Why AutoLISP is still used
- Built into AutoCAD, its verticals and (since 2024) AutoCAD LT.
- Very fast to write and test for small utilities.
- Huge libraries of existing routines in many companies.
- Stable across AutoCAD versions with few changes.
Industrial use cases
| Industry | AutoLISP automation |
|---|---|
| Electrical | Auto-numbering of terminals, wires and devices; cable schedule extraction |
| Piping and process | Line numbering, valve tag updates, isometric annotations |
| Structural steel | Member marking, bolt counts, plate schedules |
| Civil and survey | Point import from CSV, chainage labels, level annotations |
| Architecture and interiors | Room area tags, door and window numbering, furniture counts |
| Manufacturing | Title block fill-in, balloon numbering, revision clouds and tables |
Example: sequential tag numbering
(defun c:TAGNUM (/ n ss i ent)
(setq n (getint "\nStart number: ")
ss (ssget '((0 . "INSERT") (2 . "EQUIP_TAG"))))
(if ss
(repeat (setq i (sslength ss))
(setq ent (ssname ss (setq i (1- i))))
(setpropertyvalue ent "TAG" (strcat "P-" (itoa n)))
(setq n (1+ n))))
(princ))A few lines replace minutes of manual editing on every drawing.
Other everyday wins
- Layer standardisation and purge on open.
- Quantity take-off of blocks and polyline lengths to CSV.
- Batch text replacement across drawings (with scripts).
- Custom dimensioning and annotation shortcuts.
When to modernise to .NET
Consider moving LISP routines to .NET when you need rich user interfaces, database or ERP connections, better error handling, or when a collection of routines has grown into an unmaintainable application. A phased migration keeps working routines while building new tools in .NET.
AutoLISP is perfect for quick wins. Know when a tool has outgrown it.
AutoLISP development with ENGIMANDI
We write, maintain and modernise AutoLISP routines. See AutoCAD customisation and AutoLISP vs .NET vs ObjectARX.