Total Area Autocad Lisp May 2026
Change precision by modifying the prec variable (line ~15):
(setq prec 3) ; 3 decimal places
Uncomment unit conversion lines (~lines 50-55) for specific units.
Calculating total areas in AutoCAD often involves a tedious "add one by one" process with the native
command. AutoLISP routines automate this by summing multiple objects instantly and even exporting results to tables or Excel. Popular LISP Commands for Total Area
Different routines offer various levels of automation, from simple command-line totals to complex reporting:
: A widely used routine (often attributed to Jimmy Bergmark) that calculates the total area of all selected objects at once. It works on polylines, circles, ellipses, and splines. A2F (Area to Field)
: Creates an MText object containing a dynamic "Field Expression". If you modify the original shapes, the total area updates automatically after a AMO (Add Multiple Objects)
: Measures total area and automatically places text indicating the area at the centroid of each individual polygon. Area Table (AT)
: Calculates areas for multiple plots and automatically generates a structured AutoCAD table. RTR (Read Triangle Area) total area autocad lisp
: For detailed surveying, this command splits polygons into triangles and provides a table showing the calculation for each. Autodesk Community, Autodesk Forums, Autodesk Forum Core Logic: How the LISP Works
Most total area LISPs follow a similar logic structure to process multiple selections: Lisp to calculate area of all closed polylines selected 02-Apr-2019 —
Efficiency at Your Fingertips: The Power of Total Area AutoLISP in AutoCAD
In the world of professional drafting, speed and accuracy are the ultimate goals. While AutoCAD comes with built-in measurement tools, they often fall short when you need to calculate the cumulative area
of dozens of separate rooms or complex shapes. This is where
—AutoCAD’s specialized programming language—becomes a game-changer. Why Use an AutoLISP for Total Area? Standard AutoCAD commands like MEASUREGEOM
are excellent for single objects. However, if you need to find the total square footage of a building with 50 unique rooms, clicking each vertex manually is both tedious and prone to error. A "Total Area" LISP routine automates this by: Selecting Multiple Objects : Grabbing all polylines, hatches, or regions at once. Instant Summation
: Automatically adding the area of every selected object and displaying the total. Data Export Change precision by modifying the prec variable (line
: Many routines can even paste the result directly into your clipboard or as text on your drawing. Top Tools for Calculating Total Area
If you aren't ready to write your own code, there are powerful pre-made tools available: TotalLength + / TotalArea : This popular plugin from the Autodesk App Store
allows you to select object types and get a comprehensive total of both length and area in seconds.
: A streamlined utility that measures the total area of hatches and polylines and copies the value directly to your clipboard for use in Excel or Word. : A free architectural toolkit that includes the
command, specifically designed to display areas in square meters ( ) instantly. How to Create Your Own Routine
You don't need to be a software engineer to use AutoLISP. You can create your own custom scripts using the Visual LISP Editor Open AutoCAD and type in the command line.
Write your script in the console window. A simple routine typically iterates through a selection set of "AcDbPolyline" or "AcDbHatch" objects and sums their Save the file as a and use the command to load it into any drawing. Practical Applications Cost Estimation
: Quickly calculate total flooring or roofing material needed. Zoning Compliance Uncomment unit conversion lines (~lines 50-55) for specific
: Ensure your total built-up area meets local regulatory limits. HVAC Sizing
: Determine the total volume or surface area for climate control calculations.
For calculating net floor area (Gross area minus cores and shafts). It sums "Addition" objects (green layer) and subtracts "Subtraction" objects (red layer).
Before diving into LISP, let’s acknowledge the pain points of vanilla AutoCAD:
The Solution: A dedicated Total Area LISP routine reduces a 2-minute manual process to 3 seconds.
The most widely circulated free LISP for this task is often called TOTAREA.LSP or ADDTOTALAREA.LSP. While many versions exist, the core functionality is consistent.
AutoLISP is a dialect of the Lisp programming language built specifically for automating tasks in AutoCAD. A Total Area Lisp is a script that automates the summation of area properties.
Instead of:
The Lisp does this in one command: TOTAREA (or similar). You select 50 objects, press Enter, and it instantly tells you: Total Area = 2750.00 Sq. Ft.
