AutoCAD will no longer come with Microsoft VBA. This has been mentioned before on other blogs, but I wanted to make sure that I addressed it too. For those of you that already have AutoCAD 2010 and use custom VBA routines within it, you may have found out the hard way. I hope not.
AutoCAD 2010 does support VBA, it just doesn't come with it anymore. You have to download the application separately. Autodesk made sure that AutoCAD could use VBA, and they made sure to make it available to those that need/want it. Follow this link to get to Autodesk's download:
VBA Support in AutoCAD 2010
Once you download it, follow Autodesk's instructions on loading it. If you are using stand alone applications of AutoCAD, it's very simple to install. I did it on my machine and can run VBA macro's now no problem. I haven't tried it out on an enterprise or network deployment, but I'm sure somebody has.
Why would Autodesk stop supporting this widely used feature? Because Microsoft has. Once I learned that, then it made since to me. Of course Autodesk would stop supporting a software feature that will no longer be supported by its creator.
It appears that Microsoft Office products will no longer support it either. Office 2007 was the last version to have it. Don't get too panicked, they (Microsoft) are essentially replacing it with VSTA. No, that's not a misspelled Vista, it is VSTA. That stands for Microsoft Visual Tools for Applications. It is the next step in macro evolution, be it good or bad, that's where it is headed. Does this mean that AutoCAD will eventually support this format? I don't know. As far as I can tell, I don't think Autodesk knows yet either. They are still committed to supporting LISP. Imagine the outcry if that ended!!
There are many people that will not be affected by this. In fact, there may even be people that will be affected and they have no idea! Don't worry. If you are one of those people, and don't feel bad if you are, your VBA macros will still work. You will just have to jump through a few hoops to do it.
Here's a question; If you used VBA for custom macros in AutoCAD, will you still use those macros, or will you rewrite them in LISP? Obviously you won't have to for AutoCAD 2010, but what about 2011? Will Autodesk provide this download for that release? Who knows? Maybe the 2010 download will work in 2011 and 2012. It may not in 2013 when the traditional DWG revamp will likely take place.
It seems obvious to me that it would be good for users to start making the move away from VBA in AutoCAD as soon as possible and head the .NET direction. But who knows when that will go away. Maybe users are better off sticking with LISP. Script files are still great, and there is always the Macro Recorder in AutoCAD!! Laugh all you want to, I think it has potential. Not like LISP or VBA or even SCRIPT files, but it has its place.
That is one of the big issues with technology, it is always changing. Once you feel you have a good grasp of something, BAM they take it away, or change the interface to a ribbon!! Change is constant in software, get used to it. I remember when I could program anything in BASIC on my Commodore 64! Man that was a long time ago, especially in software years.
Well, anyway, no need to panic just yet. Autodesk was wise and started the process of weaning its users off of VBA. Perhaps they should have started last year with AutoCAD 2009, but perhaps there were enough surprises in that release with the Ribbon. And AutoCAD 2008 came too soon after the 2007 announcement from Microsoft. Oh well, it is what it is and I think Autodesk is doing the right thing here, as frustrating as it might be. Especially to me because I just bought a VBA for Dummies book about 8 months ago!
Happy CADDING
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Showing posts with label AutoCAD 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AutoCAD 2010. Show all posts
AutoCAD will no longer come with Microsoft VBA. This has been mentioned before on other blogs, but I wanted to make sure that I addressed it too. For those of you that already have AutoCAD 2010 and use custom VBA routines within it, you may have found out the hard way. I hope not.
AutoCAD 2010 does support VBA, it just doesn't come with it anymore. You have to download the application separately. Autodesk made sure that AutoCAD could use VBA, and they made sure to make it available to those that need/want it. Follow this link to get to Autodesk's download:
VBA Support in AutoCAD 2010
Once you download it, follow Autodesk's instructions on loading it. If you are using stand alone applications of AutoCAD, it's very simple to install. I did it on my machine and can run VBA macro's now no problem. I haven't tried it out on an enterprise or network deployment, but I'm sure somebody has.
