Lee Ambrosius first started working with AutoCAD R12 for DOS in 1994. As a drafter, he quickly discovered that every project included lots of repetition. Lee, not being one to settle for “this is just the way things are,” set out on a path that would redefine his career. This new path would lead him into the wondrous world of customization and programming—which you might catch him referring to as “the rabbit hole.”

In 1996, Lee began learning the core concepts of customizing the AutoCAD user interface and AutoLISP. The introduction of VBA in AutoCAD R14 would once again redefine how Lee approached programming solutions for AutoCAD. VBA made it much easier to communicate with external databases and other applications that supported VBA, and transformed the way information could be moved between project-management and manufacturing systems.

Not being content with VBA, in 1999 Lee attended his first Autodesk University and began to learn ObjectARX^®. Autodesk University made a lasting impression on him. In 2001, he started helping as a lab assistant. He began presenting on customizing and programming AutoCAD at the event in 2004. Along the way he learned how to use the AutoCAD Managed .NET API.

In 2005, Lee decided cubicle life was no longer for him, so he ventured off into the CAD industry as an independent consultant and programmer for his own company, named HyperPics, LLC. After he spent two years as a consultant, Autodesk invited him to work on the AutoCAD team; he has been on the AutoCAD team since 2007. For most of his career at Autodesk, Lee has worked primarily on the customization and end-user documentation. Recently, he has been working on the AutoLISP, VBA, ObjectARX, .NET, and JavaScript programming documentation.

In addition to working on the AutoCAD documentation, Lee has been involved with the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Bible, AutoCAD for Dummies, AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies, AutoCAD 3D Modeling Workbook for Dummies, and Mastering AutoCAD for Mac books on different editions as a technical writer or author. He has also written white papers on customization for Autodesk and a variety of articles for AUGIWorld, published by AUGI^®, on customization and programming.