new education feature...downloadable Class Handouts from previous Autodesk Universities.

Customization Corner: Menu Customization
Working with Pop Menus

Controlling Customization, Part IV
Latest in a series on auto-loading your AutoCAD customizations. This month, writing to the registry.

Tipniques: Disaster Recovery, Part II
A look at the Autosave feature

If you are not receiving AUGI HotNews or are not a member of AUGI go to the AUGI website and sign up.  It is free to receive the newsletters and becoming a member is free as well.  Visit AUGI and the web at www.augi.com.

Sincerely,
  Lee

VBA Book Project in Progress

I have been working on and off for some time on whether or not to release a VBA book that covers in great depth from what I have ventured down the path in the past.  I am proud to announce that I will be going forward with this project and if anyone out there has any feedback to what they would like to see I am open to listening to them.  Below is a summary of the chapter titles that will be included in the VBA for AutoCAD book.  The book once completed should be some where in the neighborhood of 26 chapters and over 450 pages.  I am hoping to have it completed in the next couple of months.

Chapters
Introduction
1. AutoCAD Commands for VBA
2. Visual Basic Editor
3. Components of a VBA Project
4. Error Handling and Debugging Code
5. Conditional and Looping Statements
6. Basic VBA Functions
7. Object Browser and Getting Help
8. AutoCAD Entities - Part 1
9. AutoCAD Entities - Part 2
10. AutoCAD Document
11. Application Object
12. User Input Outside of a UserForm
13. Storing & Retrieving Data for Future Use
14. Modifying Objects in the Drawing
15. Formatting with Colors, Linetypes, Lineweights and Layers
16. Annotation - Text, Tables and Dimensions
17. Blocks and Xrefs
18. Selection Sets
18. Views and Zooming
19. Layouts and Plotting
20. Manipulating the AutoCAD UI (Menu bar and Toolbars)
21. Responding to Events
22. Accessing Files and Folders
23. Working with the Internet
24. Accessing Other Applications from AutoCAD
25. Odds and Ends
Appendixes, Glossary and Index

I have read many different VBA books throughout the years and some just seem to be way to intense or just not very basic for the beginner.  I hope to be able to bring a blend of content that will help those that are new and familiar to VBA programming in AutoCAD.  I have been using VBA with AutoCAD since R14 so I have been using it since the beginning.  I hope to show a variety of samples that some might have never seen before.  Like I mentioned earlier I would like to hear what people would be looking for in a book that they might be interested in purchasing on VBA for AutoCAD.

Sincerely,
  Lee