Why would Autodesk stop supporting this widely used feature? Because Microsoft has. Once I learned that, then it made since to me. Of course Autodesk would stop supporting a software feature that will no longer be supported by its creator.
It appears that Microsoft Office products will no longer support it either. Office 2007 was the last version to have it. Don't get too panicked, they (Microsoft) are essentially replacing it with VSTA. No, that's not a misspelled Vista, it is VSTA. That stands for Microsoft Visual Tools for Applications. It is the next step in macro evolution, be it good or bad, that's where it is headed. Does this mean that AutoCAD will eventually support this format? I don't know. As far as I can tell, I don't think Autodesk knows yet either. They are still committed to supporting LISP. Imagine the outcry if that ended!!
There are many people that will not be affected by this. In fact, there may even be people that will be affected and they have no idea! Don't worry. If you are one of those people, and don't feel bad if you are, your VBA macros will still work. You will just have to jump through a few hoops to do it.
Here's a question; If you used VBA for custom macros in AutoCAD, will you still use those macros, or will you rewrite them in LISP? Obviously you won't have to for AutoCAD 2010, but what about 2011? Will Autodesk provide this download for that release? Who knows? Maybe the 2010 download will work in 2011 and 2012. It may not in 2013 when the traditional DWG revamp will likely take place.
It seems obvious to me that it would be good for users to start making the move away from VBA in AutoCAD as soon as possible and head the .NET direction. But who knows when that will go away. Maybe users are better off sticking with LISP. Script files are still great, and there is always the Macro Recorder in AutoCAD!! Laugh all you want to, I think it has potential. Not like LISP or VBA or even SCRIPT files, but it has its place.
That is one of the big issues with technology, it is always changing. Once you feel you have a good grasp of something, BAM they take it away, or change the interface to a ribbon!! Change is constant in software, get used to it. I remember when I could program anything in BASIC on my Commodore 64! Man that was a long time ago, especially in software years.
Well, anyway, no need to panic just yet. Autodesk was wise and started the process of weaning its users off of VBA. Perhaps they should have started last year with AutoCAD 2009, but perhaps there were enough surprises in that release with the Ribbon. And AutoCAD 2008 came too soon after the 2007 announcement from Microsoft. Oh well, it is what it is and I think Autodesk is doing the right thing here, as frustrating as it might be. Especially to me because I just bought a VBA for Dummies book about 8 months ago!
Happy CADDING
AutoCAD 2010 does support VBA, it just doesn't come with it anymore. You have to download the application separately. Autodesk made sure that AutoCAD could use VBA, and they made sure to make it available to those that need/want it. Follow this link to get to Autodesk's download:
VBA Support in AutoCAD 2010
Once you download it, follow Autodesk's instructions on loading it. If you are using stand alone applications of AutoCAD, it's very simple to install. I did it on my machine and can run VBA macro's now no problem. I haven't tried it out on an enterprise or network deployment, but I'm sure somebody has.
Why would Autodesk stop supporting this widely used feature? Because Microsoft has. Once I learned that, then it made since to me. Of course Autodesk would stop supporting a software feature that will no longer be supported by its creator.
It appears that Microsoft Office products will no longer support it either. Office 2007 was the last version to have it. Don't get too panicked, they (Microsoft) are essentially replacing it with VSTA. No, that's not a misspelled Vista, it is VSTA. That stands for Microsoft Visual Tools for Applications. It is the next step in macro evolution, be it good or bad, that's where it is headed. Does this mean that AutoCAD will eventually support this format? I don't know. As far as I can tell, I don't think Autodesk knows yet either. They are still committed to supporting LISP. Imagine the outcry if that ended!!
There are many people that will not be affected by this. In fact, there may even be people that will be affected and they have no idea! Don't worry. If you are one of those people, and don't feel bad if you are, your VBA macros will still work. You will just have to jump through a few hoops to do it.
Here's a question; If you used VBA for custom macros in AutoCAD, will you still use those macros, or will you rewrite them in LISP? Obviously you won't have to for AutoCAD 2010, but what about 2011? Will Autodesk provide this download for that release? Who knows? Maybe the 2010 download will work in 2011 and 2012. It may not in 2013 when the traditional DWG revamp will likely take place.
