Using References

Elements in a reference display as though they were in the active model. Although you cannot manipulate the elements in a reference, you can snap to them and even copy them into the active model.

The most common usage of references is in the creation of design compositions. Design compositions are used by engineers and other technical professionals to communicate through the visual content of their designs.

To create a design composition using MicroStation, you build a design model consisting of a working collection of references used in the performance of particular engineering tasks. For example, you may attach as references a collection of survey points as a guide for placement of additional geometry. Reference attachments in a design composition are usually coincident.

It is sometimes convenient to refer to one part of a model while drawing in another area by attaching the active model to itself (a self-reference).

You can attach a redline file created using Bentley Redline to your model for reviewing purposes.

Another common usage of references is in the creation of drawings for publication. This task is called drawing composition. Whereas a design composition is typically contained in a design model, a drawing is composed in a sheet model. For more information about models, see Models. For more information about drawing composition, see Composing Sheet Models with References.

Attaching references

The most common way to attach a reference is to attach it coincidentally, which means that the coordinates of the referenced model's design plane, and optionally its Global Origin, are aligned with those of the active model, without any rotation, scaling, or offset.

To attach a reference coincidentally

1. In the References dialog box, click the Attach Reference icon.

   References dialog box



2. In the Attach Reference dialog box, check, and if necessary, adjust the Save Relative Path setting.
   If this setting is on, the relative path to the DGN file that contains the model to attach is saved in the attachment data. This is recommended if you do not expect the internal directory structure of your workspace's project component to change. If this is not the case, or if that DGN file belongs to another project or is shared between projects, the recommended Save Relative Path setting is “off.”

   Attach Reference dialog box



3. Select the DGN file that contains the model to attach as a reference.


4. From the Attachment Method option menu, choose Interactive, and click OK.
   The Reference Attachment Settings dialog box opens.


5. (Optional) From the Model option menu, choose the model to attach.
   The default is the reference's master model.


6. (Optional) Key in a logical name and description.

   Since the same model can be attached many times, give the reference a logical name and description that help you distinguish between references.



7. To align the reference with the active model with regard to both Global Origin and design plane coordinates, select Coincident - World in the Orientation list box. This option is available only when referencing a model in a DGN file.
   or
   To align the reference with regard to design plane coordinates only, select Coincident in the Orientation list box.


8. (Optional) In the Scale (Master:Ref) fields, define the ratio of the active model's Master Units to the referenced model's Master Units. For example:

   To set	Left	Right
   One active model master unit per referenced model master unit (the default).	1	1
   Five active model master units per referenced model master unit.	5	1



9. Turn on True Scale if you want the units in the active model to align one to one with units in the reference.


10. (Optional) (DWG workmode only.) From the Level option menu, choose the level on which to attach the reference.


11. Click OK.

Alternative Method — To attach a reference coincidentally

1. In the References dialog box, click the Attach Reference icon.
   The Attach Reference dialog box opens.

   Attach Reference dialog box



2. Select the DGN file that contains the model to attach as a reference.


3. From the Attachment Method option menu, choose Coincident — World to align the reference with the active model with regard to both Global Origin and design plane coordinates. This option is available only when referencing a model in a DGN file.
   or
   From the Attachment Method option menu, choose Coincident to align the reference with regard to design plane coordinates only.


4. Click OK.
   The model is attached.

To attach multiple references interactively

1. In the References dialog box, click the Attach Reference icon.
   The Attach Reference dialog box opens.

   Attach Reference dialog box



2. Select the DGN files to attach as references.

   To select multiple files, hold the <Ctrl> or <Shift> key as you select the files.



3. From the Attachment Method option menu, choose Interactive, and click OK.
   The Reference Attachment Settings dialog box opens for the first file in the selection list.


4. Modify the attachment settings, and click OK.
   The Reference Attachment Settings dialog box opens for the next file in the selection list.


