Objective MicroStation

1
Steve Willoughby Bentley Civil
GEOPAK Road on Microstation V8
2

• Workflow and Dialog Changes
• Revised Tools/Applications
• NEW Applications
• Retired Applications
• Conversion Issues
• Workmodes
• GEOPAK 8.1 Release Candidate

3

• Workflow and Dialog Changes

4

• Design File Format
• Cells
• References
• Element Placement
• Levels

5
Design File Format

• Double Precision Floating Point
• Working Units Important or Not?
• Design Plane Issues Do they still exist?
• Models
• Seed Files

6
Double Precision Floating Point

• All design coordinates stored as DPFP instead of
  32 bit integers as in V7 (48 bit with Enhanced
  Precision).

7
User Impact

• Gives the ability to draw accurate graphics
  using Microstation.

8
GEOPAK Impact

• This allows us to intermix Microstation tools
  and GEOPAK geometry tools without loss of
  precision.

9
Working Units

• There is still a concept of Master Units/Sub
  Units but with a great deal of resolution between
  positional units.
• V8 references a standard table of unit ratios
  for example, 1 foot 12 inches. This table
  enables you to choose master units and sub units
  by name.

10
Working Units
Microstation
V7
11
Working Units
Microstation
V8
12
(No Transcript)
13
User Impact

• You can change Working Units without affecting
  the size of existing geometry.

14
GEOPAK Impact

• GEOPAK now has to check to make sure that the
  Storage Units of the design file match the GEOPAK
  User Preferences.
• If they do not match, you will be given several
  options

15
(No Transcript)
16
Design Plane

• There is still a Design Plane
• Use of DPFP gives a Design Plane two million
  times larger in each direction
• Large Design Plane should do away with Element
  Outside of Design Plane error messages
• Accuracy is greatest near the origin of the
  design plane
• Accuracy is worst at the very edge of a large
  working area. Its millions of times greater near
  the origin of the design plane.

17
Design Plane
18
Design Plane
1,000 UOR/FT
4,294,967 FT 813 Miles
4,294,967 FT 813 Miles
19
Design Plane
1,705,908,950 Miles
20
Design Plane
93,000,000 Miles
1/18th!!!
21
User Impact

• Seed Files
• Design planes are large enough to eliminate
  multiple seed files
• Accuracy is great enough to eliminate the need
  for multiple seed files (e.g. GEOPAK xsections)

22
User Impact

• The working unit setup in MicroStation V8 has
  almost no effect on precision in real-world
  units. We recommend that you use whatever working
  units you have previously been using in V7 to
  minimize difficulties with going back and forth
  between V7 and V8 formats.
• Barry Bentley

23
Models
Think of a DGN file as a box or container that
can hold 2D or 3D objects (models).
24
Models

• A new DGN file has a default model that cannot
  be deleted.

25
Models

• As you draw or add elements to the design file
  you are drawing into the model.

26
Models
A DGN file is composed of one or more models
that you create as you see fit.
27
Models
Each model can be either 2D or 3D and has its
own working units.
28

• You can switch quickly between models in a DGN
  file to view the elements and objects within that
  particular model.

29
User Impact

• This is more of a user preference choice. User
  can choose to use this functionality or not. If
  you always draw in the default (master) model,
  its just like V7.

30
GEOPAK Impact

• The initial release of GEOPAK V8 will be
  impacted in the following 4 ways
• 1) When writing elements to a design file, the
  elements will always be written to the active
  model.

31

• 2) When reading elements from an unopened design
  file (e.g. Proposed Cross Section Patterns,
  Superelevation Shapes), elements will be read
  from ALL models in the DGN file.

32

• 3) The File/Model concept will not be supported
  in a selective environment (i.e. you will only be
  able to specify/select a design file, not a model
  within that design file).

33

• 4) Certain tools such as Shape Analyst and DC
  Quantities, which function on a WYSIWYG basis,
  will continue to do so. In other words, whatever
  pertinent elements that are displayed will be
  calculated or computed.

34

• Design File Format
• Cells
• References
• Element Placement
• Levels

35
Cells

• Cell names are limited to approximately 500
  characters
• Cell sizes are unlimited in V8
• V8 cell libraries can contain both 2D and 3D
  cells
• 2D cells can be placed in 3D files and vice-versa

36
User Impact

• Users can now combine their 2D and 3D cell
  libraries if they wish.
• Cells can be renamed to take advantage of the new
  cell characteristics

37
GEOPAK Impact

• Make sure that all applications that read,
  place, tag or compute cells are upgraded to take
  into account the new cell characteristics.

38

• Design File Format
• Cells
• References
• Element Placement
• Levels

39
References

• Change in Terminology and Concept
• Reference Enhancements

40
Change in Terminology and Concept

• In V8, the term reference file becomes obsolete
• The V8 term is reference because references are
  between models
• A model may reference other models or itself
• A DGN file cannot reference a model or vice-versa

41
Reference Enhancements

• Attach an unlimited number of references to the
  active model
• Attach DWG files to the active model as
  references
• Attach a 3D reference to a 2D master model and
  vice-versa

42
User Impact

• No longer limited by the 32 reference file
  limitation in V7.

43
GEOPAK Impact

• Support unlimited reference files in all
  applications that use them (e.g. plan/profile
  clipping).

44

• Design File Format
• Cells
• References
• Element Placement
• Levels

45
Element Placement

• A line_string, shape or fence can have up to 5000
  vertices (maximum 101 in V7)
• There is no limit to the number of components in
  a complex chain or complex shape
• Maximum element size increased to 128 Kb
• There is no limit to the number of graphic groups
• A single line of text can contain 64,000
  characters

46
User Impact

• Users can create larger and longer elements

47
GEOPAK Impact

• GEOPAK can create larger and longer elements
• 1) Profiles and ground lines that use
  line_strings will no longer have to be broken up
• 2) Superelevation and computational shapes can
  be larger and longer.

