When you translate SmartSketch files into MicroStation data, you are concerned with either Visual fidelity, Data fidelity, or both.
To use this functionality, you must install the Translators option.
Visual Fidelity
Visual fidelity is a phrase used to describe the visual accuracy of a picture after translation. SmartSketch preserves the visual accuracy of a file during export to MicroStation by providing support for the following different areas:
Colors
When SmartSketch colors are saved to a .dgn file, a color table containing matching colors is created and attached to the resulting .dgn by default. If a seed file with a color table attached is specified on the MicroStation Export Options dialog box (accessed through the Foreign Data tab after you select Options on the Tools menu), SmartSketch colors are automatically mapped to the closest RGB equivalent colors in that table.
SmartSketch supports the export of blank color to a .dgn file by translating the color of blank entities to the background color of the foreign application. Although the objects do not display on the screen, they could appear in the printout, depending on how the foreign reader application handles objects with background color.
Widths
SmartSketch default widths are pre-mapped to their most equivalent MicroStation widths on the Line Width tab of the MicroStation Export Options dialog box (accessed through the Foreign Data tab after you select Options on the Tools menu).
Linestyles
SmartSketch line styles are mapped on the Linestyle tab of the MicroStation Export Options dialog box. If styles from a referenced MicroStation .RSC file have been used in the SmartSketch file being exported, the line style names are transferred to the resulting .DGN file. If a style exists in the MicroStation application by the same name, that style will be used. If there is no style in the MicroStation application by the same name, MicroStation assigns a default style. Linestyles that are not mapped on export are stroked to give them a more correct appearance. The default length of the stroking line is 0.1 millimeters (mm).
Fill Styles
Basic fill styles such as Normal are automatically recreated as MicroStation associative hatch patterns in the resulting .DGN files. Fill styles that use symbols such as Earth (in AEC templates) are exported as individual elements in the resulting .DGN file. Objects containing blank fill styles are exported; however, the blank fill styles themselves are not exported to MicroStation V7 format. Blank fill styles are exported to MicroStation V8 format.
Font Styles
SmartSketch default font styles (TTF) are pre-mapped to their most equivalent MicroStation font styles on the Font tab of the MicroStation Export Options dialog box. If the font is not listed in the mapping table on the font tab, it defaults to font 3 (Engineering) in the resulting MicroStation file. If font styles from a referenced MicroStation .RSC file have been used in the SmartSketch file being exported, the font style names are passed into the resulting .DGN file, provided it has not been mapped in the font mapping table. Mappings override automatic behaviors. If a font style exists in the MicroStation application by the same name, that font style will be used. If there is no font style in the MicroStation application by the same name, MicroStation assigns the default font 3 (Engineering) style.
References
MicroStation .DGN files that are referenced in SmartSketch will be saved as MicroStation reference files in the resulting MicroStation file. Raster reference files in SmartSketch will be saved as MicroStation raster files in the resulting MicroStation file. Linked and embedded references, including .DXF, .IGR, .DGN, and DXF file types, will be saved as MicroStation reference files during export to MicroStation. Embedded files will be saved in the same location as the master file; linked files will be save in the same location as the original linked file. Inserted objects such as .XLS, .DOC, or .BMP are not currently supported during the export to the MicroStation file format.
Multiple Sheets
Only the active sheet and background sheet in a SmartSketch file is exported to a MicroStation file. Exporting multiple sheets from a document is not currently supported.
The active background sheet graphics are merged into the resulting .DGN file.
Data Fidelity
Data fidelity is a phrase used to describe how accurately the data is preserved when compared to its original form in the application that created it. SmartSketch preserves the data accuracy of a MicroStation file during export by mapping data to its most equivalent form in MicroStation. SmartSketch does not support exporting data such as attribute sets that can be associated with elements in the file.
SmartSketch preserves data accuracy of a MicroStation file by providing support for the following areas:
Units
If a seed file is specified on the MicroStation Export Options dialog box, then the units of that seed file are used in the resulting file. Otherwise, the following chart indicates what happens to SmartSketch units as they are exported to MicroStation units.
IGR Primary Units |
MSTN MU |
MSTN Resolution |
---|---|---|
inches |
IN |
1000:254 |
feet |
FT |
12:8000 |
meters |
M |
1000:10 |
millimeters |
MM |
1000:100 |
centimeters |
CM |
1000:100 |
manometers |
NM |
Seed file values unchanged |
yards |
YD |
Seed file values unchanged |
miles |
MI |
Seed file values unchanged |
kilometers |
KM |
Seed file values unchanged |
tenths |
TE |
Seed file values unchanged |
hundreds |
HN |
Seed file values unchanged |
thousands |
TH |
Seed file values unchanged |
poles |
PL |
Seed file values unchanged |
rods |
RD |
Seed file values unchanged |
chains |
CH |
Seed file values unchanged |
furlongs |
FR |
Seed file values unchanged |
Coordinates
SmartSketch data is automatically positioned to matching coordinate positions when you translate to the MicroStation files.
SmartFrames and Detail Views
SmartFrames that exist on the active sheet are preserved upon translation to the MicroStation file; Detail Views - whether on the active sheet or on a background sheet - are also preserved upon translation to the MicroStation file.
Layers to Levels
SmartSketch layer names are preserved as MicroStation level names and numbers, but the color and linestyle settings (level symbology) are not. The color and linestyle layer settings are applied directly to the resulting elements.
Any translated levels past Level 63 are combined together on Level 63.
The following is an element to element map when you translate files using Save As on the File menu.
SmartSketch |
MicroStation |
---|---|
Line |
Line |
Ellipse |
Ellipse |
Arc |
Ellipse |
Point |
Line |
Linestring |
Linestring |
Connector |
Linestring |
Bspline Curve |
Bspline Curve |
Rectangle |
Shape |
Complex String |
Complex Chain |
Text |
Text |
Dimension |
Dimension |
Symbol |
Shared Cell |
Leader |
Dimension |
Group |
Elements |
SmartLabel |
Elements |
Parametric Symbols |
Elements |
Multi Representation Symbol |
Elements |
.DGN Reference |
.DGN Reference |
.IGR, DWG, or .DXF Reference |
Ignored (no equivalent) |
OLE Objects (.doc, .xls, etc.) |
Ignored (no equivalent) |
Attribute sets |
Ignored |
Raster Reference |
Raster Reference |