5. Modify the attachment settings for each subsequent reference in the list.

To attach references interactively using drag and drop

1. In a Windows Explorer window, select the files to attach as references.


2. Drag and drop the files into the References dialog box's list box.
   The Attach Source Files dialog box opens.

   Attach Source Files dialog box



3. Choose the Interactive attachment method.
   The Reference Attachment Settings dialog box opens for each reference.


4. Modify the attachment settings, and click OK.

To attach a model coincidentally as a reference using drag and drop

1. In the Models dialog box, select the models to use as references.


2. Drag and drop the files into the References dialog box's list box.
   The Attach Source Files dialog box opens.


3. Choose the Coincident method, and click OK.
   The models are attached.

To attach multiple views of a reference

1. In the References dialog box, click the Attach Reference icon.
   The Attach Reference dialog box opens.


2. Select the DGN files to attach as references.


3. From the Attachment Method option menu, choose Interactive, and click OK.
   The Reference Attachment Settings dialog box opens.


4. In the Orientation list box, choose the views for the references.

   To select multiple views, hold the <Ctrl> or <Shift> key as you select the views.



5. Modify other attachment settings, and click OK.


6. Enter a data point to place the first view of the reference in the list.


7. Enter a data point to place each remaining view.

To attach the active model to itself as a reference

1. In the References dialog box, click the Attach Reference icon.
   The Attach Reference dialog box opens.


2. Select the open DGN file and click OK.
   The Reference Attachment Settings dialog box opens.


3. (Optional) From the Model option menu, choose the active model.
   The default is the reference's master model.


4. (Optional) Key in a logical name and description.


5. Attach the model to itself coincidentally. (See To attach a reference coincidentally.)
   or
   Attach using a saved view. (See To attach a reference using a saved view.)

The workspace preference Allow Editing of Self References determines whether models that are attached to themselves (self-attached) are automatically updated to reflect modifications to the active model. Allow Editing of Self References is on by default. This makes it easier to use self-attached references, for example, to generate drawings of 3D models.

For more information on drawings of 3D models, see Composing Sheet Models with References.

Making attachments using saved views

Attaching references can be a useful way to set up a drawing for printing. In composing the drawing, you can attach only the portion of a model in a saved view. This process can be automated using the techniques covered in Composing Sheet Models with References.

For information about saved views, see Using Saved Views.

To attach a reference using a saved view

1. Follow steps 1–4 in the procedure To attach a reference coincidentally.


2. In the Reference Attachment Settings dialog box, Orientation list box, select the saved view.

   Selecting a saved view



3. (Optional) In the Scale (Master:Ref) fields, define the ratio of the active model's Master Units to the referenced model's Master Units.


4. (Optional) Turn on True Scale if you want the units in the active model to align one to one with units in the reference.


5. Click OK.
   The area of the reference's saved view dynamically displays as a rectangle centered about the pointer.


6. Enter a data point to position the center of the saved view.

Making portable reference attachments

A reference attachment that specifies the DGN file containing the attached model by its full (absolute) path is not portable across directories, projects, and networked systems. Administrators can prevent the storage of full paths in attachment data by setting the configuration variable MS_DISALLOWFULLREFPATH. You can take these additional measures to make sure that your reference attachments are portable:

• If you do not expect the internal directory structure of your workspace's project component to change, the best way to ensure portability when attaching references is to turn on Save Relative Path in the Attach Reference dialog box. This causes the relative paths to DGN files that contain attached models to be saved as attachment data in the open DGN file.

• If the project directory structure is in flux, or if DGN files are shared between projects, using relative paths would not give you sufficient flexibility to ensure the portability of your reference attachments. In these situations, you should define the configuration variable MS_RFDIR or a custom configuration variable to specify the directory in which references reside, and attach references using this configuration variable. The configuration variable name, but not its definition, is saved as attachment data. If the project files are then moved, for example, to another directory or a file server, the only change needed is to redefine the variable. Defining multiple custom configuration variables, such as project-specific or data type-specific variables, provides even greater flexibility.

