
	Applies To

	Product(s):	Bentley Navigator
	Version(s):	08.11.07.xx; 08.11.09.xxx
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	N/A
	Subarea:	N/A
	Original Author:	Richard DeLong, Bentley Technical Support Group

Overview

Some user may find that they need to Importing JSM models into Bentley Navigator SS2. This TechNote will go over the basics of how this is done in. It begins with loading up the Bentley i-model Composer tool. The import process is now handled inside the Bentley i-model Composer. Once the import is done, i-model can then publish the file to an i.dgn at which point it can be opened in Bentley Navigator.

Starting the Importing tool

First, one needs to open up the Bentley i-model Composer tool. This will first prompt the user to open a model before going into the program. Select any available file that can be used to just load the application up. The type of model opened does not affect what type of JSM model can be imported, which means there is no restriction on which Project is selected. Once the file is loaded up and the Application is done loading, go to 'File>Import>JSpace Model (JSM)' to select the JSM file and load the JSM Import Settings.

File>Import>JSpace Model (JSM)

Before the JSM Import Settings loads, the program will request that the JSM file is opened. Located it on the system and open it up. Once the file is selected, the JSM Import Settings dialog will load up.

JSM Import Settings

This dialog allows the user to determine where the DGN file, which is created from the import, will be placed along with what seed file and schema will be used for the process. I also allows for the selection of what is included in the import and how to handle reference files that maybe included in the JSM. The sections are described below -

DGN Output Folder - displayed the location of where the resulting DGN file will be placed, typically placed in the same location as the JSM source file
Seed File - the seed file that will be used to create the DGN file (for those of you not familiar with MicroStation it is similar to a template file in AutoCAD)
Schema to Use - specifies any schema file that is needed, can be left blank, more on this later on
DGN Model Creation - has three options, these options determine how the tool will handle reference files (the Active file is the main file that was used to create the JSM, the Ref file is any references that were included in it)
- Active & Ref -> Separate Files (splits the reference file and the main file into their own DGN files)
- Active -> One File (just imports the active file into a single DGN file)
- Active & Ref -> One File (imports the active file and any reference files into the same DGN file.
Import Elements - determines what will be imported into the DGN from the JSM, such as the Graphics or Groups. If anything is unchecked, then that element will not be imported.

Schemas

For some JSM files, all that is needed at this point is to hit OK (not Schema file needed) and the process will be run. However, in some cases, such as in the case with AutoPLANT or with customized PlantSpace models, the user may need to load up the correct schema in order to have the imports come through correctly. Without selecting the correct schema, errors maybe displayed in the Message Center.

Bentley i-model Composer does include a few of these schemas (usually LIB files). A list of these can be seen under the Configuration variable JPATH. The default location for the lib files is in Workspace directory - 'C:\ProgramData\Bentley\imodelComposer V8i\WorkSpace\System\JSpace\lib'. When working with PS, usually, one would need to either add their custom lib file to this location or you can use the default copy that is there. If working with an AutoPLANT file, then one needs to copy the AutoPLANT's rebis.lib file into this location. The rebis.lib file can be found under 'C:\Program Files\Bentley\Plant V8i\Support'. Just copy this file over to the lib folder.

If this is a onetime thing and it is not desired to override the existing lib files or to move the required lib file into that location, one can just use the field 'Schema to Use' in the JSM Import Settings. This tells the program to use that specific schema for the import. This is helpful if the user has a customized schema that they don't wish to use on other JSM files.

Running the Process

Once the schema is either loaded by the tool or added into the folder, all that is needed to import the file is to press the OK button. Once this is done, the program will create a DGN file in the desired location. It will also load the DGN into Bentley i-model Composer for publishing.

Results and Differences

During tests with this, there were some things discovered with AutoPLANT files that need pointing out.

Some references don't come through with the JSM. When the test was run on an AutoPLANT document, it was found that the JSM itself didn't contain the reference information from the model. Because of this, the reference was not pulled through during the import. To work around this, one needs to export the JSM for the reference files as well. Once this is done, then import the reference JSM files into i-model Composer and publish them. Now that they are all published, they can be attached as references into the main file by opening it in Bentley Navigator and then using the reference tools there.

Another issue that was seen was that the way i-model handles the JSM's component data is different than how it handles other data from AutoPLANT. When publishing a normal AutoPLANT DWG file, the data is listed under the 'AutoPLANT PDW Items' section in the Item Browser as shown below -

When working with an AutoPLANT document that is imported from a JSM, this information is listed under the 'Default Items' section. It is also organized differently than a normal AutoPLANT file is as one can see in the example below -

Conclusion

When using the import JSM option, it is imported to understand what is required as well as what may be included or excluded from the results by going this route. The issues mentioned in the last section mainly involve AutoPLANT and may not be found in other JSM files, such as PlantSpace or AutoPipe. Be sure to test these files out and see how they are handled by the process.

External Links

Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase

Bentley LEARN Server

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Importing JSM Models into Bentley Navigator V8i TN