Acad Jigs

AutoCAD Jigs

Use this skill when implementing interactive entity placement with live preview, drag-based input acquisition, or custom drawing feedback during user input in AutoCAD plugins.

Overview

Jigs provide real-time visual feedback while the user moves the cursor. AutoCAD offers two jig base classes:

• EntityJig -- drives a single Entity that AutoCAD draws automatically each frame.
• DrawJig -- gives full control over what is drawn via WorldDraw / ViewportDraw, useful when previewing multiple entities or non-entity graphics.

Both follow the same loop: AutoCAD repeatedly calls Sampler() to read input, then Update() (EntityJig) or WorldDraw() (DrawJig) to refresh the preview, until the user accepts or cancels.

EntityJig

Subclass Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput.EntityJig and pass the entity to the base constructor. Override two methods:

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Geometry;

public class CircleJig : EntityJig
{
    private Point3d _center;
    private double _radius;

    public CircleJig(Circle circle)
        : base(circle)
    {
        _center = circle.Center;
        _radius = circle.Radius;
    }

    protected override SamplerStatus Sampler(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        var opts = new JigPromptPointOptions("\nSpecify radius point: ")
        {
            BasePoint = _center,
            UseBasePoint = true,
            CursorType = CursorType.RubberBand
        };

        PromptPointResult result = prompts.AcquirePoint(opts);

        if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return SamplerStatus.Cancel;

        double newRadius = _center.DistanceTo(result.Value);

        // Return NoChange when value hasn't moved -- prevents flicker
        if (Math.Abs(newRadius - _radius) < Tolerance.Global.EqualPoint)
            return SamplerStatus.NoChange;

        _radius = newRadius;
        return SamplerStatus.OK;
    }

    protected override bool Update()
    {
        ((Circle)Entity).Radius = _radius;
        return true;  // return false to abort the jig
    }
}

Sampler()

Sampler() acquires one input value per call. Available acquisition methods on JigPrompts:

Critical: Always compare the new value against the previous value and return SamplerStatus.NoChange when they are equal. Omitting this check causes display flicker because AutoCAD redraws every frame even when nothing changed.

SamplerStatus Enum

Update()

Update() applies the sampled values to the entity. Return true to continue, false to abort. AutoCAD draws the entity automatically after Update() returns true.

Running an EntityJig

public void RunCircleJig()
{
    var doc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;
    var db = doc.Database;
    var ed = doc.Editor;

    var circle = new Circle(Point3d.Origin, Vector3d.ZAxis, 1.0);
    var jig = new CircleJig(circle);

    PromptResult result = ed.Drag(jig);

    if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
        return;

    using (var tr = db.TransactionManager.StartTransaction())
    {
        var btr = (BlockTableRecord)tr.GetObject(
            db.CurrentSpaceId, OpenMode.ForWrite);
        btr.AppendEntity(circle);
        tr.AddNewlyCreatedDBObject(circle, true);
        tr.Commit();
    }
}

DrawJig

Subclass Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput.DrawJig when you need to draw custom graphics or preview multiple entities. Override Sampler() and WorldDraw().

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Geometry;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.GraphicsInterface;

public class CrosshairJig : DrawJig
{
    private Point3d _point;
    private readonly double _size;

    public CrosshairJig(double size)
    {
        _size = size;
        _point = Point3d.Origin;
    }

    public Point3d PickedPoint => _point;

    protected override SamplerStatus Sampler(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        var opts = new JigPromptPointOptions("\nSpecify point: ")
        {
            CursorType = CursorType.Crosshair
        };

        PromptPointResult result = prompts.AcquirePoint(opts);

        if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return SamplerStatus.Cancel;

        if (result.Value.IsEqualTo(_point))
            return SamplerStatus.NoChange;

        _point = result.Value;
        return SamplerStatus.OK;
    }

    protected override bool WorldDraw(WorldDraw draw)
    {
        // Draw a crosshair at the cursor position
        var geo = draw.Geometry;

        geo.WorldLine(
            new Point3d(_point.X - _size, _point.Y, _point.Z),
            new Point3d(_point.X + _size, _point.Y, _point.Z));

        geo.WorldLine(
            new Point3d(_point.X, _point.Y - _size, _point.Z),
            new Point3d(_point.X, _point.Y + _size, _point.Z));

        return true;  // return true = handled; false = let AutoCAD draw defaults
    }
}

WorldDraw vs ViewportDraw

• WorldDraw() draws in world coordinates, visible in all viewports. Return true if drawing is complete, false to also invoke ViewportDraw().
• ViewportDraw() draws per-viewport. Override it for viewport-specific graphics (rare in jig usage).

WorldGeometry Drawing Methods

Common methods available on WorldDraw.Geometry:

Running a DrawJig

var jig = new CrosshairJig(5.0);
PromptResult result = ed.Drag(jig);

if (result.Status == PromptStatus.OK)
{
    Point3d picked = jig.PickedPoint;
    // Use the picked point
}

Editor.Drag()

Editor.Drag(Jig) starts the jig loop and blocks until the user completes or cancels. Returns a PromptResult whose Status property indicates the outcome.