You can combine the above techniques — that is, specify the location of a DGN file that contains an attached reference with a configuration variables and a relative path.

For information about defining configuration variables, see Working With Configuration Variables.

To attach a model as a reference residing in a directory specified by a configuration variable

1. In the References dialog box, click the Attach Reference icon.
   The Attach Reference dialog box opens. Even if the model you want to attach is displayed in the Files list box, do not skip steps 3-4.


2. From the Directory menu, choose Select Configuration Variable.
   The Select Configuration Variable dialog box opens.


3. From the list box, select the configuration variable that specifies the directory in which the model resides (for example, MS_RFDIR). Click OK.
   The Attach Reference dialog box lists files in the specified directory.


4. From the list box, select the model to attach and click OK.
   The Attach Reference Settings dialog box opens.


5. Attach the model coincidentally. Follow the procedure in To attach a reference coincidentally.
   or
   Attach a saved view. Follow the procedure in To attach a reference using a saved view.
   The configuration variable name is stored, along with the filename, (optional) logical name and (optional) description, in the attachment information. The variable name displays in the File Name column in the References dialog box to indicate the portable attachment.

MicroStation will locate a model attached in this manner whenever the DGN file is opened — on any system — as long as the custom configuration variable is defined and the DGN file that contains the model is stored in the specified directory. The specified directory can vary from system to system.

Locating attachments

When MicroStation opens a DGN file, it searches for DGN files that contain attached references as follows:

1. If the file specification contains a custom configuration variable, it searches that directory, using the relative path, if any.

2. It searches a list of directories which consists of all of the directories for the parent files of the reference. If the reference is attached directly to the master file, the search path consists only of the directory of the master file. If the reference is nested, the path consists of the directories of each parent file, starting with the most deeply nested. The directories searched include the relative path, if any, in the file specification.

3. It searches the directories specified by the configuration variable MS_RFDIR, again retaining the relative path, if any, in the file specification.

4. It searches the current working directory. This is the MicroStation directory if MicroStation is started from the MicroStation program group, or the directory of the DGN file that is double-clicked on from Windows Explorer.

5. It uses the full file specification in the reference attachment, if present.

Locating lost attachments

If MicroStation cannot locate a reference upon opening a DGN file, “file not found” is shown in the Full Path field when the file is selected in the Attach Reference dialog box.

To update a reference when MicroStation cannot locate the file

1. In References dialog box's list box, double-click the reference.
   or
   In the References dialog box's list box, select the reference. Then, from the Setting menu, choose Attachment.
   The Attachment Settings dialog box opens.


2. In the File Name field, key in the new file specification.
   or
   Click the Browse button and select the reference in the Reattach Reference dialog box. Then click OK to return to the Attachment Settings dialog box.


3. Click OK.

Attaching remote references

The Remote Attach function lets you select a URL as a DGN file location instead of a specific local DGN file.

To attach a remote reference

1. Key in DIALOG REFERENCE ATTACHURL.
   The Select Remote Design to Attach dialog box opens.
   See Select Remote DGN File dialog box for descriptions of the controls in this dialog box.


2. In the URL field, specify the path to the remote reference.


3. (Optional) Adjust any other settings necessary.


4. Click OK.

Maintaining copies of remote references with Reference Agent

Reference Agent enables you to automatically maintain local copies of remote references. Upon loading the Reference Agent, each attached reference is checked against a data file to see if a URL has been associated. If so, an HTTP request is automatically sent to check the last-modified date of the remote file against the local copy. If a newer copy exists at the remote URL, the status of the file changes to “Out of Date.”

Status	Description
N/A	Reference has no associated URL.
Current	Remote reference is the same age or older.
Unknown	Remote reference could not be found, or the last modified date was not available. Generally indicates that the URL is invalid, or that there was a network error when the remote site was contacted.
Out of Date	Local copy of the reference is older then the remote copy.

