Category: Tips

ALL Autodesk MicroStation AutoCAD Bentley OpenRoads Designer AutoCAD Civil 3D Autodesk Subassembly Composer MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries) Revit Architecture OpenRoads V8i (SELECTseries) InRoads SUDA
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Finding the Tool Settings Window and a Missing Toolbox

One problem that has continued to plague users occurs when the Tool Settings window or a Toolbox goes missing. The possibility of this issue occurring…
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OpenRoads Designer Tip: How to Compute Pond Volumes

OpenRoads Designer includes a Compute Pond Volumes application tool. This report can be helpful for Drainage Analysis and Reporting for Stormwater Water…
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Civil 3D Tip: New in Surface Workflows (What’s New in 2025.1 and 2025.2)

Civil 3D has now enabled – by default – the ability for the appropriate style display component to be activated when using surface editing…
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MicroStation Tip: DGN Audit

The DGN Audit tool has been added as a Technology Preview in MicroStation 2024. This tool has the options to automatically fix corrupted element range values…
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OpenRoads Designer Tip: Export to IFC

As the civil engineering industry continues moving towards Digital Delivery, one of the things we need to look at is how to export our design models from…
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Civil 3D Tip: Importing Codes into Figure Prefix Database
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Bridge Report Tips

A few simple tricks can help to make Bridge Reports more effective. Adding Deck Elevations to the Bridge Report If a deck template does not have a certain…
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MicroStation Tip: Setting Personal Color Preferences

The traditional method for setting Element Highlight and Selection Set colors is through the File Settings: File > Settings > File > Design File Settings.…
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Civil 3D Tip: Display Optimization – Essential First Steps

Autodesk Civil 3D is powerful design software with advanced visualization features and graphics capabilities. Utilizing some or all of the features could be…
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OpenRoads Designer Tip: Warnings About B-Spline Elements When Making a Linear Template

When creating a linear template in OpenRoads Designer, you will often be presented with the following error message: The message raises several questions: Why…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Bringing Bridge Reports into Sheet Models

There are a couple of options that make it possible to add a report generated in OpenBridge Modeler into the Sheet Models. First, create a report in OBM using…
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MicroStation Tip: AccuSnap – Cycle Through All Elements Within Range

Using AccuSnap, it’s easier to snap to the desired element when there are multiple elements within range of your snap tolerance. Simply use the…
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OpenRoads Designer Tip: Downsizing Survey Field Codes

Many survey field code lists can be overwhelming and exhausting. Having a field code for every single item isn’t always necessary when using OpenRoads…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Moving the Bridge to a Different Alignment

Using the Alignment Tool to Move to Another Alignment When creating a Bridge Model, one of the first steps is to assign an Alignment to the Bridge. Sometimes…
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OpenRoads Designer: Cross Section Crossing Point Annotation Scale

A primary advantage of using model-centric workflows such as those found in OpenRoads Designer is the opportunity for near instant feedback to design model…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Getting the Station, Offset, and Elevation of a Point on a Bridge

Using the Analyze Point Tool in OpenBridge Modeler Finding the Station, Offset, and Elevation of a point on a bridge model in OBM uses two well-known civil…
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OpenRoads Designer Tip: Missing WorkSets

Occasionally, you may find that the list of available WorkSets in the WorkPage is incomplete, and that some are missing. Within the WorkSet folder, we can…
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OpenRoads Designer Tip: Text Field Background

If you’ve opened up a DGN in OpenRoads Designer containing civil content that has been automatically annotated, you may have noticed a gray background…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Updating Referenced Views in a Sheet Model

Editing Sheet Model Referenced Views from Callouts The following workflow is an answer to a specific question but it can be used anytime the reference view in…
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Civil 3D Tip: Alias Editor

By default, Civil 3D has a built-in list of shortened Command Aliases, such as the command “L” for Line. You can change aliases or add new ones to…
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OpenRoads Roadway Tip: How to Change the Drawing Seed Name

In the Place Named Boundary dialog, a listing of Drawing Seeds for Plan, Profile, Cross Section, and non-civil sheets available in the configuration are…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Add Bridge Dialog Toggles

When to Use Bridge Alignment vs Roadway Alignment When using the Add Bridge tool, the dialog offers two toggle options: Requires Road Alignment and Use Road…
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EnvisionCAD Tip: Using the Windows Key + V to Increase Productivity

Pressing the Windows Key + V on your keyboard will open the Clipboard bin. Once you have enabled this setting for the first time, you will be able to…
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Civil 3D Tip: How to Set and Modify Alignment Station Values

By default, the starting station for Civil 3D Alignments is 0+00. There are a few ways to modify station values. NUMBER 1: Set your beginning station in the…
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OpenRoads Designer Drainage & Utilities Tip: Validating Designs with Engineering Standards

The analytic capabilities available to drainage designers in the Drainage and Utilities toolset within OpenRoads Designer provide valuable tools for the design…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Creating a Corbel

Once an abutment has been created, a corbel can be added. In this example, a corbel will be added for the approach slab.
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OpenRoads ConceptStation Tip: Create an Opinion of Probable Cost (OPC)

After you have reviewed your project’s quantities and no errors remain, you will want to create an opinion of probable cost, or OPC. With OpenRoads…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: How to Have the Corbel Follow the Approach Slab Slope

When you create a corbel for the approach slab, OpenBridge Modeler will automatically assign the slope of the deck to the corbel. It is possible to make the…
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Civil 3D Tip: Polyline Contour Labels

Sometimes you might receive contours from others that turn out to be polylines. If you do not need them for a surface but want to label the elevation, you…
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MicroStation Tip: Restore Default User Preferences

There are situations occasionally where MicroStation might be behaving strangely, or where your settings just don’t seem right. In these cases, you may…
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OpenRoads ConceptStation Tip: Review Quantities

In the early stages of reviewing your project in OpenRoads ConceptStation, an idea of quantities may be needed. The level of detail for your quantities is…
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OpenBridge Modeler Tip: Modify the Deck for Superelevation

Adding a Superelevation to a bridge deck can be done manually, and even varying the slope is possible. The following steps will address both of these options…
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MicroStation Tip: Optimized Fence Clipping

The Optimized Fence Clipping preference tends to confuse users as to what exactly it does. As the name implies, it works with fence operations using the clip…
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OpenRoads Designer Tip: Survey Attribute Overrides

In some applications, surveyors may find it useful to have a single field code that can display different MicroStation cells. For example, imagine your agency…
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OpenRoads ConceptStation Tip: Changing Materials in a Template

Bentley provides a number of pre-built templates, and they also give you a number of components to build your own. Unfortunately, you cannot build any new…
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OpenBridge Tip: OpenBridge Designer or OpenBridge Modeler?

When organizations are investigating the use of an OpenBridge program, inevitably the question arises: “Should we use OpenBridge Designer or OpenBridge…
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MicroStation Tip: Treat Reference Attachment as Element

Manipulating reference attachments can be challenging due to the size of the References dialog and the fact that it often covers up key parts of your drawing.…
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iTwin Capture Modeler Tip: Photo Capture Techniques

When taking images for a project, there are a few specific principles to help you capture the best photos. Photos meeting your specific criteria will assist in…
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OpenRoads ConceptStation Tip: Creating a New Template

Bentley provides a number of pre-built templates, and they also give you a number of components to build your own. Unfortunately, you cannot build any new…
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MicroStation Tip: Selecting an Alternate Sheet

Using Print Styles are a great way to help standardize your printing processes. If you’re using Print Organizer they are a necessity. Print Styles can…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Static Scaling for Survey Point Annotation

When annotating survey shots in OpenRoads CONNECT Edition using the Element Annotation tool it is sometimes desired to have text associated with the survey…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Append Notes to Descriptions

When importing survey data. Text Import Wizard has an option for notes which can be confused for the description column within the survey details dialog. Below…
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MicroStation Tip: Create a two line Note element with the leader extending between the lines of text

Using typical dimension settings when using the Place Note tool with two lines of text it displays like this: In some cases this is ok, but there are many…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Update 15 Undocumented Additions:

With every MicroStation update, there is a What’s New section in the help documentation that highlights the new features in each release. While working…
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Autodesk Civil 3D 2021.2 Update Tip – New Data Shortcuts System Variable

Autodesk Civil 3D 2021.2 includes a new system variable that provides control over where the ShortcutsFolders.xml file will be created. When…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Custom WorkSet Properties as Text Fields

In MicroStation CONNECT Edition we encourage the use of creating project specific WorkSets. One reason for this is to take advantage of the custom WorkSet…
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MicroStation CONNECT Edition Tip: Workflow and Tab Switching

The ribbon interface introduced in Bentley’s CONNECT Edition MicroStation platform-based products is generally well crafted to facilitate common workflows…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Projecting the Corridor Generated Ditch Profile onto the Centerline Profile

When a corridor is applied to an alignment, the template will generate graphics in the plan view representing components of the roadway such as edges of…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: AccuDraw Compass Rotation

In MicroStation CONNECT Edition the AccuDraw compass rotation shortcuts (such as RE, RQ, T, etc.) only work if the Context Sensitivity setting is toggled on.…
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Civil 3D Tip: Recovering a “Lost” Pallette

Civil 3D has many dialogs boxes that are “modeless” and can be left floating on the main or a secondary monitor or remain docked in the Civil 3D…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Ellipse by Ends

In MicroStation CONNECT Edition there is a new Ends method for placing Ellipses. Using this method you place the ellipse by placing the two ends of the primary…
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ORD – MicroStation Tip: MS_DGNLIBLIST variables

In the CONNECT Edition products there are many new resource-specific MS_DGNLIBLIST variables. When do you use them, and when do you not? I’ve had…
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MicroStation Tip: Active vs. Passive Named Groups

When using the Add to Graphic Group tool to create Named Groups there is a Member Type selection for Active or Passive. The Member Type settings are as…
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Civil 3D Tip: Adding Section Labels to Section Views

Here is a quick way to add utilities and Right-of-Way info to already created section views. Crossing objects and projected objects must be of the types:…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Table Editor

There is a new tool in OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition that allows you to edit alignments and profiles in a table editor format. It is located on the…
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MicroStation Tip: Setting the default font

When opening design files you may occasionally get a warning message about a missing rsc font. The default is to replace the missing font with the STANDARD rsc…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Persist Snaps Toggle

If you are a regular user of OpenRoads you know that snapping to Civil Objects in a dgn when placing new geometry creates a rule to that element. This…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Editing recorded macros

The Bentley Macro Recorder (BMR) in MicroStation CONNECT allows the user to record tool selections, data points, and key-in entries. These are saved in a .bmr…
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OpenRoads Tip: SUDA Centering Conduits on Nodes

Tools built using Bentley’s OpenRoad Technology include the ability to leverage drainage and utility design tools incorporated into civil products. The…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Disable User Preference settings

In the MicroStation User Preferences dialog there are two settings turned on by default that you probably want to disable. The first of these is the Help…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Placing a Dynamic Label with Text Favorites

If you’ve done any type of plan production with PowerGEOPAK (SELECTseries 4) or any of the previous versions, the new functionality of Text Favorites and the…
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OpenRoads Technology Tip: SUDA Hydraulic Properties Update

Tools built using Bentley’s OpenRoad Technology include the ability to leverage drainage and utility design tools incorporated into civil products. The…
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Autodesk Civil 3D 2020 Tip: Block Palette

