Shape files to Microstation V8i

Hi Barry,

Unknown said:

The only problem is the addresses and street names do not show up.

It's exactly how it should be and how GIS world works: You don't import texts, but GIS topology elements (point, line and polygon) with database information attached. How the information can be utilized (displayed as text, used for searching or resymbolization etc.) depends on available and used used tools. Because MicroStation is not GIS software, it doesn't offer these type of tools and SHP data are imported as graphic elements with all database information attached to the elements as items (type of non-graphic data), displayed in e.g. Element information dialog box. So the attributes are not visible, but are not lost during the import.

Unknown said:

They show up as nodes and all of the county data is associated with the nodes.

I recommend to use a correct terminology: There is nothing like "node" in MicroStation. Point features are impored into MicroStation as points (which is line element with zero length technically). All non-graphic information are attached to this element.

Unknown said:

Is there any way the text can be imported into microstation along with the shape file?

The text (correctly it's feature attributes) is imported automatically. An issue is how to display the data as texts.

Unknown said:

Or what would be the best way to resolve this problem?

I don't know about any solution using MicroStation tools only. If you have no access to products like Bentley Map or PowerCivil (which contains Bentley Map), you have to ask somebody with the product to help you with the conversion. Another solution is to create VBA macro, which will go through imported data in DGN file and will create text elements based on data inside DGN. The macro is probably not very complex, but has to be written for a particular DGN file to be able to process right data (level of points, names of attributes).

With regards,

  Jan

Hi Barry,

Unknown said:

The only problem is the addresses and street names do not show up.

It's exactly how it should be and how GIS world works: You don't import texts, but GIS topology elements (point, line and polygon) with database information attached. How the information can be utilized (displayed as text, used for searching or resymbolization etc.) depends on available and used used tools. Because MicroStation is not GIS software, it doesn't offer these type of tools and SHP data are imported as graphic elements with all database information attached to the elements as items (type of non-graphic data), displayed in e.g. Element information dialog box. So the attributes are not visible, but are not lost during the import.

Unknown said:

They show up as nodes and all of the county data is associated with the nodes.

I recommend to use a correct terminology: There is nothing like "node" in MicroStation. Point features are impored into MicroStation as points (which is line element with zero length technically). All non-graphic information are attached to this element.

Unknown said:

Is there any way the text can be imported into microstation along with the shape file?

The text (correctly it's feature attributes) is imported automatically. An issue is how to display the data as texts.

Unknown said:

Or what would be the best way to resolve this problem?

I don't know about any solution using MicroStation tools only. If you have no access to products like Bentley Map or PowerCivil (which contains Bentley Map), you have to ask somebody with the product to help you with the conversion. Another solution is to create VBA macro, which will go through imported data in DGN file and will create text elements based on data inside DGN. The macro is probably not very complex, but has to be written for a particular DGN file to be able to process right data (level of points, names of attributes).

With regards,

  Jan