DragStatus Enum

The PromptResult.Status returned by Drag() maps to standard PromptStatus values:

Prompt Options

JigPromptPointOptions

var opts = new JigPromptPointOptions("\nSpecify insertion point: ");
opts.UseBasePoint = true;
opts.BasePoint = new Point3d(0, 0, 0);
opts.CursorType = CursorType.RubberBand;
opts.UserInputControls =
    UserInputControls.Accept3dCoordinates |
    UserInputControls.NullResponseAccepted;
opts.Keywords.Add("Rotate");
opts.Keywords.Add("Scale");

JigPromptDistanceOptions

var opts = new JigPromptDistanceOptions("\nSpecify offset distance: ");
opts.BasePoint = _center;
opts.UseBasePoint = true;
opts.DefaultValue = 10.0;

JigPromptAngleOptions

var opts = new JigPromptAngleOptions("\nSpecify rotation angle: ");
opts.BasePoint = _insertionPoint;
opts.UseBasePoint = true;
opts.DefaultValue = 0.0;

Cursor Types

Set via JigPromptPointOptions.CursorType:

RubberBand requires UseBasePoint = true and a valid BasePoint.

Multi-Step Jigs

For entities that need multiple inputs (e.g., pick insertion point, then set rotation), track the current step and branch in Sampler() / Update().

Block Insertion Jig (Position + Rotation)

public class BlockInsertJig : EntityJig
{
    private Point3d _position;
    private double _rotation;
    private int _step;  // 0 = position, 1 = rotation

    public BlockInsertJig(BlockReference blockRef)
        : base(blockRef)
    {
        _position = blockRef.Position;
        _rotation = blockRef.Rotation;
        _step = 0;
    }

    public int Step
    {
        get => _step;
        set => _step = value;
    }

    protected override SamplerStatus Sampler(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        switch (_step)
        {
            case 0:
                return SamplePosition(prompts);
            case 1:
                return SampleRotation(prompts);
            default:
                return SamplerStatus.Cancel;
        }
    }

    private SamplerStatus SamplePosition(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        var opts = new JigPromptPointOptions("\nSpecify insertion point: ")
        {
            CursorType = CursorType.Crosshair
        };

        PromptPointResult result = prompts.AcquirePoint(opts);
        if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return SamplerStatus.Cancel;

        if (result.Value.IsEqualTo(_position))
            return SamplerStatus.NoChange;

        _position = result.Value;
        return SamplerStatus.OK;
    }

    private SamplerStatus SampleRotation(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        var opts = new JigPromptAngleOptions("\nSpecify rotation angle: ")
        {
            BasePoint = _position,
            UseBasePoint = true,
            DefaultValue = 0.0
        };

        PromptDoubleResult result = prompts.AcquireAngle(opts);
        if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return SamplerStatus.Cancel;

        if (Math.Abs(result.Value - _rotation) < Tolerance.Global.EqualPoint)
            return SamplerStatus.NoChange;

        _rotation = result.Value;
        return SamplerStatus.OK;
    }

    protected override bool Update()
    {
        var blockRef = (BlockReference)Entity;

        switch (_step)
        {
            case 0:
                blockRef.Position = _position;
                break;
            case 1:
                blockRef.Rotation = _rotation;
                break;
        }

        return true;
    }
}

Running a Multi-Step Jig

Call Editor.Drag() once per step, advancing the step counter between calls:

public static void InsertBlockWithJig(
    Database db, Editor ed, ObjectId blockDefId)
{
    using (var tr = db.TransactionManager.StartTransaction())
    {
        var btr = (BlockTableRecord)tr.GetObject(
            db.CurrentSpaceId, OpenMode.ForWrite);

        var blockRef = new BlockReference(Point3d.Origin, blockDefId);
        var jig = new BlockInsertJig(blockRef);

        // Step 0: pick position
        jig.Step = 0;
        PromptResult res = ed.Drag(jig);
        if (res.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return;

        // Step 1: pick rotation
        jig.Step = 1;
        res = ed.Drag(jig);
        if (res.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return;

        // Commit the entity
        btr.AppendEntity(blockRef);
        tr.AddNewlyCreatedDBObject(blockRef, true);
        tr.Commit();
    }
}

Common Patterns

Line Jig (Start + End)

public class LineJig : EntityJig
{
    private Point3d _startPoint;
    private Point3d _endPoint;

    public LineJig(Line line, Point3d startPoint)
        : base(line)
    {
        _startPoint = startPoint;
        _endPoint = startPoint;
    }

    protected override SamplerStatus Sampler(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        var opts = new JigPromptPointOptions("\nSpecify end point: ")
        {
            BasePoint = _startPoint,
            UseBasePoint = true,
            CursorType = CursorType.RubberBand
        };