48

• Design File Format
• Cells
• References
• Element Placement
• Levels

49
Levels

• Level Characteristics
• Level Based Symbology (ByLevel)

50
Level Characteristics

• Unlimited (4 billion) levels
• Minimum of 1 level
• 512 character limit per level name
• Level names are not case sensitive
• Characters gt lt / \ . ? , are not
  permitted
• You can delete unused levels

51
User Impact

• Re-structuring of Level Standards
• CADD Manuals
• Standard Criteria Libraries
• Existing In-house Programs

52
Note Both Level Names AND Level Numbers are
retained in V8.
53
GEOPAK Impact UI
54

• REVISED Tools/Applications

55
What kind of changes can I expect in the way
GEOPAK looks?
The most significant changes in the dialogs will
be in the area of level selection. This will
affect any application that allows the user to
select a level in order to write or read elements
in a design file.
56
Notice when the application draws Microstation
elements, you can only select LEVEL NAMES.
57
(No Transcript)
58
Notice when the application searches for
elements, you can select LEVEL NAMES and NUMBERS.
59
(No Transcript)
60
(No Transcript)
61
The new level name syntax is also carried over to
input and criteria files
62
Note

• What if level specified by user does not exist?
• GEOPAK will place the item on level default
  (0).

63
Level Based Symbology (ByLevel)

• All levels have a default number, color, line
  weight and style when created but can be modified
  to whatever you wish.

64
Level Based Symbology (ByLevel)
65
ByLevel
66
ByLevel Syntax
67
A Project Profile Tab has been added to the Draw
Profile tool to give it the same functionality as
the Draw Plan Profile dialog in DC Manager.
68
Youll also notice changes to the User
Preferences dialog. Notice the Superelevation and
Plan/Profile Classic options are gone.
V7
V8
69

• NEW Tools/Applications in
• GEOPAK V8

70
Cross Section Sheet Layout
This application will not be ported as is to V8
but will be re-written. The biggest enhancement
will be to reference the xsections to the sheet
design file instead of copying over the actual
elements.
71
(No Transcript)
72
Ancillary Data
Ancillary Data is the last input file only
application. It will not be ported to V8 but will
be replaced by a new application that is dialog
driven.
73

• Support for Visual Basic for Applications
• ProjectWise Integration
• Survey Enhancements
• Drainage Enhancements
• Bridge Enhancements
• New DTM Camera Tool

74

• RETIRED Tools/Applications in
• GEOPAK V8

75
Horizontal Alignment Generator (Classic)
76
Plan and Profile Sheet Clipping (Classic)
77
Ground Cross Sections
78
Ancillary Data Input File
Ancillary Data pattern by station pattern set
job number 188 baseline survey horiz
scale 10 vert scale 5 beg sta 34200
end sta 38900 inc 100 lt100
rt200 / Water Main / p
lan dgn topo.dgn utility set depth of
cover 2.5 type line,line_string,arc
lv10 (cont.)
79
Comp Book Forms
80
EASE Conversion
81
Old Plan/Profile Draw (mdl load only)
82
Old Contours Display (mdl load only)
83
Old Shape Analyst (mdl load only)
84
Workflow Manager (mdl load only)
85
Old Plan Labeling (mdl load only)
86
Conversion Issues
87

• By default, V8 level names are constructed by
  applying a prefix Level to the V7 level number.
• 43 in V7 ? Level 43 in V8
• Environment variable
• MS_V7_LEVEL_NAME_PREFIX
• 43 ? Level 43(MS_V7_LEVEL_NAME_PREFIX not
  set)
• 43 ? 43 (MS_V7_LEVEL_NAME_PREFIX NULL)
• 43 ? GEO 43 (MS_V7_LEVEL_NAME_PREFIX GEO)

88

• In order to accommodate the upgrade to
  MicroStation V8.1, changes were
• required in the file structure of all GEOPAK
  databases and project files
• including
• DDB - Design and Computation Manager database
• TIN File - Digital Terrain TIN file
• SMD - Survey Manager database files
• GSF file - Site project file
• GDF file - Drainage project file
• DDB ASCII Export File
• SMD ASCII Export File
• PSL file - Plan Sheet Library
• Labeler Style Files
• Geotech Preference Files
• RTR file - Tables definition file
• All Project Manager Runs

89
Important

• The conversion of the DDB/SMD level structure
  will depend on the design file.

90

• V7 Level Structure (DDB)

• V8 Level Structure (Design File)

• Numbers Only

• Names Associated Numbers

Default 0 Level 1 1 Level 2
2 Fence 3
1 2 3 4
91
Important

• Although the DDB and SMD formats have changed,
  users can keep
• them in V7 format and continue to use them in
  both V7 and V8.
• The disadvantage is that Edit and Save operations
  can only be done within
• GEOPAK V7 and there is an additional load time
  each time the DDB or
• SMD file is opened.
• Once you Save a DDB or SMD file in V8, it is
  permanently converted to a
• V8 format and is NOT backward compatible with V7.

92
Note

• In order to take advantage of the new level
  names in V8, databases that deal with levels
  (e.g. DDB,SMD) will have to be converted to a new
  format.

93
NOTE

• There are no changes to the COGO database (gpk)
  file structure.

94
Workmodes
95
V7 Workmode

• We will not support V7 Workmode in GEOPAK 8.1.

96
DWG Workmode

• We will not support DWG Workmode in GEOPAK 8.1.

97
Where can I get it?
98
Steve Willoughby Bentley Civil
GEOPAK Road on Microstation V8