Transferring MicroStation Environmental Lines to MX

This page will explain the process of creating an MX model containing environmental information.

MX software is unable to transfer complex chains.

Preparing MX

It is recommended to establish a receiving model and drawing prior to transferring detail from MicroStation.

In MX, create an empty dpw file with the same name as the existing MicroStation environment drawing (12345env.dgn). Create a model called environment to store the new information.

Set the style and feature sets to env8.pss and env8.fns as shown below.

In the Create Model - Defaults panel, with Lock Style and Feature Set checked, select the button next to the style set name. Set the style set to publicstyles\env8.pss. The feature set for environment information should update to publicstyles\env8.fns. Click OK to save this information. Exit MX.

Preparing MicroStation

Generate a back-up copy of the existing environment drawing before continuing. Transferring the detail to MX will alter the elements on the drawing. You want the backup copy available to restore them to their initial state. Enter MicroStation.

The global origin may need to be reset on some metric projects. To check the current value, enter GO=? in the Key-in field. The Status box in the bottom of the MicroStation window should read GO=500,500,10000 for 3D drawings, or GO=500,500 for 2D drawings. If it doesn't, correct the origin by entering GO=-500,-500,-10000 (GO=-500,-500 for 2D drawings) in the Key-in area. Hit the Reset button to complete the command.

Transferring the Information to MX

If you are not a regular MX in MicroStation user, please read this caution statement.
If graphics from this drawing have been transferred to MX before, please read the caution statement.
With the ENV drawing open in MicroStation, start MX in MicroStation. To start MX in MicroStation, hit the F3 function key (NHDOT users), or load two MDL Applications (SP.ma & MfM.ma). Make sure the project and .dpw files are correct. Expect to be prompted to save and/or compress the drawing, possibly more than once. If the MX toolbox does not appear, select View then MX Toolbox from the MX menu.

From the MX Toolbox, select the model to contain the new strings. This is the model that was created in the Preparing MX section of this document.

See MX Toolbox for more details about this feature.

Select the elements to be transferred using PowerSelector or Select by Attributes. Only select one type of feature at a time such as the Wetlands or TOB lines. Do not select any text elements. Also, be aware that complex chains may not transfer properly. It is best to drop these elements before attempting the transfer.

To transfer the details to MX, select the feature from the toolbox list next to the model name.

There will be a prompt asking if you want to convert the selected elements to the chosen feature. Click "Yes".
Repeat this process for other features.
Report on the environment model to determine if the process was successful. MX software versions prior to SP2 are unable to transfer complex chains, contact a member of the Cad/d staff for a software upgrade if necessary.
Exit MX and MicroStation.

Attach Elevations to the ENV model

Once the strings exist in MX they need to have elevations attached.
Start with a blank .dpw and draw the newly created environment model.
The NHDraper add-in can be used to attach elevations to strings from the triangulation. From the Add-Ins menu, select Personal add-ins > NHDraper. If this add-in is not on the pull-down list it must be added. See the Add-In Index if you need help.
To add elevations to every string in the model, enter a string label of ????. A single string label can also be entered if desired. After selecting string and triangle details, hit the Apply button.

Create the MX Cross-Sections

Using the CrossSectionViewer, cut a new set of cross-sections over the environment model. These sections have to be stored in the same model as other sections for this alignment. If you need help with this process, see MX Cross Sections
There is an option on the Description pull-down menu for environment sections.
Once created, this data can then be drawn with the PRELSECT macro for an MX display or the XS-MS macro if it is to be transferred to MicroStation. To activate the detail drawing functionality of these macros, set the variable xsd='' (two single quotes).

Next...

For the information about working on the cross-section drawings, see Working With MicroStation Cross-Sections