Nanocad Version 5 May 2026

While it is an incredible tool, honest journalism requires noting what nanoCAD version 5 lacks compared to modern versions (nanoCAD 23+).

;;; ============================================================
;;; nanoCAD 5 Drawing Setup Utility
;;; Features: Set units, layers, text styles, and drawing limits
;;; Compatible with nanoCAD 5.0 (Plus/Pro)
;;; ============================================================
(defun C:SetupDrawing ( / layerList textStyleList)
(princ "\n=== nanoCAD 5 Drawing Setup ===\n")
;; 1. Set units to millimeters (decimal)
(setvar "MEASUREINIT" 0)   ; Metric
(setvar "MEASUREMENT" 0)   ; Metric
(setvar "INSUNITS" 4)      ; Millimeters
(setvar "LUNITS" 2)        ; Decimal
(setvar "LUPREC" 2)        ; 2 decimal places
;; 2. Set drawing limits (A3 landscape ~ 420x297 mm)
(command "LIMITS" "0,0" "420,297")
(command "ZOOM" "A") nanocad version 5
;; 3. Create standard layers
(setq layerList
'(("0"        "CONTINUOUS" 7)    ; White
("OBJECTS"  "CONTINUOUS" 2)    ; Yellow
("DIM"      "CONTINUOUS" 3)    ; Green
("HATCH"    "CONTINUOUS" 4)    ; Cyan
("TEXT"     "CONTINUOUS" 1)    ; Red
("CENTER"   "CENTER"     6)    ; Magenta
("HIDDEN"   "HIDDEN"     5))   ; Blue
)
(foreach l layerList
(if (not (tblsearch "LAYER" (car l)))
(command "LAYER" "M" (car l) "C" (nth 2 l) (car l) "L" (nth 1 l) (car l) "")
(princ (strcat "\nLayer " (car l) " already exists."))
)
)
;; 4. Create text styles
(setq textStyleList
'(("STANDARD" "ISOCP.shx" 0.0)
("NOTES"    "ISOCP.shx" 0.0)
("TITLE"    "ISOCP.shx" 0.0))
)
(foreach s textStyleList
(if (not (tblsearch "STYLE" (car s)))
(command "STYLE" (car s) (nth 1 s) 0 1 0 "N" "N" "N")
(princ (strcat "\nText style " (car s) " already exists."))
)
) While it is an incredible tool, honest journalism
;; 5. Set current layer and text style
(setvar "CLAYER" "0")
(setvar "TEXTSTYLE" "STANDARD")
;; 6. Optional: Display system info
(princ "\nDrawing setup complete!")
(princ "\nnanoCAD version: ")
(princ (getvar "ACADVER"))
(princ)
)
;; Auto-load message
(princ "\nLoaded: nanoCAD 5 SetupDrawing.lsp")
(princ "\nType SETUPDRAWING to run.")
(princ)

One unique feature of nanoCAD version 5 was the dual-interface option. You could switch between:

For power users who rely on keyboard shortcuts (CP for copy, M for move), the command line ecosystem was flawless.

The Publish command allows batch plotting of multiple layouts to PDF or printer. Version 5 introduced reliable TrueType font support and SHX font mapping, ensuring that international drawings (e.g., GOST, ISO, ANSI) print correctly.