eXchanger for PDS

Operators Manual
Table of Contents
1 eXchanger for PDS Functionality ............................................................... 2
2 eXchanger for PDS Installation .................................................................. 2
3 eXchanger for PDS Operation .................................................................... 3
3.1 Converting a PDS Review File ...................................................................... 3
3.1.1 Attribute mapping file ............................................................................................................. 4
3.1.2 Color Settings File.................................................................................................................. 6
3.1.3 Color Mapping File ................................................................................................................. 7
3.1.4 Settings options ..................................................................................................................... 9
3.1.5 Converting the project .......................................................................................................... 10
3.2 Viewing File with eBrowser ......................................................................... 12
3.3 _stdout.log File Coding list (Errors and Warnings) ...................................... 13
3.3.1 Types of warnings ................................................................................................................ 13
3.3.2 Warning: reading plin: [message] Specific plin primitives issues ....................................... 13

CadMatic Revision 3.0

eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

1 eXchanger for PDS Functionality

eXchanger for PDS is a conversion program that converts the PDS Design Review model
to the Cadmatic e-Browser (.ebm) format.
The program supports the conversion of graphics and data attributes from PDS files to the
.ebm format using the Cadmatic SDK functionality.
The program implements flexible color management based on attributes, sets correct
camera location at the programs startup for loaded model(s), and provides static
mapping and filtering of attribute data.

2 eXchanger for PDS Installation

The program is typically downloaded as a Zip archive. To install eXchanger for PDS:
1. Extract the zip file to your Windows desktop.
2. Double-click the eXchangerforPDS_setup.exe file. An InstallShield wizard appears.
3. Click Next. When the process is finished, a Wizard Complete message appears.
Click Finish to close the InstallShield window.
4. Locate the key file sent to you under separate cover and copy this file to your
c:\Program Files\Cadmatic\eXchanger For PDS folder.

Note: Contact your Cadmatic representative if you do not have this key file
5. If you wish to install a free eBrowser (permitting a quick view of resulting ebm files),
download the file from

http://www.cadmatic.com/xml/downloads/downloads.html

to your Windows desktop. An activation code is emailed to you separately, which

will need to be entered upon first use of the eBrowser.

Revision 3.0
2
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

3 eXchanger for PDS Operation

3.1 Converting a PDS Review File

Click from the Windows Start menu.

1
The eXchanger for PDS menu appears .

eXchanger for PDS menu

In order to convert a file, perform the following steps:

1. Choose your source file type by clicking either DGN v7 (native), DGN v7 through
MicroStation, or DGN v8 through MicroStation.

1
Upon startup, you may receive a message File msbatch.bat not found in MicroStation
folder. Check the setting in exchangerPDS.ini in the program folder! If so, locate
your exchangerPDS.ini file in the c:\Program Files\Cadmatic\eXchanger folder and edit
this file in Windows NotePad (or similar) to reflect the correct path to your MicroStation
program file.

Revision 3.0
3
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

2. Click the SPR project fields button to navigate to a single *.dri file you wish
to convert. Once the file is chosen, all associated files appear in the Select files to
convert window.
Alternately, you may also choose to
open individual .dgn or .prp design files
from the Files of Type drop-down.
3. Select or deselect individual project design files you wish to convert. (You may
include all by clicking Select All.)

Individual files selected

4. Click the Output model fields button and ensure that the appropriate path is
chosen for the file you are about to create.

3.1.1 Attribute mapping file

1. If desired, click the Attribute mapping file fields button to choose an existing
file. Or, click . An edit dialog box appears.
2. To display a list of available attributes for your project, click Get Attributes. (Or, if
you know of specific attribute(s) you wish to enter manually, rather than reviewing an
entire list from the project, click Add.)

Revision 3.0
4
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

Attribute mapping edit dialog.

You may click to Delete attributes in this file based on your particular project. Also,
the Cadmatic attribute name may be revised from the attribute name by clicking
Change, as shown in the example below.

Attribute mapping Add/Change dialog (Is key unchecked).

(You may wish to save these changes in a new file by clicking Save As prior to
closing.)

Revision 3.0
5
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

3.1.2 Color Settings File

1. Click the Color Settings file fields button to choose an existing file. Or, click
. An edit dialog box appears. In this ColorSettings file, the user may specify an
attribute for coloring; for example, you may wish to color all Steel models by dgn
colors. If you wish to modify, click to review these attributes.

Color settings edit dialog

You may choose to apply conditions to the overall Base Rule via its drop-down menu.

Drop-down color Base Rule settings menu options

You have the option of applying this Base Rule to Piping, Equipment and Steel
models, or setting these rules individually to each type of component.

Revision 3.0
6
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

Drop-down color settings menu options for Piping (also available for Equipment and
Steel).

If you choose By attribute, the Colors according to attribute fields can be adjusted
as needed. (The example above shows Equipment / Equipment no. as the first item in
order, Piping / Line no as second.)
Shininess can be applied collectively by checking Together; otherwise, uncheck this
option to apply a value between 0 128 individually.
The Colors according to model groups acts as a filename filter; that is, if you have a
series of filenames where the first two letters represented variables to be sorted on a
list, the 2 and 1 positions would be chosen as shown in the example above. See
below for an example of how these model groups appear in the Color Mapping list.
If you choose By dgn colors, your exported project will render from the original
color palette to individual objects.
The By Model or By Groups of Models option applies colors to those found in the
original template.
Check the Use second dgn color set to utilize this color set from the .dgn file.

