Starting from AutoCAD ( Civil 3D) 2025 onwards, it is recommended that one uses nuget for development, with csproject set to SDK style, instead of msbuild style.
Here we just list out the related nuget and their usage scenario
- AutoCAD.NET.Core. This is containing only the assemblies needed for the “core” part of AutoCAD. No UI components are involved. You must refer to this if you are running the AutoCAD in console mode (
accoreconsole.exe). It also refers to AutoCAD.NET.Model, so there is no need to separately package referenced to it. - AutoCAD.NET. This contains the assemblies needed for the AutoCAD UI. You must not refer to this if you are running from
accoreconsole.exe. Due to the transitivity nature of Package reference, once you already refer to this, there is no need to refer to theAutoCAD.NET.Coreabove. - Civil3D.NET. You need to refer to this package if you are doing Civil 3D development. It contains no UI components, so you can refer to it in the same
csprojectas theAutoCAD.NET.Core. Note that the author for this package is not Autodesk as usual, but an employee of it ( I guess). Still, this is legit as far as I’m able to confirm.
We hope that Autodesk will eventually take back the responsibility of package release for Civil3D.NET, so that this confusion won’t arise.
My passion is in sharing knowledge — Civil 3D or otherwise– with the world.
I’m also the benevolent dictator for life at MES Innovation Sdn Bhd.
