MicroStation XM and V8i

View Controls
The Window Area tool, window area now indicates the area with a tinted window

Note: Now you get a tinted window, which allows you to see clearly what you are viewing. This identifies the area a lot clearly.

Previous versions of Microstation: This is different to pervious versions of Microstation, which produced a box for the required area.

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Easy Access to Common Manipulation tools via the mouse

You can now do additional manipulation commands; just buy clicking the right mouse button if you have a selected element.

The manipulation command list, displays different options depending on the selected item.

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Dialog boxes
Dialog boxes within Microstation XM have also changed, more of a Microsoft look and feel. Select Element Information Data point on a element, right mouse click and select Properties

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Transparent Dialogs and Tools

You can now set transparency for tool boxes and dialogs, click on the B logo and move the transparency slider. To make all dialogs transparent, go to Workspace > Preferences > Look and Feel and turn on All modeless dialogs use same transparency and then set the transparency value with the sliding scale.

Before Transparency

Transparency Box

After Transparency

View Attributes
View attributes are now available from the view border, and applied to the view straight away. There is no apply button to click as with previous versions.

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View Controls
There are many new enhancements to the video display system, due to the introduction of direct x 9 in XM edition. Dynamic Panning in wire frame and rendered mode Dynamic Zoom through the mouse

Dynamic Panning in Wireframe mode

Click on Pan View Hold the left mouse button down, and move the mouse around the view

Dynamic Panning in Wireframe mode

Select the View display Mode located on the View control tool bar Select wireframe for rendered items Click on Pan View Pan around the screen

Note: The pan is smooth, easy and quick PLUS you can use Dynamic Zoom, achieved through the scroll wheel on the mouse.

Dynamic Zoom allows you to zoom in and out of areas of interest

Microstation has improved its technology with the use of 3d files with direct X9

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Keyboard Mapping

Dialog with Focus

The Focus model is shown in the lower right side within the status bar This feature provides keyboard navigation to activate commands. Press the Q key, this will bring up the linear menus. Then press the 1 key which activates the Place SmartLine command. Key 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ENTER Menu Activated Element Selection commands Fence commands Manipulate commands View Control commands Change Attributes commands Group commands Modify commands Delete commands brings up the keyboard Key Q W E R T A S D F Menu Activated Linear menu Polygons Elliptical tasks Patterns Tags Text menu Cells Measure Dimensions

ESCAPE activate the Focus model

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The Mouse
There are some new mouse features, the old classic ones are still there and can be found in Workspace > Button Assignment

We will now look at some of the additional mouse features.

The Mouse (scroll and pan from cursor)

o Open file XM User.dgn o Press SHIFT and data button together, allows you to scroll and pan around

The Mouse (match attributes from cursor)

o Press ALT and data button, allows you to match attributes o Select the blue water o Press ESC then Q, select 1 and place a line in the new attributes settings Note: The attributes change in the attributes tool frame

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The Mouse (fit view from cursor)

o Double click on the wheel to fit the view

The Mouse (rotate view at about center)

o SHIFT and WHEEL CLICK, allows you to rotate view at about center

PDF attachment via raster manager:

You can now attach PDFs with raster manager, attach via the usual way and even select which page from the PDF you want to attach.

Open Raster Manager Attach the required pdf file

View Previous and Next Model:

These buttons work in a similar way to the back and forward buttons in your internet browser. They store the history of which files (and individual models) that you have visited, and you can easily flick back and forward.

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Overview when placing solid shapes:

When placing a solid fill shape (not transparent) you now have a good overview of the elements under the shape, while you are placing it it temporarily turns transparent. Note: The shape temporarily turns transparent, when overlapping Shapes will temporarily go transparent while you modify it

Text can now be linked to any attribute of an element

In XM you can place a piece of text that is linked to any attribute of an element (or the design file, or model properties), in such a way that when the element is updated the text will update also, for example.... I want to place the area of a shape in my file which will update when the shape is modified. Choose place text and type a prefix you want to see - for example Area = , next, right click and choose "Insert field> Element"

Now click the shape you want to place the text for, and you are then presented with the information for that element, simply choose which attribute you want to place Area in this case.

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Click ok and place the text, When you then modify the shape, the area text will update as expected.

