Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tim Hickman — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 22:39:51 GMT

if you plan on taking advantage of some of the Bentley functions, they are working with sheet files and the print function recognizes the sheet border (no need to place a shape or a fence)

but this is a whole different workflow.....

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tim Hickman — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 22:33:18 GMT

do you plan on using annotation to control the cell scale ? or do you plan on doing this manually on placement ?

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Barry Lothian — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 21:30:45 GMT

No need to apologise at all, it’s not a very typical workflow and I wasn’t sure if there was some obstacle that you had encountered in your attempts to using them. I do think this method would work well for you with ORD if continuing to place sheets into real-world coordinates is your preferred approach to Drawing Composition.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

MaryB — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 21:17:20 GMT

My mistake. I was always working on the fact that a saved view is placed by cursor point - it is not automatically placed to be geolocated. Since placement by default was never globally accurate, I had assumed that the information simply wasn't available, and so never bothered with them again (since that would make them useless to me).

With your additional steps, it can indeed be corrected to the proper location and rotation. It is definitely an extra step or so, but it does overcome the initial flaw in saved views, and gives me ideas for ways to work with/around certain OpenRoads workflows.

I stand corrected, and I apologize for my ignorance!

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 21:04:37 GMT

Hi Tim

I attached the cell created in V8i to Connect edition and it works to place fence by element on the cell in connect edition but not in V8i, so your suggestion is interesting and I going to test more.

see video when attached frame cell (created in V8i) is working to attach fence by element to the cell in the connect edition:

communities.bentley.com/.../place-cell-connect.mp4

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 20:40:35 GMT

Hi Tim

Heh, It was the first time I tried to create an new cell in Connect edition and it didn´t go well!

I do not know how to do the workflow as in V8i so I did this video from V8i create cell, and I can´t place fence on the shape in cell as seen in video!

If some one is describing how to do the same workflow in Connect as I have done in V8i can I test if Connect has changed the cell shape selection with fence by element function.

Here is my V8i Test:

communities.bentley.com/.../create-and-place-cell.mp4

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:41:51 GMT

The best effort from bentley to create an really good print workflow was in Bentley Map 2004 edition, it was the print preparation function in Bentley Map, the only thing that didn´t work was the coordinate cross placement from design model coordinates in sheet model. The rest of the print preparation functions was 9/10 points.

Here is an old thread where I had an question about print preparation and how it would be possible to "break" the printprep.ma out from the Bentley Map and use it with vanilla microstation. (it worked but I didn´t get all the variables to find all parts needed within print preparation because the variables was within Bentley map and not specific for the printprep.ma.

Did even find an older thread where The plotmanager source code was attached, videos how it works is in swf format and windows 10 do not support swf files even when open within internet explorer, so if you know how to convert swf video files to something that works now, plese let me know how to do that.

(+) URGENT CR to Print Preparation tools > Creating Print Sheet - OpenCities Map Forum - OpenCities Map - Bentley Communities

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:28:12 GMT

Hi Lorys

I think I understand but do this workflow allow me to place the coordinate crosses in design coordinates withing paperspace model (same place where the frame, titlebox etc is?

And can I place an north arrow in paper space that point to north in desig coordinates in paper space?

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:19:27 GMT

Thanks Tim

I belive I tested this years ago, don´t remember why I didn`t go further with it but I try it again. It is smart idea if you create the frame cell in scale 1:1000, then you only have to scale it 2,0=1:2000, 0,2=1:200, 1,0=1:1000.

I have also test if I can create only one Iso size A1 and this size scales to all th different Iso A standards:

# METRIC resolution
ISO A4 (297,210);0,210;0,297
ISO A3 (420,297);0,297;0,420
ISO A2 (594,420);0,420;0,594
ISO A1 (841,594);0,594;0,841
ISO A0 (1189,841);0,841;1,189

If this don´t work a need to create one cell/Iso frame size.

