The snaps demon keeps turning my snaps off - Need an exorcist.

Question

Hi, 
 I'm an experienced AutoCAD user, brand new to microstation. Using V8i. 
 First question: Is there any good "If you know how to do it in AutoCAD, here is what you do in microstation" type guide for common tasks? I find that microstation has a very non-intuitive user interface. Things simply don't work the way you expect them to and even simple tasks are an exercise in frustration. 
 Second question: Snaps not working. I want to snap to end points, midpoints, intersections, and centers. So I went Settings > Snaps > Multi-snap and I checked the appropriate boxes in the Multi-Snap 1 dialog. I then selected Multi-Snap 1 as active and went to start drawing. But it doesn't work. It snaps only to end points, nothing else. So I go back in the menu and I see that Multi-Snap 1 is not selected. Keypoint is selected. I figure that I'm a doofus who forgot to actually turn it on, so I select Multi-Snap 1. Still not working. Go back and see that Keypoint is once again selected. So I select Multi-Snap 1 again. This time I pull down the menu a second time and visually verify that there is a black dot right next to Multi-Snap 1. Ok, its definitely selected this time. Try to use it, still not working, go back to the menu and now keypoint is selected again!! 
 How to exorcise the demon in the machine that keeps turning my snap back to Keypoint after I select Multi-Snap 1? 
 
 Third question: I want to do the microstation equivalent of exploding a polyline into line segments. I have learned that the Microstation calls the explode function "Drop", and calls polylines "line strings". 
 So I select the line string that I want to drop and I type DROP in the key in. Nothing happens. So then I try pulling down the menu and selecting the drop tool. It displays a do not enter sign when I hover the cursor over the line string that I want to drop. 
 How can I make it work to drop a line string into lines? 
 
 Thanks for your patience.

Jan Šlegr · Accepted Answer

Hi Josh, 
 at first, please never (never never never) ask more different questions in the same post. This is common rule for all forums, not specific for this Bentley site, and it one from important rules to ensure efficient communication. Otherwise the whole discussion will become confusing and chaotic quickly. I recommend to split your question to separate posts. 
 A few comments, maybe they will help you to reformulate your questions a bit in separate posts. 
 Josh Walker said: Is there any good 
 I recommend to visit Bentley LEARN server and to check what MicroStation trainings can help you (maybe MicroStation Basics learning path is a place where to start). I remember there was also a special course for AutoCAD user and I also recommend to search Internet, because many different materials can be found (including commercial video tutorials like Lynda.com). 
 Josh Walker said: I find that microstation has a very non-intuitive user interface. 
 Yes, if you evaluate yourself as experienced AutoCAD users, some features in MicroStation can look weird, because some fundamental differences exist. But it will be the same also in opposite direction for advanced MicroStation users ;-) 
 Josh Walker said: Snaps not working. 
 It works for sure. I recommend (in a new separate post) to post also screen capture to specify when and how you select active snap. Be aware MicroStation offers two different types of snap selection: "next snap only mode" and "standard mode". When you just select a snap from Status bar menu or in Snap toolbar (just click on menu item or icon), it's "next snap only mode" and after a next snap the mode will be returned to standard one. To choose another "standard mode", use Shift in Status bar menu or double click in toolbar. 
 Josh Walker said: How to exorcise the demon 
 No demons here ;-) ... but to start using different program without reading manual or attending course is not good idea and will be always confusing and frustrating. Probably similar after years of driving US cars with petrol big size engine and automatic gearbox and moving to Europe with small-sized diesel engines and manual shifting ... it will be just weird and demons like ;-) 
 Josh Walker said: How can I make it work to drop a line string into lines? 
 In my opinion the most simple is to start Drop Element tool in Main task and in Tool settings dialog to choose what element type(s) you want to drop. 
 BTW Correct key-in is not DROP, but DROP ELEMENT (check documentation where the most of key-ins are always mentioned as a part of tools description). 
 With regards, 
 Jan

Marc Thomas · Answer

There is also a user preference that can be enabled to save your active snap settings in your user preferences, so if you have multi-snap 1 as your active snap when you close a file, that will be the active snap in the next file that you open. The default is that the active snap is saved per file. 
 File tab > Settings > User > Preferences > Operation > Use Snap Mode from Preferences.

Lorys · Answer

Josh Walker said: Is there any good "If you know how to do it in AutoCAD 
 in the keyin window ( aka acad command line) keyin DWG and click on the icon far right looks like keyboard with magnifying glass this then lists all possible acad keyin alias's and the hierarchy to build longer keyin then enter to run what you recognise as acad command, this then will pop the right microstation icon and run the tool this way you will learn to regognise the tool you want but doesn't hold you back trying to find the right term from what you know in acad.. there is a table of terms and equivalencies in the help under autocad alias or autocad then refine search... 
 Also google MicroStation for autocad users.. there used to be a basic guide for this online.. if you can locate it PM me and I'll look thru archives for a pdf... its also used to be a Bentley Learn course .. it teaches you what to use and differences in mirostation as you already know drafting in acad it doesn't teach how to draft so its pretty short .. by comparison to the majority microstation courses. 
 Don't give up you'll eventually find it more intuitive than acad and the right mouse context sensitive menu is a real boom as well as accudraw with accusnap to gether helsp to do away with construction lines and offsets to just draw what , where you need it to be...

Melissa Hook · Answer

The MicroStation Help has a section " MicroStation for AutoCAD users " this goes into what the equivalent AutoCAD commands are in MicroStation and other useful information. 
 Help > Contents > Setting Up Projects >Using DWG and other file formats> MicroStation for AutoCAD users. 
 User Interface and Basic Concepts Drawing and Modeling Generating Drawings and Visualization

The snaps demon keeps turning my snaps off - Need an exorcist.

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