Lisp routines

[CADDork]

We are thinking of purchasing Carlson with 2013 AutoCAD embedded.

I am using the demo and can find no way to load the lisp routines I have created for the last 20 years.

Does Carlson with embedded 2013 allow the use of lisp or is it like ACAD LT that does not allow list (as I am told)?

I can rewrite them if I need to in order to match any Carlson formatting and such, but I have been using them for 20+ years and so has my colleague (for the 4 years she has been using AutoCAD) and we are simply to used to using them to change.

The boss and the surveyors really want to get Carlson, but if the draftsman cannot make use of shortcuts it may be a deal breaker.

I know I can make buttons for some of them, but not all of them, there to many for that.

I see that there is an LSP directory listed in the .ini file, so I was just wondering.

Any help or guidance is appreciated

[tstrickland]

The embedded version is limited and don't allow lisp, among other things.
The best option would be to buy autocad and carlson survey or civil suite, depending on what you need, but it's the most expensive.
The cheapest option would be to buy Carlson Civil or Survey with Intellicad, which allows lisp routines.
Some use the embedded version and do without lisp routines, user coordinate systems, and other things that are missing, but will do most of the tasks required for a small survey firm.

[CADDork]

Thank you so very much for the quick reply, it helps with the decision and how we will approach our software purchasing.

I will investigate the options you presented and show them to the boss, though IntelliCAD is currently not an option, but nice to know it is an option.

[tstrickland]

I used the embedded version for several years, but last year finally broke down and purchased Autocad and the Carlson Civil Suite.
This handles all my needs, although I got by OK using the embedded version, but I did miss some of the features in the embedded version.
Carlson modules will also run on Autocad Map or Civil 3d, but these all cost more money than the "vanilla" autocad version.
Intellicad has improved a lot from what it used to be. One of the aggravating things about Icad is, once you use it to edit a drawing, Autocad displays a dialog box when you open it that says it wasn't edited with a trusted autocad product, or something similar to that. It don't mean diddly squat, but it puts some folks on edge that don't understand how it works.
If you can't get by without lisp, get Autocad to run Carlson in. It's not terribly expensive to go that route.

[Dent Cermak]

I purchased the AutoCAD version several years ago and was a bit dismayed to see that it would not take the lisp routines that I had come across over the years. HOWEVER, while digging through the software, I discovered that what I had been using lisp to do was already in Carlson, I just had to find it. I had 8 lisp routines and everything they did was on the pull downs under a different name. I lost nothing in the long run.
Another thing that you will be told that you will lose in the embedded version was all of my Quick Keys. That's true but you will find a workaround on this site that will restore your Quick Keys via your *.PGP file. I can help you install the *.PGP file so that you can reset your Quick Keys.
Everything that you want to use is probably built into Carlson, you just have to find it. If you are going to change software, then you have to change the way you think. Carlson does it simpler than AutoCAD and is more intuitive. It "thinks" more like you do. Remember, change is usually a good thing. Go with the flow and learn new and simpler ways to do things.
I would strongly recommend a Carlson College training session and/or the training manuals available at www.thatcadgirl.com . These are VERY good training manuals. Perhaps you should get a copy of one of the manuals for review prior to any final decisions. Jennifer's books cover both the Intellicad and AutoCAD versions. The "Carlson Configuration and CAD Settings" manual will give you a lot of insight to the software.
A phone call to Jennifer DiBona may answer all of your questions and help you make a choice. She is also the dealer that I would recommend for the final purchase. You will receive free admission to her webinars and probably the best support from most VAR's. (If you were thinking of using a local dealer, I would recommend that you rethink that. I have yet to meet one that could show me the in's and out's of setting up the software much less how to use it.)
If you are coming straight to Carlson from AutoCAD, there is a transition paper on one of the web sites that talks about changing from LDD to Carlson and what is what in both software. Send me an email if you would like a copy of that document and I will send it on to you.
Long story short, in the long run, the embedded version is well worth the extra money.