        PromptPointResult result = prompts.AcquirePoint(opts);
        if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return SamplerStatus.Cancel;

        if (result.Value.IsEqualTo(_endPoint))
            return SamplerStatus.NoChange;

        _endPoint = result.Value;
        return SamplerStatus.OK;
    }

    protected override bool Update()
    {
        var line = (Line)Entity;
        line.StartPoint = _startPoint;
        line.EndPoint = _endPoint;
        return true;
    }
}

Move Jig (Displace Existing Entity)

public class MoveJig : EntityJig
{
    private Point3d _basePoint;
    private Point3d _currentPoint;
    private Matrix3d _lastTransform;

    public MoveJig(Entity entity, Point3d basePoint)
        : base(entity)
    {
        _basePoint = basePoint;
        _currentPoint = basePoint;
        _lastTransform = Matrix3d.Identity;
    }

    protected override SamplerStatus Sampler(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        var opts = new JigPromptPointOptions("\nSpecify destination point: ")
        {
            BasePoint = _basePoint,
            UseBasePoint = true,
            CursorType = CursorType.RubberBand
        };

        PromptPointResult result = prompts.AcquirePoint(opts);
        if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return SamplerStatus.Cancel;

        if (result.Value.IsEqualTo(_currentPoint))
            return SamplerStatus.NoChange;

        _currentPoint = result.Value;
        return SamplerStatus.OK;
    }

    protected override bool Update()
    {
        // Undo previous transform, apply new one
        Entity.TransformBy(_lastTransform.Inverse());

        Vector3d displacement = _currentPoint - _basePoint;
        _lastTransform = Matrix3d.Displacement(displacement);
        Entity.TransformBy(_lastTransform);

        return true;
    }
}

DrawJig for Multiple Entities

public class RectangleJig : DrawJig
{
    private Point3d _corner1;
    private Point3d _corner2;

    public RectangleJig(Point3d firstCorner)
    {
        _corner1 = firstCorner;
        _corner2 = firstCorner;
    }

    public Point3d Corner1 => _corner1;
    public Point3d Corner2 => _corner2;

    protected override SamplerStatus Sampler(JigPrompts prompts)
    {
        var opts = new JigPromptPointOptions("\nSpecify opposite corner: ")
        {
            BasePoint = _corner1,
            UseBasePoint = true,
            CursorType = CursorType.RubberBand
        };

        PromptPointResult result = prompts.AcquirePoint(opts);
        if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK)
            return SamplerStatus.Cancel;

        if (result.Value.IsEqualTo(_corner2))
            return SamplerStatus.NoChange;

        _corner2 = result.Value;
        return SamplerStatus.OK;
    }

    protected override bool WorldDraw(WorldDraw draw)
    {
        var pts = new Point3dCollection
        {
            _corner1,
            new Point3d(_corner2.X, _corner1.Y, 0),
            _corner2,
            new Point3d(_corner1.X, _corner2.Y, 0),
            _corner1  // close the rectangle
        };

        draw.Geometry.Polyline(pts, Vector3d.ZAxis, IntPtr.Zero);
        return true;
    }
}

Gotchas

• Always check for NoChange in Sampler. Returning SamplerStatus.OK every frame causes display flicker because AutoCAD redraws even when the entity has not moved. Compare new values against previous values and return NoChange when equal.
• Entity must not be database-resident during jig. The entity passed to EntityJig must be a transient (non-added) entity. Add it to the database only after Drag() returns PromptStatus.OK.
• Update() must not throw. If Update() throws an exception, the jig terminates and the entity is left in an inconsistent state. Validate values before applying.
• MoveJig requires transform reversal. When displacing an entity, undo the previous transform before applying the new one, or the displacements accumulate incorrectly.
• Point comparison uses IsEqualTo, not ==. Point3d is a struct; use IsEqualTo() or DistanceTo() < tolerance for reliable equality checks in Sampler().
• AcquireAngle returns radians. The angle value from AcquireAngle is in radians, not degrees. Use it directly with Rotation properties (which also expect radians).
• Keyword handling in jigs. Check PromptResult.Status == PromptStatus.Keyword and read PromptResult.StringResult to get the keyword. Return SamplerStatus.OK to keep the jig alive after processing a keyword.
• DrawJig WorldDraw must be fast. This method is called every frame at cursor-move frequency. Avoid allocations, database reads, or expensive geometry calculations inside WorldDraw().
• No transactions inside jig methods. Do not open transactions in Sampler(), Update(), or WorldDraw(). These run in a tight loop and transactions will severely degrade performance or cause errors.
• Jig entities are not cloned. The entity you pass to the jig constructor is the same object that gets added to the database after the jig completes. Do not dispose it between Drag() and AppendEntity().

Related Skills

• acad-editor-input -- prompt options, keyword handling, and input acquisition outside of jigs
• acad-geometry -- Point3d, Vector3d, Matrix3d, and transformation math used in jig calculations
• acad-blocks -- BlockReference creation and attribute handling for block insertion jigs
• acad-polylines -- polyline construction techniques used with DrawJig preview rendering