Mastering MicroStation DGN: How to Integrate CAD and GIS

Dive deep into the world of CAD-GIS integration and elevate your workflows to nexl-level efficiency levels. Discover how to seamlessly transfer data between Bentley MicroStation and leading GIS platforms, such as Esri ArcGIS.

This session goes beyond mere CAD/GIS conversion, showcasing techniques to precisely transform MicroStation elements including cells, text, lines, and symbology. We’ll walk you through tags versus item types, and understanding how to leverage both. You’ll also learn how to reproject to any coordinate system. Finally, explore cutting-edge automated methods for managing database links, and delve into innovative strategies for enabling self-serve data collection and validation services.

Join us to overcome the common hurdles in CAD and GIS integration and enhance the efficiency of your workflows. This session is perfect for professionals, both new to FME and seasoned users, seeking to streamline their processes and leverage the full potential of their CAD and GIS systems.

1. Mastering MicroStation
DGN: How to Integrate
CAD and GIS

2. Evie
Lapalme

Technical Support Specialist
Safe Software
Jovita
Chan

Technical Support Specialist
Safe Software
Meet Our Team

3. Welcome to Livestorm.
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5. Agenda
1Introduction
2Flash Demo
3CAD to GIS
4GIS to CAD
5Conclusion
6Resources
7Q&A
Agenda

6. 1
Introduction

7. Discover how FME simplifies
your path to integrating
Bentley MicroStation with
Esri ArcGIS and beyond.

8. With FME, overcome the barriers to
effective CAD-GIS integration.

●Overcome integration barriers
●Simplify MicroStation element transformation
●Streamline data processes
●Enhance workflow efficiency

9. Flash
Demo

10. Output: ArcGIS Pro - Geodatabase

11. Challenges you may relate to!
Common frustrations:
●Difficulty transferring data between Bentley MicroStation and GIS platforms
●Challenges transforming MicroStation elements
●Differences in how attributes are stored
●Managing spatial awareness
●Self serve data access and data validation

12. 2
CAD to GIS
Integration

13. What is the difference between CAD and GIS?
Computer Aided Drafting
●A drawing to represent objects in the real world with accuracy
●Symbology, styling, dimensions, label annotations
●Levels that can contain anything

Geographic Information Systems
●Topology and data cleanliness matters
●Unique geometry type per file/feature class
●Location
●Used for analysis and decision making



CAD to GIS Integration

14. Demo 1:
DGN Roads
to Shapefile

15. Goal Block Key Result
Enrich road lines
with road type
attribution from a
linestyle lookup
table as a key

DGN V7 Road Lines to Shapefile
Old DGN V7 file
that used coded
line styles for
road type
attributes


Use FME to map
attributes onto
geometry during
the
transformation

Thematic
Shapefiles with
useful attribution
to use in GIS.
(Bonus:
Upgrade to V8
with item types
CAD to GIS Integration

16. Demo

17. DGN V7 to Shapefile (and DGN V8)
●AttributeValueMapper
●Feature Type Fanout
●Creating attributes for item types

CAD to GIS Integration

18. Demo 2:
Topo Map
Parsing

19. Goal Block Key Result
Merging labels &
geometry to
work in GIS

Reading DGN drawing with labels → GDB
DGN <> GIS

NeighborFinder
AttributeFilter
GeometryFilter

Written to
Geodatabase

20. Data: MicroStation - DGN

21. Output: ArcGIS Pro - Geodatabase

22. NeighborFinder
●Great for finding & joining attributes from
nearby features.
AttributeFilter
●Similar transformers include the
FeatureTypeFilter, Tester, and TestFilter
Geometry Filter
●Used to create separate feature types
based on geometry type for the
Geodatabase

Takeaways

23. Demo 3:
Reading Item
Types from
Water Mains
Writing to
MapInfo

24. Goal Block Key Result
Reading DGN Item Types → MapInfo
Enabling the
reader
parameter and
understanding
what you’re
looking at.

MapInfo tables
broken down by
installation date
ranges.
CAD to GIS Integration
Read attributes
stored in DGN
and enrich the
dataset for
analysis
Lot of small line
segments with
the same
attributes.

25. Demo

26. Recap
●Reading item types: item type name. Item time property
●Clean up topology for GIS
●Extract data for the purpose it’s needed in

27. CAD to GIS Key Ideas
●Get attributes onto geometry
●How to read item types / tags
●Fine tune your reader parameters:
○Cells - as a point or as expanded
geometry
○Annotations - multilines?
○Dimensions - explode?
○Is a Coordinate system applicable?


CAD to GIS Integration

28. 3
GIS to CAD
Integration

29. GIS to CAD
Things to keep in mind:
●What elements will points, lines, and polygons be represented in?
●Do you have custom line styles, patterns, cell libraries?
●Do you have specific levels set up in a seed file?
CAD to GIS Integration

30. Demo 4:
Writing Tags
& Item Types

31. Slide Title
Writing GIS data
to DGN

Goal Block Key
Writing Tags and Item Types
Result
TAB <> DGN

Using FME to
read the data
and write data

Data is written
out to DGN

32. Data: MapInfo TAB

33. Output: Microstation V8 - DGN

34. ●Microstation V8
Writer
●Make sure to set
Write tags to Yes


Writing Tags

35. Output: Microstation V8i - DGN

36. Item Types
●Require at minimum 3 attributes to be
created.
Tags
●Need to have the tags enabled on the
writer.
Takeaways
1.igds_item_names{}
2.<item name>.<property name>.type
3.<item name>.<property name>
https://docs.safe.com/fme/html/FME-Form-Documentation/FME-ReadersWriters/igds/Tags.htm
https://docs.safe.com/fme/html/FME-Form-Documentation/FME-ReadersWriters/igds/Item-Types.htm

37. Demo 5:
Writing Item
Types

38. Slide Title
Integrate data
from GIS formats
to create a DGN
file with a few
different
elements.

Goal Block Key
KML Roads and GeoJSON Tree Points to DGNV8
Result
Filtering and
restructuring
data for CAD in a
drawing
perspective

Having a good
picture of the
output structure
or standard that
you want.

Use FME to
make this vision
come to life!

39. Demo

40. ●DGNStyler
●Seed file
●Attribute transformers (or String
transformers)
●Ways to create elements and annotations
(Labeller vs. LabelPointReplacer)
Takeaways

41. 4
Wrap Up

42. Support for
Reading and
Writing with
DGN

43. 5
Safe & FME

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45. One platform, two technologies
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46. 6
Resources

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