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In my last post, I explained the procedure to be followed to ensure that GeoTools and CADPower run side by side on the same computer on Bricscad. In this post, I will explain how it is to be done in AutoCAD. The procedure is almost similar, only a few file names change.
First, install GeoTools for AutoCAD and CADPower for AutoCAD in the usual way into their own respective folders. At the end of the installation, you see a dialog box that pops up and asks you to do a small configuration step.
Follow the instructions and do as it says.
You will need to add both the CADPower folder as well as GeoTools folder in the Support file search path under the Options command -> Files section. Earlier, you were advised to move the folder to the top of the list. You must still do that and you will end up with GeoTools and CADPower folders as the top/first two folders in the list. Now, comes the catch. The starter file which fires CADPower or GeoTools is called acad.lsp and resides in the respective folder of each software.
For example, the acad.lsp file for CADPower looks like this:
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | ACAD.LSP
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Function : Sample startup file for CADPower
;; | Argument : None
;; | Return : None
;; | Updated : December 28, 2011
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(load "CP_Load")
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Remove the comment from the line below if you want CADPower to load
;; | automatically upon startup in CAD.
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CP_Load_EN)
And the acad.lsp file for GeoTools looks like this:
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | ACAD.LSP
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Function : Sample startup file for GeoTools
;; | Argument : None
;; | Return : None
;; | Updated : June 11, 1999
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(load "GT_Load")
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Remove the comment from the line below if you want GeoTools to load
;; | automatically upon startup in AutoCAD.
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(GT_Load_EN)
To give you a little background, these statements are just function calls to load the GeoTools or CADPower executable which is a .VLX file. These functiona reside in a file called GT_LOAD.LSP (for GeoTools) and CP_Load.LSP (for CADPower).
Now, the problem is that your AutoCAD can see only one acad.lsp per session and load it. Obviously, it "sees" and "reads" only the first acad.lsp file from the list, which is the top/first item in the folders list. And that could be the acad.lsp from the CADPower folder or the GeoTools folder, depending on which is at the top of the list. So, the second acad.lsp in the list never gets loaded and therefore only one of either CADPower or GeoTools is loaded.
The solution is very simple - simply copy the contents of both the files into one single acad.lsp file and that file must reside in the folder which is mentioned first on the list.
In other words, your new acad.lsp must look something like this:
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | ACAD.LSP
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Function : Sample startup file for CADPower
;; | Argument : None
;; | Return : None
;; | Updated : December 28, 2011
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(load "CP_Load")
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Remove the comment from the line below if you want CADPower to load
;; | automatically upon startup in CAD.
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CP_Load_EN)
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | ACAD.LSP
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Function : Sample startup file for GeoTools
;; | Argument : None
;; | Return : None
;; | Updated : June 11, 1999
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(load "GT_Load")
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
;; | Remove the comment from the line below if you want GeoTools to load
;; | automatically upon startup in AutoCAD.
;; | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(GT_Load_EN)
This ensures that both the software get loaded and can be used alongside each other.
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