Author Topic: AutoCAD EULA limitations  (Read 3266 times)

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jtoverka

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AutoCAD EULA limitations
« on: September 01, 2019, 02:04:24 PM »
Developers need to know how AutoCAD works so they can develop for it. Where is the line drawn to where you are violating the EULA agreement? I know of programs where it utilizes both documented and undocumented API's. Is the search for undocumented API's considered reverse engineering?

The way LISP works I can set an arbitrary variable to an existing function. Then overwrite that existing function with a routine that executes the routine from the arbitrary variable AND write out to a file what was just executed and the value of its arguments.

This is extremely useful to view code embedded in dialog boxes because the arguments to action_tile are strings and the code to be executed. Technically all AutoLISP functions are vulnerable to this, even compiled FAS files.

Is this a violation of the EULA agreement? Despite the fact that the language explicitly gave me the ability to do this?

jtoverka

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2019, 11:18:20 AM »
Attached is the program in question.

VovKa

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2019, 02:50:54 PM »
Is this a violation of the EULA agreement?
does anyone read EULA?
never heard of that :)

i guess https://forums.autodesk.com/ is a better place to ask...

roy_043

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2019, 03:15:09 PM »
How about functions with optional arguments? F.e. the replacement implementation of done_dialog would cause a crash if the code contains (done_dialog 0).

jtoverka

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2019, 03:29:18 PM »
I have not yet solved that problem.
If someone could show me how to create AutoLISP functions with optional arguments then I can update this file to fully reverse engineer all AutoLISP routines.
I suspect that it will be a program written in C++ or C#. I don't have a problem doing that. I just don't have the knowledge currently to do that.

VovKa

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2019, 04:18:00 PM »
If someone could show me how to create AutoLISP functions with optional arguments
this is the correct thread -> https://www.theswamp.org/index.php?board=35.0

jtoverka

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roy_043

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2019, 03:22:41 AM »
I don't think this is really reverse engineering. You may be able to get a rough idea of how a Lisp application works, but creating your own version would still require a lot of work. Creating your own code from scratch is probably more efficient, and certainly more satisfying.

jtoverka

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2019, 07:32:51 AM »
AutoCAD Electrical is plagued with bugs. I am looking to repair these bugs, not recreate the entire application. Once I output the arguments of the defun function to a file, I can create bug fixes. Right now I am doing this by executing my own code when certain dialog boxes, and certain keys within the dialog boxes are loaded. I can't do these hacks for every bug, it takes too long. I'd rather have the source code and modify it from there. This is the technique I use, and I want to know if that technique is a violation of the EULA Agreement.

As far as I see it. If they don't even care to fix their own bugs or even acknowledge the code fixes I post to their website, then I am free to use this technique.

ChrisCarlson

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2019, 08:13:55 AM »
Chances are they won't care until you start profiting from it. In all reality, it sucks to say but AutoDesk is slowly killing off the vertical AutoCad's by pushing everyone to Revit or Inventor. I haven't had a sales person try to sell my organization on AutoCAD verticals in years.

MP

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Re: AutoCAD EULA limitations
« Reply #10 on: September 04, 2019, 10:34:26 AM »
AutoDesk is slowly killing off AutoCAD by pushing everyone to BricsCAD.

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