Editing library cells is
no longer a burden
By Eiren K. Smith,
Axiom’s Vice President for Technology - www.axiomint.com
In this tip, I detail how to
streamline the usually time-consuming task of editing
cells in cell libraries. First, I’ll discuss
how to edit a cell using MicroStation alone - tedious!
Then I’ll guide you, step by step, on how to
do it with Axiom’s CellManager — ridiculously
fast and easy!
- Using MicroStation, when you
want to edit an existing cell in a cell library,
the steps involved are numerous and, to me, costly
in terms of wasted time. Here’s how it’s
done using MicroStation alone:
- Assuming the appropriate cell
library is already attached, select the cell you
wish to modify.
- Place it in a design file.
- Note down the cell’s description.
You will need to know what the description of the
cell is so that after you modify the cell and place
it back in its cell library, it will have the same
description as before (cells in design files don’t
retain their descriptions).
- Drop the cell.
- Make your modifications - adding,
deleting or modifying elements.
- Define your cell origin again
with the “Define Cell Origin” tool.
- Place a fence around the elements
that will comprise your new cell.
- Open the Cell Library dialog
box (Element | Cells).
- Delete the old cell. Again,
be sure to write down the cell’s description before
you delete it!
- In the Cell Library dialog box,
click on <Create…>.
- Name the cell and - from your
notes - re-enter the old description.
I’ve always considered this
11-step process time-consuming and indirect.
Axiom’s CellManager simplifies
this immensely. Here’s how easy it is to do with CellManager:
- Start CellManager by selecting
it from the Axiom menu. (Note: For your convenience,
CellManager will work on your attached cell library
by default, but you can always have CellManager
work on any cell library you like by simply choosing
that library from CellManager’s main dialog box.).
- Click on CellManager’s <Manage…>
button to display all the cells in the attached
cell library.
- Once the “Manage”
dialog box appears, select the cell you wish to
edit.
- 4. Click on <Edit…>.
- You’ll notice that the “Manage“
dialog box temporarily disappears, and the cell
you selected now appears in a temporary design file
ready for you to edit adding and modifying elements
as you please. When you’re done modifying the cell,
click on <OK>.
Whammo! Your cell has been
updated in your cell library. There’s no writing down
cell descriptions, carefully placing new cell origins,
placing fences, deleting old versions of cells, ad
absurdum. All you need to do is open CellManager,
select your library, click on <Manage…>
and then click on <Edit…>. CellManager
has made what should have been an easy process into
an easy process!
Click here
to find out more about CellManager.
Send us your MicroStation tips!
Send us your favorite MicroStation tip
to tips@AxiomInt.com. We
will give you full credit for the tip and your peers will look
at you with the reverence a MicroStation guru rightly deserves!
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