How to read information from an Autocad file in a C# project 1

[mondi]

Hello to all!
I am building a project that needs to calculate the cost of a product (with a product I mean a door a window, etc.,) for a company that makes doors, windows, etc., (Actually the company where I work is making this software).
A product is compound of the aluminium profiles, the glass and different accessories (like screws and others). Every product must have a default structure that can be changed. I mean every product, according to its dimensions (width, height) has a certain amount of profiles and accessories.
Now the company that ordered the software has asked our company to make this software also with a design like Autocad where they can change the dimensions of the product and remove or add new accessories.
Now I am thinking to not implement this functionality in our software (I think it would be really very difficult and would take us a lot of time, not worth of the money the boss took from the other company), but to let them work with the product in AutoCad and then we read the data in our application made in C# (Visual Studio .Net) from the project in Autocad, i.e. find out the dimensions of the product the kind of profiles used and the accessories used for it.

Sorry for this very long question but I thought it would be better to explain what we are really trying to do.

I would appreciate very much any answer or solution for this problem.
Cheers!

Country of eagles

 

[jmeckley]

Have you asked the reps at AutoCad? This would be the first place to start. Find out if they have an API which can parse the files.

Jason Meckley
Programmer
Specialty Bakers, Inc.

 

[mondi]

Hi Jason!
Thanks for your answer.
Yes I thought about that, but I was afraid it would take quite a time to get an answer from them, but now I will ask them for this. However if someone might give me an answer I would be very grateful.
Cheers!

Country of eagles

 

[vanka25]

Since dwg files are proprietary and change from one AutoCAD version to another; as Jason said your best bet would would be to contact Autodesk directly. Be prepared for the possibility of Autodesk wanting to charge you a licensing fee though.

 

[mondi]

Oopss, I don't know if my boss will agree with this. Hope I won't be obliged to make a software with GDI+.
Thanks for your answers however!

Country of eagles

 

[earthandfire]

The following may help:

http://www.afralisp.net/vba/api.htm

http://arxdummies.blogspot.com/2005/03/autocad-2006-interview-with-albert.html

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=1911627&siteID=123112

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/dotnet/dotnetarxsample.aspx

 

[bill7771]

This is interesting. Don't know a thing about the topic but for fun I Googled, c# autocad api, and got a slew of links/info. Seems there's a .net API for you to learn. Wish I had your task.

 

[mondi]

Lol!
Actually for the moment I am working on another project for the same company so I will have to look later at this problem.
By the way thanks earthandfire for the links
Cheers!

Country of eagles