Working in a MicroStation v7-deliverable Project

v7 files in MicroStation v8 

Our San Diego Transportation Group configuration is set so that ms/J dgn files remain ms/J format, even though we are running MicroStation v8:

• MS_OPENV7=3 (allows automatic loading and writing in v7 mode; does not change ms/j file format).

We can use the latest versions of InRoads while working in v7 files.

Using v8 files for v7-deliverable project

Working in v8 file format in a v7-deliverable project opens up a can of worms, but sometimes eating worms is a fair tradeoff.  

In order to take advantage of certain v8 functions (referencing a .dwg or a 3D file into a 2D file, for example) you must be working in a v8 .dgn file.

While we have the ability to save a v8 dgn file back to v7 remapping the levels properly, individually and in batch mode, certain things do get lost in the translation, including:

• any references to v8 files

Suffix the v8 files as *_v8.dgn

In order to be clear where issues may arise in translation, suffix all v8 files with "*_v8.dgn".