Notes on the Example Session

The commands used in the example are described in detail below:

GENERATE MACRO /file1

Open a AVEVA E3D Design Model macro file called file1.mac which holds the AVEVA E3D Design commands for importing 3D data taken from the DGN files specified by the next ISFF commands. Every GENERATE command closes down any previous opened files.

ISFF /turb1.dgn

Read the file turb1.dgn for 3D data and generate the commands for import to AVEVA E3D Design Model. The primitives generated are under the ZONE element called /turb1.dgn as no zone name was specified.

SOLID

After giving this command, any DGN surfaces are output as solids. The command should be used, for example, when exporting pipes, so that tubes or bends are exported as cylinders and circular toruses and not as faceted models. The SOLID command is the default and produces solid models.

UNITS METRE

Refer to Units in ImPlant - I.exe for further information.

STRUC (or EQUIP or VOLM)

By default, all generated top-level AVEVA E3D Design elements are of type Equipment. To change this to STRUCTURE use the STRUC command and the VOLM command to change to VOLUME elements.

The STRUC command sets the mode so that the ISFF command generates the hierarchy STRUC/SUBST/Geometric primitives (BOX). The EQUIP command sets the mode so that the ISFF command generates the hierarchy ZONE/EQUIPMENT/Geometric primitives (BOX). In EQUIPMENT mode, the primitives are packed into the same EQUI until a MicroStation CELL entity is encountered. Then a new EQUI is generated. If GROUP ON is set in addition to EQUIPMENT mode then a new EQUI is generated for each micro station primitive.

Note:
The STRU and ZONE elements take the name of the DGN file supplied, unless otherwise specified.

The VOLM command does exactly the same as the EQUIP command but replaces all EQUIPMENT elements with VOLUME elements.

APPROX 3

Change the curvature approximation to 3 (more coarse than the default value of 5).

GROUPPRIMITIVES

Stops primitives being grouped into arbitrary hierarchies, this is important if attributes are being output.

ATTRIBUTES /file3.att

For all geometry files processed by following ISFF commands, process the corresponding attribute files with the same names and output the results in an AVEVA Attributes file named file3.att. The attribute files normally have the file extension .drv, and their format is shown in Attribute Translation.

The ATTRIBUTES filename command opens a new attributes file and switches attribute processing on. Opening an attributes file closes any attributes file that is already open. ATTRIBUTES END closes the attributes file. The output of attributes can be toggled on and off.

Note:
Import-DGN maintains cell ownership and Review segments within a cell segment inherit the attributes of the cell segment. In other words, the segments within a cell do not have attribute entries within the AVEVA Attributes file, only significant segments do.

ISFF /*.str /BUILD

Read all files with extension .str which have been generated by MicroStation and append the primitive records to the Review file file3.model. Standard windows wild-card characters may be used.

File names which include spaces, or certain other characters, but must use single-quotes around the name.

EXCLUDE BOX

From now on do not export boxes. To include them back again in this example the commands INCLUDE ALL or INCLUDE BOX can be used.

EXCLUDE COL 0

After this command has been given, primitives with colour 0 are not exported. To include primitives with colour 0 again, the commands INCLUDE ALL or INCLUDE COL 0 can be used.

Note:
MicroStation users use colour 0 to create a face that they subsequently use to create a projected surface, or surface of revolution object with a different colour. In this case there is a clash of colour between the construction face colour (that is 0) and the object's colour as they occur in the same place. To avoid this clash of colours, in Review export only, exclude colour 0 from the model.

Most of the EXCLUDE/INCLUDE options are self-explanatory. However there are some options that describe MicroStation type of primitives/records and others describe 3D type of models as generated by ImPlant - I.exe.

The MicroStation types of primitives/records are described in the MicroStation documentation and these are: CELL, TRUNCATED CONE, CAPPED SURFACE, SURFACE, SURFACE OF REVOLUTION.

Other element types referenced by the EXCLUDE command:

CURVED SOLID

Any solid that has been recognized as curved and which does not fit into the standard curved primitives such as circular torus or rectangular torus.

PLANAR SOLID
Any solid that does not have curved parts and does not fit into the standard primitives such as box or pyramid.

SHIFT 2000.0 3000.0 0.0

The SHIFT command specifies a shift in millimetres for the model.

MESSAGE /message

MES END

The MESSAGE command specifies an output file where all user commands and output messages can be stored. The MES END command closes the file.