The same goes for the length of a line for example:

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Revision cloud tool for XM

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Stackable dialogs
In XM certain dialogs that will dock to the side, can also be stacked. Once stacked, tabs will appear at the bottom so you can easily switch between them. For example, the level display and information dialog.

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Pantone color support

XM support for pantone colors, here is some information.

Color Book tab

Contains controls that let you select a color from a PANTONE color book. The PANTONE color books are included in a color library that is supplied with MicroStation in CSV files. PANTONE is a company that created a color standard for publishing. On this tab, the colors are indexed using the PANTONE naming convention and separated into books to group similar color processes together. The colors are CMYK (Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black printing color format) with an RGB (Red/Green/Blue computer color format) equivalent

Color book selector

Sets the PANTONE color book to use. Colors are grouped according to how they appear on various paper types.

Color list
Sets the name of the color to use. The background of each row shows a preview of each color. This list is sorted by hue.

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Hue slider
Lets you select colors to display in the color list.

Color Name
Displays the name of the selected color. You can also key-in the name of a PANTONE color in this field. Colour "books" can be stored in the dgnlib and an example that contains a few is delivered in workspace\system\colorbooks\

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RE: Gradient and priority fill in MicroStation XM.

I have wiped this up quickly in MicroStation XM in approx. 30 minutes. I have referenced an existing floor plan into ONE file. Then proceed to colour/gradient within the same file..Using level priority; layering colour over colour layers. No need to use Reference sequence in multiple reference files. In the past Architects where not able to create this type of presentation within MicroStation and have required third-party applications like Adobe Illustrator.

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Fences can now be saved

Any placed fence can now be saved. So you can now call up multiple saved fences.

Level Manager - Enhancement

Level Manager now displays icons on the top, with tool tips. You can still turn on or off columns as before. XM Level Display menus

Microstation v82004 Edition Level Display menus

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Color Picker
You can now select colors, by clicking on the color picker. This will allow you to select a color from any icon in Microstation or located on the desktop.

The Attributes tool bar

The Attributes tool bar now includes Active Element Transparency and Active Element Priority.

Priority only works in a 2d model

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Project Explorer
Project Explorer in Microstation v8 XM Edition makes life a little easier. As you can see from the screenshot, I have a project that has the same name as one of my SRs, and you can also see I have easy access to all the dgn files, screenshots and emails from that particular issue, I can just right click any of them to open it within my session.

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Alternate text editing handles

You now have alternate element handles when you select text (corner scaling handle). Shown as little green circles, these are the word-wrap handles that can change the line length property of the selected text. If you want, you can also tap the ALT key to toggle these handles between their two functions: word wrapping and corner scaling.

word wrapping handle

corner scaling handle

Attach a whole folder of cell libraries

You can attach all the cell libraries in a directory by choosing File > Attach Folder in the Cell Library dialog.

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Drag and drop into Attributes tool box to match attributes

Match an elements attributes, by drag and drop. To set a single attribute, simply drag and drop the element onto the desired picker (level, colour, weight or style). If you want to match all of them, drag the element into the Symbology Preview window

Select individual and New from Element Select

Identify the element

Drag and drop onto Attributes preview window

New Attributes setting

Open another session of MicroStation via Right Clicking

Right click on an element that's in a reference and select Edit Reference. This will now open another session of Microstation, and put you directly into the correct file.

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Element Quick Info

With the Element Selection tool active, hover your cursor over any element and issue a ALT + right click to get access to the Quick Info dialog.

Customize Element Info settings

To gain access to additional element properties in the Element Info dialog, just do a right click in the bottom section and select items from the pop-up menu.

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Modify handles for multiple elements

Select multiple elements; then select the Select Handles option in the tool settings box to display the handles for all elements. From there simply use the CTRL key to select only those handles you want to modify.

Select elements using element select tool

select the Select Handles option in the tool settings box

Handles Displayed

Identify handles to modify

Green highlight indicates new position

New modified shape

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Text fields
Right click in the word processor; you can add a text field from the pop up menu.

In the Text Editor, type Area=

Right mouse click and select Insert Field > Element Properties

Identify the shape

In the Fields Editor, Select Area and

The area is displayed at the bottom, of the Fields Editor. Click OK

Place text

Note: If the shape is modified, the area reading will modify automatically.

