Written by Bob Mecham.
MicroStation can import files from external application such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
Link an Excel Sheet to MicroStation:
Why are Images or OLE Object not Printing from AutoCAD? This is typically caused by the Raster Image and OLE Settings on the AcroPlot AutoCAD Options Tab. We set the defaults to what normally works to create the smallest size files without loosing data.
Below is taken directly from the AutoCAD Online Help File F1 - DRAGMODE System Variable Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls the display of objects being dragged. When Drag mode is on, AutoCAD shows the image of an object as you drag it to another position. With some computer configurations, dragging can be time-consuming. You can either set your object to be displayed right in a worksheet or add an icon that opens the file. Click inside the cell of the spreadsheet where you want to insert the object. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Object. On the Create New tab, select the type of object you want to insert from the list presented.
1. Open the Excel file and Select the amount of data you want to copy.
2. From the Excel pulldown Edit>Copy. The data is copied to the clipboard.
3. Open the MicroStation file you want to paste the Excel Sheet into.
4. From the MicroStation pulldown Edit>Paste Special. The Paste Special dialog appears.
5. From the list of Data Type select “Linked Microsoft Excel Worksheet”
6. Select the Paste icon.
7. In the Paste OLE Tool Settings dialog set the Method to By Size and set the appropriate scale.
8. Place a data point in the view to place the linked excel sheet.
Importing Options:
There are three ways to import the source files as pictures, embedded files, or linked files.
– A picture is a screen capture of the application. The image is static and is not updated when changes are made to the source.
– An embedded file is imported and saved into the DGN file. Edits made to the embedded file are saved in the DGN file.
– A linked file is imported to the DGN file but still resides in the original application. Edits are made to the source file and can be updated using the MicroStation Update link tool.
MicroStation Viewing:
Access Ole Objects
When viewing a linked or embedded file in MicroStation it may appear shaded. This is due to the source application, Excel, being currently opened and its worksheet edited (see screen shot below). