Agent Skill · Autodesk

acad-arx-wizard

Agentic ObjectARX project scaffolding for AutoCAD 2027 / Visual Studio 2026. Replaces the broken .vsz VsWizardEngine wizard with a PowerShell script that generates identical C++ project files. Works for new ARX/DBX/CRX projects and add-on class wizards (Jig, Reactors, Custom Object, MFC, .NET Wrapper, COM Wrapper, Dynamic Property).

View SKILL.md on GitHub → Source repository Provider profile
Provider: Autodesk Path in repo: skills/acad-arx-wizard/SKILL.md

Skill body

ObjectARX Wizard Skill — AutoCAD 2027 / VS 2026

Scaffold ObjectARX C++ projects and classes using an AI conversation + PowerShell generator.

Skill Location

The scripts live in the same folder as this SKILL.md:

<skill-root>/
├── SKILL.md
├── docs/
│   ├── arx-dev-guide.md              ← ObjectARX 2027 build configuration reference
│   └── learnings.md                  ← live wiki: gotchas, workarounds, verified API behaviors
├── scripts/
│   ├── Invoke-TemplateExpansion.ps1   ← shared token engine (do not call directly)
│   ├── New-ArxApp.ps1                 ← full ARX/DBX/CRX project
│   ├── New-ArxCustomObject.ps1        ← custom ObjectDBX entity class
│   ├── New-ArxReactors.ps1            ← transient reactor class
│   ├── New-ArxJig.ps1                 ← AcEdJig subclass
│   ├── New-ArxMFCSupport.ps1          ← MFC dialog / palette / control
│   ├── New-ArxNETWrapper.ps1          ← managed .NET wrapper
│   ├── New-ArxComWrapper.ps1          ← ATL COM wrapper object
│   └── New-ArxDynProp.ps1             ← ATL dynamic property class
├── templates/                         ← source template files (do not edit)
└── props/                             ← Autodesk.arx-2027.props, crx.props

When to Use

Wizard Types

User says… Script to run
“ARX app”, “new plugin”, “create project” New-ArxApp.ps1
“custom object”, “custom entity”, “AcDbEntity subclass” New-ArxCustomObject.ps1
“reactor”, “database reactor”, “entity reactor” New-ArxReactors.ps1
“jig”, “AcEdJig”, “interactive input” New-ArxJig.ps1
“MFC dialog”, “palette”, “dockbar”, “MFC class” New-ArxMFCSupport.ps1
“.NET wrapper”, “managed wrapper”, “C++/CLI” New-ArxNETWrapper.ps1
“COM wrapper”, “ATL object”, “IDispatch” New-ArxComWrapper.ps1
“dynamic property”, “AcDbDynBlockReference”, “dynprop” New-ArxDynProp.ps1

Procedure

Step 1 — Identify skill root

Resolve the absolute path to this SKILL.md’s containing directory. All scripts are at: <skill-root>\scripts\

Step 2 — Identify wizard type

Map user intent to one of the 8 wizard types above. If unclear, ask:

“Which wizard do you need? New ARX/DBX/CRX project, or an add-on class (Jig, Reactor, Custom Object, MFC, .NET Wrapper, COM Wrapper, Dynamic Property)?”

Step 3 — Collect parameters

Ask only for mandatory parameters that are missing. Do not ask for optional ones unless the user mentions them.

New-ArxApp — full project

Parameter Mandatory Values Ask if missing
-ProjectName Yes valid C++ identifier “What is the project name?”
-OutputPath Yes folder path “Where should the project be created?”
-AppType No arx / dbx / crx Default: arx (ask if user is unsure)
-MfcMode No none / shared / ext Default: none
-UseAtl No switch Only ask if user mentions COM
-UseDotNet No switch Only ask if user mentions .NET or CLR
-RdsPrefix No 3-letter symbol Default: Adk

New-ArxCustomObject — custom entity

Parameter Mandatory Default
-ClassName Yes —
-OutputPath Yes —
-BaseClass No AcDbEntity
-Protocols No 2 (Object + Entity)
-ProjectName No MyProject

New-ArxReactors — reactor

Parameter Mandatory Notes
-ClassName Yes —
-ReactorType Yes See reactor type list below
-OutputPath Yes —
-ProjectName No MyProject

Common reactor types: AcDbDatabaseReactor, AcDbObjectReactor, AcDbEntityReactor, AcEdInputContextReactor, AcApDocManagerReactor, AcDbLayoutManagerReactor, AcDbAnnotationScaleReactor, AcDMMReactor

