Background: We very recently upgraded to v8i, skipping XM and coming directly from v8.5 (2004).
I cannot figure out how to get rasters to print underneath the linework. Right now every raster prints atop all linework no matter what I've tried, covering up the linework upon plotting. I've looked into all option screens, property and preference screens and found no setting for something like "print rasters first, then print linework". I've selected the linework in microstation and done EDIT-BRING TO FRONT, but the raster still obliterates it upon printing.
Our workflow here is to print to PDF, then plot the PDF when needed. Oddly, when I open the PDF files, the linework appears briefly, then it is covered by the raster images as they load in. So the linework IS indeed plotting, but the plot order is wrong and I cannot figure out why.
I realize this could possibly be a print driver issue, and that's out of my league. Hopeful someone can suggest an option/config/preference change to help me here. Why am I having this trouble with v8i? Thanks. Al B.
No, it is a 2D file.
A coworker said the plotting order used to be handled by "Update Sequence" in v8.5, but the v8i "update sequence" looks a lot different and only has one entry, the CAD file itself. It does not show the raster image on the sequence list. My test file has no references and one raster, the photogrammetric aerial.
Also, another thing I just found (unrelated to printing), the aerial (rgb format) will not clip boundary. I cannot clip it with a fence or with an closed element no matter what I do. I unclipped it, and now I cannot reclip. Odd.
It might just be a corrupt file I'm working with Phil. I created a totally new file, attached an aerial, then drew linework atop it. The linework printed atop the aerial like it should, and I did not have to manually change the order at all. Also, I was able to clip the aerial without issue.
I think I will try to copy/paste the linework from the v8.5 file into a brand v8i file created from scratch, reattach the aerial rgb file and see if that fixes this.
Our aerial images are huge, 200 MB or so each, so it'd be tough to transmit. And I seem to have found the fix for this.
If I go into raster manager and click on (select) the aerial image, then right click and do a SEND TO BACK, then nothing changes with the file or printout. The aerial prints atop the linework and obliterates it.
However, if I select all the linework in the file, then deselect the aerial raster image (by clicking on the image border with the Shift key held down to remove it from the selection set) and then I do an EDIT - BRING TO FRONT command, the aerial is now in its proper place underneath the linework.
So at this point I guess I'm just curious why right-clicking the raster in Raster Manager and trying to do a SEND TO BACK on it doesn't seem to work, and yet selecting all the linework and doing a BRING TO FRONT does. Having to manually bring all linework to the front in all our aerials in every V8.5 file will be a bit of a pain in the neck, but at least I have a solution that works now.
If you do wish to investigate Phil, I'd be happy to send you a file, but likely minus the aerial so I'm not sure how that would help. Appreciate your assistance.
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Andrew Edge: The Raster Manager dialog contains three "planes" for raster attachments, indicated by rule lines. Raster elements can be placed on the background plane, the design plane, or the foreground plane. Rasters in the background plane should display below all vector elements, rasters in the design plane should display intermingled with vector elements based on display priority or Z depths, and rasters in the foreground plane should display atop all vector elements.
Thanks for the explanation. I did not realize there were now these three planes. I did wonder what the "rule lines" are in the Raster Manager. I did check, and yes, all my raster ARE indeed on the "background" plane. Unfortunately, I am still having this issue with rasters printing atop my linework and obliterating all my design elements upon printing.
Let me ask this question... I have a design file with two rasters (a RGB aerial and a small TIF for my PE seal with signature), a reference (existing ground features) and all my proposed linework. Everything plots in the proper order except for the RGB aerial printing atop the Reference File. My proposed linework prints atop the aerial just fine. So... how does Microstation now decide what plots first - raster or reference - since they've been kind of separated versus previous versions (i.e. no rasters in update sequence now)?
Thanks Andrew. Sorry, I just greatly modified my posting since I had a brainstorm after my intial attempt today.
I suddenly realized that I have been ignoring the new way rasters and references are handled, and I was not assigning them to a layer. The post about setting the MS_RASTER_DEFAULT_LAYER post made me think about it.
Thus, for a more logical workflow I will now place all references on a layer entitled REFERENCE and all rasters will go on an IMAGE layer (just like I used to do in AutoCAD years ago). Do you think this will help me in any way with proper printing sequence and could this be the answer to my issues? So far in limited attempts it still does not appear to have fixed anything. The Reference File is still printing below the RGB Aerial Raster.
I guess what I'm hoping to hear is that there's a way I can set up a sequence where I can say "print the IMAGE layer first, then print the REFERENCE atop that, then print all the rest of the layers in the current model atop those two.