Understanding Cells in MicroStation
Cells are intricate components within MicroStation, consisting of multiple elements combined into a single complex element. These can be stored either in a designated cell library or directly within your design file as shared cells. Utilizing cells can significantly enhance your efficiency by allowing for standardized elements that can be easily placed and manipulated.
Steps to Ungroup a Cell in MicroStation
To ungroup or explode a cell in MicroStation, follow these detailed steps:
Access the Drop Tool: Start by navigating to the main menu at the top, click on "Tools," then select "Drop." This will open the Drop toolbox where you can choose different options for working with elements.
Select the Cell: Use the Power Selector tool to highlight the shared cell you wish to ungroup. Alternatively, you can opt to use the "Select By Attributes" feature to narrow down your selection.
Choose the Drop Element Tool: Within the Drop toolbox, select the "Drop Element" tool.
Specify Sharing Preferences: Make sure to adjust the settings to target ‘Shared Cells.’ This ensures that the operation focuses solely on the cells that can be ungrouped.
Execute the Ungrouping Process: Once you have all necessary settings configured, click on the "Drop" or "OK" button to execute the command. This will transform the selected cell into its individual component elements.
- Repeat if Necessary: Depending on the complexity of the cell and how many levels of grouping it contains, you might need to repeat the drop operation multiple times to fully ungroup the cell components.
Additional Techniques for Managing Elements
How to Separate Elements in MicroStation
For those looking to manage elements within MicroStation beyond just ungrouping cells, separating elements can be achieved through:
- Using the Fence Toolbox: Open it via "Tools" > "Toolboxes" > "Fence."
- Setting the Fence Type: Change the types to "Element" and the mode to "Overlap."
- Creating a Fence: Draw around the elements you wish to extract.
- Copying to a New File: Utilize the "Copy/Move Fence Contents to File" tool to move desired elements to a new location.
Editing Cell Attributes
To make changes to cell attributes post-ungrouping:
Select the Components: Identify and select the individual elements that require modification.
Access the Change Element Attributes Tool: This can typically be found in the Ribbon or via a right-click context menu.
- Alter the Attributes: Mark the attributes you wish to change, and select or input the desired attributes accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the advantage of using cells in MicroStation?
Cells enable you to standardize complex elements, reducing repetition in design work. They allow for easy reuse and management of design components.Can I revert changes made after dropping a cell?
If you save your work after dropping a cell and need to revert, you may utilize the undo function or access design history if it was enabled during your workflow.- What happens to the cell attributes when I ungroup a cell?
When you ungroup a cell, the individual components retain their original attributes, allowing you to modify them independently after the ungrouping process.