You can also use drag and drop, to make a field instant. Just click on the Fields Editor Area box and then in the Text Editior.

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Open Primary Tool boxes under your cursor

To open the various dialogs in Primary Tools so that they are right at your cursor, simply press CTRL + F1 for the first icon, CTRL + F2 for the second and so forth. Ctrl + F1 Ctrl + F2 Ctrl + F3 Ctrl + F4 Ctrl + F5 Models References Raster Manager Level Manager Level Display Ctrl + F6 Ctrl + F7 Ctrl + F8 Ctrl + F9 Cells Element Information Toggle AccuDraw Key-In

Ctrl + F10 Popset Disable

Open Attribute tool boxes items under your cursor

Shift + F1 Shift + F2 Shift + F3 Shift + F4 Shift + F5

Models References Raster Manager Level Manager Level Display

F6 F7 F8 F9

Cells Element Information Toggle AccuDraw Key-In

F10 Popset Disable

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Open Saved Views menu

To open the Saved Views menu, press F6 on the keyboard

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Open View Attributes

To open the View Attributes menu, press F5 on the keyboard

Attributes menu

Or click on the Logo next to the view number, and select View Attributes

Turn off View navigation tools

To remove the view navigation tools from the views, go to Workspace > Preferences > View Options > Show View Toolbox.

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Popup for available tasks

Select the F2 key to get a popup of your available tasks

Pop-up menu for Models

In the Models dialog, highlight a model and right click to get to a pop-up menu.

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Relocate view navigation toolbox

Go to Workspace > Preferences > View Options > Show View Toolbox

Toggle between tangent points

When in the Tangent Snap mode, you can switch between the tangent points by simply pressing the ALT key. Note that this only works when you're in the Place Line tool and have AccuSnap turned on.

Place lots of leader lines with Place Note

Hold down the CTRL key when placing a note, that way you can position more than one leader line.

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Save lighting solutions to the design file

You can save global particle trace or radiosity solutions to a new model in a 3D DGN file. The exported model will contain mesh geometry with the appropriate lighting values at the vertices but will not display specular or reflective effects. You can view the model from any direction or attach it as a reference. To export the solution just do a right click Render dialog, and choose Save Solution to DGN from the pop-up menu.

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Create AutoCAD linestyles (LIN) in MicroStation

Line Styles can now be stored in dgnlibs rather than symbology resource files (.rsc) you can import an AutoCAD .lin file 1. Open your dgnlib 2. Go to Element > LineStyles > Edit to open the Line Style Editor. 3. Choose File > Import > AutoCAD Line Style File 4. Browse to the AutoCAD .lin file and click OK

The AutoCAD line styles will now be available for use inside of MicroStation.

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Display AccuDraw Co-Ordinates on the cursor

Go to the AccuDraw icon, located on the Primary toolbar.

Right mouse click and select Properties Select the display Tab and tick Display Coordinates

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AccuDraw Bump shortcut

This shortcut bumps an item in the tool settings dialog box (shortcut is ~, usually right under the <Esc> keythere is no need to press the <Shift> key). It finds the first enabled item in the tool settings dialog box that is a toggle button or an option button, and either toggles it or bumps it to the next valid value. For instance, if you are drawing a smartline and the focus is in the AccuDraw window, you can just press the <~> key and it switches to arcs without moving the focus from the AccuDraw window. Key-in: accudraw bump toolsetting.

Change AccuDraw settings to N and E

Use these keyins to switch AccuDraw between Northings/Eastings and X/Y: accudraw settings northeast accudraw settings xy

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Attach more than one cell library

You can attach all the cell libraries in a directory by choosing File > Attach Folder in the Cell Library dialog.

Editing Cells Quickley

From the Cell Library dialog, right click a cell name. Click the Open for Editing option. Your current design file will close and open the CEL file and model. This works similar to the Exchange tool for reference files.

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Make your own Color Book

You can attach all the cell libraries in a directory by choosing File > Attach Folder in the Cell Library dialog. Go to Settings > Color Books In the Color Book Editor, select File > New and enter a name for your colour book. Click the Create Color button and drag the eye dropper until you've selected the desired colour. Click OK and enter a name for your colour. The finished color books is stored in the design file but can be exported to a CSV file.

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