It seems obvious to me that it would be good for users to start making the move away from VBA in AutoCAD as soon as possible and head the .NET direction. But who knows when that will go away. Maybe users are better off sticking with LISP. Script files are still great, and there is always the Macro Recorder in AutoCAD!! Laugh all you want to, I think it has potential. Not like LISP or VBA or even SCRIPT files, but it has its place.
That is one of the big issues with technology, it is always changing. Once you feel you have a good grasp of something, BAM they take it away, or change the interface to a ribbon!! Change is constant in software, get used to it. I remember when I could program anything in BASIC on my Commodore 64! Man that was a long time ago, especially in software years.
Well, anyway, no need to panic just yet. Autodesk was wise and started the process of weaning its users off of VBA. Perhaps they should have started last year with AutoCAD 2009, but perhaps there were enough surprises in that release with the Ribbon. And AutoCAD 2008 came too soon after the 2007 announcement from Microsoft. Oh well, it is what it is and I think Autodesk is doing the right thing here, as frustrating as it might be. Especially to me because I just bought a VBA for Dummies book about 8 months ago!
Happy CADDING
Yesterday was a big day for Autodesk. They officially launched AutoCAD 2010. It is available for download from their website for a free 30 day trial, as usual. They also launched a new website, AutoCAD Exchange.
AutoCAD Exchange is to be a community site where AutoCAD users can meet, mingle, and share ideas. It has tutorials, help, links to blogs (like this one!), contacts (similar to Linkedin or Facebook), and more. I have added a widget on the right side of this site that has some popular links from the site.
In order to get into the site you have to register. It's annoying yes, but if you have already registered to some other Autodesk Site (like the discussion boards) then you can use that log-in info.
I do have to say that my favorite part (and yes I am biased on this topic) are the videos. especially the one with me and Lynn Allen talking about AutoCAD 2010. It was fun filming this video. i have never been in front of a green screen screen before, unless you count some of the first computers I ever worked with! I was able to film a few other videos with several other Autodesk employees, so keep your eyes open.
Check out the site, download AutoCAD 2010, and send me your questions. I will be posting more info on AutoCAD 2010 in the near future, especially now that you have the chance to get your hands on it!
Happy CADDING!
AutoCAD Exchange is to be a community site where AutoCAD users can meet, mingle, and share ideas. It has tutorials, help, links to blogs (like this one!), contacts (similar to Linkedin or Facebook), and more. I have added a widget on the right side of this site that has some popular links from the site.
In order to get into the site you have to register. It's annoying yes, but if you have already registered to some other Autodesk Site (like the discussion boards) then you can use that log-in info.
I do have to say that my favorite part (and yes I am biased on this topic) are the videos. especially the one with me and Lynn Allen talking about AutoCAD 2010. It was fun filming this video. i have never been in front of a green screen screen before, unless you count some of the first computers I ever worked with! I was able to film a few other videos with several other Autodesk employees, so keep your eyes open.
Check out the site, download AutoCAD 2010, and send me your questions. I will be posting more info on AutoCAD 2010 in the near future, especially now that you have the chance to get your hands on it!
Happy CADDING!
Yesterday was a big day for Autodesk. They officially launched AutoCAD 2010. It is available for download from their website for a free 30 day trial, as usual. They also launched a new website, AutoCAD Exchange.
AutoCAD Exchange is to be a community site where AutoCAD users can meet, mingle, and share ideas. It has tutorials, help, links to blogs (like this one!), contacts (similar to Linkedin or Facebook), and more. I have added a widget on the right side of this site that has some popular links from the site.
In order to get into the site you have to register. It's annoying yes, but if you have already registered to some other Autodesk Site (like the discussion boards) then you can use that log-in info.
I do have to say that my favorite part (and yes I am biased on this topic) are the videos. especially the one with me and Lynn Allen talking about AutoCAD 2010. It was fun filming this video. i have never been in front of a green screen screen before, unless you count some of the first computers I ever worked with! I was able to film a few other videos with several other Autodesk employees, so keep your eyes open.
