rasdgnv8

Users Guide

RasterDgnEasily edit color, grayscale and monochrome rasterreference files without leaving MicroStation!

Version 8.6 for MicroStation V8 (2004 Edition, XMand V8i)

Axiom1805 Drew StreetClearwater, Florida 33765727-442-7774 voice727-442-8344 [email protected]

RasterDgn

Copyright 2008-2010 Axiom.All rights reserved.

This document was last modified on 10 March 2010 10:29 AM.

Limited Warranty (Excerpted from the Axiom End User Software LicenseAgreement, see the full text of your Axiom End User Software License Agreement for

complete details.) LICENSEE is advised to test the SOFTWARE thoroughly beforerelying on it. The SOFTWARE is provided as is without warranty of any kind, either

expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties ofmerchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and the entire risk as to the quality

and performance of the SOFTWARE is with LICENSEE.

Governing Law This Agreement (Axiom End User Software License Agreement)shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida, United States of America. Venuefor the resolution of any dispute arising out of this Agreement shall be Pinellas County,

Florida, USA or, if that is not possible, the nearest court of competent jurisdiction thereto.

MicroStation is a registered trademark of Bentley Systems, Incorporated.RasterDgn is a trademark of Axiom.

Table of Contents Page 3

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------- 7Introducing RasterDgn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------7

Chapter 2 Installation----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8Installation is quick and easy.-----------------------------------------------------------------------8

Requirements -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------8Before You Install ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8Typical Installation from CD -----------------------------------------------------------------------8Congratulations------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

Chapter 3 Uninstalling --------------------------------------------------------------------15Uninstalling Axiom products --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

Chapter 4 Quick Start ---------------------------------------------------------------------16RasterDgn Basics ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16Demonstration Versions --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17Quick Start Instructions --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17Quick Start 1 RasterDgn Deskew ------------------------------------------------------------ 17Quick Start 2 RasterDgn Resize Canvas ---------------------------------------------------- 18Quick Start 3 RasterDgn Copy --------------------------------------------------------------- 21

Chapter 5 Using RasterDgn -------------------------------------------------------------22Loading RasterDgn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

MicroStation Version Compatibility ------------------------------------------------------- 22The RasterDgn Menu------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 22The RasterDgn Toolbar---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23

Menu or Toolbar Optional------------------------------------------------------------------- 23Table of Features on RasterDgn Menu and Toolbar ------------------------------------- 23

How Shared Tool Settings Are Documented --------------------------------------------------- 24Get help by using the button.---------------------------------------------------------------- 24

RasterDgn Copy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25Color Depth Note----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

RasterDgn Move --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26Color Depth Note----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26

RasterDgn Delete -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

RasterDgn Crop ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28

RasterDgn

RasterDgn Deskew ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29Skew Angle ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29Pivot Corner----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29

RasterDgn Despeckle ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 30Clipped Speckles ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30

RasterDgn Stamp --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31; Delete original elements ----------------------------------------------------------------- 31Technical Notes on Stamp------------------------------------------------------------------- 31Stamp Settings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32

RasterDgn Edit ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33Tell RasterDgn When Youre Done Editing ---------------------------------------------- 33Action ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 33

RasterDgn Resize Canvas ----------------------------------------------------------------- 34RasterDgn Raster Scratch Area Attach/Detach ------------------------------------------------ 36

How it Works --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36Convert Read-only Attachments ----------------------------------------------------------------- 37

Change Settings ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37Help | Contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37Help | About-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37Exit --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37

Chapter 6 Shared Tool Settings--------------------------------------------------------38Settings Used by Multiple RasterDgn Tools --------------------------------------------------- 38

Mode (Various tools)------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38Method (Delete tool)------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39Method (Crop tool)--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40Modify (Copy, Move, Delete tools)-------------------------------------------------------- 40Fence Mode (Copy, Move, Delete tools)-------------------------------------------------- 41Rotate (Copy, Move tools) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 41X Scale (Copy, Move tools) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 41Y Scale (Copy, Move tools)----------------------------------------------------------------- 42Canvas Color (Copy, Move, Deskew, Resize tools) ------------------------------------- 42; Resize canvas as needed (Copy, Move tools) ----------------------------------------- 43 Create new raster file (Copy, Move tools)--------------------------------------------- 43 Merge pixels (Copy, Move tools)------------------------------------------------------- 43

Chapter 7 Supported Raster File Types ---------------------------------------------44Supported Raster File Types ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 44Unsupported Raster File Types------------------------------------------------------------------- 44What About Other Raster File Types?----------------------------------------------------------- 44

Adding Support For Other Raster File Types--------------------------------------------- 45MicroStation Version Support -------------------------------------------------------------------- 45

Table of Contents Page 5

Chapter 8 RasterDgn Settings ---------------------------------------------------------46The RasterDgn Settings box---------------------------------------------------------------------- 46Getting Help ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46Settings: Interface ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47

On startup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47; Display confirmation boxes ------------------------------------------------------------- 47

Settings: Backup------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 48Settings: File Names ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49Settings: Stamp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50

Line Weights ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50Line Styles------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51Mapping MicroStation Line Style to Pixel Style: How it Works ---------------------- 51

Chapter 9 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)------------------------------------52Why Doesnt RasterDgn Provide Every Single Feature That MicroStations Raster ManagerProvides? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52Does RasterDgn work in MicroStation/J (V7)?------------------------------------------------ 53Does RasterDgn work in PowerDraft? ---------------------------------------------------------- 53Why doesnt the Canvas Area option always display? ------------------------------------- 53Raster data (pixels) inside the holes in filled fonts is deleted on Stamp if Fill view attribute wasturned on.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 53Why do some commands take two undo operations to be completely undone. ----------- 54

Chapter 10 Tips------------------------------------------------------------------------------55RASDGN_DISABLE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55

Chapter 11 Troubleshooting ------------------------------------------------------------56Our Goals-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56V8I-only: Hang-ups using RasterDgn in MicroStation V8i---------------------------------- 56

Which V8i versions have this issue? ------------------------------------------------------ 56XM-only: Trouble with Redo in MicroStation XM ------------------------------------------- 56XM-only: Text always displays as filled even if the Fill view attribute is turned off. RasterDgnStamp, however, honors the Fill view attribute. ----------------------------------------------- 57XM-only: Stamp doesnt work on a recently attached raster reference file attachment unless youwait a few seconds after attaching it. ------------------------------------------------------------ 57Unexpected Copy/Move Results Between Two Raster Reference Files Due to Mismatched RasterAffinity or Rotation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58

Chapter 12 Well Make (Almost) Any Enhancements You Want-------------59We Welcome Your Suggestions ------------------------------------------------------------------ 59

Chapter 13 New Features and Fixes--------------------------------------------------608.6a 5 March 2010------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 60

General Improvements ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 60Improvements to Settings ------------------------------------------------------------------- 60Improvements to Copy/Move--------------------------------------------------------------- 60Improvements to Deskew ------------------------------------------------------------------- 61Improvements to Toolbar-------------------------------------------------------------------- 61Behind-the-scenes Improvements---------------------------------------------------------- 61

RasterDgn

8.5a 13 August 2009 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 618.4a 23 December 2008------------------------------------------------------------------------ 628.3b 3 October 2008---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 628.3a 19 August 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62

Chapter 1 Introduction Page 7

Chapter 1 Introduction

Introducing RasterDgnAxiom is proud to announce the release of RasterDgn, the easiest way to edit your colorand monochrome raster reference files without leaving MicroStation. RasterDgnkeeps MicroStation users in control of their raster reference files with little or no training.

