Thanks MickD,
Did this change when they added the AutoLoader Functionality?
Looking with reflector it is done through events AssemblyLoad and AssemblyResolve events.
I thought in the past it was not done through event handling and just whatever assembly where in registry or loaded via Netload.
Not sure Jeff, I think that while an auto loader may load 'referenced' assemblies, the function being called is what triggers the auto load.
With commands, AutoCAD knows nothing about your commands until you load your assembly, that is it doesn't even know it has to resolve a reference as the callback (calling function) for the command doesn't even exist in the running process yet (it's not loaded or compiled into it).
I did see something on the board here from Dan that mentioned implementing a method that will be found to autoload .net dll's(?).
If this is the case it may be that when a command is called and the command is not registered it calls a default method which searches unloaded assemblies in the support path and if you have declared the function it will load the assembly, just thinking out load here though.
Either way you need to have a bit of code in the main process to call to make the process look for the method and resolve the reference, for plug ins in AutoCAD this is done using Netload and CommandMethod attributes to load the callbacks into the main process.
Basically what TonyT said a few posts ago