Autodesk Civil 3D 2020 ushers in the replacement of the INSERT command with an all-new Blocks Palette. The Blocks Palette introduces some new functionality…
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MicroStation Tip: Flood Methods – Part 2

A previous tip detailed that using any of the Flood Methods in MicroStation requires the entire region being flooded by visible in the view window.…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Create 3D Cut

New in OpenRoads Deisgner CONNECT Edition is the command “Create 3D Cut”. 3D Cut creates a dynamic cut or slice of the 3D model that follows the profile…
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Autodesk Civil 3D 2020 Tip: Survey Database Changes

The release of Autodesk Civil 3D 2020 has brought a change to the Survey Database format. Survey Databases are now saved in SQLite format instead of Microsoft…
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ORD – MicroStation Tip: AccuDraw Set Origin

While working in OpenRoads Designer (ORD) there are many times you need to preform some standard MicroStation tasks. When doing so you may get frustrated that…
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MicroStation Tip: Automate Coordinate Entries – Part 2

I previously published a tip on how to use Excel to format bearing and distance values so they were compatible with MicroStation key-in entries. Then exporting…
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OpenRoads Tip: SUDA Catalog Editing

Tools built using Bentley’s OpenRoad Technology include the ability to leverage drainage and utility design tools incorporated into the civil products. The…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Multiple Application Windows

In MicroStation CONNECT Edition you probably already know that you can open up to four separate application windows. What you may not know is that if you only…
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OpenRoads Tip: Mirroring Entire Template During Creation

When providing training on the corridor modeling functionality in the OpenRoads tools, I am often asked if it is possible to mirror the work done on a template…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Managing User level configuration settings

To the chagrin of CAD Managers everywhere MicroStation CONNECT Edition stores the User Preference files along with the user’s Personal.ucf file in the…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Purge & Overkill

Maybe we’re refining a surface and want to offset a polyline for a breakline or a border. As we navigate the OFFSET command, we receive a “Cannot offset…
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OpenRoads Tip: SUDA Cell Location Issue

The workings under the hood in the Subsurface Utilities is complex, bringing together Cell libraries, Feature Definitions, Feature Symbologies, and Element…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Place Line tool hidden

Starting with MicroStation CONNECT Update 11, the Place Line tool is now hidden by default in the ribbon groups. The Place SmartLine tool can replace the…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Adding multiple Parametric Constraints to a corridor without reprocessing the corridor

Have you ever needed to add multiple Parametric Constraints to your corridor, but don’t want to wait for the corridor to reprocess after adding each one?…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Be Careful Mirroring Subassemblies

The Civil 3D command Mirror Subassembly is a handy tool and can be used to copy subassemblies from one side of an assembly to another. When a subassembly is…
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OpenRoads Tip: Template Coloring

As civil designers, one of the advantages of model-centric workflows is the dynamic, real-time feedback and information we can garner from our design software.…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Hidden Command – LayerOrder

We know we can use the AutoCAD DRAWORDER command to change the display order of objects in the drawing, but did you know in Civil 3D you can control…
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OpenRoads Tip: Ribbon Tool Search

OpenRoads Designer brings a new ribbon interface to Bentley’s civil design software. This is comprised of Workflows, Tabs and Groups collecting common…
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MicroStation Tip: Use viewing tools during placement

Did you know that you can use tools from the View Control Toolbox while in the middle of an element placement tool, such as Place Smartline, without losing…
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OpenRoads Tip: Create Geometry by Template

Have you ever done a schematic layout of your design and needed a bunch of offset alignments from your center-line to represent lanes, curb, sidewalk etc.? The…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 Tip: Is My Alignment Cursed? Please Help!

I had a client come to me and exclaim his alignment was cursed and not behaving like he expected. He set alignment masking, but the masking was not working…
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MicroStation Tip: Design Script lineweight remapping

Starting with MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3) you may use IPlot design scripts in addition to MicroStation pen tables to resymbolize you drawings during…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Windows Update Causing Crash with Corridors

Windows 10 Spring Creator Update (1803) There is a known issue with the Windows 10 Spring Creator Update, 1803 with numerous Bentley CONNECT Edition software.…
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Revit Tip: Model Text – Creating Signs

There are two ways of adding text in Revit. The first is the standard annotation text. This is view specific meaning it will only show up in the view…
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OpenRoads Tip: Clip a Corridor or End a Corridor at a Skew

When working with corridors in plans production it is sometimes necessary to clip a corridor area out for a new structure or maybe end a corridor at a skew. …
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MicroStation Tip: Save Settings on Exit

I see a lot of users who have the Save Settings on Exit option toggled on in their User Preference settings. While this can be a great benefit to have… Read…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 Tip: Use Civil 3D Note Label Styles in Place of Multileaders

We’ve annotated our plan drawing in Model Space. We’ve used our vast collection of preset multileader styles to save time. Everything looks perfect. Then…
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Revit Tip: Why Can’t I See…?

Have you ever inserted a family into a model only to have it not show up? Or have you linked a CAD drawing once, twice and a third time just… Read more »
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OpenRoads Tip: Analyze Trace Slope

As you start working on a new terrain it is useful to get a feel for the drainage patterns. OpenRoads has a number of tools to assist with this; one… Read…
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MicroStation Tip: Retrieving the Tool Settings Window

Every so often I get a question from a student or support call about losing the MicroStation Tool Settings window. We check to make sure it’s not…
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OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Tip: Plans Production

In the newest release of OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition Update 2 the ability to create Plan and Profile sheets has been added to the workflow. You no…
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Revit Tip: Copy vs. Copy to Clipboard

Revit has two different ways to copy elements: Copy and Copy to Clipboard. The Copy command is used to duplicate objects within the same view Select the object…
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MicroStation Tip: Apply pen table action to all references

In some cases you want your Pen Table actions to get applied to all reference attachments when printing. An easy way to ensure this is to define a large…
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SUDA Tip: Configure Multiple Land Use in Catchments

When a catchment is created in SUDA, a feature definition is assigned to the catchment. This feature definition will assign symbology to the catchment feature,…
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Revit Tip: Using the Radial Array Command

Using the Array command is an easy way to model circular or curved seating like in an auditorium. 1. Begin by loading the seat family into your Revit model.…
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MicroStation Tip: Standardize color and gray shade output

Do you have problems getting consistent colors on your plots? Sometimes users change color tables that cause odd colors to be printed. When submitting a…
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OpenRoads Designer Connect Edition Tip: How to use Survey TIW files from SS4

When implementing OpenRoads Designer Connect Edition for processing of survey, you will want to use any TIW files you created in SS4. When you add and…
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Revit Tip: Placing Curtain Doors in Revit

The first time you go to place a door in a curtain wall you may find it a little challenging. Doors aren’t placed in curtain walls the same way they… Read…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Display Rules

Display Rules are one of the many new features in MicroStation CONNECT Edition. These are a set of criteria that can be applied to a Display Style to change…
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OpenRoads: Problem with Missing Dynamic Cross-sections

Occasionally, an OpenRoads file will fail to show the dynamic cross-sections properly. I really don’t know what precisely causes this but it is a royal…
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OpenRoads: Generate Cut & Fill Slope Limits in Different Symbology

You need to generate linear features which mark the limits of cut and fill slopes on each side of the corridor. You also need the symbology of the cut…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Translating DWG to DGN Workflow Using Civil 3D 2018

This outlines the steps involved to translate an AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 DWG file to MicroStation V8 DGN file format. The workflow is Civil 3D based and the…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Place Label

The new Place Label tool is similar to Place Note. Instead of a text note the user places a cell with, or without, a leader line. Using the tool…
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Revit Tip: Revit Add-In Polygon Select

Here’s a convenient new Add-in for Revit 2017 or Revit 2018. Revit gives you the option to multi-select items by selecting a rectangular window. If you…
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OpenRoads Designer: Display Terrain Model Elevation Bands

Applies also to OpenRoads Terrain Models in Select Series 3 and 4. Question: How do I display my terrain models with elevation range bands like I could do…
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Revit Tip: Revit 18.2 Improvements

Sometimes the little things matter. In Revit loading, several families into a project could be a tedious task. From the Insert tab, you would select load…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Production Efficiency

Section Views and Sheet Layout Move section views between section view groups: The section views that you want to move and the destination section view group…
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MicroStation Tip: Improve PDF image quality in Raster Manager and Descartes

Vector PDF documents attached in Raster Manager or Descartes typically work without issue. Using scanned, or other raster PDF documents, on the other hand, can…
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SUDA – Join Adjacent Conduits

Problem: I have two conduits which are supposed to connect but do not, because there was a slight gap between the ends of the geometry I used for creating…
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Revit Tip: Orient to View

One of the first and most important skills to learn in Revit is how to control the view quickly and effectively. As your model grows and becomes more complex…
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SUDA Tip: Units Confusion

There is a problem in the SUDA tools, which is not widely known, that can lead to issues with units.  The problem leads to the units in the SUDA data… Read…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 Tip: Use Civil 3D Line Label Styles to Annotate Utility Linetypes

We’ve all run into this situation before. We have some utility lines drawn that use text in the linetype and the lines are either too short or are at…
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OpenRoads Tip: The "Create Cross Section" Tool

In this tip Andrea Hall, Senior Consultant, will create drainage profiles using the Create Cross Section Tool.  
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OpenRoads Tip: Best Practice Closed Geometry

When creating features which are closed, it is important to consider how the geometry will eventually be used in the 3D model. In general, it is not a good…
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MicroStation Tip: Printing Problem Quick Fix

MicroStation printing problems; we’ve all had them, and they always seem to happen at the most inopportune time. You check and recheck your print…
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Revit Tip: Organizing Reference Planes Using Subcategories

Reference planes in Revit are handy tools and have many uses. In 2017 Revit introduced a way to organize those reference planes by creating subcategories. By…
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MicroStation Tip: The Tilde Key

Have you heard of the tilde key? Me either, but it’s the little squiggle to the left of the 1 key. I did come across a handy trick with tilde.… Read more »
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MicroStation CONNECT: Multiple Application Windows

MicroStation has always had the ability to manage windows independently on dual monitor workstations. To support the expanded monitor capabilities in Windows 8…
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SUDA – Which Property Panel Should I Use?

