Confused Level Display / Level Manager windows - not used levels displayed in bold !?

Hello,

I am a little confused about how the levels are displayed in the level manager and level display windows.

Normally, it is so that use levels are highlighted in bold!

But now I see that even unused levels are in bold?

Now I have found out that the corresponding level is not used in the actual MODEL, but in other MODELS of this drawing.
In the Level Manager I opened the properties window of the affected level and could see in the last tab "Usage" that the other models are listed there as used.

In my opinion, if I am on a specific Model where I open the level display window, it is not right that the display refers to all models of the DGN !!

At the moment I work on a specific model and I think that, checking whether used or not, should be limited on this model.

Or am I wrong?

Regards

Raphael

  • Hello Raphael,

    Each DGN file has 1 level table. The level table is where levels are stored. There's no way to have multiple level tables in a DGN that has multiple models/sheets.

    If you turn on the usage tab in the level manager the level is bold, but it will not display a dot in the usage tab if it is not used in that sheet or model. This is how it has always worked.

    Hope this helps

    Regards,

    Tamicca

    Regards,

     
    Tamicca Sellars
    Product Manager I



  • Hi

    I have found that if I set a level filter for only levels that are used it works for me. I can switch between models and my level display updates and only displays levels in use for each separate model.

  • I understand the highlight is to help in knowing what to display off.

    I would like to see highlighted text for active in current model

    BIG BLACK DOT for active in all models  (I see need for both.

    Ustn since 1988
    SS4 - i7-3.45Ghz-16 Gb-250/1Tb/1Tb-Win8.1-64b

    Eric D. Milberger
    Architect + Master Planner + BIM

    Senior  Master Planner NASA - Marshall Space Flight Center

    The Milberger Architectural Group, llc

  • Hi all, and many thanks for posting

    @ Tamicca

    Yes you are right on this and I know that for Microstation there is only one level table for all models of one DGN. That´s one difference to Autocad, where you can have multiple layer states on different model spaces of one file.

    There is no problem with visualisation of the dot for used or not used levels. The problem is how the level information (the complete line of the level with all activated information) will be displayed. I mean how the description line "font" of this level will be displayed, in bold or not! 

    @ Adrian

    Yes this works without problems, but it has nothing to do with the described problem. In your case all level lines are displayed in bold, because all this shown levels are used.

    In my case, where all levels are displayed in the level display window (no filter), there are some level description lines displayed in bolded font also when this level is not used in the actual model.

    @ Eric

    " I understand the highlight is to help in knowing what to display off. "     not really understand what you're meaning?

    " I would like to see highlighted text for active in current model. BIG BLACK DOT for active in all models "

    I agree and it would be also my wish that we could distinguish whether a level is used in the current model or in any other !!

    @ all

    The level display window responds as follows:

    (bold concerns the Level description line, dot means the dot under usage)

    - Not Bold & no dot: Level is not used on any model.

    - Bold & no dot: Level is not used in current model but in any other model.

    - Bold & dot: There is the fly in the ointment!
    In my opinion this does not fit into the logic. Double information will be given, but it cannot clearly be identified.
    The “dot” clearly indicates whether a level in the current model is used or not. This works reliably and is logical.
    The “dot” relates effectively only on the current model, but “bolded” is not clearly assigned:

    -       Levels used in the current model: “dot” shown

    -       Level unused in the current model: “dot” not shown

    -       But “bold” will appear in both cases: Level is used in current model or only in any other model !!

    So summarized what is clearly shown:

    - Level is not used on any model (not bold & no dot)
    - Level is not used in the current model but in any other model (bold & no dot)
    - Level is used in the current model but maybe also in any other model (bold & dot)

    Here I'm missing:
    - Level is used in the current model and not in any other model (only dot)
    - Level is used in any other model but not in the current model (only bold)

    in which case the constellation "bold & dot" should not exist!

    It may be a little confusing and irrelevant to some.

    Unfortunately this behavior bothers me again and again. Perhaps it is also due to the projects and working method.

    Probably nobody can really help me in this case, but at least, I have now found out for myself how the level display windows works and what exactly bothers me.

    Thanks
    Greeting
    Raphael

  • @Raphael

    Normal text = Level is not used in File; however level could be in either the file or a DGNLIB. (IMHO, this is the confusing case which is only made clear when the File column is displayed)

    Bold level name = Used in File

    Dot in Used column = Used in active model.

    Repurposing the dot to mean used in only the active model seems like it would actually make things more confusing.  How do you suggest we communicate the used in multiple models, including active, case?  Also, please provide a case in which knowing the level is used in only the active model is important to a workflow.  That could help us understand why communicating that in the Usage tab of the Level Properties dialog (or Message Center if obtained via keyin) isn't sufficient.

    Thanks,

    Chris