RasterDgns features include:

Copy/Move/Delete raster data by fence or user-defined area Edit color andmonochrome raster reference files directly from within MicroStation! Evencopy/move raster data between raster reference files attached to your DGN file.

Deskew Easily and automatically rotate color and monochrome raster referencefiles to make them level.

Despeckle Instantly remove speckling from monochrome raster reference files.Works on entire raster file, fence or user-defined block.

Stamp Vector Rasterize vector data, writing it to a color or monochrome rasterreference file. Supports fence area, user-defined block and selection sets.

Edit Easily edit a raster reference file attachment in the external graphics programof your choice. Or open the raster reference file in the program already associatedwith its file extension by Windows.

Crop Crop the entire raster reference file (or just place a clipping boundary on thereference attachment). Supports fence area or a user-defined block.

Resize Canvas Easily add working area to your raster file. Changes raster filesdimensions without scaling the image.

Undo Support for MicroStations Undo () to undo your raster filemodifications

RasterDgn

Chapter 2 Installation

Installation is quick and easy.Follow the installation instructions below to install RasterDgn.

RequirementsYour computer must have MicroStation V8 installed (but not running). Although theseinstallation instructions mention MicroStation V7, RasterDgn is only for MicroStationV8. If you need a raster reference file editing solution for MicroStation V7, please useAxioms RasEdit for V7.

Before You InstallThis chapter will walk you through a typical Axiom product installation. Theseinstructions apply to both MicroStation V7 and V8. V7 products are used in theexamples.

To install one or more Axiom products, you need:

The latest Axiom product CD; and A license file on floppy disk for the product(s) you are about to install.Please shut down all MicroStation sessions on your computer before continuing.

Typical Installation from CD1. Insert the Axiom product CD into your CD drive.

2. The dialog box below should come up automatically. This may take a few momentsdepending on computer and CD drive speed.

CONDITIONAL: In some cases Windows is set to suppress auto-running executables.If the installation process does not begin automatically when you insert the CD, you willneed to start the process manually. From the Windows Start Menu, choose Run andtype in the following:D:\Setup.exewhere D is your CD drive letter.

Chapter 2 Installation Page 9

3. Click the button and the first installation dialog box (below) will appear.

4. Select MicroStation V7 or MicroStation V8 and click .

5. Choose which type of installation you want to perform. The Typical installation isbest for most situations and asks the user to make very few decisions.

RasterDgn

6. These instructions will describe only the Typical installation path. ChooseTypical and click .

7. Choose the license file for this installation. Toggle on I have a license filesomewhere else. And press .

8. Browse to the axiom.lic file on the CD and click . The licenses in thespecified license file will display in the next dialog box. Press .

Although you have already selected the MicroStation family (V7 or V8) for whichyou want to install Axiom tools, it is common for one computer to have more thanone instance of MicroStation installed on it. For example, you might have twoversions of MicroStation/J installed (07.01.04.16 and 07.02.04.20). You must choosewhich of the two you want to associate your Axiom tools with.


9. Highlight the version of MicroStation you want to associate the Axiom tools with andclick .

Since this is a Typical installation, all programs for which an Axiom license wasfound will already be checked-on to be installed. Other items that are alsoautomatically checked-on for installation are the product Users Guides, individualproduct sample files and Axioms MicroStation pull-down menu.

RasterDgn

10. To proceed with default selections click .

Youve now completed the Pre-Setup.

11. Click to proceed with the installation.

12. The button is grayed-out unless you accept the agreement.

If you accept the license and click , the installation will begin. You can click


at any time to abort the installation.

13. This is the final dialog box. It shows that the installation is complete. By default theView Readme.pdf option is toggled on and will display the Readme.pdf documentwhen you click .

RasterDgn

CongratulationsThats it! You have successfully completed the installation of your Axiom tools.

Chapter 3 Uninstalling Page 15

Chapter 3 Uninstalling

Uninstalling Axiom productsAxiom products can be uninstalled easily through the Windows Start Menu.

1. Go to , Programs | Axiom.

2. Select Uninstall V7 products or Uninstall V8 products depending on the productsyou want to uninstall.

3. Choose Select all. or Select components to uninstall. If you choose Selectcomponents to uninstall. then each product in the list can be manually checked orunchecked. This allows for any combination of products to be uninstalled. Onlyinstalled products will be shown in the list.

Note: At the bottom of the list of products you also have the option to uninstall sampledesign files, users guides and even the Axiom pull-down menu.

4. Once youve made your selections, click the button to complete theuninstall process.

RasterDgn

Chapter 4 Quick Start

RasterDgn BasicsOnce RasterDgn has been installed as described above, you can run it from your Axiommenu in MicroStation. When you do, youll see a RasterDgn menu and a toolbar. Wellbe using the three indicated tools:

Chapter 4 Quick Start Page 17

Demonstration VersionsThe demonstration version of RasterDgn

Expires after 30 days. Only runs for five minutes at a time. Displays an button that you must click after a delay. The delay gets longer

each time you run RasterDgn.

Only runs on design files that are 200KB or smaller.Needless to say, your permanent version of RasterDgn will not have these restrictions.

Quick Start InstructionsThese three quick starts are intended to be run together and in order.

IntroductionIf you can use one of RasterDgns features, you can use them all. Its really quite simple.Well get you started learning RasterDgn by deskewing a 24-bit (16-million color) TIFFattached to a design file.

Quick Start 1 RasterDgn DeskewRasterDgn Deskew easily and automatically deskews (rotates) a raster reference file tomake it level.

1. Open the design file \RasterDgn\sample\Axiom.dgn file in MicroStation. Thisfile is installed with RasterDgn. It is usually c:\ProgramFiles\Axiom\V8\RasterDgn\sample\Axiom.dgn.

2. Notice that the attached 16-million color raster reference file (Axiom.tif) is notlevel.

3. Load RasterDgn from your Axiom menu. RasterDgns menu and toolbar will appear.

RasterDgn

4. From the RasterDgn menu, choose Deskew. This box will display and RasterDgnDeskew will immediately scan the raster reference file to determine its skew angle. Inthis case, the result is -5.140501 degrees:

5. Enter a data point with your mouse to accept the suggested rotation angle.

The raster file has now been deskewed! Thats all it takes to deskew a raster reference filewith RasterDgn. The next step is to trim the raster file with RasterDgn Resize Canvas.

Quick Start 2 RasterDgn Resize CanvasRasterDgn Resize Canvas lets you interactively change the dimensions of a rasterreference file without scaling the image in that file. This means you can add emptyworking area to a raster reference file or you can crop it.

1. Choose Resize Canvas from your RasterDgn menu in MicroStation. The followingbox opens:


Were going to resize the raster file interactively instead of entering pixel values in thatbox. Float your mouse over the raster reference file. It should look like this:

2. Notice those arrows. Click and drag on any of them to extend or reduce that rasterfile border. In this case, move the left and bottom arrows inward and upward until thepicture in your raster reference file is rectangular again.

RasterDgn

3. Push in the RasterDgn Resize Raster tool settings box. Your rasterreference file will then look like this:

Your raster reference file has now been automatically deskewed and interactivelycropped with RasterDgn! Next well copy some raster data from it to instantly create anew raster reference file.


Quick Start 3 RasterDgn CopyRasterDgn Copy makes it easy to copy raster data (pixels from one part of a rasterreference file into another. It can even copy pixels between raster reference files just aseasily. Or you can create a brand new raster reference file from the copied pixels.