References with more than one logical name have only one entry in the Reference Agent. Downloading the associated remote URL updates all logical entries associated with the local file.

To access the Reference Agent

1. Key in BROWSER REFAGENT.
   The Reference File Agent dialog box opens.

For more information on the Reference Agent, see Reference Agent dialog box.

Working with attached references

Except for Attach Reference, the reference tools operate on the models that are selected in the References dialog box. If no model is selected there, you are prompted to identify a model. See Identifying references for more information.

The <Ctrl> and <Shift> keys are used to select multiple models.

Clipping references

You can control the reference display more precisely by using the clipping tools:

• The Clip Reference tool lets you use a boundary, such as an element, cell, or fence, to clip a reference. When a reference is clipped, the area of the reference outside the selected boundary is not displayed.

• The Clip Mask tool lets you use a fence to cover a portion of a reference.

Reference elements display only if they are inside the clipping boundary and outside all clipping masks.

To more precisely control the reference display, you can use both clipping boundaries and clipping masks on the same reference file.

While a view's Boundary Display attribute is on in the View Attributes dialog box, reference clip boundaries, as well as clip volume boundaries, are displayed for that view. Reference clipping is defined relative to the world coordinates, and the clipped volume will therefore remain the same in all views.

The boundaries of a saved view can be used as the clipping boundary when a reference is attached (see To attach a reference using a saved view).

To define a reference clipping boundary using a fence

1. To define the reference clipping boundary's position, place a fence over the desired clip area.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select the models to include in the clip boundary set.


3. Click the Clip Reference icon.
   The Set Reference Clip Boundary tool settings box opens.


4. From the Method option menu, choose Fence.


5. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


6. Enter a data point to accept the clip boundary.

To define a reference clipping boundary using an element

1. To define the reference clipping boundary's position, place an element (or a cell) over the desired clip area.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references that the clip boundary will affect.


3. Click the Clip Reference tool.
   The Set Reference Clip Boundary tool settings window opens.


4. From the Method option menu, choose Element.


5. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


6. Identify the element as the clipping element.


7. Accept the element as the clipping element.

To mask a reference

1. To define the reference clipping mask's position, place a fence over the desired clip area.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references to be masked.


3. Click the Mask Reference icon.
   The Set Reference Clip Mask tool settings box opens.


4. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


5. Enter a data point to accept the clip mask.

More than one clipping mask can be specified for a reference.

To selectively delete reference clipping

1. In the References dialog box, select the references that have clipping to delete.


2. Click the Delete Clip icon.
   The Delete Reference Clip tool settings window opens.


3. Turn on Use References Dialog List.
   The clip boundary and any clip masks within the boundary highlight.


4. Identify the clipping mask to be deleted.
   A clipping mask is highlighted for deletion.


5. Accept the deletion.
   or
   Reset to keep the highlighted clipping mask.


6. Repeat step 4 for each subsequent clipping mask.



When you select a reference (or have one selected from the selection set, fence or dialog box), the reference is highlighted. If there is a clip boundary and one or more masks, the boundary is shown in yellow and the masks shown in red.

To define a reference front clipping plane (3D only)

1. In the References dialog box, select the reference to be clipped.


2. Click the Set Ref Front Clip Z icon.
   The Set Reference Front Clip Plane dialog box opens.


3. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


4. Enter a data point to define the front clipping plane depth.
   The reference updates with the new clipping plane.

Manipulating references

Every reference manipulation tool can contain any or all of the following tool settings.

• If Use Reference Dialog List is turned on, the manipulation works on the models selected in the References dialog box.

• If a fence exists and Use Fence is turned on, any models that are in the fence are manipulated. If a selection set has been created, manipulation works on the models in that set.

To move a reference selected from the References dialog box list

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references that you want to move in the active model.


