For the second time (in maybe 8 years), mapping that I produced in ,dwg format for highway design was converted to .dgn and my state plane coordinates were scaled by exactly the difference between International feet and US survey feet. This results in a error of about 2 feet. This was done by 2 different entities and both times it was caught before too much damage was done. This time it's a lot of revised drawings for someone to do while I stake the road for grading without proper plans. Now I realize if I had labeled a few control points, rather than relying on the Acad coordinates the problem would likely have been avoided. I don't think it's my responsibility, but I don't want it to keep happening.
Is this something inherent about Microstation? Does it default to International feet for input and output in US feet?
Larry Best, post: 426544, member: 763 wrote: For the second time (in maybe 8 years), mapping that I produced in ,dwg format for highway design was converted to .dgn and my state plane coordinates were scaled by exactly the difference between International feet and US survey feet. This results in a error of about 2 feet. This was done by 2 different entities and both times it was caught before too much damage was done. This time it's a lot of revised drawings for someone to do while I stake the road for grading without proper plans. Now I realize if I had labeled a few control points, rather than relying on the Acad coordinates the problem would likely have been avoided. I don't think it's my responsibility, but I don't want it to keep happening.
Is this something inherent about Microstation? Does it default to International feet for input and output in US feet?
Yes, this is inherent to Microstation. Some users do not understand that Feet in Microstation is actually International Feet. To properly configure Microstation the CAD monkey, I mean IT personnel must enable US Survey Feet option in the units.def definition file.
So what is happening is the Mstation user opens your DWG with units set to FEET (Int .Feet), then they are saving the DGN. They are doing it unknowingly, and will almost certainly continue this practice until notified.
leegreen, post: 426550, member: 2332 wrote: Yes, this is inherent to Microstation. Some users do not understand that Feet in Microstation is actually International Feet. To properly configure Microstation the CAD monkey, I mean IT personnel must enable US Survey Feet option in the units.def definition file.
So what is happening is the Mstation user opens your DWG with units set to FEET (Int .Feet), then they are saving the DGN. They are doing it unknowingly, and will almost certainly continue this practice until notified.
For some years MicroStation has had the ability to match Geographic Coordinate Systems. The following is taken from the file setup instructions for a Mstation course I taught in 2012. That course included several projects that used DXF topographic files produced by the Franklin County Ohio County Engineer.
[INDENT]The first step is to set our file up to use a Geographic Coordinate System. Since the base mapping will be set up
this way all the subsequent project files will also need to be set up the same way.
[INDENT]1. Start from the Tools menu, Geographic, Select Geographic
Coordinate System option.
2. Once the ÛÏGeographic Coordinate SystemÛ dialog opens select the
ÛÏFrom LibraryÛ option.
3. This will open the ÛÏSelect Geographic Coordinate SystemÛ dialog.
You will need to expand the Library folder and several subfolders to
find the desired mapping projection. Folders to be expanded are:
[INDENT]a. Library
b. Projected
c. United States of America
d. Ohio
e. Select,OHHP-SF-HARN (HPGN) Ohio State Planes,
Southern Zone, US Foot
f. Compare the values in the right of the dialog with the
information provided above.
g. Click on OK to accept the projection.
h. Select the ÛÏChange storage units to U.S. Survey FootÛ option
on the resulting dialog and click OK.
i. Save Settings (Ctrl+f).[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT]
Dallas Morlan, post: 426583, member: 6020 wrote: For some years MicroStation has had the ability to match Geographic Coordinate Systems. The following is taken from the file setup instructions for a Mstation course I taught in 2012. That course included several projects that used DXF topographic files produced by the Franklin County Ohio Engineer.
[INDENT]The first step is to set our file up to use a Geographic Coordinate System. Since the base mapping will be set up
this way all the subsequent project files will also need to be set up the same way.
[INDENT]1. Start from the Tools menu, Geographic, Select Geographic
Coordinate System option.
2. Once the ÛÏGeographic Coordinate SystemÛ dialog opens select the
ÛÏFrom LibraryÛ option.
3. This will open the ÛÏSelect Geographic Coordinate SystemÛ dialog.
You will need to expand the Library folder and several subfolders to
find the desired mapping projection. Folders to be expanded are:
[INDENT]a. Library
b. Projected
c. United States of America
d. Ohio
e. Select,OHHP-SF-HARN (HPGN) Ohio State Planes,
Southern Zone, US Foot
f. Compare the values in the right of the dialog with the
information provided above.
g. Click on OK to accept the projection.
h. Select the ÛÏChange storage units to U.S. Survey FootÛ option
on the resulting dialog and click OK.
i. Save Settings (Ctrl+f).[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT]
Yes, that's the way to do it. Now try to.find someone working in microstation that actually does it.
We do most of our work in Civil3D, we do the conversion because none of our clients, working in microstation, use the geographic coordinate system features of microstation. Half of them wouldn't knowna survey foot if it bit them.
bobwesterman, post: 426585, member: 7106 wrote: Yes, that's the way to do it. Now try to.find someone working in microstation that actually does it.
We do most of our work in Civil3D, we do the conversion because none of our clients, working in microstation, use the geographic coordinate system features of microstation. Half of them wouldn't knowna survey foot if it bit them.
The same project mentioned above also included using MicroStation to convert three Franklin County topographic map "facets" from DXF to different file formats. One file was saved in AutoCAD DWG format a second was converted to MicroStation V8 (Version 8) format DGN and the third was converted to MicroStation V7 (Version 7) format. A fourth file was left in AutoCAD dxf file format. Then a new MicroStation file was created (V8 format with the correct geographic coordinate system setup) to be used for design of a site plan.
Once the new file was created the four topographic files were referenced (XReferenced) in DWG, DGN V8, DGN V7 and DXF formats. As each file was attached the match lines with the other files were checked. The students would find one file did not fit by approximately two feet. The instructions for that file used the international foot conversion. Resetting the reference values to reflect the U.S. Survey foot conversion brought everything into alignment.
The students that finished that course are well prepared to address file conversion as well as metric to international Foot / U.S. Survey Foot conversions. Those students included techs in the Architecture, Civil and Survey degree/certificate programs.
Dallas,
That's a way more complicated method. If you set the units in Config file I mentioned then a single click to change between Metric and US Survey feet. I often work in both units on a single project as NYSDOT projects were in meters, while we design in feet.
The only time I use the method you described is for importing geographic data from sources such as Google Earth.
leegreen, post: 426768, member: 2332 wrote: Dallas,
That's a way more complicated method. If you set the units in Config file I mentioned then a single click to change between Metric and US Survey feet. I often work in both units on a single project as NYSDOT projects were in meters, while we design in feet.
The only time I use the method you described is for importing geographic data from sources such as Google Earth.
Lee,
I understand using the Config file and would do that myself for some long term projects. However, the intent here was to show new users how to deal with files from other sources using different units. I have encountered projects that included AutoCAD architectural building files with primary units as inches, AutoCAD topographic maps with primary units in U.S. Survey feet and AutoCAD landscape design plans with units in International feet.
Naturally each file used a different coordinate system and all were intended to represent the same site. The reference file management capabilities made getting all the information together in a usable form easy. Updates to any one file were simple. Just rename the first version of that file and put the new file in the same directory as original. All files showing that file as a reference were instantly updated.
The purpose of the project was to show the students that several offices using different software and/or different versions of MicroStation could work together on a project without generating problems.
The Engineers corrected the problem. I sent them a link to this thread with the great information here, but don't know if they looked.
I see that the alignment has short reverse curves with radii of 13,999.999998 and 100,000.0000510 feet for no reason.