New-ArxJig — jig class

Parameter Mandatory Default
-ClassName Yes —
-OutputPath Yes —
-ObjectName No AcDbEntity
-NumberOfInputs No 1
-ProjectName No MyProject

New-ArxMFCSupport — MFC class

Parameter Mandatory Default
-ClassName Yes —
-OutputPath Yes —
-MfcType No Dialog
-IddDialog No IDD_DIALOG1
-ProjectName No MyProject

MFC types: Dialog, ChildDialog, TabDialog, Palette, PaletteSet, DockControlBar, Control, FileDialog, FileNavDialog, FieldDialog, FieldFormatDialog, FieldOptionDialog

New-ArxNETWrapper — managed wrapper

Parameter Mandatory Default
-WrapperName Yes —
-OutputPath Yes —
-CustomObjectName No AcDbEntity
-CompanyNamespace No Autodesk
-ObjectNamespace No AutoCAD
-ManagedDerivation No Entity
-ProjectName No MyProject

New-ArxComWrapper — ATL COM wrapper

Parameter Mandatory Default
-ShortName Yes —
-OutputPath Yes —
-ConnectionPoints No switch
-InterfaceDual No switch
-ProjectName No MyProject

New-ArxDynProp — dynamic property

Parameter Mandatory Default
-ClassName Yes —
-OutputPath Yes —
-InterfaceName No derived from ClassName
-ConnectionPoints No switch
-ProjectName No MyProject

Step 4 — Run the script

Run the appropriate script from <skill-root>\scripts\ in a PowerShell terminal.

Example for a full ARX project:

& powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -NoProfile -File "<skill-root>\scripts\New-ArxApp.ps1" `
    -ProjectName MyPlugin `
    -OutputPath  "C:\Dev" `
    -AppType     arx `
    -MfcMode     shared

Example for a Jig add-on:

& powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -NoProfile -File "<skill-root>\scripts\New-ArxJig.ps1" `
    -ClassName      CMyJig `
    -ObjectName     AcDbLine `
    -NumberOfInputs 2 `
    -ProjectName    MyPlugin `
    -OutputPath     "C:\Dev\MyPlugin"

Step 5 — Confirm output

After the script runs, confirm what was generated by listing the output folder:

Get-ChildItem "C:\Dev\MyPlugin" | Select-Object Name, Length

Report the file list to the user and include next steps:

For New-ArxApp:

“Project created at C:\Dev\MyPlugin\MyPlugin.vcxproj. Open it in Visual Studio 2026. Verify the ObjectARX SDK path in Autodesk.arx-2027.props, then Build → x64 Debug.”

For add-on wizards:

“Generated ClassName.h and ClassName.cpp in OutputPath. In Visual Studio: right-click your project → Add → Existing Item → select the files.”

Troubleshooting

Problem Fix
Destination already exists Choose a different -OutputPath, or delete the existing folder first
ReactorType not found Run Get-ChildItem <skill-root>\templates\reactors\*_tmpl.h \| ForEach-Object { $_.Name -replace '_tmpl\.h$','' } for the full list
Build error: Cannot open include file 'acdb.h' Set ARXSDK env var or edit Autodesk.arx-2027.props to point at your ObjectARX 2027 SDK
CLRSupport errors in .NET wrapper Ensure the project’s .vcxproj has <CLRSupport>NetCore</CLRSupport>
VS 2026 wizard still broken This skill replaces it — ignore the broken File→New wizard. Use this skill instead.

Post-Scaffolding: Build Configuration Reference

After a project is scaffolded, the developer (or you, the AI agent) will continue writing plug-in code. When helping with build settings, library selection, preprocessor defines, or diagnosing linker/runtime errors, read <skill-root>/docs/arx-dev-guide.md. It covers:

Critical rule: AutoCAD ships as a Release build. Plug-in DLLs must always link with /MD (MultiThreadedDLL), never /MDd. Using /MDd causes CRT mismatch, heap corruption, and crashes. /MDd is only valid with an internal Autodesk Debug build of AutoCAD.

Field Learnings

<skill-root>/docs/learnings.md is a living wiki of gotchas hit in real sessions: VS 2026 + MFC + ARX SDK 2027 build traps, DllMain conflicts, MFC module-state rules, scaffold quirks. Read it when:

Skill frontmatter

argument-hint: Wizard type and project/class name (e.g. 'create an ARX app called MyPlugin with MFC shared', or 'add a Jig class CMyJig to my project')