Topic: LT Add-on, 3rd Party software

[Mark]

"3rd party software" as in [ http://www.drcauto.com/ltfactory/products/lttoolkitmax/index.html ] Toolkit Max 2008.

[Shinyhead]

We make all of our customizations and inhancements in house.

Currently we are doing an excel link up to run custom scripts on every layout in a selected set of drawings, should be sweet.

[craigr]

The add-ons sound / look nice. But for what we do, I doubt I could justify the $450 on top of LT.

Though admittedly I don't know all that I am missing with the absence of Lisps.

craigr

[Bob Wahr]

I could be wrong as I haven't looked at an LT EULA lately and lack the drive to do so ATM, but I am pretty sure that at one time anyway, using a third party lisp enabler with LT was a violation of the EULA.

[rkmcswain]

From section 3.2.7b of the AutoCAD LT 2008 EULA

You may not utilize any equipment, device, software or other means designed to circumvent or remove any usage restrictions, or to enable functionality disabled by Autodesk in connection with the Excluded Materials.

“Excluded Materials” means any programs, modules, components or functionality, if any, that may be included on media or with materials delivered to You that are not within the License Parameters as described in the User Documentation, or for which You have not paid the applicable fees.

You and your legal counsel can decide for yourselves....

[Bob Garner]

I just received my '08 LT upgrade.  It specifically states that it is to be installed over a previous version.  I decided to install the upgrade on a new computer with no previous installation of ACAD LT.  I asked Autodesk if I could do this and they said yes, when I call for the authorization code, they will give me the appropriate code to install as a stand-alone version.

So I guess there is a lot of stuff on the ACAD disk that is "turned on" or "off" and you can reach it only with the proper authorization code.


Bob G.

[craigr]

From section 3.2.7b of the AutoCAD LT 2008 EULA

You may not utilize any equipment, device, software or other means designed to circumvent or remove any usage restrictions, or to enable functionality disabled by Autodesk in connection with the Excluded Materials.

“Excluded Materials” means any programs, modules, components or functionality, if any, that may be included on media or with materials delivered to You that are not within the License Parameters as described in the User Documentation, or for which You have not paid the applicable fees.

You and your legal counsel can decide for yourselves....

I am not very good with Legal Talk -
So does this mean I shouldn't be using a 'batch' program? It IS external to my AutoCAD.

craigr

[David Hall]

I think your batch program would be OK because it is not enabling functionality you didn't pay for

[Bob Wahr]

Basically, LT is full ACAD with things disabled.  Discussing ways to bypass the reduced functionality is basically discussing h4x, cr4cks, and w4r3z.  Not a road I think we should be traveling.

[M-dub]

"Kate?!  Oh, Kaaaate!"   

[David Hall]

Basically, LT is full ACAD with things disabled.  Discussing ways to bypass the reduced functionality is basically discussing h4x, cr4cks, and w4r3z.  Not a road I think we should be traveling.

agreed, but commenting on things that should be safe is good for the group and those that dont know any different

[Josh Nieman]

I don't know how these other applications work, such as the LSP addon, but if they are standalone programs, that merely shoot stuff to the command line (meaning that it only uses what is enabled within the core of LT) then I don't see that as cracking, hacking, or otherwise modifying their product.

[David Hall]

Josh, if you were to type (setq a 4) on your command line, it would use the lisp engine and set that value.  Now if you were to type (read shoot to the command line from external program that is stand alone) the same thing in LT, it will choke and puke.  The external programs are (I think) modifing the EXE of LT to enable lisp, thus violating the EULA.  OR I cold be completely wrong

[Bob Wahr]

agreed, but commenting on things that should be safe is good for the group and those that dont know any different

I agree with that.  command macros and the like are swell.

I don't know how these other applications work, such as the LSP addon, but if they are standalone programs, that merely shoot stuff to the command line (meaning that it only uses what is enabled within the core of LT) then I don't see that as cracking, hacking, or otherwise modifying their product.

I looked into this some time back and the products that I looked at did not work in this way.

[Josh Nieman]

Josh, if you were to type (setq a 4) on your command line, it would use the lisp engine and set that value.  Now if you were to type (read shoot to the command line from external program that is stand alone) the same thing in LT, it will choke and puke.  The external programs are (I think) modifing the EXE of LT to enable lisp, thus violating the EULA.  OR I cold be completely wrong

I thought maybe someone had engineered their own LISP engine that would shoot do the LSP work, and then send something to LT that would get it done in LT terms... but if what Bob says is true, then yea, it sounds like a hack.