Installation¶
Auto Cross Section has no installer: it is a VBA project (.dvb file) that you load
into AutoCAD. The package downloaded from the link received with your purchase is a .zip
file containing:
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
acad.dvb (older releases: acad_2016-17-18.dvb) |
the macro |
Carta Tecnica 2000.dwg |
a sample drawing with contour lines at their elevation, to try it out |
Readme.txt |
link to the video tutorial |
1. Before you start¶
- Make sure you have full AutoCAD and the VBA module installed (see Requirements).
- Extract the zip into a permanent folder, for example
C:\Geostru\AutoCrossSection\(not Downloads or the Desktop: AutoCAD will need to find the file at every start).
2. Loading the macro¶
- Start AutoCAD and open the drawing with the contour lines.
- At the command line type
VBALOADand press Enter (or menu Tools › Macro › Load Project…). - Select
acad.dvb(oracad_2016-17-18.dvb) and confirm. - If the security warning "The file is in an untrusted location" appears choose Load (or Always Load).
- When asked about macros choose Enable Macros.
Alternatively: Manage › Load Application
APPLOAD (Manage tab › Applications › Load Application) loads .dvb projects
too. If selecting the file gives an error, the VBA module is missing (see
Requirements): with the module installed the two commands are equivalent.
3. Showing the Geostru menu¶
The commands are used from the Geostru menu in the AutoCAD menu bar. After loading, the menu has to be created once:
- Press Alt+F8 (or type
VBARUN, or Manage tab › Applications › Run VBA Macro, or menu Tools › Macro › Macros…). - In the list select
Gestione_menu.aggiungi_menuand press Run. - The Geostru entry appears in the menu bar, with the DrawSection and Hydrologic Risk submenus.
The menu does not show up?
In workspaces with the ribbon (Drafting & Annotation, 3D Modeling) the menu bar is
hidden by default, so the Geostru menu is created but not visible. Type MENUBAR,
press Enter and set it to 1: the menu bar appears with the Geostru entry. From
build 2026.1 the macro sets MENUBAR by itself. More cases in the FAQ.
4. At the next AutoCAD start¶
The .dvb project is not kept loaded when AutoCAD closes. In the next session:
- Build 2026.1 and later, automatic loading. Copy
acad.dvbinto the Support folder of your AutoCAD profile, for exampleC:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2024\R24.3\enu\Support\(type%APPDATA%\Autodeskin the File Explorer address bar to get there). At start-up AutoCAD automatically loads a file namedacad.dvbfound in its support paths and the macro creates the Geostru menu on its own. The first time, accept the security prompt with Always Load. - Manual loading (all releases): repeat
VBALOADand, if the Geostru menu is missing,Alt+F8›Gestione_menu.aggiungi_menu.
Installed build
From build 2026.1 the menu entry Geostru › Version shows the build in use and the path of the loaded file: quote them when you open a support ticket.
Uninstalling¶
Unload the project with VBAUNLOAD (or VBAMAN › Unload), delete the .dvb file and,
to remove the menu, CUI › ACAD group › Menus › delete Geostru.
Settings are stored in the Windows registry under
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\Geostru Autocad.