You may have noticed that there are two locations to access the properties for utility features in OpenRoads. This is seen in the context toolbox: Also, if you…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Add Property Set Data to Labels

1. Open the Label Style Composer by creating or editing a label style for the object. 2. In the Label Style Composer dialog box, click the Layout tab. 3.…
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Revit Tip: Exploring the Material Browser

An easy way to customize your model in Revit is the Material Browser. Out of the box, Revit has hundreds of different materials and thousands more can be found…
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OpenRoads Tip: Reverse the Direction of Alignment

This one is better described as a trick, rather than a tip. Caution: the following should be used with care and check all data after completion. It is always…
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MicroStation Tip: Finding a Tool Key-in

At EnvisionCAD we provide training for CAD administrators and advanced users. As part of this instruction we cover building custom function key menus, tool…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Relative Feature Lines

Create feature lines that are relative to surface. Feature line elevations can be obtained from a surface and can also be relative to a surface, so if the…
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Revit Tip: Georeference in Revit 2018

Revit 2018 now has the ability to use Georeferenced survey data from a linked. DWG file. In the Insert tab > Link CAD Select Center to Center and Open…
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MicroStation Tip: Level Numbers

When organizations made the move from MicroStation V7 to MicroStation V8, many of them carried over some type of level numbering scheme in addition to…
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OpenRoads Tip: Point Report

To generate a report listing the locations of multiple points, use the Point Feature Station Offset Elevation report. The points which are reported on can…
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MicroStation Tip: Element Selection

Element selection is a very widely used tool with many options available to the user. I remembered one tip that is very handy and easy. When selecting your…
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Revit Tip: Entire Wall Dimensioning

One of the most useful tools in Revit’s arsenal is the dimensioning tool. Revit makes it possible to lay out a rough floor plan without precision and then go…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Import or Insert Civil 3D Styles

AutoCAD Civil 3D has a tool that will import Civil 3D styles from one drawing or template to another. This tool is handy for choosing specific styles, but it…
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OpenRoads Tip: Terrain Model – Control Triangles in Concave Areas of Project

Pretty much every project has one or more areas like shown below, where terrain model triangles will cut across the concave corner of the project. My first…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: “Must a kettle boil?” Options for Multiple Viewport Sheets Added to Create View Frames

“Must a kettle boil?” It sure seems like we’ve been watching this particular kettle for a while. A very popular item from the Civil 3D wish list has…
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Revit Tip: New in 2018, Link Navisworks Files

New in Revit 2018 is the ability to link Navisworks files, .nwc or .nwd format. There is a new tab on the insert ribbon. When you load, you have the… Read…
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SUDA Tip: Shallow Nodes

Sometimes, when we model nodes in SUDA whose minimum depth is very shallow, we are surprised to see that the depth is not what we expected. For example, the…
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MicroStation Tip: Flood Methods

There are many tools in MicroStation that contain a Flood method to create a shape, fill a shape, or to complete some other type of operation. In all of…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Importing Civil 3D Styles? What a Drag.

Civil 3D provides a mechanism for importing Civil 3D Styles from one drawing to another. On the Manage ribbon tab on the far right, there is an Import button…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Drop Element

The Drop Element tool icon in MicroStation CONNECT ribbon (Drawing -> Home -> Groups) has been expanded to offer specific drop tools without having to…
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OpenRoads Tip: Terrain Model – How to Extract Break Lines

I recently fielded a question where the designer needed to extract the break lines which existed in the OpenRoads Terrain model.  The designer could see them…
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OpenRoads Tip: Corridor Modeling Manipulators

There are two lines generated during modeling in OpenRoads. Dependent on which one you select, different context mini tool bars are presented. Corridor …
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Help! My Corridor is Slowing Me Down, pt. 1

A sure way to bog down a corridor and enlarge the file size of the drawing is to have too many frequency lines in a corridor. The optimal number of… Read…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Place Note

There are two significant changes to the Place Note tool in MicroStation CONNECT. The first change is that the option to select a Text Style setting in the…
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SUDA Tip: "Scenario Failed to Compute. Review your data and try again."

Written By: Robert Garrett One of the things that SUDA does quite well is to provide good feedback messages about errors in the drainage network configuration…
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OpenRoads Tip: Missing Graphic Manipulators

Written by Bob Mecham I am writing this tip because this doesn’t happen often so when it does I really have to rack my brain to remember why. Hopefully…
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MicroStation CONNECT Tip: Drawing Scale

Written by Rod Wing The Annotation Scale drop-down list allows you to change the active Annotation Scale. This list is available via a number of dialogs in…
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SUDA Tip: How to Configure a Single Structure Which Contains Two Independent Grates

Written by Robert Garrett In a roadway with a center barrier, we often use storm drain inlets like this one. This type of structure presents a unique…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Disappearing Profile Labels

Ever try to add labels to a profile only to find they do not appear? In the screencap below we can see Profile Labels assigned, but they do not display… Read…
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OpenRoads Tip: Civil AccuDraw Floating Origin

Written by: Bob Mecham Sometimes, we need to establish the end of a line at a location measured form something else rather than the first point. 1. Start the…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Pen Table Macros

Written by Rod Wing Support for the legacy MicroStation Basic macros has been removed in MicroStation CONNECT. This also means these macros can no longer be…
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SUDA Tip – Best Practice for Headwall 3D cells

Written by: Robert Garrett When configuring the 3D cells of head walls for use in SUDA, there are some required construction points to be created in the cell.…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Adding Link, Point, and Shape Codes to Code Set Styles

Written By: Bryan Sullivan In last month’s tip, we imported custom subassemblies into Civil 3D. These custom subassemblies may have different Link, Point,…
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OpenRoads Tip: Editing and Updating Terrains Created By Graphical Filters

In last months tip we discussed Importing Terrain from Graphics. However when using the Edit Terrain Model toolbar it reports “Not an Editable Terrain”.…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Print to InterPlot Server

Written by Rod Wing MicroStation CONNECT Edition allows for printing directly to a ProjectWise InterPlot Server plotter without the need for installing…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Adding a Subassembly to Civil 3D

Written by: Bryan Sullivan You may have received a subassembly from a client or vendor. Or you may have created your first subassembly in Subassembly Composer.…
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OpenRoads Tip: Import Terrain from Graphics "Not an Editable Terrain"

The problem may occur after you have created an OpenRoads terrain element using the Create Terrain Model by Graphical Filter.  Then you may need to delete a…
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MicroStation CONNECT: UCF and PCF files

Written by Rod Wing MicroStation CONNECT Edition has a User Configuration level just as previous versions. The big change in CONNECT is that there is no way…
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SUDA – Setting node orientation relative to centerline

In the OpenRoads Subsurface Utility tools, the rotation of nodes is always stored internally as an absolute angle. As you can see in the next image, even…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Organizing DGNLibs

Written by Rod Wing Using DGNLibrary files to store various standards and resources is easy and convenient in MicroStation. This ease and convenience can also…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: How To Fix “Device Not Found” Error When Batch Plotting or Publishing to PDF in Civil 3D 2016

Written By: Ben Johnson If you use a custom profile in Civil 3D complete with custom file path locations for Printer Configuration Search Path and custom…
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OpenRoads Tip: Name Assignment and Annotation of Geometry Points

Written by: Bob Mecham By default, as you place a point the Name will match the Feature Definition name. This can be seen in the Tools Setting dialog. Prior…
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SUDA Tip: Editing Utility Profiles

Written by: Robert Garrett When editing profiles for SUDA conduits, the visual feedback provided in the profiles view can be a little confusing. Consider a…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Opening the Snap Mode toolbox (button bar)

Written by: Rod Wing In previous editions of MicroStation a common user preference was to open the Snap Mode tool box by selecting the Snap icon on the…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Bug When Editing Pipe Networks in SSA 2016

Written By: Ben Johnson A client recently brought to my attention the fact that Storm and Sanitary Analysis 2016 crashes when she tries to edit pipe networks…
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OpenRoads Tip: Offset Alignments and Matching Profiles

Written by: Robert Garrett I often get the question: How do I make alignment B exactly match the stationing of alignment A?  Invariably, this question is…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Plotting Versatility Using DWF

By: Ben Johnson Over the years there have been a number of issues when plotting Civil 3D sheets directly to PDF. In the past, some of these issues included…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Change Workspace and/or WorkSet from the File Open dialog

Written by: Rod Wing One big complaint in previous editions of MicroStation was that when selecting File > Open while in MicroStation you could not change…
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SUDA Tip: Best Practice for Creating Pipes Between Nodes

Written by: Robert Garrett I often get the question: Does it matter which direction I create pipes for my drainage or sanitary networks? The simplest answer…
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OpenRoads Tip: Point Controls Targeting MicroStation Graphics in Corridors

Written by: Bob Mecham Point Controls can be used to override the template in areas where lanes are widening or working with ditches.  By using point controls…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: AutoCAD Civil 3D Object Enabler

Written by:  Bryan Sullivan Although AutoCAD Civil 3D is built on AutoCAD, Civil 3D objects such as surfaces, alignments, profiles, and other objects created…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Advanced Explorer search options

Written by:  Rod Wing Project Explorer has been renamed Explorer in MicroStation CONNECT Edition. Along with the renaming comes a lot of new features. One of…
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SUDA Tip: Create a New Feature Definition

Written by:  Robert Garrett You will note that there are 6 types of feature definitions which can be defined from the Project Explorer. Linear, Point and…
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OpenRoads Survey Tip: What is different with field coding in SS4?

Written by:  Bob Mecham If you are coming from an InRoads, GEOPAK or MXROAD Survey coding system, OpenRoads technology necessitates some changes for how field…
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OpenRoads Tip: Use Plan View Snap to Lock Civil Accudraw in Profile

Written by:  Bob Mecham Did you know that with Civil AccuDraw you can work both in the plan view and profile view while placing a geometry element.  In this…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Enhanced Configuration Variables dialog

Written by Rod Wing The Configuration Variable dialog in MicroStation CONNECT Edition has been updated to allow for a more customized display and easier…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Civil 3D 2017 Introduces the Ability to Create Data Shortcuts for Corridors

Written by Ben Johnson Creating data shortcuts for sharing data in the form of Civil 3D objects is nothing new. However, until now this functionality did not…
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SUDA Tip: Importing Pipes from Legacy Drainage Files (InRoads and GEOPAK)

Written by:  Robert Garrett In the previous SUDA tip we discussed how you can import from GEOPAK Drainage and InRoads S&S into SUDA and automatically…
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SUDA Tip: Importing Legacy Drainage Files from InRoads and GEOPAK

Written by Robert Garrett Importing legacy drainage projects into Subsurface Utilities Design and Analysis (SUDA) is easy and is accomplished from the menu:…
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OpenRoads Tip: Civil AccuDraw Working in Profile Views

Written by:  Bob Mecham By now you have probably seen or maybe even started using Civil AccuDraw with Horizontal Geometry.  Did you know that Civil AccuDraw…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: PVC, HDPE and Steel pressure pipe parts catalogs come out-of-the-box with Civil 3D 2017

Written by Ben Johnson About 2 years ago, I wrote a couple of articles outlining how to create new pipe network parts, and how to add them to a parts…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Select Model to Open

Written by:  Rod Wing In the MicroStation CONNECT start screen if a file in the Recent Files listing has multiple models you can select the specific model to…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Service Packs, Hotfixes, and Updates for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 and AutoCAD Map 3D 2016

Updated January 25, 2017 AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 and Map 3D have been released for a while now. There have been many service packs, hotfixes, and updates issued…
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OpenRoads Tip: Playing By the (Civil) Rules

Bentley’s OpenRoads Technology has brought with it brand new ways of creating and editing geometry. Built into the geometry elements themselves is the…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Element Properties

Written by Rod Wing In MicroStation CONNECT the Element Information dialog has been renamed to Properties. The dialog functions the same way as in previous…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Model and Layout Tabs in Civil 3D 2016

Written by:  Ben Johnson There is a new feature in Civil 3D 2016 wherein the model and layout tabs are placed in-line with the status bar. I believe this…
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OpenRoads Tip: Exit Dynamic Cross Section View

Written by Darren Waschow Once you have set a view window to display dynamic cross sections, it might not be obvious how to get it back to a normal view.…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Shorter Trial Mode

In previous versions of MicroStation you only needed to communicate with the license server once every 30 days. This meant that if you were working remotely…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Using Named Plot Styles with Civil 3D Styles: Your Mileage May Vary

Written by Bryan Sullivan AutoCAD Civil 3D allows a drawing file to be created using color dependent plot styles or named plot styles. I created a drawing…
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MicroStation Tip: XYZ Text

Delivered with MicroStation is a toolbar that will label coordinates in the file and import/export coordinates.  From the MicroStation pulldown menu select…
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OpenRoads Tip: How do I get my Mini Toolbar back?