1. Choose Copy from your RasterDgn menu in MicroStation. The following boxopens:

2. Put a check mark next to Create new raster file. Note that this will un-checkResize canvas as needed as the two options are mutually exclusive.

3. Place two points in the raster reference file to define a block (rectangle) that youdlike to copy raster data from.

4. Now place a point to copy from and then a point to copy to. Make sure your point tocopy to places your chosen pixels outside your raster reference file so your new rasterreference file isnt overlapped by the old one.

A brand new raster reference file is created from the pixels you chose!

Youre done! Thats how easy it is to use RasterDgn. The rest of RasterDgn is just aseasy to use.

Please explore RasterDgns various tools to see all the ways it can help you.

Enjoy!

RasterDgn

Chapter 5 Using RasterDgn

Loading RasterDgnLoad RasterDgn from the Axiom menu in your MicroStation menu bar.

MicroStation Version CompatibilityRasterDgn works with MicroStation V8.5 (2004 Edition), V8.9 (XM) and V8.11 (V8i).

The RasterDgn MenuAs soon as RasterDgn is loaded, its menu appears on the MicroStation menu bar and itstoolbar loads.

Chapter 5 Using RasterDgn Page 23

The RasterDgn Toolbar

Tip: If you push the button in RasterDgns toolbar, RasterDgn exits. That button doesnot just close the toolbar.

Menu or Toolbar OptionalYou can control whether RasterDgn loads the menu, the toolbar or both on startup. Go toRasterDgns Settings box via the menu or the toolbar button to control this.

Table of Features on RasterDgn Menu and ToolbarThe following table shows what features are available on the RasterDgn menu and theRasterDgn toolbar, including their toolbar icons.

RasterDgn Feature Menu Toolbar Icon

Copy Yes Yes

Move Yes Yes

Delete Yes Yes

Crop Yes Yes

Deskew Yes Yes

Despeckle Yes Yes

Stamp Yes Yes

Edit Yes Yes

Resize Canvas Yes Yes

Change Settings Yes Yes

Raster Scratch Attach Yes No N/A

RasterDgn

RasterDgn Feature Menu Toolbar IconRaster Scratch Detach Yes No N/AConvert Read-only Attachments Yes No N/AOpen RasterDgn Toolbar Yes N/A N/A

How Shared Tool Settings Are DocumentedMany of RasterDgns tools share some settings. For example, RasterDgn Copy and Moveare nearly identical. Rather than document every single setting redundantly, we documentshared settings one time and in one place, their own chapter. This prevents duplicationand errors and, we hope, makes this guide much easier for you to use.

The documentation for each of RasterDgns tools starts on the next page. Shared toolsettings are not included there. The documentation for shared tool settings is located inthe next chapter, which is named Shared Tool Settings.

Get help by using the button.Every RasterDgn tool settings box contains a button for getting help with that tool.Push to open RasterDgns documentation (in PDF form) to the exact page whichdescribes that RasterDgn tool. For example:

Example of the help button from the RasterDgn Stamp tool settings box


RasterDgn Copy

Use RasterDgn Copy to copy raster data (pixels) from one part of your raster referencefile to

Another part of that raster reference file or Another raster reference file entirely or A brand new raster reference file, created automatically by RasterDgn.RasterDgn Copy also supports copying vector data with your raster data.

Color Depth NoteWhen copying data between raster reference files, both files have to have the same colordepth. When this is not the case, RasterDgn will display an error message.

RasterDgn

RasterDgn Move

Use RasterDgn Move to move raster data (pixels) from one part of your raster referencefile to

Another part of that raster reference file or Another raster reference file entirely or A brand new raster reference file, created automatically by RasterDgn.RasterDgn Move also supports moving vector data with your raster data.

Color Depth NoteWhen moving data between raster reference files, both files have to have the same colordepth. When this is not the case, RasterDgn will display an error message.


RasterDgn Delete

Use RasterDgn Delete to do the following in a raster reference file:

Delete raster data (pixels) in a user-defined area. Delete raster data (pixels) and vector data (elements) in a user-defined area. Add a clipping mask (hiding pixels) in a user-defined area.

RasterDgn

RasterDgn Crop

Use RasterDgn Crop to crop your raster reference file. Or use it to mask the reference fileattachment, which wont change the actual raster reference file.

Crop has no effect on vector elements. This is a subtle way in which Crop differs fromDelete.

Crop is a very easy way to trim the outside boundary of a raster reference file.

Technical Note: RasterDgn will automatically turn on the Clipping property in theraster reference file attachment (a setting you can also change in MicroStations RasterManager) if you perform a RasterDgn Clip on the attachment. If RasterDgn didnt dothis, it would incorrectly appear that the clipping operation was unsuccessful as theclipping boundary would not be active.


RasterDgn Deskew

If your raster reference file is not level, use RasterDgn Deskew to fix it. In the pictureabove, RasterDgn automatically analyzed the raster reference file and determined theexact angle by which it was skewed.

Skew AngleThis is an option button. The choices are

Calculate automatically: The default. RasterDgn will scan the entire raster file andautomatically calculate its skew angle.

Define by 2 Points: Use this to define your rasters skew angle with two data points. Enter manually: Enter a skew angle between 10 and 10 degrees and RasterDgn

will use that value to deskew the raster file.

Pivot CornerThis is an option button. It defines the corner around which the raster file will bedeskewed. Its four choices are listed clockwise:

Left-Top Right-Top Right-Bottom Left-Bottom

RasterDgn

RasterDgn Despeckle

Speckles are stray pixels or noise in a raster file. Use RasterDgn Despeckle to removeunwanted speckles from your monochrome raster reference files. You can define aspeckle as being as small as 1x1 pixels and as large as 10x10 pixels. Despeckle works onthe entire raster file, a fenced area or a user-defined block (rectangle).

Clipped SpecklesRasterDgn Despeckle ignores speckles which are hidden from display by clippingboundaries and masks.


RasterDgn Stamp

Stamping is the process of turning vector elements drawn with MicroStation into rasterpixels in a raster reference file. RasterDgn Stamp can significantly extend the life of yourraster files.

Stamp works on a fence, block, selection set or all vector elements overlapping the rasterreference file.

RasterDgn Stamp may seem simple but its actually quite powerful and intelligent.

; Delete original elementsTurn this checkbox on to have Stamp delete the stamped vector data (elements) when it isdone stamping them into the raster reference file. On by default.

Technical Notes on StampHere are a few important things that are special about how Stamp operates:

Be aware of the state of the MicroStation preference Workspace | Preferences |Operation | Optimized Fence Clipping when using RasterDgn Stamp. If thatpreference is checked on, MicroStation will convert elements clipped by RasterDgnStamp into closed elements when possible. When turned off, MicroStation will nottry to convert those clipped elements into closed elements. If the elements beingclipped are filled, its probably a good idea to turn this MicroStation preference on.

When Mode = All or Fence, Stamp only works on elements displayed in the view inwhich you selected the raster file to process. If you cannot see it, it wont be stamped.So, for example, if you have a level turned off, those elements wont be stamped.View area is not important but things like displayed levels in that view are important.

When Mode = All or Selection and user elects to Delete original elements,RasterDgn deletes displayed elements overlapping the raster area, truncating them atthe raster boundary.

When Mode = Fence and user elects to Delete original elements, RasterDgn deletesdisplayed elements overlapping the fence by truncating them at the boundary of thefence, not at the raster boundary.

