MicroStation Wiki Limit of vertices of shape/linestring (max number of vertices).

Limit of vertices of shape/linestring (max number of vertices).

	Product:	MicroStation
	Version:	All versions
	Environment:	N\A
	Area:	Base Geometry
	Subarea:	N\A

Problem

Solution

There is a limitation for the shapes as well as the line strings and curves.

The limitation in the older versions before V8 is 101 vertices (or 100 segments). This limitation is due to the file format (IGDS 8.8 from Intergraph) and cannot be modified.

This limit of 101 applies when enhanced precision was disabled when creating the element. When enhanced precision was enabled, the limit is 65.

However, when placing a shape, line string or curve, MicroStation will automatically create a complex shape or com plex string if the limit is exceeded.

Finally the next limit is the element size of a complex element and that is 128 Kbytes, w hat is equal to 65535 words (this 2 ** 16 - 1).

Some figures of element sizes:

A shape of 5 points is build of approx. 40 words (20 for the co-ords and 20 for the header).

A line is build of approx. 26 words (8 for the co-ords and 18 for the header.

A line string of one vertex is build of approx. 28 words (8 for the co-ords and 20 for the header).

So the number of elements and the element size should be minimized as possible. Some hints for doing that:
- Minimize the number of coordinates (with the GeoGraphics cleanup tools like Thin Linear and Linear Connect).
- Remove user data (with the GeoGraphics key-in "remove udl ").
- Remove enhanced precision (with the key-in Precision Delete All, in MS/J adding enhanced precision is the default!).

In MS V8 the maximum element size is 65K words. Therefore the maximum number of vertices stored per element has been increased to 5.000. The maximum size of a complex element is equal to the maximum size of the design file.