Export in 3D DGN format

You can export selected parts or the whole model in the 3D DGN format. You can use either the older v7.0 export or the newer v8.0 export.

Export in 3D DGN v8 format

3D DGN export v8 uses Teigha libraries.
The surface presentation of the parts is exported. Bolt holes are not included in the export.
You can export objects relative to the model origin, to the base point you define, or relative to the work plane.
You can export in layers by name, phase or any template attribute or user-defined attribute.
Colors can be exported by class or by stored object group representation.
You can export all objects or selected objects. You can use the Select objects in assemblies and Select objects in components selection switches for selecting the objects to export. You can export selected parts in an assembly when you use the Select objects option and Select objects in assemblies and Select objects in components when you select the parts. If you do not select a part but an assembly, the highest level of assembly parts will be included in the export.

Create object group color representations

If you want to use object group color representations in the export, you need to create the object groups first, set the colors for the object groups and save the representation settings. Note that the transparency setting is not included in the export.

Create base points

If you want to export objects relative to a base point, you need to create a base point in your model.

Open a Tekla Structures model.
On the File menu, click Export > 3D DGN v8.
In the File name box, enter the name of the export file.
In the Folder box, enter the export folder path, or browse to the folder.
In Location by, select one of the following:
- Model origin exports the model relative to 0,0,0.
- Work plane exports the model relative to the current work plane coordinate system.
- Base point <name of base point> exports the model relative to the base point using coordinate system values East coordinate, North coordinate, Elevation, Angle to North, Latitude and Longitude from the base point definition.
In the Selection list, select All objects, or Selected objects. If you want to export selected objects, select the objects with the appropriate selection switches:
- If you activate the Select parts and Select objects in components selection switches, all the selected parts will be exported.
- If you activate the assembly or component selection, nothing will be exported.
In Object color, select whether you want to export objects using object class colors or object group colors.
In Layer names as, select Name or Phase from the list, or type the template or user-defined attribute name in the box. You can use phases, part names, or template attributes or user-defined attributes as layer names for exported objects.
When you are done, click Export to export the objects according to the defined settings.

Tekla Structures creates the <name>.dgn file in the specified folder.

Export in 3D DGN v7 format

The 3D DGN v7 export supports parts only.
In the 3D DGN v7 export, you can only use the model origin in the export. Changing the work plane has no effect to export.

Open a Tekla Structures model.
On the File menu, click Export > 3D DGN.

The 3D DGN Export dialog box opens.
In the Output file box, enter the name of the export file.

If you want to replace an already existing file, click the ... button and browse for the file.
In the Export list, select All objects, or Selected objects and select the parts to export.

It might be a good idea to filter out minor secondary parts, for example, curved parts from railings, if you do not need them in the exported DGN model. This decreases the export file size.
Click Create.

Tekla Structures creates the <name>.dgn file in the current model folder.

You can use the following advanced options to control DGN exports:

XS_EXPORT_DGN_COORDINATE_SCALE

XS_EXPORT_DGN_FILENAME

XS_EXPORT_DGN_INCLUDE_CUTS

XS_EXPORT_DGN_INCLUDE_INNER_CONTOUR

XS_EXPORT_DGN_USE_CLASS_AS_COLOR

Control tubular parts in 3D DGN export

If you have tubular parts in your model, and you want to reduce the size of the DGN files, or affect the complex display in rendered views, you can use the following advanced options:

XS_CHORD_TOLERANCE_FOR_SMALL_TUBE_SEGMENTS

XS_CHORD_TOLERANCE_FOR_TUBE_SEGMENTS