Written by:  Bob Mecham In OpenRoads depending on what type of element you select and hover on; a mini toolbar with context sensitive menu will appear. Below…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Model Properties

Written by:  Rod Wing In MicroStation CONNECT Edition the old Element Information dialog has been renamed Properties. Continuing the trend we saw in…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Automate Sheet Naming/Numbering from Layout Tab Names

Written by Ben Johnson When creating sheets in Civil 3D, such as plan & profile sheets, the sheet creation wizard offers a layout naming template which…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Cell Library Dialog

Written by Rod Wing MicroStation CONNECT has a new look – Cell Library Dialog.   The Active Cells buttons for setting Placement, Point, Terminator,…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Convert a Single DWG to DGN

1. In AutoCAD Civil 3D, open a DWG drawing file to convert to MicroStation DGN. 2. From the Application Menu select Export > Export Civil 3D Drawing  …
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InRoads Tip: AccuSnap in InRoads

If you have been using MicroStation AccuSnap you probably have noticed that it does not work when using an InRoads command. Hold down the ‘Ctrl’…
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OpenRoads Tip: Black and Blue Manipulator Preference

Written by Bob Mecham After working in OpenRoads for a while you may notice that the size and color of the Manipulator is rather hard to read.  Maybe I am…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Add Custom Tools to the Ribbon

Written by Rod Wing The Menu Bar pull downs are no longer supported in MicroStation CONNECT. Many organizations created custom pull downs for organizing…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Civil 3D 2016 Data Shortcut Manager

Written by Ben Johnson A new feature introduced in Civil 3D 2016 is the Manage Data Shortcuts command. This command gives the user a really nice dialog for…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Bring back the Tasks Dialog

Written by:  Rod Wing As you probably know MicroStation CONNECT employs a ribbon style interface similar to Microsoft Office and AutoCAD. We recommend that…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: To Copy, or Not To Copy

Written by:  Bryan Sullivan A Civil 3D user can become more productive by reproducing existing design elements within a drawing rather than creating them from…
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MicroStation CONNECT: Associating Files to a WorkSet

Written by: Rod Wing One of the many changes in the MicroStation CONNECT Workspace is that the former Project setting has been replaced by WorkSet.  This is…
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OpenRoads Tip: 5 Things to Know When Working with Superelevations

Written by:  Bob Mecham Working with superelevations in the OpenRoads SS4 release is much different from previous versions of InRoads or GEOPAK. Here are 5…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Adding Sample Lines in the Middle of the Existing Sample Line Group

Written by Ben Johnson Have you ever created a group of corridor section views, done a bunch of labeling edits to your automated code set labels; and then…
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MicroStation Tip: What’s New in V8i (SELECTseries 3) Update 2

Written by:  Bob Mecham With the release of the new OpenRoads – V8i (SELECTseries 4) Maintenance Release 1 comes a new release of MicroStation V8i…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Missing Properties Palette in Civil 3D 2014

Written by Ben Johnson One day you are working in Civil 3D 2014 to find that your Properties Palette you use so often is nowhere to be found. You look…
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MicroStation Tip: Rendering Material Assignments in Google Earth

Written by: Bob Mecham Credit to: Margaret Valletta – McFarland Johnson I was providing professional guidance to Margaret on a 3D rendering project.…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Converting Civil 3D Parcels to GIS Shapefiles

Written by:  Bryan Sullivan Here is a workflow for translating parcels with associated attributes, such as parcel number and parcel area; into shapefiles for…
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OpenRoads Tip: Change Profile Symbology of your Terrain

Wrtitten by Bob Mecham Does your Terrain Element end up on level Default when you view your Profile? With a little setup of your Feature Definition and Element…
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MicroStation Tip – Aligning Patterns

Written by Bob Mecham When patterning or hatching a detail it is beneficial to be sure the patterns align between adjacent elements.  This can be done by…
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OpenRoads Tip: Reference Terrain and Display Override

Written by Bob Mecham It is common to reference your design file that has the Terrain Element to your geometry or sheet models.  However, you may not see what…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Reproject Aerial Images Using Map Task Pane

Written by:  Ben Johnson Say you are working on a project in a county coordinate system, but you only have access to an aerial image in UTM. You will…
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OpenRoads Tip: Three Ways to Change the Starting Station

Written by Bob Mecham By default the starting station for OpenRoads Geometry is always 0+00.  There are three ways to modify this value. Number 1: Go to Tasks…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Undocumented command CONVERTLINEWORKTOMASKBLOCK

Written by:  Ben Johnson There is an undocumented command in Civil 3D called CONVERTLINEWORKTOMASKBLOCK which does exactly what the command name itself…
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MicroStation Tip: Keyin to Toggle between AccuDraw and Civil AccuDraw

Written by Mark Templeman – Senior Transportation Designer at JEO Consulting Group, Inc. At last months Nebraska User Group 2015 spring conference Mark…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: User-Defined Properties for Parcels

Written by:  Bryan Sullivan Create a User-Defined Property Classification Classifications are used to organize sets of User-Defined Properties. In this…
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Bentley OpenRoads Tip: 4 Things I Learned While Creating My First Civil Cell

Written by:  Ben Johnson OpenRoads is new technology from Bentley, and one of the most impressive aspects of this new, dynamic modeling environment is Civil…
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Power InRoads Tip: 3 Things I Learned Using Civil AccuDraw for the First Time

Civil AccuDraw is the civil-specific version of MicroStation AccuDraw. Both are intuitive, precision drafting tools. Civil AccuDraw goes beyond MicroStation…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Geotechnics Module Add-on for Subscription Members

Written by Ben Johnson The Geotechnics Module Add-on for Civil 3D, which is available for download to subscription members, is a really great tool for modeling…
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OpenRoads Tip: Create Element Templates from the XIN

Written by Bob Mecham Now that you are moving to OpenRoads Technology, you understand Element Templates will be part of your configuration. Element templates…
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MicroStation Tip: Working with Linestyles – Scale, Shift, Direction

Written by Bob Mecham Scale Here is a key-in I had to dig up for a project I was working on. All of my existing custom linestyles were placed in… Read more »
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Take Control of the Corridor Section Editor UI

The Corridor Section Editor is a powerful design tool. It provides the ability to view and edit a Civil 3D corridor by displaying a step by step walk through…
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MicroStation Tip: AccuDraw Focus

Written by:  Bob Mecham If you have ever worked with AccuDraw you know keeping the focus in the AccuDraw dialog can be troublesome.  There is a setting in…
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CAD Manager Tip: Bentley Licensing

Written by:  Dave Wahl, CAD Systems Specialist at Bergmann Associates In SELECTserver there is a functionality called Custom Activation Groups.  This allows…
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OpenRoads Tip: 3D Elements from Survey Data

Written by:  Bob Mecham OpenRoads Survey can automatically create 3D elements in your CAD file. Some uses are pipes, trees, and utility structures such as…
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OpenRoads Tip: Attach Media Files to Survey Data

Written by:  Bob Mecham OpenRoads Survey allows users to attach media files such as photos, movies and sounds to survey data. Beginning in 08.11.09.674,…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Problem Adding Image Through Map Task Pane

Written by Ben Johnson AutoCAD Map 3D is model-based GIS and mapping software from Autodesk. The Map 3D functions are available for use in Civil 3D through the…
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MicroStation Tip: When Levels Won't Delete

Written by Bob Mecham. Problem is you have a Level in your Level Manager dialog that just won’t delete.  The level is bold meaning there is something…
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InRoads Tip: Place Coordinate Grid

Written by Bob Mecham. Use the Place Coordinate Grid tool in InRoads to layout simple grid lines or points. 1. Place either a MicroStation Shape or Fence in…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: It's All in the Expression

By:  Bryan Sullivan Our corridor is designed and we’re ready to cut cross sections. We have a Code Set Style assigned to generate the labels we wish to…
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OpenRoads Tip: Working with Survey Settings

Written by: Bob Mecham In OpenRoads Technology (SS3 and beyond) standards are managed through the use of *.dgnlibs. This includes settings for survey items…
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VBA Tip: Create Portable Functions

Written by Rod Wing Once you begin writing VBA tools for one application you will probably expand to writing VBA tools for other applications as well. That’s…
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MicroStation Tip: Set Reference Presentation – View Flags

Written by: Bob Mecham You are probably aware of using View Attributes in MicroStation.  The View Attributes dialog allows you to affect whether and how…
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MicroStation Tip: Import Linestyles into a DGN Library

Written by: Bob Mecham Linestyles can be delivered in the workspace two ways.  One option is to point to the Linestyle resource file (RSC) using the variable…
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InRoads Tip: Place Dimensions in Roadway Designer

Written by: Bob Mecham Place Temporary Dimension Line Having the ability to view horizontal distances and slopes as you step through your section view of…
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VBA TIP: Maximize the MicroStation ElementEnumerator

Written by Rod Wing   The MicroStation ElementEnumerator object can be populated from a variety of sources: scan criteria, fences, selection sets, and complex…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Converting Civil 3D Alignments to ArcGIS Shapefiles

Written by Ben Johnson Alignments, like other Civil 3D objects, cannot be directly exported to shapefiles, but instead need to first be converted to AutoCAD…
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InRoads Tip: Display References in Roadway Designer

Written by: Bob Mecham As part of the InRoads design process it can be useful to display all the necessary design features in Roadway Designer instead of…
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MicroStation Tip: Selecting your DWG Version

Written by Rod Wing When you install MicroStation the AutoCAD Real DWG library is also installed.  The Real DWG library allows MicroStation to work with…
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VBA Tip: Pick the Right Element

Written by Rod Wing Anyone who has done any MicroStation VBA programming, or recorded a MicroStation VBA macro, knows about the CADInputQueue class. Many…
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MicroStation Tip: Raster Manager Cache Manager

To facilitate quicker raster image display, Raster Manager will create temporary cache files of certain image types. The cached image files will be subsets, or…
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InRoads Tip: Modify End Condition Priority Conflicts

Written by: Bob Mecham When working with End Conditions in your InRoads, GEOPAK, or OpenRoads Templates depending on the order that you added the end…
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VBA Tip: Using the With Statement

The With statement allows for specifying members of an object or user-defined type in a more efficient and easier to read format. Each With statement…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Migrating Data Shortcuts

by Ben Johnson Data Shortcuts are a very important feature of Civil 3D for sharing data. When used properly, this powerful tool can make data sharing among…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: 2D Measurements on 3D Objects

by Ben Johnson   Have you ever wanted a quick 2D measurement when snapping to 3D objects such as cogo points, feature lines, surfaces or any other Civil…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Creating User-Defined Point Properties and Import Formats

by Ben Johnson Point data can come with a large number of unique attribute fields such as multiple elevations on a soil boring. A point can only have one…
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InRoads Tip: Vertical Annotation Curve Leader Terminator