RasterDgn

When Mode = All or Selection, Stamp prompts you to select the raster reference file,even if you only have one raster file attached. This prevents premature stamping andan inability to change Mode from Selection or All to anything else.

Stamp SettingsYou can control the pixel weights and the look of raster line styles in the RasterDgnSettings box, documented later in this guide.


RasterDgn Edit

Use RasterDgn Edit to edit your raster reference file in a graphics program outsideMicroStation.

Tell RasterDgn When Youre Done EditingWhen you are done editing the raster reference file in your external program, press the button shown below and the modified raster reference file will be reloadedinto your DGN file.

Push when youre done editing the file in your external programand RasterDgn will reload the modified raster file into your DGN.

Technical Details: Why is the button necessary? RasterDgn asks you totell it when you are done editing the raster file in your external program because manyexternal programs do not lock the file in a standard way, so RasterDgn cannot reliablydetect automatically when you are done editing them. Doing this ensures you do not editthe raster file simultaneously using RasterDgn and your external program, which couldresult in some of your modifications being lost.

ActionThis is an option button with two choices:

Open in associated program: The default. The raster reference file will be openedby whatever program its file extension is associated with in Windows.

Open with: RasterDgn will open the Windows Open With box, from which youcan choose which program you want to open the raster reference file with.

RasterDgn

RasterDgn Resize Canvas

RasterDgn Resize Canvas is remarkable! It lets you add blank working area to your rasterreference files by changing their dimensions without scaling them. This makes yourworking canvas bigger. Or, if you wish, you can make it smaller.


You can enter the pixels by which to increase or decrease the dimensions of your rasterreference file or you can use the following arrows to do this interactively. Just press when youre done with either method.

RasterDgn Resize Canvas does not do any scaling of the raster data, it just changes thecanvas size, up or down.

And when dealing with non-monochrome raster files, the Canvas Color: buttondisplays automatically, allowing you to choose a fill color for any newly created canvasarea.

Technical Note: Resize Canvas does partially overlap RasterDgn Crop functionality-wise. They can both decrease the dimensions of a raster reference file without scaling itdown, which is the definition of cropping. But their purposes are really quite different:Resize Canvas is really for making your raster file bigger without scaling it up. And Cropcan also optionally just clip your raster reference file instead of cropping it, leaving theactual raster file unchanged.

Tip: If you want to crop your raster file by a certain number of pixels, use Resize Canvasand type in negative pixel values.

RasterDgn

RasterDgn Raster Scratch Area Attach/Detach

RasterDgns Raster Scratch Area tool will create a temporary raster reference fileattachment. It will be detached automatically when you close your design file. Or you candetach it yourself from the RasterDgn menu or Raster Manager or by placing anothertemporary attachment with RasterDgns Attach Scratch Area tool.

How it WorksThis temporary raster reference file will use an existing raster reference file as atemplate/seed for color depth, type, compression, display settings and more. And youenter your desired dimensions and placement corners. Unless you choose otherdimensions, the temporary raster reference files dimensions will match your templateraster reference file.

You can Copy and Move raster data freely between the raster scratch area and otherraster reference files with RasterDgn. Just be sure the two raster reference files have thesame color depth and that those raster files are attached with the same affinity androtation.

Use Raster Scratch Area when you need a temporary working area for your raster datajuggling but dont want to or cannot use your production raster reference attachments.

Warning/Reminder: Be sure not to leave your only copy of raster data in one of thesetemporary raster reference files when you close your design file or youll lose that data.


Convert Read-only AttachmentsThe Convert Read-only Attachments command does two things:

It converts all attached Intergraph TIFF format raster reference files (used byI/RAS B) into non-proprietary TIFF files that software other than I/RAS B (suchas RasterDgn) can edit.

It turns the Read-only flag off in MicroStations Raster Manager box (File |Raster Manager) for all possible raster reference attachments.

Change Settings This opens the RasterDgn Settings box, which is documented elsewhere in this guide.

Help | ContentsThis opens RasterDgns online help file, which contains the full product documentationin Windows help file format.

Help | AboutThis opens your default web browser and displays an HTML page with information aboutyour current RasterDgn version.

ExitThis unloads RasterDgn.

RasterDgn

Chapter 6 Shared Tool Settings

Settings Used by Multiple RasterDgn ToolsThe following tool settings are shared by RasterDgn tools. Theyre documented hereonce for all the tools which use them.

Tool Setting Copy Move Delete Despeckle Stamp CropMode Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes YesMethod N/A N/A Yes N/A N/A YesModify Yes Yes Yes N/A N/A N/AFence Mode Yes Yes Yes N/A N/A N/ARotate Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A N/AX Scale Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A N/AY Scale Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A N/A; Resize canvasas needed Yes Yes N/A

N/A N/A N/A

Create newraster file Yes Yes N/A

N/A N/A N/A

Merge pixels Yes Yes N/A N/A N/A N/A

Mode (Various tools)Mode defines how you select the raster (and sometimes vector) data you want to processwith RasterDgn. The choices for Mode are

All: (Stamp, Despeckle) Default setting. Your operation will apply to the entire areaof the raster reference file you choose, not to a user-defined block, fence or selectedelements.

Block: (Copy, Move, Delete, Despeckle) Default setting. You will be prompted toenter two points on your raster reference file to define a block of raster data (pixels)to process.

After you use a tool in Block Mode, you will be prompted to use the tool again andagain. Block is simple and easy to use. Block operations work only on raster data(pixels) and ignore vector elements.

Fence: (Copy, Move, Delete, Despeckle, Stamp) Fence is more advanced than Blockand is usually used with an already-placed fence. If no fence already exists,RasterDgn will prompt you to place a rectangular (block type) fence. To use other

Chapter 6 Shared Tool Settings Page 39

fence types, such as Circle or Shape, place your fence before choosing a RasterDgntool.

One benefit of Fence over Block is that you can predefine a complicated fence of anytype (Block, Shape, Circle or Element) and use that with RasterDgn. Another benefitof Fence over Block is that Fence allows you to include vector data (elements) inyour RasterDgn Copy/Move/Delete operations.

Fence Tip: If you dont create your fence before choosing a RasterDgn tool(Copy/Move/Delete/Stamp and Mode = Fence) that tool will only run one time sothat it leaves your fence intact, in case you still need it. You can still reuse the toolwith Mode = Block or re-run the tool to, say, run it again with the same fence but adifferent Fence Mode setting.

If you dont place a fence before choosing a RasterDgn tool, you can run that toolrepeatedly, placing a new rectangular (inside only) fence each time. Just like Mode =Block but with vector data (elements) included.

Selection: (Stamp only) Select the elements you want to stamp into your rasterreference file before you choose the Stamp tool. You will not be prompted to selectelements after choosing Stamp because MicroStations element section tool wouldneed to be activated, which would then close the RasterDgn Stamp tool.

Table of Mode ChoicesThis table lists the RasterDgn tools that share the Mode option button. Each bold item isthe default choice for that tool.

Mode Copy Move Delete Despeckle Stamp CropAll N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes N/ABlock Yes Yes Yes Yes No YesFence Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes YesSelection N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes N/A

Method (Delete tool)Method defines whether the actual raster file will be modified (Method = Delete) orwhether it will only appear to be modified by modifying the raster reference fileattachment information in your design file (Method = Clip Mask). The choices forMethod in Delete are

Delete: The default. Pixels inside the area defined by the Mode tool setting will bedeleted from the raster reference file. If Modify = Raster and Vector then raster dataincluded in the fence (take careful note of the Fence Mode you use) will also bedeleted. Fence Mode has no effect on which pixels will be deleted.

