Creating symbols from 3D models


 Product(s):Bentley Substation, Promis.e
 Version(s):through 10.00.00.232
 Environment:N\A
 Area:Component Management
 Subarea:Create Symbol

I have some files of equipment that I downloaded from a manufacturer, but they are not in a native (DGN) format. How can I make symbols from these files?

Background

This article pertains to Bentley Substation and standalone/MicroStation-based Promis.e and is primarily intended for 3D symbols. For Promis.e, the steps in this article would typically be used to create Panel Layout mode symbols. For Bentley Substation, this article also applies to creating 3D Layout mode symbols.

Steps to Accomplish

CONNECT Edition

  1. Open [[Create Symbol]].

  2. Select an appropriate seed file for the Symbol Creation Seed File field. To create a 3D symbol, choose a 3D seed file.

  3. Select the New Symbol (From Scratch) option and click Next.

  4. On the ribbon, select File > Import.  

  5. Select 3D Modeling File Types, then select ACIS (.sat), 3DS (.3ds), 3DM (.3dm), SketchUp (.skp), or other file types.  
    Or select Exchange File Types, then select STEP (.stp), IGES (.igs), FBX (.fbx) or other file types.

  6. On the resulting dialog, select the file to be imported and click Open.

  7. Click Import or OK as the case may be. The geometry of the imported file should be visible; a Fit View operation may be necessary. If no elements have been imported, it may be necessary to repeat the above steps and adjust the Settings on the Import dialog or try a different file format.

  8. Continue to step through the Symbol Creation Wizard to add a Tag Mnemonic attribute, Hook Point(s), Insertion Point, and any other desired attributes.

  9. Select the destination catalog and click Finish on the last step of the Symbol Creation Wizard.

V8i

  1. Open [[Create Symbol]].

  2. Select an appropriate seed file for the Symbol Creation Seed File field. To create a 3D symbol, choose a 3D seed file.

  3. Select the New Symbol (From Scratch) option and click Next.

  4. From the main pull down menus, select File > Import then select the format of the file to be imported. For example, select Step A203/A214 (.stp), IGES (.igs), or ACIS (.sat).  Or select CAD Files then set the Files of Type appropriately to select 3D Studio Files (.3ds), OpenNurbs (Rhino) Files (.3dm), Autodesk FBX Files (.fbx), SketchUp Files (.skp), or other file types.

  5. On the resulting dialog, select the file to be imported and click Open.

  6. Click Import or OK as the case may be. The geometry of the imported file should be visible; a Fit View operation may be necessary. If no elements have been imported, it may be necessary to repeat the above steps and adjust the Settings on the Import dialog or try a different file format.

  7. Continue to step through the Symbol Creation Wizard to add a Tag Mnemonic attribute, Hook Point(s), Insertion Point, and any other desired attributes.

  8. Select the destination catalog and click Finish on the last step of the Symbol Creation Wizard.

See Also

[[Inserting Drawings]]

 Original Author:Matt_P