Written by: Bob Mecham For a long time it was not possible to edit the leader arrow when using the View Vertical Annotation dialog.  The arrow had been hard…
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MicroStation Tip: Apply Elevation to Shapefile Attachments

Attached shapefile graphics by default are attached with a Z coordinate (Elevation) value of 0. Starting in MicroStation v8i (SELECTseries 3) elevations can be…
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VBA Tip: The IIF Statement

The IIf statement is a shorthand type of If..Then..Else statement. It evaluates a conditional expression then returns one value if the expression is true,…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Mark Point Subassembly and Assembly Construction Order

Written by Ben Johnson One handy use for the generic Autodesk subassembly MarkPoint is to effectively code an uncoded point on an already composed subassembly…
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MicroStation Tip: Automate Coordinate Entries

Written by Rod Wing For those of you who have had to do a lot of coordinate entry in MicroStation, either through the key-in browser or using AccuDraw, you…
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VBA Tip: Monitoring Variable Changes

The Watch toggle button in the Debug toolbox opens or closes the Watch window. Individual variables and expressions can be watched for different…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Improve Performance and Speed of Civil 3D

Written by Ben Johnson Civil 3D drawings can often times become quite large and data intensive. Any increase in performance of handling and displaying this…
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MicroStation Tip: Modify Dimension Text

Editing text in a dimension can be done the same as editing any other text in the file. Text Toolbar Open the Text toolbar from the pulldown menu: Tools…
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MicroStation Tip: Editing Cells Quickly

Hopefully by now you have been using MicroStation V8 and have realized how nice Cell Library management has become. Here is one more tip that should help you…
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MicroStation Tip: Coordinate Input

Written by Bob Mecham.   Placing elements in MicroStation is usually done one of two ways: absolute coordinates or relative to an existing point.…
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VBA Tip: Message Box Buttons

Written by Rod Wing.   Message Boxes are most often used as a means to quickly display information to the user. Message boxes can also be used to get…
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MicroStation Tip: Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)

Written by Bob Mecham. MicroStation can import files from external application such as Microsoft Word and Excel. Link an Excel Sheet to MicroStation: 1. Open…
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MicroStation Tip: Keypoint Snap

Written by Bob Mecham. The Keypoint snap mode is often the most useful snap mode for drafting operations. This is because the Keypoint snap mode snaps to…
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MicroStation Tip: Multi-snap and Setting Priority

Written by Bob Mecham. Multi-snap is an extension of AccuSnap allowing the user to use more than one snap at a time. For example, Keypoint, Nearest, and…
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MicroStation Tip: Send to Back

Written by Bob Mecham. When conducting MicroStation V8 user training we cover the Edit > Bring to Front command. During the course of the demonstration of…
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MicroStation Tip: Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

Written by Bob Mecham. Text Editor When int he Text Editor Dialog box there are some useful keyboard shortcuts to help you get around. – Ctrl+C (Copy…
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VBA Tip: Input Boxes

Written by Rod Wing.   Like a Message Box, the InputBox displays a modal dialog with a message/prompt string and a tile. With an InputBox there are…
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MicroStation Tip: Moving Elements to Elevation

Written by Bob Mecham. MicroStation has the ability to use relative values with a “#”. When using the XY=key-in you can type # and the value will…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: How To Create New Parts for Pressure Pipe Catalogs

Written by Ben Johnson.   In the last tip, I outlined how to add pipe materials/sizes to Pressure Pipe Catalogs in Civil 3D. This is a follow-up to that…
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MicroStation Tip: Dimension Audit Utility

Written by Bob Mecham. This utility is used to verify dimensioning in the active model. All the dimensioning is located and any errors are reported. Open the…
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MicroStation Tip: V8i SS3 with Google Earth and Map

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we will assign a coordinate system to a MicroStation DGN file and then export the file to a Google Earth KML file.…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: How to Add New Pipes to Pressure Pipe Catalogs

Written by Ben Johnson.   Pressure Pipe Networks are fairly new to Civil 3D, and anyone who has worked with them has noticed that Civil 3D only comes loaded…
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VBA Tip: Get Current Value of All Your Variables

Written by Rod Wing.   The Locals toggle button in the Debug toolbox opens or closes the Locals window.   The Locals window will display all of…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Properly Position GeoTIFF Images

Written by Ben Johnson. It can be useful and/or desirable to insert an aerial photo of the construction site when working on a project in Civil 3D. Using a…
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VBA Tip: Trim Text Input

Written by Rod Wing.   The Trim$ function removes any leading or trailing space characters from a string. ' returns "abc" strValue = Trim$ ("     abc…
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MicroStation Tip: Manage Font Utilities

Credit goes to Kae Calloway at Dominion.   To add a font to a Resource file (*.rsc),: 1. Open the Keyin dialog box – Utilities > Key-in 2. Mdl…
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MicroStation Tip: 3D Civil Content for MicroStation Visualization

Written by Bob Mecham.   I am often asked, “Where do you get 3D MicroStation Cells and other 3D content?”  There are a number of free and pay…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Adding Extended Data to Objects

Written by Bryan Sullivan.   AutoCAD Civil 3D allows extended data to be added to drawing objects. With the NOTES command, you can add either detailed or…
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VBA Tip: Debug

Written by Rod Wing.   The Debug function is useful for setting conditional break expressions and for printing informational messages during execution of…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2014 New Feature: Extract Corridor Solid

Written by Bryan Sullivan.   The Extract Corridor Solids command (aeccEXPORTCORRIDORTOSOLIDS) provides functionality that allows you to extract AutoCAD solids…
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MicroStation Tip: Apply Element Template to Shapefile Attachment

Written by Rod Wing.   ArcView Shapefiles contain the graphics of individual GIS layers, but the graphics have no color, weight, or line style symbology.…
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VBA Tip: Call Stack

Written by Rod Wing.   When in break mode, selecting the Call Stack button in the Debug toolbox displays the Call Stack window. The call stack…
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VBA Tip: Variable Declaration

Written by Rod Wing. Declare all your variables VBA does not require you to declare any variables, but it is highly recommended that you do so. Variables that…
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MicroStation Tip: Mouse Mechanics

Written by Bob Mecham.   Mouse functionality has been greatly expanded by the inclusion of useful tools assigned to the typical two button mouse with…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D Tip: Mask or Boundary? What's the Difference?

Written by Bryan Sullivan.   AutoCAD Civil 3D has many useful tools to alter and refine the output of surface models.  We may want to alter the contour…
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VBA Tip: Object-Variable Naming

Written by Rod Wing. Variable (or object) naming standards in the programming world can be compared to layer/level naming standards in the CAD world. Just as…
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MicroStation Tip: Align Tool

Written by Bob Mecham.   From the Manipulate toolbox, the Align tool will help you align elements and text to an edge of an existing element.   Align…
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MicroStation Tip: Backup and Undo

Written by Bob Mecham Ever make a mistake? Who hasn’t, save yourself some grief. Backup Keyin: backup By keying in the word ‘backup’…
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Comparing Floating Point Numbers

Written by Rod Wing   Transforming coordinates is a common task in many AutoCAD and MicroStation VBA programs. Coordinates in both applications are stored…
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Selection Drag Port-Starboard or Starboard-Port

This tip has been translated to Pirateese in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day. In t’ V8i release o’ MicroStation t’ Element Selection overlap…
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Playing With Blocks – Attributes

Now that we have discovered the power of visibility states in my previous tip, let’s move forward with exploring other ways to enhance your blocks. This…
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Error Handling

All but the simplest of macros will need to deal with illegal inputs, files not being found, and other unexpected results. VBA provides the On Error GoTo…
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MicroStation Tip: Activate Reference for Editing

Written by Bob Mecham. A new powerful enhancement to V8i MicroStation is the ability to edit reference files with in the active design file. By simply right…
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Opening a Web Browser to a Specific Page

Written by Bob Mecham. Does your company have their own internal standards or project standards on a  particular web page? By customizing MicroStation pull…
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Testing for the Existence of a File

Written by Rod Wing. Many times in a macro you will need to determine if a file exists prior to opening it in an application, or using the Open…
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Playing With Blocks – Visibility States

Blocks are a very powerful tool within Autodesk’s® Civil 3D. The utilization of blocks can assist in maximizing the efficiency, and uniformity of your…
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Double Quote Characters in String Variables

Written by Rod Wing. As you may know, when assigning a text string to a string variable the text is enclosed in “double quotes”. If you need to have…
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Different Coordinate Values Same Point

Written by Bob Mecham.   The two MicroStation tools I use the most for labeling coordinates are XYZ Text and Civil/Site Tools. Both set of toolboxes…
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Controlling the Origin of a Copy/Paste

Written by Bob Mecham   Using the Windows Clipboard you can easily copy design elements from one design file to the next.  Prior to copying the elements…
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Save User Inputs as Default Settings

Written by Rod Wing.   Many times in a macro you want to save user input so that it is stored and then recalled as the program’s default values…
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Move Part of a Cell

Written by Bob Mecham.   Do you find yourself needing to move only a part of a cell and your CAD Manager tells you not to drop any cells? Well… Read…
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ByRef and ByVal

Written by Rod Wing.    The ByRef and ByVal keywords are used when passing variables to subroutines and functions. Passing arguments by reference (ByRef)…
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Putting your Macro to Sleep

Sometimes it is necessary to suspend the operation of your macro for a certain length of time. There is no native function to do this in VBA so we are… Read…
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Reading/Writing Text Files

Being able to read from and write to text files in VBA is useful for the import/export of coordinate data as well as other file and configuration parameters.…
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Placing a North Arrow in a Rotated View

Written by Bob Mecham.  Placing a North Arrow in a rotated view such as a plan and profile sheet can be done right the first time if you use AccuDraw… Read…
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Change AccuDraw Display

Written by Bob Mecham.  There is a handy little key-in that will change the rectangular display of AccuDraw. Using the below key-in you can change the X Y…
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Arrays

Efficient Array Looping VBA provides the LBound and UBound functions for retrieving the lower and upper bounds of an array.  When looping through an array…
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Customizing Values in AccuDraw Popup Calculator

Written by Bob Mecham. To take the AccuDraw with Popup Calculator another step further than Complex Expressions. Popup Calculator has an added feature…
Tip

AccuDraw Popup Calculator and the use of Complex Expressions

Written by Bob Mecham. To take the AccuDraw with Popup Calculator one step further I will show some of the uses of “=” function.  The popup calculator…
Tip

Civil 3D – Make Smooth Pipes in Section View

Written by Eric Gates. Are your Civil 3D pipes not smooth in your section views? Do they look more like diamonds then pipes? Here is a little gem that…
Tip

Take a look at Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM)

Written by Eric Gates. Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler.  Discover the opportunities this tool can provide you. Have you seen the Autodesk Infrastructure…
Tip

MicroStation Messages

MicroStation is fairly consistent in how it displays prompts and messages in the Status bar at the bottom of the window. To make your macros mimic standard…
Tip

AccuDraw with Popup Calculator

Written by Bob Mecham. You can keep your calculator turned off when you need to perform math functions in MicroStation.  Using the popup calculator math…
Tip

InRoads Survey Point Rename

Written by Bob Mecham. In the current release of InRoads Survey V8i (SELECTseries) there is a tool that will allow you to rename/ renumber the observations and…
Tip