Clip Mask: The area defined by the Model tool setting will be masked in the rasterreference file attachment in your design file. The actual raster file will not bemodified.

RasterDgn

Method (Crop tool)Method defines whether the actual raster file will be modified (Method = Crop File) orwhether it will only appear to be modified by modifying the raster reference fileattachment information in your design file (Method = Clip Boundary). The choices forMethod in Crop are

Crop File: The default. The raster reference files border will be cropped(deleted) along the rectangular area defined by the Mode tool setting. Raster filedimensions will change.

Clip Boundary: The rectangular area defined by the Mode tool setting will have aclipping boundary applied to it. Its dimensions will appear to change in your designfile but the raster reference file will not actually change.

Table of Method ChoicesThis table lists the RasterDgn tools that share the Method option button. Each bold itemis the default choice for that tool.

Method Delete CropDelete Yes N/AClip Mask Yes N/ACrop File N/A YesClip Boundary N/A Yes

Modify (Copy, Move, Delete tools)Requires: Mode = Fence

RasterDgns Copy, Move and Delete tools always apply to raster data (pixels.) Modifycontrols whether those tools also process (copy, move or delete) the parts of vectorelements that exist inside the area being processed. The choices for Modify are

Raster Only: The default. Only raster data (pixels) will be affected. Vector elementswill be ignored.

Raster and Vector: Raster data (pixels) and vector elements (or portions of them)will be affected.

Technical Note: Modify doesnt apply to Stamp because Stamps input is only vectordata (elements), never raster data (pixels).


Table of Modify ChoicesThis table lists the RasterDgn tools that share the Modify option button. Each bold itemis the default choice for that tool.

Modify Choices Copy Move Delete CropRaster Only Yes Yes Yes YesRaster and Vector Yes Yes Yes Yes

Fence Mode (Copy, Move, Delete tools)Requires: Modify = Raster and Vector

RasterDgns Copy, Move and Delete tools always process the raster data (pixels) insidethe user-defined area being processed. When you want RasterDgn to copy, move ordelete raster and vector data (elements) by setting Modify = Raster and Vector Fence Mode lets you control which vector data (elements) to include in your fence andhow much of each element to process in the case of elements overlapping your fence.

For more on MicroStations fence modes, see MicroStations help.

The idea is to use Fence Mode when you want to copy, move or delete vector data alongwith your raster data and the vector data is partially or totally outside the fence.

Fence Mode only applies to vector data (not raster). To enable Fence Mode, set Mode toFence and Modify to Raster and Vector.

Table of Fence Mode ChoicesThis table lists the RasterDgn tools that share the Fence Mode option button. Each bolditem is the default choice for that tool.

Fence Mode Copy Move DeleteInside Yes Yes YesAll other standardMicroStation FenceModes

Yes Yes Yes

Rotate (Copy, Move tools)Use this to rotate the raster or vector data in your RasterDgn Copy or Move operation bymultiples of 90 degrees.

X Scale (Copy, Move tools)Use this to scale (resize) the raster or vector data in your RasterDgn Copy or Moveoperation.

RasterDgn

Y Scale (Copy, Move tools)Use this to scale (resize) the raster or vector data in your RasterDgn Copy or Moveoperation.

Canvas Color (Copy, Move, Deskew, Resize tools)This is a button with a color displayed inside it. The default color is black. Pushing thiscolored button brings up a box in which you choose the color RasterDgn will use to fill inany newly created raster canvas area.

Technical Notes on Canvas ColorThere are a few things you should know about when and how the Canvas Color option isdisplayed and how its RGB values are stored:

The Canvas Color option only applies to multi-tone raster files so it is always hiddenwhen dealing with monochrome (1 bit per pixel) raster reference files.

In the Copy and Move tools, the Canvas Color button is displayed without its RasterCanvas: label due to space constraints. In those two tools, it is displayed to the rightof the Resize canvas as needed option.


The Canvas Color option only displays once you have chosen your (suitable) rasterreference file.

RasterDgn will save your chosen RGB values to its settings file (.INI) for greater-than-8bpp rasters. Since each 8bpp raster file has its own color palette, there is no usein RasterDgn saving or using saved RGB values for 8bpp rasters. And RasterDgnstores one set of RGB values for all the tools that have the Canvas Color option. Thisway a user can have access to his preferred RGB values everywhere in RasterDgn.

; Resize canvas as needed (Copy, Move tools)This is a checkbox. The choices are

On: The default. If some (but not all) of the raster data you are copying or movingfalls outside the destination raster files area, RasterDgn will automatically addempty raster area (canvas) to that raster file so your copied/moved raster data fitscompletely inside it.

Off: If some (but not all) of the raster data you are copying/moving falls outside thedestination raster files area, RasterDgn will ask you if you want to resize the rasterfile so the copied/moved data fits completely inside it.

Tip: Dont forget that RasterDgn allows you to copy and move raster data betweendifferent raster reference files.

Create new raster file (Copy, Move tools)This is a checkbox. The choices are

Off: The default. If all (not just some) of the raster data you are copying/moving fallsoutside the destination raster files area, RasterDgn will ask you if you want to createa new raster file from that data and will prompt you to name the file and choose afolder for it.

On: Any raster data being copied/moved will be placed in a new raster file whichRasterDgn will ask you to name (and choose a folder for) and then automaticallyattach for you.

Merge pixels (Copy, Move tools)This is a checkbox. The choices are

Off: The default. All existing pixels in the destination area will be erased by theRasterDgn Copy or Move operation, being totally replaced with the raster data(pixels and blank space) from the source area.

On: All existing pixels in the destination area will be commingled with the pixelsfrom the source area. Mostly for use with binary raster reference files.

RasterDgn

Chapter 7 Supported Raster File Types

Supported Raster File TypesThe following types of raster reference files are known to work well with RasterDgn:

Type Compression ColorTIFF None, LZW, PackBits 1-bit (binary), 24-bit (16M color)CIT CCITT FAX4 1-bit (binary)JPG JPEG 24-bit (16M color)CALS CCITT FAX4 1-bit (binary)RLE RLE1 1-bit (binary)

On Raster File Type/Compression Combinations: All listed file types have beentested with all listed compression types and all listed color depths but not necessarilyevery combination of those compression types and color depths.

Despeckle Note: You can only run Despeckle on monochrome (1bpp) raster files.

Unsupported Raster File TypesThe following raster reference file combinations are known to be unsupported byRasterDgn. In most cases, this is due to MicroStations lack of internal support forwriting to those types of raster files.

Type Compression Color Why Not Supported?Any Any 4-bit (16 color) Read-only to MicroStationJP2 None 24-bit (16M) Read-only to MicroStationSID None 24-bit (16M) Read-only to MicroStation

Although this table lists tested compression types, it is likely that the specificallymentioned file types are unsupported regardless of compression type.

What About Other Raster File Types?RasterDgn may work well with file types, compression types or color depths not listed inthis guide. As we certify support for other file types, we will update this guide.

Chapter 7 Supported Raster File Types Page 45

Adding Support For Other Raster File TypesIf you need support for some combination not listed here, please email your request [email protected] along with sample files.