3.1.3 Color Mapping File

1. Click the Color mapping file fields button to choose an existing file or click
to review these attributes.

Revision 3.0
7
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

Color mapping edit dialog

2. You may click Make Base Colors to generate a list of standard colors, if you have
not generated such a list already. (You will be asked Do you want to delete your
current colors? click OK to proceed.)
3. Click Update color mapping to generate a list of default colors based on the coloring
rules selected in Color Settings above.
4. In the example above, the Model Name Mask identifies the color and discipline
properties of the Model Groups. This list is available if you have chosen By Models
or By Groups of Models option in the Color Settings menu above. Each line
provides an opportunity to revise the color by clicking Change.
5. You may click to Add a color, and make this your default by choosing from the
Default Color drop-down menu. This creates a color mapping file by scanning all the
selected input files for unique values of the attribute(s) assigned in the ColorSettings
file and assigning default colors for each attribute value. The user may then change
this default color assignment, if desired.

Revision 3.0
8
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

3.1.4 Settings options

1. From the Tools > Settings menu, you may wish to change the Visualization
Accuracy settings, depending on your priorities on how you wish to render linear
approximation of arcs and circles.

Tools > Settings dialog

2. Increasing the Max arc distance decreases visual resolution while decreasing file
size, while decreasing this value has the reverse effect, as shown in the examples that
follow:

Max arc distance modeling results: Lowest number value (0.01) left; highest (100)
right.

Conversely, decreasing the number of Max circle segments decreases visual

resolution while decreasing file size, while increasing this value has the reverse effect,
as shown in the examples that follow:

Revision 3.0
9
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

Max arc distance modeling results: Highest number value (72) left; lowest (6) right.

3. Also from the Tools > Settings menu, you may determine if the model will be
clipped in section Specifying MinMax box. This is useful in circumstances when the
project includes some models/objects that are far away from the main model and thus
likely to damage automatically generated views.
To modify, select one of the three options:
a) The default is none i.e. no clipping is specified.
b) The MinMax box or clipping volume can be specified based on a particular model
(or .dgn file). Select option According to selected .dgn file where you may set
the clipping according to one .dgn file from the list of files.
c) The Manual option allows you to specify the min-max x, y, and z coordinates in
millimeters.
Click OK to close this menu.
4. If desired, change the Dgn units from Default to one of the measurement unit
choices available from its drop-down menu. (You may wish to change this when
the .dgn file does not have defined units, but you know what these units should be.)
5. If desired, check Special DRV file format to use an alternate to the standard format.
6. If desired, check Use new origin for large coordinate system to permit use of
smaller X,Y,Z coordinates, which may be more easily processed by some applications.
(Note: the original values will remain displayed in eBrowser, however, the resulting
3dd file will reflect only these new coordinates.)
7. If desired, check Create 3dd file to generate a 3D dump file that can be imported into
Cadmatic Plant Modeler.

3.1.5 Converting the project

1. When you are ready to convert your project, click Convert. The status of the
conversion is updated throughout the two-phase process. (Note: if you have elected to
enable clipping via the Min/Max specifications described above, this is a three-phase
process.)

Revision 3.0
10
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

Status of the conversion message

When the file conversion is complete, a message appears:

Both .ebm and .log files are created.

2. Click OK to close the message window. The conversion process is complete.

Revision 3.0
11
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

3.2 Viewing File with eBrowser

To use the eBrowser to view an .ebm file youve created, perform the following steps:
1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer (Version 7.0 or higher, Version 10.0 is depicted in
the example below).
2. Click File > Open > Browse to navigate to the .ebm file. (Alternately, you may
double-click on this file in Windows Explorer to open.)

.ebm file opened in eBrowser with Object list displayed, Systems and pipelines
hierarchy in top left corner of window.

Revision 3.0
12
eXchanger for PDS Operators Manual

3.3 _stdout.log File Coding list (Errors and Warnings)

If an issue arises with a conversion, a log file is created in the folder where the
conversion takes place named [new project filename]_stdout.log
An Error message indicates a fatal error resulting in the unsuccessful finish of the
convertor. Warnings indicate that some part of the project will not be processed.

3.3.1 Types of warnings

Warning: Could not find file '[filename]' Supplemental and temporary files required for
conversion are not available.
Warning: File '[filename]' is empty. - The plin file contains no components
Warning: reading plin: [message] An issue with plin primitives are identified and
noted, as described in the following list:

3.3.2 Warning: reading plin: [message] Specific plin primitives issues

Warning: [object] Problem with face set
Warning: [object] TOR - end points are same
Warning: [object] TOR - radius of tube is greater than radius of curvature
Warning: [object] SEG - zero length of line
Warning: [object] ELB has zero direction
Warning: [object] ELB - end points are same
Warning: [object] ELB - 180 degree elbow
Warning: [object] ELB - width or height is negative
Warning: [object] RED - bad geometry
Warning: [object] RED has too few unique vertices
Warning: [object] RED - zero count of faces
Warning: [object] Unsuccessful finish of Cadmatic function, value: [value]

Revision 3.0
13