AutoCAD WS Now Supports Civil 3D Drawings

Written by Eric Gates. AutoCAD WS Now Supports Civil 3D Drawings Autodesk announces, “AutoCAD Civil 3D drawings are supported on all of AutoCAD WS platforms…
Tip

AccuDraw & Bearing KeyIns

Written by Bob Mecham. Need to key-in bearings? Here is a little known trick that makes this easier. First, set your AccuDraw settings to read-out in…
Tip

Toolsettings Key-ins

The CadInputQueue.SendCommand and CadInputQueue.SendKeyin methods are easy ways for programmers to automate MicroStation tasks in their VBA macros.  One…
Tip

Message Boxes

Written by Rod Wing. Message Boxes are a means to quickly display information to the user.  Message boxes can also used to get basic Yes/No or Boolean type…
Tip

Use Subassembly Composer – Create a Civil 3D Subassembly

Written by Eric Gates. Create subassemblies for Civil 3D with the user-friendly interface of Subassembly Composer The  Autodesk Subassembly Composer has been…
Tip

AutoCAD Grips: Move, Copy, Paste as Block

Written by Bob Mecham. AutoCAD grip editing using the Right Click +Drag method Select an object Hover your cursor over a grip and pause Hold down the Right…
Tip

Autocad Customization – Set System Variables

Written by Eric Gates. Using acad.lsp and acaddoc.lsp to set application variables, and drawing variables A good place to start with AutoCAD customization is…
Tip

VBA Macro Arguments

Written by Rod Wing. MicroStation VBA allows for supplying arguments in a macro call, most other VBA implementations including the Microsoft Office apps to do…
Tip

Drawing Cleanup & Duplicate Removal Tool – AutoCAD

Written by Eric Gates.  The OVERKILL command can be used to clean up your drawing by combining connected co-linear objects, optimizing polylines and…
Tip

Access Drawing Templates in the Toolspace – AutoCAD Civil 3D

Written by Eric Gates. Access Drawing Templates in the Toolspace Managing, updating, distributing and coordinating  the many drawing templates for Civil 3D…
Tip

Using Recursion in VBA

Written by Rod Wing. Using Recursion in VBA Recursion is a programming technique where a sub or function calls itself. There are many examples where this can…
Tip

Reference AutoCAD to MicroStation and coordinates do not match

Written by Bob Mecham. We have taken this support call twice in the last month so I thought I would share a solution with everyone in case you have the… Read…
Tip

Set Culvert and Headwall Using Dynamic Feature Lines and Pipe Networks in Civil 3D

Here is a rather simple Civil 3D work flow to create a dynamic elevation location of a culvert pipe crown daylight (See Figure below) from an existing surface…
Tip

Attaching Images in AutoCAD

Here is a simple tip to manage images in AutoCAD. It applies to images used frequently or when working with multiple images that need to be inserted into…
Tip

VBA Source Code Samples

Written by Rod Wing. Sometimes you need ideas on how to accomplish a certain task in a VBA macro. The VBA Help file is a great place to start for… Read more…
Tip

Saved Views now store Reference Display States

Written by Bob Mecham. Recreating plots in MicroStation has never been easier With the release of MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3) we now have the ability to…
Tip

Multiple Support File Paths with no changes to Civil 3D Path Settings

A simple way to make Civil 3d’s out of the box file and path locations use the files you need from various locations and or agency configured directory…
Tip

How to Set the Number of Lines in the Command History

When pressing F2 to look at the command line history, is the number of lines shown less than you want to see. To set a new maximum number of lines… Read more…
Tip

Use key-in commands when learning VBA

Written by Rod Wing. Use key-in commands when learning VBA Non-programmers attempting to learn VBA can be easily overwhelmed by the complicated object…
Tip

Change the InRoads Roadway Designer background screen color to white

Written by Bob Mecham. White background for the Roadway Designer dialog Whether you have a personal preference to use white as your background color or you…
Tip

Civil 3D Interface Settings (Profiles)

Written by Bob Mecham. How to make a profile current when launching Civil 3D  About Profiles Profiles store drawing environment settings which can be set and…
Tip

Load AutoCAD Faster with NoLogo

Written by Bob Mecham. When launching AutoCAD do you have to wait through the Logo-loading process?  Every time you start AutoCAD do you see what is in Figure…
Tip

Google Map Integration with MicroStation

Locate your project in Google Maps With the release of MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3) we now have the ability to integrate Google Maps with MicroStation. …
Tip

Horizontal scrolling on List Box controls

The VBA UserForm List Box control automatically adds a vertical scrollbar when the number of lines exceeds what can be displayed. The same is not true for…
Tip

Customizing Sheet Models in MicroStation

The default sheet sizes are referenced from the sheetsizes.def file. To create your own custom definitions copy this file to your corporate workspace folder.…
Tip

Civil 3D Command Line Autocomplete

When you use the Command Line or Dynamic Input Cursor sometimes a wonderful thing happens, the application makes suggestions of commands,  or variables, a…
Tip

VBA Date Comparisons

VBA has native Date functions as well as a Date data type that allow for comparing and storing date information. The DateAdd function returns a future date (or…
Tip

Save your Favorite Locations in AutoCAD

Save your Favorite Locations in the Places List When, Opening, Saving or creating a New drawing in AutoCAD, do you find yourself constantly maneuver through…
Tip

Bentley DGN reader for Windows 7

Save time finding the right files using Bentley DGN reader for Windows 7 With the release of MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3) we now have the ability to…
Tip

What is New & Enhanced in Civil 3D 2013?

Civil 3D 2013 is out and available. If you are a Subscription member you can download your 2013 products and give it a test drive, meanwhile you can download …
Tip

Use BPOLY to create an AutoCAD Shrinkwrap entity

AutoCAD BPOLY command Instead of using commands such as Copy, Trim, Pedit with Join to create a closed polyline around multiple entities try using the BPOLY…
Tip

Terrain Models in MicroStation SELECTseries 3

MicroStation SS3 Terrain Models With the release of MicroStation V8i SELECTseries 3 we now have the ability to import a LandXML surface file into a DGN file. A…
Tip

Civil 3D Surface Display Settings

Civil 3D 2012 Increased performance for AutoCAD Civil 3D can be achieved by controlling how surface graphics display.  This can be useful when working in a…
Tip

Adding VBA Processing Status with a Cancel Option

Many applications provide a progress bar with a Cancel option for long running processes. VBA does not have a native progress bar control, but you can provide…
Tip

MicroStation Commands – Did you know?

MicroStation Gems – Screen Capture – 1 of 12 It’s all about productivity and profitability right? To stay competitive, stay in business, and…
Tip

Unload All UserForms

UserForms in VBA are the primary way to gather user input required for your macro. More complex macros may require the loading and unloading of multiple forms…
Tip

Unit Round Off

In MicroStation the round off of working units is controlled by the Settings > Design File > Working Units > Accuracy setting. This applies to both coordinate…
Tip

Clean Up After Yourself

You have probably heard some of these simple rules of life: – If you open something, close it – If you turn something on, turn it off – If…
Tip

VBA Help

MicroStation VBA has a very robust help system with many examples for common tasks. To get help on a VBA function, property, etc. hit F2 on the keyboard to…
Tip

Optimized Fence Clipping

There is a toggle that will allow you to fence clip elements in different fashions. Depending on how you want to your fence clipping operation to perform, it…
Tip

Protecting VBA’s

If you have done much MicroStation VBA development at all you realize how easy it is for a casual or curious user to open the VBA Editor and possibly…
Tip

Annotate MicroStation Graphics with InRoads

Now you can annotate MicroStation graphics using an InRoads Feature Style. This will allow you to label lines and arcs just as you would without having to…
Tip

Using the Macro Recorder to Capture Commands

The MicroStation VBA Macro Recorder is a useful tool beyond just capturing workflows for creating your own macros. A common dilemma for users wanting to create…
Tip

Use Constants for Common Values

Some developers will calculate common values in code every time they are needed in an application. This slows down your application as it has to calculate the…
Tip

Autorun MicroStation VBA

A common question asked by new VBA developers is how to automatically start a macro when you start MicroStation. There are several steps involved in this…
Tip

3D Primitive Solids Slab and Pyramid

In this tutorial we will demonstrate the 3D primitive solids tools using AccuDraw. We will build a street light using the Slab Solid and Pyramid Solid tools.
Tip

MicroStation GetInput

For those of you still wanting to convert MicroStation User Commands (UCM’s) to VBA one way to ease your transition is to use the VBA CadInputQueue.GetInput…
Tip

New Reference Attachment Options

In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to attach a reference file using different methods. ; First we will begin with Coincident and Coincident – World…
Tip

MicroStation Element Enumerator

Many MicroStation vba’s use the ElementScanCriteria to build a list of elements in a model that match a set of selection criteria. The ElementEnumerator…
Tip

MicroStation Debug

Sometimes you need to know what configuration variables are being set, and when they are being set. It could be that you are creating a new workspace, editing…
Tip

String to MicroStation Master Unit Conversion

MicroStation allows users to input units as Sub Units by preceding the value with either a colon, “:6”, or two dots, “..6”. Users may also enter unit…
Tip

User interface related code only in User Forms

A common practice for beginning developers is to place the macro processing code in the OK (or Apply) button click event sub of a User Form. While this may…
Tip

Working with a 3D File – Display Depth and Active Depth

Here are solutions to a couple of the most common issues we hear about. Key-ins: (watch your prompt & message fields) AZ=? will display your ‘active…
Tip

Implement VB.Net Style Error Trapping

As you may know, Microsoft is phasing out VBA and encouraging developers to start using VB.Net. Some VBA code can be imported in to VB.Net and run without any…
Tip

Text Masking using Text Styles

When placing text in a plan sheet it is preferred that there is no line work or graphics behind the text. Having the graphics behind the text makes it…
Tip

Use VBA Constants and Enums

VBA contains many internal constants and enumerated types to provide consistency and more readable code. Some programmers like to bypass these internal types…
Tip

Element Display Order in 3D Design Files

In this tutorial we will show you the new procedure in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries) to control the display order of elements in a 3D design file. The…
Tip

Testing Form Text Entries

When using VBA forms for gathering text inputs you may want to test the values. This is particularly true when your application is expecting numeric text…
Tip

Drape an Image on a Surface

In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to drape an image onto a triangle or mesh surface.
Tip

String $ Functions

Use $ versions of string functions VBA provides two versions of some of the commonly used string functions such as TRIM and TRIM$, MID and MID$, LCASE and…
Tip

Longitude, Latitude Coordinate Input

In a previous tip we demonstrated how to obtain geographic coordinate readouts in MicroStation V8i and later releases. It is also possible to enter coordinate…
Tip

Test for empty string

Using the VBA Len function to test for empty string values will improve the performance of your applications. Dim strValue as String ' ' Typical method to test…
Tip

Rendering – Fur Settings for Grass

The ability to render realistic grass has been included in the (SELECTseries 2) release of MicroStation. Below are the steps and a couple tips on working with…
Tip

Preventing Multiple Instances of a Macro

It can be easy for a user to start multiple instances of your macro program, especially if it contains non-modal user forms. In some cases this may not be…
Tip

Attaching Point Clouds in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries)

The ability to reference Point Cloud data has been included in the (SELECTseries 2) release of MicroStation. It is as easy as attaching any reference file in…
Tip

Early Binding vs Late Binding

When connecting a macro with an external application, like Microsoft Excel, an object variable must be “bound” to an instance of the application’s…
Tip

Change Font Size in Word Processor Dialog

If the text in the word processor dialog is too small or jagged try increasing the display size with this key-in. “wordprocessor displayfontsize x”…
Tip

Run an External Program

Some macros need to run an external program (or script) as part of its execution. VBA provides the Shell function for this task. While this may be a simple…
Tip

Associative Annotation for Geometry

Tired of having to re-annotate stationing and geometry labels every time you make an edit to a horizontal or vertical alignment? Thanks to the InRoads V8i…
Tip

Environment Variables

In many macros you need access active session environment settings like username, computer name, etc. The easiest way to do this is using Windows environment…
Tip

Geographic Keyins

In MicroStation V8i and later releases that support geographic coordinate systems there are key-in commands available to manage coordinate system definitions.…
Tip

Geometry Extended Descriptions

In the InRoads V8i (SELECTseries 1) release there is additional information that can be pushed from the Survey Fieldbook to the Geometry Project. When Saving…
Tip

Longitude, Latitude Coordinate Readout

In MicroStation V8i and later releases that support geographic coordinate systems it is possible to obtain Longitude, Latitude coordinates from a design file.…
Tip

What Version of Windows?