MicroStation Version SupportRasterDgn supports raster reference files attached to the following file types in the notedMicroStation versions:

MicroStation V8 DGN V7 DGN DWG2004 Edition (V8.5) Supported Untested SupportedXM (V8.9) Supported Untested UntestedV8i (V8.11) Supported Untested Untested

RasterDgn

Chapter 8 RasterDgn Settings

The RasterDgn Settings boxYou can open the RasterDgn Settings box

With Change Settings on the RasterDgn menu in MicroStation or From the Change settings button on the RasterDgn toolbar.

Getting HelpEach Settings category has its own button. Push any of these buttons toopen the RasterDgn manual (in PDF form) right to the page describing that Settingscategory.

Chapter 8 RasterDgn Settings Page 47

Settings: Interface

On startupThis is a radio button set which lets you control whether to open the RasterDgn toolbar,menu or both when RasterDgn starts. The choices are

Create menu: Show RasterDgns menu, not its toolbar. Create toolbar: Show RasterDgns toolbar, not its menu. Both: Show both toolbar and menu.

; Display confirmation boxesThis checkbox is on by default. If you turn it off, some of RasterDgns confirmationboxes will not be displayed. For example, the box in which RasterDgn Despeckle givesyou the count of speckles to remove right before the operation is performed.

RasterDgn

Settings: Backup

When creating a backup file, RasterDgn uses the raster files original name and adds thesuffix -backupn. Where n is a number starting at (blank) for the first backup, 2for the second backup and so on. Raster reference files are backed up only the first timeRasterDgn modifies them in a session. The session ends when RasterDgn is unloaded(exited), not when another design file is opened.

RasterDgn never overwrites an existing backup file. When a backup of some raster filealready exists, RasterDgn creates a new backup file and increments the backup numbersuffix in its filename.

If RasterDgn is set to work on a copy of the file rather than the original, there is no needto backup the original file. This applies only to Resize Canvas, Edit and Crop tools. SeeFile Names settings category for more.

Large Files Note: Backing up a very large raster reference file can delay filemodification for some seconds. But it doesn't affect subsequent operations once thebackup is made.


Settings: File Names

RasterDgn Crop, Edit and Resize Canvas are special features. Due to MicroStationsdesign, cropped, externally edited or resized raster reference files must be renamed inorder to make them undoable.

When you choose Create a copy of original raster file. (Supports Undo.) then rasterreference files modified by that command (Crop, Edit or Resize) do not need to bebacked up. The copies of your raster reference files will have a suffix of -resizednadded to their file names. For example, the file raster.tif cropped twice would first berenamed raster-cropped.tif and then raster-cropped2.tif.

If you choose Modify original raster file. (Makes Undo impossible.) then those rasterreference files will be backed up since it will be the original files that will be gettingmodified.

Tip: If you dont want the names of your attached raster reference files to change(suffixes like -cropped or -resized2 added to copies of them and the original files leftunchanged), choose Modify original raster file. (Makes Undo impossible.) But pleaseensure you leave the Backup original files before modifying. turned on in the Backupsettings category in this case unless you really dont want RasterDgn to make backups ofany kind.

RasterDgn

Settings: StampThis settings category has two tabs, Line Weights and Line Styles.

Line Weights

Here you control how RasterDgn Stamp simulates MicroStation line weights in the rasterfile. Each Line Weight in MicroStation (0 to 31) will be drawn in the raster reference fileusing the pixel width (number of pixels) shown in the Pixel Width column.

For example, by default a weight 0 element will be drawn 1 pixel wide in the rasterreference file and a weight 9 element will be drawn 10 pixels wide. Change the PixelWeight values to get the pixels widths you need in your raster reference files.


Line Styles

Here you control how RasterDgn Stamp simulates MicroStation line styles using pixelsin the raster reference file.

Mapping MicroStation Line Style to Pixel Style: How it WorksYou can define a different pixel pattern for each of MicroStations eight basic line styles.The value before the first comma specifies the length of the first dash in the raster file.The second value specifies the length of the first space and so on.

Custom Line StylesFor custom line styles, Stamp doesn't use this style table. Instead, Stamp converts customstyle elements to vector primitives (in memory only) and stamps those primitives into theraster file.

RasterDgn

Chapter 9 Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

Why Doesnt RasterDgn Provide Every Single Feature ThatMicroStations Raster Manager Provides?

RasterDgn and MicroStations Raster Manager actually have very different purposes andare not the same animal.

MicroStations Raster Manager is for attaching raster reference files andmanipulating the way they display in the design file theyre attached to.

RasterDgn picks up right where Raster Manager ends. RasterDgn is for editing thoseattached raster reference files directly. So most of the things RasterDgn can do,Raster Manager just cant do because the two tools dont have the same purpose.

Nonetheless, it is reasonable for new RasterDgn users to wonder if RasterDgn will be atotal replacement for Raster Manager. There is actually no technical barrier preventingthis from happening it would be relatively easy for RasterDgn to completely duplicateRaster Manager and act as a total replacement. But would that be the greatest good forRasterDgns users?

For example, why doesnt RasterDgn have a button for creating a new raster referenceattachment? MicroStations Raster Manager can do it, why not RasterDgn?

The answer is that its all about keeping RasterDgn easy to use. This is a usability choicemade by RasterDgns designers. A big part of keeping RasterDgn easy to use andlearn is keeping its toolbar and menu uncluttered.

It would be very easy to take most or all of Raster Managers features and squeeze andcajole them into RasterDgn. But we believe the result would be a Frankenstein monsterthat lacked focus and was difficult to learn and use.

Instead, we listen carefully to our customers and only duplicate MicroStations built-infunctionality when our users really need it or when it can be integrated into RasterDgnwith little added complexity for the user. Good examples of this are RasterDgns Clipand Mask boundary options. MicroStation already lets you do these two things, but itspossible to add them as options to RasterDgns existing Crop and Delete tools withoutintroducing undue complexity for the user. Its a great fit so RasterDgn and RasterManager overlap in that small way.

So please keep your suggestions coming we want your input.

Chapter 9 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page 53

Does RasterDgn work in MicroStation/J (V7)?No. RasterDgn is V8-only. If you need a raster reference file editor for MicroStation V7(J or SE), please check out Axioms RasEdit, a powerful, easy to use monochrome-onlyraster reference file editor for MicroStation SE, J and V8.

RasterDgn supports both monochrome and color raster reference files but is availableonly for MicroStation V8, not V7.

Does RasterDgn work in PowerDraft?If you need RasterDgn for MicroStation PowerDraft V8, please let us know [email protected]. If there is sufficient interest, we may add PowerDraft supportin a future version.

Why doesnt the Canvas Area option always display?The Canvas Area option only applies to non-monochrome raster files so it is disableduntil the user chooses a grayscale or color raster reference file.

Raster data (pixels) inside the holes in filled fonts isdeleted on Stamp if Fill view attribute was turned on.

For example, the hole in the letter a or A has all its pixels erased when stamped in thiscase. To avoid this, you can use fonts that are not filled. For example, you could usethe MicroStation font ENGINEERING instead of the filled TrueType font Arial to avoidthis. Or you could turn off the Fill view attribute when using RasterDgn Stamp, but thiswould result in the text being stamped as unfilled inner and outer lines rather than as athick, filled font.

This is a design tradeoff which allows Stamp to support many other combinations ofelement characteristics than would otherwise be possible. We believe its a good trade butwed prefer it to be perfect in every way so we hope to improve this in the future. This isAxiom case 7101. If you need this changed/improved/fixed, please let us know [email protected].

RasterDgn

Why do some commands take two undo operations to becompletely undone.