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tim Hickman — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:05:13 GMT

yes it is possible to use the fence type>element on the cell (shape) that has been placed in the file.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:59:35 GMT

Hi Tim

Is it possible to create an shape in cell that you can place fence by element in a cell?

And yes, this vba is only to place an shape in selected papersize and scale in your model, then place fence by element on the shape element, chose the same papersize in print dialog box, fit fence to paper and print (mostly used to do an quick pdf file in right scale/paper to be printed by client as pdf without scaling to right size of paper and they get right scale).

There is also a second reason why I used this and that was to place coordinate crosses and coordinate text beside crosses:

To get the right coordinates to crosses you must be in right geolocated place (model) not in paper space.

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tim Hickman — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:30:16 GMT

ok - so all you are doing is placing a shape in the file for you to snap to for placing your fence for plotting. No border, nothing.....

I am not saying the program is good or bad, but you can create similar shapes as cells in a cell library (one for 8.5x11, etc...)

In your model, select the needed annotation scale, select the needed cell shape (you have created) and have the annotation scale lock on and the cell will be scaled properly for placement. Once placed, snap as you have done and select the same paper size. This workflow should get you what you are use to.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Barry Lothian — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:03:21 GMT

[quote userid="2436" url="~/products/microstation/f/microstation-forum/228781/can-someone-make-this-awesome-little-program-to-work-with-connect-edition/708306"]I do not believe Named Boundaries and Saved Views support this workflow. If not, then those suggestions are not helpful.[/quote]

Why do you believe that, have you tried it yourself? My post above mentions exactly what you need to do for Saved Views to work with sheets positioned of geospatially located plans.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

MaryB — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 15:47:12 GMT

Unfortunately, Bentley doesn't understand that some of us need to use geolocated data, and that some clients want their sheets to be geolocated as well.

Fortunately, using sheet models does allow for this workflow. Annotation scale can help control the border attachment, and the sizing of the sheet definition "element", and that sheet definition element CAN be moved and rotated to line up with the border. At that point, printing correctly is nearly automatic.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

MaryB — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 15:42:30 GMT

Do Named Boundaries respect the Geolocation of a file?

While Bentley seems to believe that their solution is the absolutely best, brightest, and only way to get anything done, we often have requirements from clients to produce information in a certain way. Sometimes this includes georeferenced sheets - attach the base file 1:1, "in place", and move/scale/rotate the border to the proper location.

I do not believe Named Boundaries and Saved Views support this workflow. If not, then those suggestions are not helpful.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Oto — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 10:19:24 GMT

You will need VBA anyway as the named boundaries take too much steps. The sheet management in Microstation seems more like hacking not a real workflow at least each time when I try to introduce to users it quickly ends in disaster and they start to scratch their heads and rollback to oldschool methods.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Barry Lothian — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:58:51 GMT

Hi Tom,

[quote userid="1024801" url="~/products/microstation/f/microstation-forum/228781/can-someone-make-this-awesome-little-program-to-work-with-connect-edition/707794"]Can you please make an video where you place an sheet at right coordinate system and right plot size/area and print pdf file[/quote]

I could, but why do you need to see a video when you can simply test it yourself, its really not difficult to place a sheet on top of a geospatially located model file? Let me know if you have any problems I can advise what I did.

Here is an example; you can see the survey file is at its original coordinates as there are no offset values, and the Sheet Model and Title block attachment have been moved & rotated into position at the required scale. The survey is also clipped by a non-printing element.

[quote userid="1024801" url="~/products/microstation/f/microstation-forum/228781/can-someone-make-this-awesome-little-program-to-work-with-connect-edition/707794"]Then take the pdf file as an raster reference attachment, if it places itself on the same coordinates as you printed it I believe you.[/quote]

Now you're moving the goalposts, at no point does the original post mention anything about geolocated PDF's. FWIW I don't use GCS or create geolocated PDF's, however, I see no reason why my above example wouldn't produce what you are looking for if a GCS was attached.