Many organizations will have different versions of the windows operating system installed on their users’ computers. Occasionally your macros will need to…
Tip

Array Along Path

In the newer releases of MicroStation an option was added to the Construct Array tool. The older options included Rectangular and Polar now there is a new…
Tip

Sorting Layer/Level Names

When developing VBA macros for either AutoCAD or MicroStation it is often necessary to display a list of the layers/levels in the active file in either a…
Tip

Reference Orientation

New in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 1) is the ability for an existing attachment to have its attachment method changed without having to detach and then…
Tip

Obtaining Drive Information

The Windows Script Host Object Model has many useful properties and methods for dealing with files, folders, disks, etc. One common use is for checking the…
Tip

Create a Feature Table Report in InRoads Survey V8i (SELECTseries 1)

Since Bentley has moved to the XIN file format creating a simple Feature Table Report seemed lost. There is a new way of creating a Feature Table Report or…
Tip

Top Ten things worth mentioning about InRoads Suite V8i SS1

InRoads SELECTSeries 1 was released about a week ago and there are a few tools worth mentioning right away to get you excited about this release. The following…
Tip

Searching Sub-folders

The Windows Script Host Object Model has many useful properties and methods for dealing with files, folders, disks, etc. One common use is for searching for a…
Tip

New ACS Plane Snap in V8i

The new ACS Plane Snap has replaced the Depth Lock which was used in 3D files to keep elements placed as planar. In V8i the new way of placing elements… Read…
Tip

Text Field Place Holder

New in MicroStation V8i are Text Field Place Holders which will allow for the field to be undefined until used in a model. In this example we will use…
Tip

Open a web page, text file, pdf file, etc.

In many VBA applications it is useful to direct the user to a support web page, pdf file, or to a text file your application creates. Use the OpenDefaultApp…
Tip

Feature Name Override – Part 2

Last month we showed how to apply feature name overrides by editing individual template point names. Template point name overrides – renaming multiple points…
Tip

Subscription Advantage Pack

The Autodesk® Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 provides new functionality for importing and visualizing point clouds and…
Tip

Edit Corridor Section Dialog – Select a Station Incorrect

Have you ever tried editing a corridor section of a corridor with multiple baselines and the Select a Baseline and Select a Station drop-down list values in…
Tip

Feature Name Override

Here is a method to ensure features created in a design surface are both uniformly named and continuous. Template properties Point names must be unique when…
Tip

Trim Tools Updated in V8i SELECTSeries 1

In MicroStation V8i Select Series 1 the trim tools as you know them have been renamed and enhanced to become more productive for the user. Trim To Intersection…
Tip

Evaluating Multiple Expressions in an If Statement

It is common to have multiple expressions in an If statement using logical operators And, Or, etc. Remember that every expression in the If statement will…
Tip

Open, Import, or Attach Shapefiles without Bentley Map

In MicroStation V8i Select Series 1 the ability open ArcView Shapefiles (.shp) and MapInfo files (.mif, .tab) has been included without the need for Bentley…
Tip

For-Next Loop Optimization

The standard syntax for For-Next loops is to repeat the loop counter variable after Next (i.e. Next i). Placing the loop counter variable after Next is not…
Tip

Active Template Tab

While editing templates, access to additional information about the template is available by selecting the Active Template Tab. Some uses are: In the example…
Tip

Using the Quick Properties Palette

AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties can be quickly and easily modified using the Quick Properties palette. For each civil object, the name, description, style,…
Tip

Color Preferences finally stored as a Preference

In MicroStation V8i the ability to store color preferences for drawing background colors and element selection and highlight colors can finally be stored under…
Tip

Using the Windows File Open Dialog

When your VBA applications are required to open a file you can use the Windows Common Dialog Control to utilize the standard Windows Open file dialog. Add a…
Tip

Template Documentation Link

To add additional documentation to your Template Library there is the option to link external documents or websites that can add a quick link to supporting…
Tip

Adding .Net Macro Links to the Toolbox

The Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 allows users to link Toolbox entries to their .Net macros. This linking eliminates the need to issue…
Tip

Compute Pond Volumes

As a follow up to last months tip we thought we should share the InRoads hydrology tools that can be used for computing pond volumes. Hydrology Add-on From the…
Tip

Determine if an Application is Running

Sometimes your VBA applications have to communicate with another Windows application. In those situations it is useful to know if the other application is…
Tip

Reset Starting Number in Name Template

EXAMPLE Have you ever created an alignment, corridor region or other Civil 3D object and then find the ‘next counter’ number in the name is not starting at…
Tip

Declaring Objects

Working with objects in VBA can be somewhat tricky. They are declared similarly to a regular variable, but you also have to define a new instance of the object…
Tip

Viewing Corridor Surface Slopes

Viewing the corridor surface slopes allows you to evaluate the finish design surface of the corridor surface for minimum and maximum slopes. Perform a slope…
Tip

Generate Sloped Surface Command

New options have been added to the Generate Sloped Surface command that will make generating slopes easier than before. In the example below generate sloped…
Tip

Georeferenced Reference Attachments

In MicroStation V8i two geographic transformations have been added to the Orientation options that will perform on-the-fly reprojection of attachments with…
Tip

Commenting Blocks and Loops

Using nested block and loop structures is often a necessary part of any VBA macro. Multiple nested structures can be very long and difficult to follow when…
Tip

Control Code SPC

A new control code was added to the V8i release of Inroads. The Single Point arC (SPC) control code will add a through point curve when no PC or PT… Read…
Tip

Mark Point

The MarkPoint subassembly is used to mark an existing point on the assembly with a name. This is usually done so that other subassemblies can later insert…
Tip

Maximum Triangle Length

When working with a surface the triangle leg length can be constrained. By defining a maximum length of a triangle leg the surface will remove any triangles…
Tip

Modal versus Modeless Forms

A modal form is any form that prevents your macro from continuing, and restricts interaction with the parent application, until the form is closed. A modeless…
Tip

End Condition Transition

Here is a solution to transition end condition slopes over a station range vs. between template intervals. The problem: Abrupt transition of end condition…
Tip

Collections and Arrays

Collections in VBA are objects that can store groups of related items, much like an array. Unlike arrays, a single collection can store items of different…
Tip

Last Intercept with Surface

Creating an end-condition that finds the ‘last’ intercept with a surface. Create an End Condition The end condition required to accomplish this is really…
Tip

Remove Constraints from a Layout Profile

If you need to edit a layout profile subentity after it was created with a constraint from a Profile Layout Tool, copy the layout profile. This has to be…
Tip

Use Select Case instead of If-ElseIf

When performing multiple comparisons it is easy to get trapped into using multiple If-ElseIf statements. While that will certainly accomplish the task a…
Tip

Point Range Filter

In the V8i release of InRoads Survey a new enhancement will allow for the survey fieldbook to be filtered by point number range. Create a point number range…
Tip

Change Case

MicroStation V8i has added a Change Case selection to the right click menu in the Text Editor – Word Processor dialog. Simply right click in the text…
Video

Civil 3D Video Tip: Contour Specific Elevation

In this video tip we will show you how to display a contour at a specific elevation in Civil 3D.
Video

OpenRoads Designer Video Tip: Points Filter Tool

In this video we will show you the new tool in OpenRoads Designer v10.12. The Point Filter Tool will allow you to filter both Geometry Points and Survey Points…
Video

OpenRoads Designer Video Tip: Converting MicroStation Graphics to Civil Geometry

In this tutorial, we will show you how to take MicroStation graphics or graphics from InRoads and turn them into OpenRoads Designer Civil Geometry.
Video

OpenRoads Designer Video Tip: Display Contour at Specific Elevation

In this video tip, we will show you how to display only one elevation contour from a terrain model, i.e. High Water Contour. We will reference the terrain…
Video

OpenRoads Tip: The "Create Cross Section" Tool

In this tip Andrea Hall, Senior Consultant, will create drainage profiles using the Create Cross Section Tool.  
Video

OpenRoads Tip: Working with Geometry and Snap Constraints

Written by: Bob Mecham In this OpenRoads Geometry tutorial we will show you how Snap Constrains are created and how make sure that they are not used.  We will…
Video

OpenRoads Survey Tip – Create Terrain Model Exterior Boundary

Written by Bob Mecham In this tip, we will show you how to create an exterior boundary for a terrain model when it is generated from an OpenRoads Survey field…
Video

OpenRoads Tip – Create Terrain Element from Corridor and Add Exterior Boundary

Written by:  Bob Mecham In this tip we will show you how to create a terrain element from your corridor.  Then we will show you how to constrain the…
Video

3D Photo Match

In this tutorial we will demonstrate one workflow to create a photo simulation using MicroStation. Below are some items to consider before you take your first…
Video

OpenRoads Tip – Add a Spot Elevation to a Terrain

In this video tutorial we will show you the workflow for adding a 3D point to an OpenRoads Terrain Element.
Video

InRoads Tip: InRoads Survey Options Working with Symbols, Points, and Elevations

In this tutorial we will show you how to work with text that is displayed dynamically and written to graphics in InRoads Survey. We will look at the InRoads…
Video

InRoads Tip: Horizontal Geometry working with Stationing and Station Equations

Written by: Bob Mecham InRoads Tip: Horizontal Geometry working with Stationing and Station Equations In this tutorial we will look at viewing your horizontal…
Video

InRoads Tip: V8i SS2 Feature Editing – Radius Returns

Written by Ronald Brys.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.   Last Month’s Tips:                   MicroStation: 3D…
Video

InRoads Tip: GEOPAK Corridor Modeling – Cross Section Annotation

Written by Ronald Brys. Overview on how to annotate cross sections generated using Corridor Modeler in GEOPAK SELECTseries 2.   See all of our InRoads…
Video

InRoads Tip: InRoads Survey – Filtering Fieldbook Contents

Written by Ronald Brys. A fact that escapes a lot of InRoads Survey users is the ability to filter the contents of a fieldbook. Filtering can be used to limit…
Video

