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FileFixer for V8 breakthroughs
revealed
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CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA —
Since its inception, Axiom has provided the Intergraph and
(later) the MicroStation communities with independent and
objective design file analysis and repair. Axiom's extensive
researched on how file and element errors occur gave birth
to FileFixer. FileFixer was introduced to ensure design
file integrity. By popular demand, this tradition continues
with FileFixer for V8.
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| Study of V8 design file corruption leads to new release
of FileFixer for V8. |
Why do design files get corrupted?
Factors beyond Bentley's control can impact your files: acts
of God, acts of Bill Gates, your operating system, your network
software, your network hardware, your server, your CPU, your
hard drives and your electric power company to name a few.
Like its V7 counterpart, FileFixer for V8 is evolving
in response to analysis of customer files and from customer
requests. What are the latest enhancements?
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the
Missing Level
V7 design files always have 63 levels available. That's not
the case in V8. A V8 design file might only contain a definition
for the "Default" level and no other level definitions.
If data in an element indicates the element resides on a level
called "Foundation", but the level "Foundation"
is not defined in that design file, MicroStation V8 users
will experience trouble with that element. Level-related manipulations
involving that element will be unsuccessful. For example,
toggling the level's display on or off could exclude the element.
FileFixer for V8 can automatically repair elements
on undefined levels by moving the element to an existing level
or to a newly created level (user's choice).
FileFixer returns elements
to the known universe
FileFixer for V8 can now rescue elements, which have
departed the known universe. Sometimes an element coordinate
can be outside the edge of the V8 design plane (or design
cube in 3D). This error condition is entirely new to MicroStation
V8.
Much to our chagrin, there isn't a concrete wall or force
field that defines the "edge" of the design plane.
The "edge" of the MicroStation design plane (or
cube) is constrained by the maximum and minimum coordinate
values that can be stored in each element. This is true for
V7 and V8.
SIDE NOTE: A single "bit"
can store the binary values 0 and 1. Two bits can store the
binary values 00, 01, 10 and 11 (also known as 0, 1, 2 and
3). Three bits can store the binary values 000, 001, 010,
011, 100, 101, 110 and 111 (also known as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6 and 7). When more bits are used, larger ranges of values
can be represented.
Many MicroStation users know that 32 bits are allocated for
each coordinate stored in a V7 element. 32 bits can represent
values in the range 0 to 4,294,967,296 - this defines the
V7 design plane "edge". MicroStation users often
split this in half so that the design plane grid represents
units of resolution (positional units) in the range -2,147,483,648
to +2,147,483,647 with 0, 0 conveniently right in the middle
(see figure 1.1).
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| Figure 1.1: The extent of a MicroStation V7 design. |
Quite a bit more in V8
MicroStation V8 allocates 64 bits for the storage of each
element coordinate. These additional bits vastly increase
the range of coordinate values available in V8 and, as a result,
the "edge" of the V8 design plane (or cube) is vastly
extended as well.
All of this leads to the following little-known fact: MicroStation
V8 does not utilize the full range possible with 64 bits.
And with good reason!
MicroStation uses the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) 754 standard - which is the most common representation
today for real numbers on computers - to read and write 64-bit
coordinates. This IEEE standard allows 64 bits to represent
extremely large ranges of numerical values, but there is one
drawback: precision is not maintained for values exceeding
+4.5 x 1015. For example, imagine sitting on Pluto viewing
a V8 design of the entire solar system. Clearwater, Florida
might be indistinguishable from Tampa, Florida because there
simply aren't enough positional units available to represent
that level of detail while also including Pluto (to scale)
on the same map.
The perfect compromise
This is the perfect compromise — MicroStation V8 supports
a design plane (or cube) that is two million times larger
than the V7 design plane (in each dimension) while maintaining
precision!
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| The extent of a MicroStation V8 design. |
So what does this have to do with FileFixer for V8?
FileFixer automatic repair
to the rescue
Axiom's analysis of customer files identified elements with
coordinate values outside the legal MicroStation range -4.5
x 1015 to +4.5 x 1015. These elements are outside the legal
MicroStation universe! The IEEE standard allows 64 bits to
contain values outside this range so incorrectly initialized
or damaged element coordinates can contain out-of-bounds values.
When a V8 element coordinate contains an out-of-bounds value,
the element might be unselectable or might disappear entirely
when zooming.
FileFixer for V8 recognizes this new V8 error condition
and automatically corrects out-of-bounds element coordinates
by moving the element back inside the "legal" design
file edge. This restores normal element behavior.
Call now!
That's just a sampling of recent FileFixer
enhancements. If you are curious about more of the latest
V8 enhancements to FileFixer, please contact Axiom
for an online demonstration. Call 727-442-7774 extension
9085 or e-mail 9085@axiomint.com.
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