This applies to Deskew, Despeckle, Stamp, Edit, Crop and Resize (not Copy, Move andDelete). The first Undo list entry is for RasterDgns detection of the raster reference filespolarity. The second Undo list entry is for the actual Resize operation.

The RasterDgn tools that dont create this second Undo event (Copy, Move and Delete)are the ones which only process a portion of the raster file, not the entire file. The toolswhich process the entire raster file deal with MicroStations Undo system in a differentway which makes it so we cannot merge our two actions into one Undo event.

Chapter 10 Tips Page 55

Chapter 10 Tips

RASDGN_DISABLERasterDgn 8.5a introduced the ability to disable items on its menu and toolbar. To dothis, create a MicroStation configuration variable (Workspace | Configuration inMicroStation) named RASDGN_DISABLE and give it a value that is a comma-separated list of the names of the RasterDgn commands you want to disable. Thecommand names of the commands to use with this configuration variable are:

Copy, Move, Delete, Deskew, Despeckle, Stamp, Edit, Crop,Resize, Scratch, Convert

Command names must be spelled exactly as above, not abbreviated. They are case-insensitive. Quotes are not supported.

Menu and toolbar items will be disabled, not hidden.

Administrators who want to lock this variable so it cannot be changed by users can useMicroStations %lock workspace configuration file directive.

RasterDgn

Chapter 11 Troubleshooting

Our GoalsWe want this Troubleshooting section to be comprehensive. As a result, weve evenlisted things that no customers have ever reported, just in case you encounter them andturn to this guide for help. So just because a problem is listed here does not mean it isserious or that many people will ever encounter it.

V8I-only: Hang-ups using RasterDgn in MicroStation V8iIf MicroStation V8I hangs up while you are using RasterDgn, please turn off theMicroStation V8I-only preference Workspace | Preferences | Raster Manager | DisplayRaster Using an Independent Process".

Which V8i versions have this issue?This has been observed in MicroStation V8i 08.11.05.17. A future release ofMicroStation may fix this problem.

Technical Note: This preference only exists in MicroStation V8i (not V8.5 and notXM) and causes the MicroStation function mdlRaster_bitmapSet() to misbehave. Here isa link to a discussion group in which Bentley recommends turning this same preferenceoff to handle a raster display problem:http://communities.bentley.com/forums/thread/59290.aspx

XM-only: Trouble with Redo in MicroStation XMWeve encountered an intermittent problem in-house where Redo fails in MicroStationXM. It appears this is due to an XM-only MicroStation bug. If you encounter any Redoproblems in MicroStation XM, please let us know at [email protected] so we canreport your difficulty to Bentleys support staff.

Chapter 11 Troubleshooting Page 57

XM-only: Text always displays as filled even if the Fill viewattribute is turned off. RasterDgn Stamp, however, honors theFill view attribute.

This means that, due to this MicroStation XM idiosyncrasy, Stamp may produce adifferent result (fonts not being filled in the raster file) than what you see on the screenbefore the Stamp (fonts filled). To get around this, turn on the Fill view attribute beforerunning Stamp. This is Axiom case 7386. It remains to be seen whether this is aMicroStation XM bug or feature so were interested in your input. Just [email protected] to weigh in. Depending on user feedback, future versions ofRasterDgn may be changed to behave like MicroStation XM in this regard.

XM-only: Stamp doesnt work on a recently attached rasterreference file attachment unless you wait a few seconds afterattaching it.

It takes a little while for MicroStation XM or V8i to fully register the existence of a newraster reference file attachment and to make it editable by RasterDgn. The currentsolution is to wait a few seconds after un-checking Read-only on a recently attachedraster reference file attachment in MicroStations Raster Manager. Youll usually noticethe raster reference file blink, after which you can Stamp away with impunity. Thisproblem also doesnt occur if you reopen the design file after attaching it before runningRasterDgn Stamp on it. This is logged as Axiom case 7373. MicroStation V8.5 does nothave this problem. We hope to find a way to work around this MicroStation XM/V8iproblem eventually but wed like to hear from you if youre running into it. Just [email protected].

RasterDgn

Unexpected Copy/Move Results Between Two RasterReference Files Due to Mismatched Raster Affinity orRotation

When copying or moving data between two raster reference files, be sure they haveidentical Rotation and Affinity settings or you will likely get strange looking results. Tocheck this, go to File | Raster Manager in MicroStation. From there, double-click on theattachment and choose the Location tab. Then note the Rotation and Affinity values.Heres an example:

The values are not important. Whats important is that both raster reference fileattachments have identical Rotation values to one another and identical Affinity values toone another.

Chapter 12 Well Make (Almost) Any Enhancements You Want Page 59

Chapter 12 We ll Make (Almost) AnyEnhancements You Want

We Welcome Your SuggestionsRasterDgn is a very powerful program. Nonetheless, we realize that you, a skilled andcreative MicroStation user, will think of ways in which it can be improved. We invite youto tell us your ideas.

For over twenty years weve listened to you, the skilled MicroStation professional, andhave implemented the features youve requested. Every widely acclaimed product weveever developed, including FileFixer, evolved in this manner.

Wed like to make RasterDgn perform every function you could ever imagine such aproduct being able to do. We intend to make you such a satisfied RasterDgn customerthat you cant wait for the next user group meeting so you can tell your friends andassociates how much you like RasterDgn and how strongly you recommend it.

Your suggestions on how to improve RasterDgn are most welcome. You may email yoursuggestions to [email protected], or call us.

RasterDgn

Chapter 13 New Features and Fixes

8.6a 5 March 2010New: Added a totally new feature: Edit raster file in external program.

General ImprovementsNew: Added a button to every Settings category and added a button to everytool settings box. These buttons open the RasterDgn manual (in PDF format) to the exactpage that describes the box they pushed the button in.

New: Added the ability to fill in empty space in grayscale and color rasters created byCopy (with Resize), Move (with Resize), Deskew and Resize Canvas tools. This newoption is named Canvas Color.

New: Added support for RLE raster files.

Changed: When active model only has one raster reference attachment, RasterDgn nolonger prompts the user to choose it.

Changed: Made various user interface improvements throughout RasterDgn too manyto list.

Improvements to SettingsNew: Added Save Settings on Exit choice.

New: Added a setting that lets users suppress confirmation boxes.

New: RasterDgn now saves tool settings to its INI file. Previously, tool settings were notsaved between runs of RasterDgn, it only saved the settings shown in its Settings box.

Changed: Consolidated two Settings box categories (Stamp Line Weight and StampLine Style into one category.

Improvements to Copy/MoveNew: Added ability to automatically resize destination raster file to fit copied/moveddata. It is controlled by the checkbox ; Resize canvas as needed.New: Added ability to prompt user to create a new raster reference file when hecopies/moves data completely outside of any raster reference files area.

New: Added ability to automatically create a new raster file when using Copy or Move. Itis a controlled by the checkbox Create new raster file.

Chapter 13 New Features and Fixes Page 61

Improvements to DeskewNew: Added the ability to control the corner around which we deskew the raster file.Previously, RasterDgn always used the top-left corner.

New: Added ability to deskew raster file based on two user-defined points.

New: Added ability to automatically calculate raster files skew angle. Previous versionscould do this but user had to push a button to start the process.

Improvements to ToolbarChanged: Improved several toolbar icons.

Changed: Changed order of items on menu and toolbar.

Changed: Removed Scratch Area Attach button from toolbar. It is still available fromthe RasterDgn menu.