2. Turn on Display, Snap, and Locate.


3. Click the Move References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, turn on Use References Dialog List.


5. Enter a data point to begin the move, and drag the reference to the desired location.

To move a reference from the contents of a fence

1. Place a fence around the area containing the references to be moved.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select a reference.


3. Click the Move References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, turn off Use References Dialog List.


5. Turn on Use Fence and choose the fence mode.


6. Enter a data point to begin the move, and drag the model to the desired location.

To copy elements from a reference to the active DGN file

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the reference in which the elements are located.


2. Turn on Display, Snap, and Locate.


3. Select or place a fence around the elements to be copied.


4. From the Manipulate tool box, select the Copy tool.


5. Enter a data point to define the origin of the elements to be copied.
   The elements are dynamically displayed as the pointer is moved about the screen.


6. Enter a data point to define the origin of the copies of the elements in the active model.

To copy references selected from the References dialog box list

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references that you want to copy in the active model.


2. Turn on Display, Snap, and Locate.


3. Click the Copy References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, turn on Use References Dialog List.


5. (Optional) To make multiple copies, turn on Copies and in the adjacent field, key in the number of copies.


6. Enter a data point to begin the copy.


7. Drag the reference to the desired location, and enter a data point to place the copied model.

To copy references from the contents of a fence

1. Place a fence around the area containing the references to be copied.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select a reference.


3. Click the Copy References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, turn off Use References Dialog List.


5. Turn on Use Fence and choose the fence mode.


6. (Optional) To make multiple copies, turn on Copies and in the adjacent field, key in the number of copies.


7. Enter a data point to begin the copy.


8. Drag the reference to the desired location, and enter a data point to place the copied model.

To scale references selected from the References dialog box list

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references that you want to scale in the active model.


2. Turn on Display, Snap, and Locate.


3. Click the Scale References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, choose the scaling Method (and key in the scale factor or ratio, if applicable).


5. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


6. Enter a data point about which the reference is scaled.

To scale references selected from the contents of a fence

1. Place a fence around the area containing the references to be scaled.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select a reference.


3. Click the Scale References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, choose the scaling Method (and key in the scale factor or ratio, if applicable).


5. Turn off Use References Dialog List.


6. Turn on Use Fence and choose the fence mode.


7. Enter a data point about which the references are scaled.

To rotate references selected from the References dialog box list

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references that you want to rotate in the active model.


2. Turn on Display, Snap, and Locate.


3. Click the Rotate References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, choose the rotate Method (and key in X, Y, Z coordinates if method is By Angles).


5. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


6. Enter a data point about which the references are rotated.

To rotate references selected from the contents of a fence

1. Place a fence around the area containing the references to be rotated.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select a reference.


3. Click the Rotate References icon.


4. In the tool settings window, choose a rotate Method (and key in X, Y, Z coordinates if Method is By Angle).


5. Turn off Use References Dialog List.


6. Turn on Use Fence and choose the fence mode.


7. Enter a data point about which the references are rotated.

To mirror references selected from the References dialog box list

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references you want to mirror in the active model.


2. Turn on Display, Snap, and Locate.


3. Click the Mirror Reference icon.


4. In the tool settings window, choose the Method: About Vertical Line or About Horizontal Line.


5. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


6. Enter a data point about which the reference is to be mirrored.

To mirror models selected from the contents of a fence

1. Place a fence around the area containing the references to be mirrored.


2. In the References dialog box's list box, select a reference.


3. Click the Mirror Reference icon.


4. In the tool settings window, choose the Method: About Vertical Line or About Horizontal Line.


5. Turn off Use References Dialog List.


6. Turn on Use Fence and choose the fence mode.


7. Enter a data point about which the references are to be mirrored.

To copy and fold references about a specified line

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references you want to copy and fold.


2. Click the Copy/Fold Reference icon.


3. In the tool settings window, Method option menu, choose About Specified Line.


4. Turn on Use References Dialog List.


5. Enter data points for the start and end of the line around which to fold the reference.


6. Move the copy to the desired location, and enter a data point to accept the copy.

Left: Reference attachment. Upper right: The reference attachment copied and folded about a specified line.

