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MicroStation Wiki How to create a boundary outline from point elements
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    How to create a boundary outline from point elements

      Product(s): MicroStation
      Version(s): CONNECT Edition
      Environment: N\A
      Area: Sheet Composition
      Subarea: Drawing Boundaries

    How to create a boundary outline that passes through a collection of points.

    Background

    In the production of planning drawings, it is sometimes necessary to define the site boundary from a collection of survey points in a design. So how do you produce a boundary by joining the outline points.

    Steps to Accomplish

    Option 1 By placing a SmartLine

    1. Enable AccuSnap
    2. Select the ' Place Smart Line ' tool and simply select the points to form the outline boundary

    Option 2 Using Create Complex Chain / Shape

    1. Enable AccuSnap
    2. Select the ' Create Complex Chain ' or 'Create Complex Shape ' tool (Tool setting Method:Manual) and simply select the points in order to form the outline boundary. It may be that you can use the automatic option (Tool setting' Method:Automatic | Maximum Gap:set as appropriate) depending on dataset.

    Whilst these two approaches may be OK for a simple boundary with few points it can become tedious and time consuming for larger datasets. Another approach could be to generate a surface / mesh from the points and extract the boundary.

    Option 3 Using the Mesh tools

    1. If a 2d File - Use the File > Export > 3D (Mesh tools require a 3D file)
    2. Select all the Point elements using the ' Element Selection ' tool that form the required boundary.
    3. Use the 'Mesh From Points' tool to generate a surface mesh.
    4. If required modify the surface mesh removing unwanted triangles
    5. Extract the outline boundary of the surface mesh using the ' Extract Boundary ' tool. (Tool settings Output As:Line Strings | Extract:Boundary)
    6. Delete the surface mesh if not required leaving the boundary

     Click here to play this video

     

    See also

    Other language sources

      Original Author: Carl Myhill
    • CONNECT Edition
    • 10.07.00.39
    • MicroStation
    • en
    • SELECTsupport
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    • Carl Myhill Created by Bentley Colleague Carl Myhill
    • When: Wed, Jan 31 2018 6:58 AM
    • Andrew Bell Last revision by Bentley Colleague Andrew Bell
    • When: Sun, Feb 4 2018 7:14 PM
    • Revisions: 5
    • Comments: 0
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