By Dennis Collin
When using AutoCAD I often get asked is there an easy way to number elements. These items could be doors, windows, equipment or survey points.
The full version of AutoCAD has had the express tools for many years, which has many bonus functions. One of these is Tcount which is very useful in performing this task. AutoCAD LT doesn’t have the Express Tools but with the 2024 release, it now includes support for Lisp.
By utilising Lisp routines from popular sources such as Cadalyst.com and Autodesk support forums, LT’s functionality can be extended and these tasks achieved, without having to locate a colleague who has full AutoCAD.
A Lisp file is just a text file of a few kilobytes, and once loaded via the Appload function, can be added to the startup suite. AutoCAD will have a series of new commands making it a lot easier to number items in a sequential order with even a prefix or suffix if required.
For numbering elements like electrical sockets or switches, this is very useful!
While Lisp routines are not new to AutoCAD users who have had this capability for years, this is a new capability for LT users, who can use programming routines to save time and improve efficiency!
This numbering Lisp routine is an improvement on the TCOUNT tool, supplied with AutoCAD’s Express Tools suite. Similar examples can be found in the links below.
To see how you can load Lisp routines in AutoCAD LT and add them to a start-up suite go here:
To see a selection of popular online Lisp resources, go here:
I will say now, whilst most routines are great, there are a few ‘buggy’ examples which may not perform as expected. Therefore, the use of external routines is ‘at your own risk’. As a precaution I will always backup files prior to running a routine. Also run the routine on a testbed setup just in case problems result. Better to be safe than sorry!