I don't compose drawings this way i.e. by scaling sheets (the negatives outweigh any perceivable positives); I dislike it as it requires having to insert my Title block tags cell AFTER the sheet is positioned not to mention scaling and rotating it as well. Also, the above example had a survey directly attached into the sheet model for speed as a demonstration. I also don't work that way; instead I would attach the survey into either a Composition Model file, or the design Model of this DGN, make a Saved view and attach the Saved View to the Sheet Model. In this situation I would need to reset the Saved View attachment's coordinates to 0,0 so that it would be in its correct geospatial location and only then move the Title Block attachment into position.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Lorys — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 02:48:07 GMT

you should still be able use that vba in connect just do it in the model space with a GCS set as you normally do.. but now you need to xref the model space into your sheet space model. 1:1 so the xref lands in the right location then you can move your sheet space model with title block but dont put the title block at 0,0 like our acad cousins do .. but make it scaled up to the world and move to where it needs it.. this takes more effort.. and you may have to rotate the view inside the clip boundary/ viewport (acad speak)

other wise you have to do it all acad way , scale xrefs down and move to inside sheet boundary which is at at 0,0 you can see the clip boundary that your macro made in modelspace so if its non print level works nicely. .but your pdfs are not georefed as they come from sheet model...

when you do every thing in model space with a cell or xref for your title block scaled up to the world the pdfs can have GCR in them its an advanced option in the pdf driver but I remember it only used/ created WGS 84 when it creates the pdf ...so its trickier to attach it as a raster ref later but does work... most users seem to have adopted the default way to work with sheet models like they have in acad ie scale the refs down to the sheet and move everything to 0,0.. I dont like this method as its no good for using the sheet models as xrefs to check things or make keyplans... but for printing sheet models is so easy and section markers sheet drg numbers etc can be automated... another reason people like it so much as its same work flow they use in acad.. management believes this makes you more versatile being able to transition at the drop of a hat jump between packages...I don't agree but I'm old and crusty and don't like acad thats why I'm a microstation specialist and now I don't like connect even more as with the dark theme it looks even more like acad clone..

If you need more help with your specific situation feel free to pm me and we can work it out together..maybe skype or teams too...

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:42:54 GMT

Sorry, this with geolocation (known coordinatesystem). For me this is standard, i have my coordinatesystem set i seedfile so everything that comes in or out of this area is attached with the right coordinate system for the information. this is really powerful to get your information located at the right place.

If you don´t use it I recommend to start NOW, it will pay you back many times over.

Use the coordinate system attachments!

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:17:02 GMT

From the program, Select your paper size and scale, place it in your design, select fence by boundary, print and choose the the same paper size as you placed and you get right size and scale!
Easy!

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:11:09 GMT

David
I don´t know if you can do it or not but if you can please share how you did it.

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:03:45 GMT

Hi David

Yes you right, there is a lot of options. But if you would want to print in size X and in scale Y and also in right coordinate system (PDF) under an minute your suggestion is not making the time or geolocatiion.

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

David Trejo-Rodriguez — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:00:47 GMT

As an alternative i would also suggest looking at named boundaries:

https://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/w/microstation__wiki/25068/named-boundaries

https://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/w/microstation__wiki/25090/automating-sheet-creation-using-drawing-boundaries-and-named-boundaries

Along with drawing boundaries this may help it setting up sheet files for printing.

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Tom — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:57:50 GMT

Hi Barry

Can you please make an video where you place an sheet at right coordinate system and right plot size/area and print pdf file, Then take the pdf file as an raster reference attachment, if it places itself on the same coordinates as you printed it I believe you.

//Tom

RE: Can someone make this awesome little program to work with Connect edition?

Barry Lothian — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:52:29 GMT

Suggestion: use sheets and you don’t need the macro