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ProjectWise Design Integration Forum Overwritten or deleted and replaced references missing in master files
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    Overwritten or deleted and replaced references missing in master files

    Jim Dee
    Offline Jim Dee over 9 years ago

    We use 12d model to design civil infrastructure and Microstation to produce drawings. We have recently been forced on to Projectwise for our Microstation drawings.

    To produce reference files for Microstation our work flow was as follows.

    1. we would write a bunch of .dwg files out of 12d with a “chain” (automated process),
    2. We would then run them through a batch process in Microstation. This was a batch convert dwg->dgn with remapping of levels, converting to 2d or 3d depending on the client requirements and attaching a colour table.
    3. We then reference the dgn files produced by the batch process in to our drawings.
    4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as often as desired.  

    The beauty of this was as the design changed in the modelling software, we could simply run a script in it to write out the .dwgs, then run the batch process in Microstation to update the references which just overwrites them each time. Updating drawings with new design info required zero manual effort and took no time.  

    We are still trying to get our head around Projectwise and how we can replicate what we had outside of it.

    So far we have tried:

    1.  Running the batch process outside of projectwise as normal, then attempting to drag and drop the reference files in to projectwise. This creates versions / duplicates of the same file name in the same folder and this of course breaks all of the reference links.
    2. Deleting the reference files in projectwise before we drop new ones in. While we don’t end up with a mess of duplicates, everything that the files were referenced in to can no longer find the deleted and replaced files. Even though they are all exactly the same file names in exactly the same folder in projectwise.
    3. Opening up the reference file in projectwise, deleting the all of the contents, then attaching the batchprocessed file from outside of projectwise, then merging it in, saving and closing. Obviously this works, but is very labour intensive and not remotely practical when we have hundreds of reference files. To do it this was is changing from something that took literally 3 clicks and a few minutes of background processing to something that takes hours and hours of monkey work.

     

    From what I can see basically we need the ability to replace reference files within projectwise. Not sure if this is possible without reference links in master files being broken?

    Can someone tell me how can we achieve similar efficiency with regards to this batch process in projectwise?

     

    Before anyone suggests this we are not going switch to Bentley’s infrastructure software and no 12d will not run inside projectwise as projectwise hasn't worked out how to manage a folder with loads of files being created, edited, overwritten and deleted on the fly which is what it would need for that to work. 

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    • Scott M. Turner
      0 Scott M. Turner Mon, Sep 22 2014 11:38 PM

      The easiest way to do what you need is:

      1.  Generate a set of updated files from 12D where the file names match EXACTLY those in PW

      2.  Check out (or export with changes) the files from PW that you need to have updated.  NOTE:  Do not Open the files.

      3.  Copy (Windows) the updated files over the top of the ones you just checked out from PW

      4.  Check the files back into PW

      This will maintain the references in PW and provide an updated set of reference files.

      This also assumes that none of the 12D exports are referencing anything.

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    • Jim Dee
      0 Offline Jim Dee Tue, Sep 23 2014 2:19 AM in reply to Scott M. Turner

      Thanks Scott, it certainly works and is faster than reference merging.

      How ever it is still about 1000% slower than what we had before we were forced on to Projectwise. I wonder if there is a way to automate steps 2, 3 and 4 in your method?

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    • Dean Lyon
      0 Offline Dean Lyon Tue, Sep 23 2014 3:31 PM in reply to Jim Dee

      With a little bit of programming and ProjectWise API, you can automate steps 2, 3 and 4.

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    • Dean Lyon
      0 Offline Dean Lyon Tue, Sep 23 2014 3:36 PM in reply to Dean Lyon

      You also might be able to update files in ProjectWise with the Import/Export tool without any programming.

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