One of the first questions a newcomer to the MicroStation V8 XM Print dialog asks, if they notice it at all, is "what is that Rasterized checkbox for?" It's not obvious at first, but the Rasterized checkbox is one of the most important controls on the Print dialog, and it's vital to understand its purpose and how its setting affects the print performance and the printed output.
(This article applies to MicroStation 8.9.4.73 and later.)
One of the most significant new features in the MicroStation V8 XM Edition was the introduction of a true 3D graphics display system. This allowed intersecting and overlapping 3D geometry to be displayed and printed accurately, rather than relying on the file order of elements. Unfortunately, this innovation dealt a major blow to the pen table application…