[Connect] - GroupeHoles

Hi Salvio,

as others, I would ask to provide more details what you want to achieve, because it's not very clear.

Moreover, several different terms are used and mixed in your text.

salvatore montella said:

In Microstation Connect it's possible create a plane figure

What MicroStation offers is based on topology rules and elements provided by DGN V8 format. It's important (but maybe confusing sometimes) to distinguish between "MicroStation elements" presented in GUI and "DGN V8 elements" how data is stored ;-)

• Shape: simple element, it's closed linear polygon topologically where side are always lines. Because it's simple (primitive) element, there are no gaps between sides.
• Complex shape: complex element, topologically linear closed polygon, where sides can be open elements like line, line string, arc etc. Because it's complex element, it's stored as more elements, grouped together to the final element when presented to a user). As MaryB mentioned, because complex shape (and complex chain too) consists from other linear elements, gaps can exists between consecutive elements, but they have to be "at a file resolution scale". It means the complex shape has always be "visually closed" one linear polygon.
• Grouped Holes: it's not DGN element (nothing like "grouped holes element" exists in DGN V8 specification), but MicroStation element. It's implemented as special type of cell, where one element defines outer boundaries and all others are holes. The cell is used because it's the only graphical element in MicroStation that allows to group more elements together.

salvatore montella said:

the resulting plane figure is presented with a "hole" inside it, but without using multiple elements (eg shape with another shape inside)

Sorry, but it's nonsense, because when there is a boundary and a hole, they are always two elements. How this situation can be modeled using one element only?

What you are talking about is close to a concept of "a collection of elements", which is exactly what cell is in MicroStation, and consequently what GroupedHoles tool does: It encapsulate the elements (closed elements defining boundary and holes) into a collection (cell).

salvatore montella said:

so that Microstation sees it as the unique Shape or ComplexShape element?

No, because Shape and Complex shape elements defined as closed elements, defined by one topology only.

With regards,

  Jan

Hi Salvio,

as others, I would ask to provide more details what you want to achieve, because it's not very clear.

Moreover, several different terms are used and mixed in your text.

salvatore montella said:

In Microstation Connect it's possible create a plane figure

What MicroStation offers is based on topology rules and elements provided by DGN V8 format. It's important (but maybe confusing sometimes) to distinguish between "MicroStation elements" presented in GUI and "DGN V8 elements" how data is stored ;-)

• Shape: simple element, it's closed linear polygon topologically where side are always lines. Because it's simple (primitive) element, there are no gaps between sides.
• Complex shape: complex element, topologically linear closed polygon, where sides can be open elements like line, line string, arc etc. Because it's complex element, it's stored as more elements, grouped together to the final element when presented to a user). As MaryB mentioned, because complex shape (and complex chain too) consists from other linear elements, gaps can exists between consecutive elements, but they have to be "at a file resolution scale". It means the complex shape has always be "visually closed" one linear polygon.
• Grouped Holes: it's not DGN element (nothing like "grouped holes element" exists in DGN V8 specification), but MicroStation element. It's implemented as special type of cell, where one element defines outer boundaries and all others are holes. The cell is used because it's the only graphical element in MicroStation that allows to group more elements together.

salvatore montella said:

the resulting plane figure is presented with a "hole" inside it, but without using multiple elements (eg shape with another shape inside)

Sorry, but it's nonsense, because when there is a boundary and a hole, they are always two elements. How this situation can be modeled using one element only?

What you are talking about is close to a concept of "a collection of elements", which is exactly what cell is in MicroStation, and consequently what GroupedHoles tool does: It encapsulate the elements (closed elements defining boundary and holes) into a collection (cell).

salvatore montella said:

so that Microstation sees it as the unique Shape or ComplexShape element?

No, because Shape and Complex shape elements defined as closed elements, defined by one topology only.

With regards,

  Jan