Setting the render mode for references

The Set Reference Presentation tool on the References dialog box provides many options for controlling the display of references. These options include Wireframe, Wiremesh, Hidden Line, Filled Hidden Line, and three types of shading. See Interactive Rendering Modes for details on each of these options.

In a sheet model, the Presentation menu has one additional option: True Hidden Line. Unlike the other reference presentation options, True Hidden Line generates a new vector model of the reference, with hidden lines removed. In the sheet model, a reference set to True Hidden Line looks similar to a reference set to Hidden Line. However, when you print the sheet model, a reference set to True Hidden Line will print as a true vector image. A reference set to any other presentation option (such as Hidden Line) will print as a raster image. The True Hidden Line option also provides many settings for modifying the appearance of the reference.

To set the render mode of a reference

1. In the References dialog box, select a reference.


2. Click the Set Reference Presentation tool.


3. In the tool settings window, choose the Presentation method.


4. Turn off Use References Dialog List.


5. Accept the reference.
   The reference is displayed using the select presentation method.

Reloading references

To reload a reference

1. In the list box in the References dialog box, select the reference.


2. Click the Reload Reference icon.
   The reference is redrawn.

Reloading a reference lets you see changes that have been made to the reference by a co-worker on the network since the reference was last attached or reloaded.

To reload all attached references

1. From the Tools menu, choose Reload All.
   The references are redrawn.

To update reference elements in a view

1. Key in REFERENCE UPDATE.


2. Identify the reference by identifying one of its elements.
   or
   Identify the reference by keying in its logical name or filename in the Key-in window.

Detaching references

To detach references

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references.


2. Click the Detach Reference icon.
   An alert box asks you to confirm that the selected references are to be detached.


3. Click OK.

To detach all references

1. From the Tools menu, choose Detach All.
   An alert box asks you to confirm that all references are to be detached.


2. Click OK.

Controlling reference settings

To turn the display of a reference off or on

1. In the References dialog box's list box, click the Display column of the entry for the reference.

Alternative Method — To turn the display of a reference off or on

1. From the References dialog box's Settings menu, choose Attachment.
   or
   In the References dialog box's list box, double-click the reference.
   The Attachment Settings dialog box opens for the selected reference.


2. Turn the Display check box off or on.

To disable reference level property changes from remaining in effect across sessions

1. In the Key-in window, key in SET REFLEVELOVERRIDES OFF.


2. From the File menu, choose Save Settings.
   This change takes effect for an individual reference upon its reloading.

For information about turning on or off levels in a reference, see Controlling Level Display.

For information about turning on or off symbology in a reference, see To control level symbology.

For information about resynchronizing a level in a reference with its source level, see Resynchronizing DGN file levels with library levels. Rather than selecting or right-clicking the open DGN file in the left-hand pane as described in that topic, instead select or right-click the reference to resynchronize.

To turn snapping to elements in a reference on or off

1. In the References dialog box's list box, click the Snap column of the entry for the model.

Alternative Method — To turn snapping to elements in a reference on or off

1. From the References dialog box's Settings menu, choose Attachment.
   or
   In the References dialog box's list box, double-click the reference.
   The Attachment Settings dialog box opens for the selected reference.


2. Turn the Snap check box off or on.

To control whether elements in a reference can be identified (for construction )

1. In the References dialog box's list box, click the Locate column of the entry for the reference.

Alternative Method — To control whether elements in a reference can be identified (for construction )

1. From the References dialog box's Settings menu, choose Attachment.
   or
   In the References dialog box's list box, double-click the reference.
   The Attachment Settings dialog box opens for the selected reference.


2. Turn the Locate check box on or off.

To change a reference's logical name or description

1. From the References dialog box's Settings menu, choose Attachment.
   or
   In the References dialog box's list box, double-click the reference.
   The Attachment Settings dialog box opens.


