Named Presentations and Perforators are advanced parametric tools that are useful while working with complex 3D geometries. Named Presentations allow you to display different symbols in different view contexts. Perforators let you add perforation or cutting properties to an element in a design, which adjust dynamically with the changes made to the element’s geometry. Update 15 unifies Named Presentations and Perforator tools along with the newly introduced Placement Points tool in a single dialog called Parametric Components.
This dialog is made available in the Parametric Components ribbon group under the Content tab.
Selecting any of the three tools available in this group will launch the Parametric Components dialog.
You can read more on Named Presentations and Perforators in previous blogs and product help.
Add one or more placement points to parametric component using the Placement Points tool. This new tool is introduced in Update 15 to allow greater flexibility to users while placing parametric cells in the design. You can place multiple placement points and even add placement points outside of an element at the desired offset.
When you select the Add button ((+) icon), the Add Placement Points tool setting window opens.
Here you can choose a method to add placement points to the element. You can also add a placement point at a distance from the element using the “Place Point in Space” button .
You can assign distance constraints to the placement points and apply variations.
While placing the parametric cell in a design you can toggle between placement points using the ‘Alt’ key to choose the desired placement point.
Once the cell is placed in a design the placement points are hidden, but they can be displayed by right-clicking on the component and selecting “Show Placement Point”. Likewise, to hide the placement points you can select “Hide Placement Points” from the right-click menu.
Named presentations, Perforators and Placement Points are all Public Technology Preview features and we welcome your valuable feedback on these so they can be enhanced for greater productivity.
To see what else is new in Update 15 please read New in MicroStation CONNECT Edition Update 15.
We look forward to hearing from you about how useful this enhancement is and if you have any suggestions for improvement. if you’re interested in speaking with a Bentley expert about making the move to MicroStation CONNECT Edition, please complete this form to have someone contact you to provide advice and assistance.
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