InRoads Tip: RWK File

Written by Ronald Brys. Managing Project Data.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.   Last Month’s Tips:           …
Video

InRoads Tip: Modeling a Conditional Curb

Written by Ronald Brys. Follow Up on Conditional Curb Openings Tip: Templates, Curbs and Driveway Openings.    See all of our InRoads tips on this…
Video

OpenRoads Terrain Elements

Written by Ronald Brys. A quick look at MicroStation terrain elements created from a DTM.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  …
Video

Computing Pond Values

Written by Ronald Brys. Using InRoads hydrology commands to compute water volumes.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.   Last…
Video

Fixed Slope Across a Surface

Written by Ronald Brys. Display a graphic at a defined cross slope relative to a surface.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  …
Video

Path of Water Flow

Written by Ronald Brys. Methods to display a graphic at a specified elevation.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.   Last…
Video

Graphic Display at a Fixed Elevation

Written by Ronald Brys. Methods to display a graphic at a specified elevation.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  
Video

InRoads Tracking Command

Written by Ronald Brys. Dynamic reporting and annotation of surface and alignment data.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  
Video

Horizontal Curve Radius Assignment

Written by Ronald Brys. In this tutorial we will define curve radii using the InRoads table editor.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube…
Video

Managing the Graphic Display of Features

Features are not part of a graphic group when displayed so it is not as easy as deleting triangles and contours. In this tutorial we will demonstrate an easy…
Video

Working with Civil Geometry

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we will demonstrate the Civil Geometry tools by creating an intersection.  We will show the geometric relationships…
Video

Traverse Adjustments with InRoads V8i

Written by Ron Brys. In this tutorial we will adjust open-ended and closed traverses (alignments). The tools shown are also useful for the input, creation and…
Video

Remove User Data – InRoads V8i

Written by Bob Mecham. When manipulating graphics displayed from InRoads in MicroStation those elements can disappear when the alignment is redisplayed.…
Video

Import LandXML into MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3) Annotate the Terrain Model

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we will import a LandXML file into MicroStation and view its feature properties.  Then we will review the annotation…
Video

Quick Profiles in Civil 3D 2012

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to create a Quick Profile using and object and points in the drawing area to view surface…
Video

Create Profiles from Multipoint and Graphics in InRoads V8i (SELECTseries)

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we will demonstrate creating profiles using the Multipoint and Graphics options. Adding a name to the Multipoint or…
Video

Vector Icons in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3)

Written by Bob Mcham. In this tutorial we will show you how to create and edit vector icons in MicroStation v8i (SELECTseries 3). Vector icons give users the…
Video

Using Parametric Constraints in Templates and Roadway Designer – InRoads V8i (SELECTseries)

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to define parametric constraints on points in the template.  Then we will use those…
Video

Templates, Curbs, and Driveway Openings – InRoads V8i (SELECTseries)

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we demonstrate a workflow for interchanging mountable and barrier curb sections. The Template contains end conditions…
Video

Working with MicroStation Views – Align and Copy

Written by Bob Mecham. In this tutorial we will demonstrate two commands that will help you work with multiple views in MicroStation. -The Align command aligns…
Video

Using Template Style Constraints for Street Reconstruction – InRoads V8i SELECTseries

Using Template Style Constraints to locate front of sidewalk In this tutorial we will demonstrate the use of a style constraint to tie to a feature. The…
Video

Template End Conditions Bypassing the First Intercept Point

Written by Bob Mecham. Bypassing the First Intercept – InRoads Roadway Designer In this tutorial we will demonstrate using an end condition that will…
Video

Import Graphics to create a Template – InRoads V8i

In this tutorial we will import MicroStation graphics to create an InRoads template.   See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.   Last…
Video

Water System Layout using InRoads Storm and Sanitary V8i (SELECTseries)

In this tutorial we will demonstrate one possible workflow for designing a water system layout using the tools in InRoads Storm and Sanitary.As you can see in…
Video

Using Point Cells in a Visualization – Tree Example

In this tutorial we will show a workflow for placing a number of trees into a MicroStation Visualization utilizing Point Cells. There are two properties of a…
Video

Storm and Sanitary Overview and Concepts – InRoads V8i

In this tutorial we will demonstrate some general workflows and concepts using InRoads Storm and Sanitary V8i (SELECTseries). See all of our InRoads tips on…
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Visualization Example – Trees, People, and Signs

In this tutorial we will show you a workflow for placing Trees People and Signs into your 3D rendered images with MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries). See all of…
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Vertical Profile Elevations

In this tutorial we will show you a number of workflows to track and annotate the elevations in a vertical profile. The tools we will show you include…
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Print Organizer Overview

In this tutorial we will give you an overview of the MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries) Print Organizer dialog and settings. See all of our MicroStation tips on…
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Importing Graphics to a Surface

In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to import MicroStation graphics into an InRoads Surface DTM. See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.…
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Working with Dialogs in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries)

In this tutorial we will work with dialogs in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries). We show you how to dock, hide, tab, and set transparency to a number of dialogs…
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Working with Lidar Data using Data Acquisition tools in InRoads V8i (SELECTseries)

In this tutorial we will show you how to import lidar data into MicroStation using the Data Acquisition tool. See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube…
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Geometry Tables in InRoads V8i (SELECTseries)

In this tutorial we will show you how to create a geometry table in InRoads. Then we will demonstrate how to place the geometry table in MicroStation V8i…
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What’s new with Fences

In this tutorial we will show you whats new with fences in MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries). The new tools include Copy Move Fence Contents, AccuSnap with…
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3D Primitive Solids – Slab, Cylinder, and Torus

In this tutorial we will demonstrate the 3D primitive solids tools using AccuDraw. We will build a bike rack using the Slab Solid, Cylinder Solid and Torus…
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BeTogether Conference 2011 Bentley Civil Keynote – SELECTseries 3 Preview
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3D Primitive Solids – Slab and Cone

In this tutorial we will demonstrate the 3D primitive solids tools using AccuDraw. We will build a traffic cone using the Slab Solid and Cone Solid tools. See…
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Template Component Priorities

In this tutorial we will show you how to test and edit cut and fill slope priorities in a template. See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube…
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Import LandXML to Create a Surface in InRoads V8i

In this tutorial we will show you how to create an InRoads Surface DTM by importing a LandXML file. See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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Display Underground Features in Profile and Cross Section

See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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Delete Triangle By Filter

In this tutorial we will show you how to use the new tool Delete Triangle by Filter in InRoads V8i (SELECTseries). This tool allows you to have better control…
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Creating a Parcel using Import from Graphics

In this video tutorial we will demonstrate how to create a parcel by using the Geometry Import from Graphics tool. See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube…
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Title Block Data Field in Plan and Profile Generator

In this tutorial we will show you how to use and setup the Plan and Profile Generator to use the Title Block Data File Name. Title block information will…
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Pad Design – InRoads Site Modeler

In this tutorial we will show a begining workflow for using InRoads Site Modeler. See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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Import Text File to create a Surface and Create Exterior Boundary

In this tutorial we will show a workflow for importing a text file to create a surface then constrain the triangles by creating an exterior boundary.
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Horizontal Alignment for Arc – Spiral – Arc

In this tutorial we will show you one possible workflow for creating a horizontal alignment that has a number of arcs with leading and trailing spiral…
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Dynamic Surface Display

In this tutorial we will take a look at the new dynamic display feature in InRoads V8i (SELECTseries). This feature will allow you to edit a surface and have…
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Thin Surface command

In this tutorial we will show you how to thin a surface that has been created from a number of random points such as bathymetric or lidar data. See all… Read…
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Persistent Annotation with InRoads Geometry

See all of our InRoads tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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Import Contours from Graphics

It is still common that you are given a file with just contours, no spot elevations and no breaklines. Your job is to create a DTM that will match…
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Applying Link Sets to Elements

In MicroStation V8i the ability to link elements to files, folders, keyins, and websites is handled through the Project Explorer dialog. By linking supporting…
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MicroStation 3D Solids Tutorial

In this tutorial we will look at some simple 3d tools for creating a flange. See all of our MicroStation tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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Import Lidar Data

In the InRoads V8i (SELECTseries 1) release there is a new tool called Data Acquisition. This tool can be used for acquiring many different data files from raw…
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Use Annotation Scale with References

MicroStation V8i has the added functionality to apply Annotation scale to reference file attachments. When you change the Annotation scale of the current model…
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Connect MicroStation V8i to a Web Map Server

MicroStation V8i has the added functionality to connect to a live Web Map Server (WMS). WMS is a standard for serving georeferenced map images over the…
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MicroStation V8i Open a DWG File

In this workflow demonstration we will open a DWG file into MicroStation V8i. See all of our MicroStation tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Export AEC Objects to a MicroStation V8 DGN File

In this workflow demonstration we will look at exporting AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Export AEC Objects to a MicroStation V8 DGN File. See all of our MicroStation…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Export to DGN

In this workflow we will export an AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 file to a MicroStation V8 DGN file format. See all of our MicroStation tips on this YouTube playlist.…
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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Import a MicroStation V8 DGN File

In this workflow demonstration we will import a MicroStation V8 DGN file into AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. See all of our MicroStation tips on this YouTube playlist.…
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MicroStation V8i Import a DWG File

In this workflow demonstration we will import a DWG file into MicroStation V8i. See all of our MicroStation tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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MicroStation V8i Save As a DWG File

In this workflow demonstration we will Save As a V8 DGN file to a DWG file. See all of our MicroStation tips on this YouTube playlist.  
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Exporting Civil 3D data to LandXML

If you need to share engineering data between software packages the best option would be to export your data to LandXML. Then the other application can import…
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Colors

Colors are no longer limited to only one color table with 256 colors. Colors can be selected from True Color, Industry Standard and User defined Color Books.…
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Gradient Fills

When placing closed elements gradient fills can be applied from the tool settings dialog. Options for gradient fills include one, two or multiple color…
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Match Element Symbology with the ALT Key

Pressing the Alt key then left clicking on an element will change the active symbology to the element selected. This works in the XM and V8i releases of…
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Create New Feature Styles and Named Symbologies

The Envision CAD Manager was built as an application to verify existing components in an XIN. However more comes into play when using the application. Seldom…
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MicroStation V8i Tip – Model Enhancements

In MicroStation V8i there is now the ability to open a different model in each view from one design file. The model is fully editable in the view. See…
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MicroStation Tip – Drag and Drop Attributes

For both MicroStation XM and V8i you have the ability to drag and drop an element from the design file to the Attributes toolbox to quickly change the current…
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MicroStation V8i Tip – Selection Enhancements

< In the V8i release of MicroStation the Element Selection overlap and inside mode works the same as other CAD packages. If you drag your cursor Left to…
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MicroStation V8i Tip – Element Selection Criteria

Expanding the Element Selection criteria of the dialog will display additional categories for selection such as Text Style, Dimension Style, Multi-Line Style,…
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MicroStation XM Tip – Pentable Level Wild Cards

In the XM and V8i release of MicroStation Pentables can use level wildcards to resymbolize elements.     View all of our MicroStation tips in this…
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MicroStation Tip – Explorer keyin

From the MicroStation Key-in Browser applications such as Internet Explorer, Notepad, and Windows Explorer can be opened. Adding application command line…