
	Applies To

	Product(s):	Bentley Navigator
	Version(s):	08.09.05.70
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	N/A
	Subarea:	N/A
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

Overview

Sometimes, when attempting to create a 3D PDF using Bentley Navigator's Print command, a user may come across a memory error. Typically, the error is similar to the image below, but there have been other ones report.

What Causes This Error

While the 3D PDF format is a great representation tool, it does have limits to the amount of information that it can handle. Because of this limitation, there are two possible causes of this error. First, the geometry of the shapes contains too many triangles. Second, there are too many geometric shapes in the model for the process to handle. Basically, what happens in both cases is that there is too much data being passed through the tool and the system runs out of memory. The first cause is typically due to too much detail in the geometry of the model. High resolution type shapes tend to have this issue. The second cause is due to too many shapes in the model. This is typical in large productions such as complete plants or sites.

Workarounds

There are two workarounds that can be used for this issue, depending on which of the causes is most likely to blame. The first is to lower the Mesh Resolution of the objects. Lowering the Mesh Resolution actually reduces the number of triangles used in the geometric shapes. This workaround is mostly targeted at the first cause, but it can help in the second since the more shapes, the more triangles in the model. The second workaround is to turn of unneeded objects/layers. The idea behind this one is to reduce the number of objects in the model by turning off the layer or level that the objects reside on. This can also be done by removing the any reference files that are attached to the model. One would remove only those objects that either will not be visible in the current view or those that are not needed. This workaround focuses more on the second issue since it removes objects, but it can be used with the other solution to help with this problem. A good rule of thumb would be to try and restrict the amount of information being exported to a 3D PDF. Don't try carrying over an entire plant or other complex buildings.

Lowering The Mesh Resolution

In order to lower the Mesh Resolution, follow these steps

First begin the print job and get to the "Print" dialog -
Next change the "Printer and Paper Size" Windows drivers to the Bentley driver and check the "Plot to 3D" option under the "General Settings" area.
Go to Settings>3D Plotting
The 3D Plotting Options dialog should be displayed
Change the Mesh Resolution to the lowest setting, which is 200 or Coarse as seen below
With that done, hit the OK button to accept
Attempt to create the 3D PDF and see if the program gets past the error

External Links

Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase

Bentley LEARN Server

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