We have two DGNLIB's setup for our Feature Definitions - one for Design and one for Survey. This was necessary due to the requirement that an XIN file must be linked twice, even though InRoads has supported features that could be Geometry, Surface and Survey.
In the Feature Definition DGNLIB, we have reorganized the Feature Definitions into categories, but have left the Survey Feature Definitions flat. Is there any known reasons why we cannot also reorganize the Survey Features into Categories as well? I don't want to start down this path and later find out that this will create an issue.
Hey Chuck: I have done such reorganizing in the past without issue.
In regards to your original challenge (the need to link twice), There is a potential solution if you do not wish to have two libraries. It is possible, after the XIN is linked for geometry, to go back thru the created feature definitions and edit the "Is Survey" switch to true. Significant amount of work of course.
I have made such manual changes in some of my client's libraries except in reverse. I needed to be able to use a Survey FD for geometry also. So, I added in the element templates and other switches needed for geometry. But, I did not do the entire library, just a select few. Perhaps 10%
Robert Garrett Senior Consultant
www.envisioncad.com
Answer Verified By: caddcop
I played with that process of manually adding survey to design a few times. What I did find was that after doing several that seemed to work just fine, some type of memory error would occur and my Element Information dialog box would get populated with strange and unfamiliar settings, losing all of the normal expected fields. It always freaked me out and I'd Ctrl+Z to undo that last edit and exit to avoid any possible corruption in my files.
I am actually planning on going over all of the Feature Definition that originated in our XIN file to see if we can do some weeding and pruning. A lot of what is still in there originated from our VAX ICS preferences (or whatever they were called back then) when if it wasn't COGO, InRoads didn't draw it.
Many of those were converted into Survey Features and we have been carrying them forward ever since. From PRF to INI and FWF to XIN. Before we move to ORD, I want to make sure we are only maintaining things still being used. Both for Design and Survey.
Charles (Chuck) Rheault CADD Manager
MDOT State Highway Administration
The messed up property panel, while jarring, is not a worry. Just close project explorer and reopen it.
I've seen other posts that seem to indicate the only process that works correctly is to add Design Feature Definition settings to a Linked Survey Feature Definition. Trying to add Survey to a design FD does not provide all of the Survey functionality.
Good to know.