Behind-the-scenes ImprovementsChanged: Changed how raster file suffixes (like -resized1) are named. Now the firstsuffix in a series doesnt include the digit (1) but subsequent suffixes do (2 and so on).

Fixed: Fixed a case where RasterDgn created some unnecessary backup files. Discoveredin-house.

Fixed: Fixed some problems in Resize and Crop tools handling of clipping masks andboundaries. Discovered in-house.

Fixed: Fixed a case where Stamp would create a raster ripple along a horizontalcontinuous line. Discovered in-house.

Fixed: Fixed a polarity problem encountered using Copy/Move (not Delete) on oneCALS FAX4 raster file. Discovered in-house.

8.5a 13 August 2009New: Added menu item Convert Read-only Attachments that converts I/RAS BsIntergraph TIFF files to non-proprietary TIFF files and turns off MicroStation RasterManagers Read-only flag for all possible references.

New: Added Block and Fence Modes to Despeckle. Previously, Despeckle only workedon the entire raster file.

New: Added ability to disable commands on RasterDgns menu and toolbar. Requiresuse of a new configuration variable named RASDGN_DISABLE.

Fixed: Fixed polarity handling in various situations. Fixed all known problem cases.

Fixed: Stamp and Despeckle now create only one undo event each instead of multipleundo events.

RasterDgn

Fixed: Fixed an abort on loading RasterDgn when MicroStations Workspace |Preferences | Look and Feel | Tool Size: preference was set to Large.

Fixed: Delete Block would sometimes leave a colored border around deleted areas inMicroStation XM.

Fixed: Using Delete with a rotated view could result in the wrong pixels being modified.

Fixed: Using Stamp with a warped raster reference file could result in the wrong rasterarea being stamped to.

Changed: The temporary raster reference file created by RasterDgn Scratch Attach isnow created in a Windows temporary folder. Previously, it was created in the same folderas the design file it was attached to.

8.4a 23 December 2008New: RasterDgn is now certified for use with MicroStation V8i (V8.11.)

Fixed: It is now possible to run RasterDgn via MS_DGNAPPS so it starts automaticallywith MicroStation.

Changed: RasterDgn now displays a better warning when the active model is read-only.

Changed: Changed default Pixel Style setting value for Line Style 0 from blank to 1. Theeffect is the same but 1 is clearer than blank.

8.3b 3 October 2008New: RasterDgn is now certified for use with MicroStation XM (V8.9.)

Changed: RasterDgn Stamp now presents a confirmation box. This box includes thenumber of elements that will be stamped.

Changed: Improved the message displayed when there are zero points to despeckle.

Documentation: Added a table under each option button section showing which toolincludes each option button choice.

Fixed: User can no longer enter a Pixel Weight value of 0 for Line Weight = 0 in theStamp Line Weight settings category. Blank produced the same result as 0 but webelieve it was unclear so blank is now disallowed.

Fixed: Fixed some hotkeys in the settings box.

8.3a 19 August 2008Initial RasterDgn release.

RasterDgn 8.3a is certified for use with MicroStation V8.5. MicroStation XM support isplanned for a release in the very near future.

Chapter 13 New Features and Fixes Page 63

RasterDgn is the successor to RasEdit. It is designed to be able to do the same thingsRasEdit can do, only better. Plus things RasEdit cannot do, like editing color rasterreference files.

Like RasEdit, RasterDgn supports monochrome (1-bit-per-pixel) raster reference files.Only RasterDgn supports more than just CIT and TIFF files. For example, RasterDgnsupports CALS files. Another example: RasterDgn supports LZW compression, whichRasEdit did not support.

RasterDgn supports many types of color, grayscale and monochrome raster referencefiles. This guide contains details about the exact raster file types it has been tested with.This guide will be updated as we confirm support for even more types.

RasterDgn determines raster reference polarity totally automaticallys. RasEdit has acheckbox for polarity, leaving users to guess at the correct setting.

IntroductionIntroducing RasterDgn

InstallationInstallation is quick and easy.Requirements

Before You InstallTypical Installation from CDCongratulations

UninstallingUninstalling Axiom products

Quick StartRasterDgn BasicsDemonstration VersionsQuick Start InstructionsIntroductionQuick Start 1 RasterDgn DeskewQuick Start 2 RasterDgn Resize CanvasQuick Start 3 RasterDgn Copy

Using RasterDgnLoading RasterDgnMicroStation Version Compatibility

The RasterDgn MenuThe RasterDgn ToolbarMenu or Toolbar OptionalTable of Features on RasterDgn Menu and Toolbar

How Shared Tool Settings Are DocumentedGet help by using the button.RasterDgn CopyColor Depth Note

RasterDgn MoveColor Depth Note

RasterDgn DeleteRasterDgn CropRasterDgn DeskewSkew AnglePivot Corner

RasterDgn DespeckleClipped Speckles

RasterDgn Stamp( Delete original elementsTechnical Notes on StampStamp Settings

RasterDgn EditTell RasterDgn When Youre Done EditingAction

RasterDgn Resize CanvasRasterDgn Raster Scratch Area Attach/DetachHow it Works

Convert Read-only AttachmentsChange SettingsHelp | ContentsHelp | AboutExit

Shared Tool SettingsSettings Used by Multiple RasterDgn ToolsMode (Various tools)Table of Mode Choices

Method (Delete tool)Method (Crop tool)Table of Method Choices

Modify (Copy, Move, Delete tools)Table of Modify Choices

Fence Mode (Copy, Move, Delete tools)Table of Fence Mode Choices

Rotate (Copy, Move tools)X Scale (Copy, Move tools)Y Scale (Copy, Move tools)Canvas Color (Copy, Move, Deskew, Resize tools)Technical Notes on Canvas Color

( Resize canvas as needed (Copy, Move tools)( Create new raster file (Copy, Move tools)( Merge pixels (Copy, Move tools)

Supported Raster File TypesSupported Raster File TypesUnsupported Raster File TypesWhat About Other Raster File Types?Adding Support For Other Raster File Types

MicroStation Version Support

RasterDgn SettingsThe RasterDgn Settings boxGetting HelpSettings: InterfaceOn startup( Display confirmation boxes

Settings: BackupSettings: File NamesSettings: StampLine WeightsLine StylesMapping MicroStation Line Style to Pixel Style: How it WorksCustom Line Styles

Frequently Asked Questions \(FAQ\)Why Doesnt RasterDgn Provide Every Single FeaturDoes RasterDgn work in MicroStation/J (V7)?Does RasterDgn work in PowerDraft?Why doesnt the Canvas Area option always displRaster data \(pixels\) inside the holes in fWhy do some commands take two undo operations to be completely undone.

TipsRASDGN_DISABLE

TroubleshootingOur GoalsV8I-only: Hang-ups using RasterDgn in MicroStation V8iWhich V8i versions have this issue?

XM-only: Trouble with Redo in MicroStation XMXM-only: Text always displays as filled even ifXM-only: Stamp doesnt work on a recently attacheUnexpected Copy/Move Results Between Two Raster Reference Files Due to Mismatched Raster Affinity or Rotation

Well Make \(Almost\) Any Enhancements You WWe Welcome Your Suggestions

New Features and Fixes8.6a 5 March 2010General ImprovementsImprovements to SettingsImprovements to Copy/MoveImprovements to DeskewImprovements to ToolbarBehind-the-scenes Improvements

8.5a 13 August 20098.4a 23 December 20088.3b 3 October 20088.3a 19 August 2008

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