All about custom line styles

Original Article Date:  February 2001

Updated:  July 2011

MicroStation is delivered with 8 pre-defined line styles and although they are adequate for most drafting requirements, we often have the need to represent our data with something entirely different. Enter Custom Line Styles!

I'm using linear patterns now, so why should I use custom line styles?

• Keep your file sizes to a minimum. The graphical requirements of a custom line style are stored in an external resource file rather than in the design file. Referred to as the “Line Style Resource File” or the “Line Style Library”, the default file is called lstyle.rsc and can be found in the .../workspace/system/symb/ directory.

• Global updates made easy. Let's suppose that you've just plotted two dozen drawings and the client now wants the line representing a “fence” to change. If linear patterning had been used, you would be faced with manually editing the entire set of drawings. However, if the “fence” was drawn using a custom line style, you would only have to make the change to the definition of the style in the library…once. All files reading that library will automatically display the updated line style the next time they're opened or plotted. What a time saver!

• They're WYSIWYG. The delivered standard line styles are based on output device coordinates, and therefore are not truly WYSIWYG ("what-you-see-is-what-you-get"). Custom Line Styles, on the other hand, are scaleable and special tools allow some characteristics to be modified when the elements are being placed. This eliminates the requirement of having separate line style definitions for styles that may vary.

• Share your styles with others. With the Manage Line Sytle Definitions dialog, you can create new line style libraries in a snap. It will also allow you to combine, clean-up, copy and otherwise maintain your suite of libraries.  (See also the note at the bottom of this article regarding DGN Libraries to store the line style definitions.)

• Increased productivity. Hey, what more can I say?

How do I work with a Custom Line Style?
It's really no different than what you're used to. You select the style, make it active and draw your element using the normal drawing tools. Let's take a look at the Line Style dialog box and some of the adjustable settings it offers.

(V7) From the Primary Tool Bar, select Line Style > Custom > Show Details.

(V8i) Choose Element > Line Styles > Custom

This opens the Lines Styles dialog box which is used to browse the contents of the library, activate a selected styles and adjust the graphical appearance of the style.

Names: Those that are bracketed { } are sample styles delivered with MicroStation.

Width: Controls the width of the line style along it's length and provides these option:  

Origin: If the dash strokes were created with width, this setting will define the starting width of those strokes. The values are expressed in master units.

End: Similar to Origin except that it defines the end width of the dash stroke. If this switch is enabled in conjunction with the Origin switch, the element will be tapered according to the values used.

True Width:  Uses a fixed width.

Scale Factor: Sets the scale factor to all displayable characteristics of the line style such as the dash length, dash width and point symbol size. If enabled, it will apply to all styles.

Shift: Sets the distance which each stroke pattern is shifted or adjusted. There are four possible options:

None: The stroke patterns are not shifted.

Distance:  Defines the distance that the element is shifted from the first stroke. For example, if the first stroke is defined as 4 and the shift distance is set to 3, then the first stroke will be drawn with a length of 1.

Fraction: The element will be drawn as normal with the exception of the first and last stroke segments which will be drawn a fractional length of the defined length. This option is only valid for line styles whose segment lengths are defined as ‘variable' and if the Shift key-in fields are set to a value less than 1 in the definition.

Centered:  This centers the pattern along a segment by splitting the first stroke and stretching the first and last stroke.  This option is provided for compatibility with DWG format.

Click to Activate: This large button (which is often overlooked) shows the line style selected with the modifiers applied.  When clicked it makes the selected line style the Active Line Style for element placement.

I’ve placed a few elements but don’t like their appearance...now what?
Once an element has been placed in your file, you have the option of making a variety of changes by using the following tools:

Modify Line Style Attributes: Found in the Change Attributes and in the Custom Line Styles tool boxes , this tool has a plethora of options which will alter the appearance of the element. The movement and location of your pointer controls the direction and extent of the change.

Change Element Direction: This funky tool is used to change an element's direction or start point and can be applied to lines, line strings, arcs, ellipses, complex chains, complex shapes, curves, and B-spline curves. An elements direction affects not only it’s appearance but also other tools including as Label Line and Place Text Above/Below Element.

Drop Line Style:  This tool is found in the Custom Line Style tool box and is used to convert a custom line style to primitive elements using the standard line styles.

I’ve received design files from a vendor and they say that there are elements drawn using custom line styles.  I  don’t see them!   What’s wrong?

When you open a file which contains custom line styles, MicroStation searches for and automatically opens the line style libraries as specified by the MS_SYMBRSRC configuration variable. If MS_SYMBRSRC is not defined or the specified file(s) are not found, MicroStation automatically opens the default lstyle.rsc in the directory specified in the MS_RSRCPATH setting.

The files are opened in the order they appear in the directory list as seen in Workspace > Configuration > Symbology with the last one having the highest priority.

To see the custom line styles correctly, You’ll need to have the vendor send the line style library they were using along with the design files. Place the line style library in the folder being pointed to by the variable and all should be well. 

Note: In MicroStation V8, custom line styles can be stored in DGN libraries and files as well as in resource “.rsc” files. When you open or create a DGN file you can use all line styles stored in all DGN libraries specified by the MS_DGNLIBLIST and _USTN_SYSTEMDGNLIBLIST configuration variables, as well as the line styles in the open DGN file.

You can selectively import line styles from a V7 line style library or an AutoCAD “.lin” file into the open DGN file or library. Conversely, you can export all custom line styles stored in the open DGN file to a v7 line style library for use with MicroStation V7. To perform these operations use the File menu in the Line Style Editor dialog box. 

To delete unused line styles from the open DGN file, turn on Delete Unused Line Styles in the Compress Options dialog box (File > Compress > Options) and then click Compress, or key in DELETE UNUSED LINESTYLES.
 

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