Microstation Connect - Drawing extraction

Is there in Microstation Connect Edition a tool like "Drawing Extraction Manager" that was in the V8i edition? Or something that colud extract editableable visible edges that keep a link to the original file?

Parents
  • Hi Antonio,

    If you could rather specify more detailed what you want to achieve.

    In MicroStation I place section callouts in Models and create sections that I place in Sheet Models. Rather Visible Edges "Dynamic" The display of "Cached" needs always to be tweaked to show "normal" in comparison. And for my models "Dynamic" is quicker at the end of the day !(?) because the updating of cached references can be rather annoying and time consuming in my view.

    If anything changes with these tools (I reckon these tools as best practice (?)) the sections are updated immediately.

    No nerve wrecking "drawing extraction" required!

    Answer Verified By: Antonio Commone 

  • Hi Antonio

    As mentioned by others, DEM was an AECOsim tool, it was originally developed many years ago within TriForma.  Bentley decided to remove this from the CONNECT edition called Open Building Designer (OBD).  As you have mentioned it was a great tool and allowed users the ability to create and manage extracted views but generate them as 2d lines arc etc.  which meant they were easier to manipulate.

    With OBD this has been replaced by the use of the call out tools.  These tools will create what is known as a Dynamic View (DV), which is a live link back to the 3d model.  As Gerd has mentioned, this is a better workflow, however it does limit you to how you can override the data to make it better.

    Both MicroStation and OBD have the call out tools and both behave in a similar approach.  OBD will give you greater control over the outputs as it is linked to a Building dataset, where you can defined how a wall will be cut, hatched etc.  MicroStation doesn't have this technology, it is just a cut based on the element properties, which is where you are coming from.

    Where ever possible try to keep the live links, you can use level overrides to control the outputs and maintain a link back to the 3d model.

    A workflow that might help

    An option you have in the latest CONNECT versions, you can create the call out (DV) Plan, Section, Elevation or Detail

    These are located in the Ribbon within the Drawing Production in OBD and Annotation option within MicroStation

    Create the DV and open it

    Check the reference files is set to CACHE (this means the view is locked at a point in time)

    Select ALL the elements from the view (DV)

    Right click and hold

    Select the option 'Copy/Hide Cached Elements'

    This will create a live copy of the reference files elements

    Turn OFF the reference files

    Edit the elements to suit your requirements

    When the 3d model changes, when you reopen the 'DV view' the CACHE reference files will warn you it is out of date.

    You can chose to update the refence files via the pencil

    NEVER USER THE UNCACHE/DYNAMIC OPTION - this will wipe out the Hidden/copied elements

    To view what is in in the HIDE/COPY mode, select the reference file and location the option in the icons at the bottom of the reference files dialog to 'Display Hidden elements'

    These elements will change the the DGN highlight colour

    TO DISPLAY What has changed since the last HIDE/COPY. turn on the reference file Display and update the view via the pencil

    Compare what has changed and select the differences and repeat the above to add them to the active file

    HTH

    Ian 

    Answer Verified By: Antonio Commone 

Reply
  • Hi Antonio

    As mentioned by others, DEM was an AECOsim tool, it was originally developed many years ago within TriForma.  Bentley decided to remove this from the CONNECT edition called Open Building Designer (OBD).  As you have mentioned it was a great tool and allowed users the ability to create and manage extracted views but generate them as 2d lines arc etc.  which meant they were easier to manipulate.

    With OBD this has been replaced by the use of the call out tools.  These tools will create what is known as a Dynamic View (DV), which is a live link back to the 3d model.  As Gerd has mentioned, this is a better workflow, however it does limit you to how you can override the data to make it better.

    Both MicroStation and OBD have the call out tools and both behave in a similar approach.  OBD will give you greater control over the outputs as it is linked to a Building dataset, where you can defined how a wall will be cut, hatched etc.  MicroStation doesn't have this technology, it is just a cut based on the element properties, which is where you are coming from.

    Where ever possible try to keep the live links, you can use level overrides to control the outputs and maintain a link back to the 3d model.

    A workflow that might help

    An option you have in the latest CONNECT versions, you can create the call out (DV) Plan, Section, Elevation or Detail

    These are located in the Ribbon within the Drawing Production in OBD and Annotation option within MicroStation

    Create the DV and open it

    Check the reference files is set to CACHE (this means the view is locked at a point in time)

    Select ALL the elements from the view (DV)

    Right click and hold

    Select the option 'Copy/Hide Cached Elements'

    This will create a live copy of the reference files elements

    Turn OFF the reference files

    Edit the elements to suit your requirements

    When the 3d model changes, when you reopen the 'DV view' the CACHE reference files will warn you it is out of date.

    You can chose to update the refence files via the pencil

    NEVER USER THE UNCACHE/DYNAMIC OPTION - this will wipe out the Hidden/copied elements

    To view what is in in the HIDE/COPY mode, select the reference file and location the option in the icons at the bottom of the reference files dialog to 'Display Hidden elements'

    These elements will change the the DGN highlight colour

    TO DISPLAY What has changed since the last HIDE/COPY. turn on the reference file Display and update the view via the pencil

    Compare what has changed and select the differences and repeat the above to add them to the active file

    HTH

    Ian 

    Answer Verified By: Antonio Commone 

Children
  • Thanks for a useful explanation of the origin of Drawing Extraction Manager and what similar workflows are achievable in CONNECT.

     
    Regards, Jon Summers
    LA Solutions

  • a wall will be cut, hatched etc.  MicroStation doesn't have this technology

    Actually I guess you can still create fills for solids cut in microStation through Element Templates on your own. Like in this old post

    But OBD actually gives you way more. For example catalogs with eg. walls where the hatches and patterns are built in.
    You may know that it is the "Bentley BIM".

    As Ian describes you have this particular workflow. (the sections should here act as "plain" section drawings - no annotations /I guess/ there)

    That is fine if you are working rather from scratch in OBD/microStation

    We often get Floor models including annotations from other crafts/software packages. Then the caching display can get a bit tricky. Hence my "dynamic "approach.