Check out the site, download AutoCAD 2010, and send me your questions. I will be posting more info on AutoCAD 2010 in the near future, especially now that you have the chance to get your hands on it!
Happy CADDING!
AutoCAD Exchange is to be a community site where AutoCAD users can meet, mingle, and share ideas. It has tutorials, help, links to blogs (like this one!), contacts (similar to Linkedin or Facebook), and more. I have added a widget on the right side of this site that has some popular links from the site.
In order to get into the site you have to register. It's annoying yes, but if you have already registered to some other Autodesk Site (like the discussion boards) then you can use that log-in info.
I do have to say that my favorite part (and yes I am biased on this topic) are the videos. especially the one with me and Lynn Allen talking about AutoCAD 2010. It was fun filming this video. i have never been in front of a green screen screen before, unless you count some of the first computers I ever worked with! I was able to film a few other videos with several other Autodesk employees, so keep your eyes open.
Check out the site, download AutoCAD 2010, and send me your questions. I will be posting more info on AutoCAD 2010 in the near future, especially now that you have the chance to get your hands on it!
Happy CADDING!
It's that time of year again when one release of AutoCAD goes quietly away and the next comes barging in. On March 24th AutoCAD 2010 will be released and soon to ship. On March 13th, AutoCAD 2006 (and other 2006 releases of Autodesk software) will be retired. Friday the 13th! What a day to retire on right? It would be better to retire on March 14th, Pi Day!
Regardless if you are currently using AutoCAD 2006, 2007, 2008, or 2009, will you be updating to AutoCAD 2010? What do I recommend? I recommend subscription to be honest. It is a much larger cost up front, but in the long run, it's more economic and you get more, for less. BUT, what is right for me, may not be right for you. If you are an individual and only have one or two licenses for your small office or firm, then maybe you are better off updating every few releases and not staying on subscription.
Autodesk has a legacy program that you might be interested in. I wanted to share the link with you to help you decide what course of updating is right for you.
Autodesk Retirement Program
There are cost calculators here, plan information, reseller links, etc. What you do is your business. I wanted to make sure you had some tools to help you understand the costs in updating your CAD software.
Did yo notice that I keep saying UPDATING instead of UPGRADING? Yes I know I said UPGRADE in the title, but well, forgive me. I feel that there is a difference. An upgrade implies improvement, and update means you have the latest. I strongly feel that AutoCAD 2010 is indeed an upgrade, but not everyone will, because some never do. Some times users update their software version simply to be compatible with others. So they are not upgrading but updating. I also feel more comfortable using that term. What do you think? What is the difference between an UPGRADE and an UPDATE? Will you be updating or upgrading to AutoCAD 2010?
Regardless if you are currently using AutoCAD 2006, 2007, 2008, or 2009, will you be updating to AutoCAD 2010? What do I recommend? I recommend subscription to be honest. It is a much larger cost up front, but in the long run, it's more economic and you get more, for less. BUT, what is right for me, may not be right for you. If you are an individual and only have one or two licenses for your small office or firm, then maybe you are better off updating every few releases and not staying on subscription.
Autodesk has a legacy program that you might be interested in. I wanted to share the link with you to help you decide what course of updating is right for you.
Autodesk Retirement Program
There are cost calculators here, plan information, reseller links, etc. What you do is your business. I wanted to make sure you had some tools to help you understand the costs in updating your CAD software.
Did yo notice that I keep saying UPDATING instead of UPGRADING? Yes I know I said UPGRADE in the title, but well, forgive me. I feel that there is a difference. An upgrade implies improvement, and update means you have the latest. I strongly feel that AutoCAD 2010 is indeed an upgrade, but not everyone will, because some never do. Some times users update their software version simply to be compatible with others. So they are not upgrading but updating. I also feel more comfortable using that term. What do you think? What is the difference between an UPGRADE and an UPDATE? Will you be updating or upgrading to AutoCAD 2010?
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