2. In the Logical Name field, enter the new logical name.


3. In the Description field, enter the new description.


4. Click OK.

Identifying references

Identifying a reference on which to operate is an alternative to selecting the reference in the References dialog box's list box; the identification technique is typically used with tools in the References tool box.

To identify a reference

1. In a view window, identify an element in the reference.

This technique also works with reference groups.

To identify a reference group

1. Make sure Graphic Group Lock is on.


2. In a view window, identify an element in a reference that is a member of the reference group.

Working with nested references

To this point, this chapter has discussed working with simple reference attachments—that is, one reference that is attached to another model.

However, in MicroStation you can have an infinite number of reference attachments, and those attachments can have attachments, which in turn can have more attachments, and so on. This concept is called nesting. Nested references make it easy for you to attach and display multiple references, just by attaching a single, parent reference to a model.

When you are attaching references, you can control the manner in which nested references are to be attached to the model, or you can decide not to attach any nested references at all. If you do decide to include nested references when attaching a parent reference, you can control how many levels of nested references to attach to the model. This is called setting the nest depth. The higher the number you set, the more certain you can be about including even the most deeply nested references when attaching a parent reference.

The Nested Attachments option menu on the Reference Attachment Settings dialog box controls how nested references are handled when attaching a parent reference.

For information about MicroStation nested references and DWG files, see Working with references that will be saved to DWG files.

Adjusting reference colors

You can adjust the intensity of element colors in an attached reference to distinguish the elements in a reference from the elements in the open DGN file.

To dim all elements in a reference

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the reference.


2. From the dialog box's Settings menu, choose Adjust Colors.
   The Adjust Reference Colors dialog box opens.


3. If necessary, select Adjustment Factor.


4. Adjust the Value and Saturation until the colors display at the appropriate brightness.

To make all elements in a reference the same color

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the reference.


2. From the dialog box's Settings menu, choose Adjust Colors.
   The Adjust Reference Colors dialog box opens.


3. Select Fixed.


4. Turn on Hue Fixed for All Colors.


5. Adjust Hue to select the color for the reference.

Adjusting nested references colors

By default, the configuration variable MS_NEST_COLORADJUSTMENT is not set. Any color adjustment made to a top level reference is applied to all the nested attachments directly. If the MS_NEST_COLORADJUSTMENT configuration variable is set to any value, then the color adjustments are applied cumulatively.

For example: Model A attaches Model B, and Model B attaches Model C. If Model C has a 90% value and 50% saturation adjustment as it is attached to Model B, and Model B has a 80% value and 70% saturation adjustment as it is attached to Model A, then Model C will display with a 72% value and 35% saturation adjustment.

Controlling the reference color table

You can override the Use Color Table user preference (Workspace > Preferences) by creating and setting a MicroStation configuration variable. If MS_REFCOLORTABLE is defined and set to 1, MicroStation always uses the reference's color table. If MS_REFCOLORTABLE is defined and set to any value other than 1, MicroStation never uses the reference's color table. If MS_REFCOLORTABLE is not defined, MicroStation uses the user preference to determine whether or not to use the reference's color table.

Merging references into the active model

The active model and all attached references can be merged into a single model.

The result of a merging operation is effectively a snapshot of a view of the active model, including all displayed levels in the selected references. If the display of a level in a reference is turned off, the elements on this level are not included in the merged model.

The levels of elements in the attached reference are copied to the merged file only if they do not exist in the active model. To change how levels are handled, choose Preferences from the Workspace menu and select the Reference category.

To merge the active model and attached references

1. In the References dialog box's list box, select the references to be merged.


2. From the Tools menu, choose Merge Into Master.


3. Select the view into which to merge the references.
   An alert box asks you to confirm that the selected references are to be merged into the active model.


4. Click OK.

There is no inverse of a reference DGN file merging operation.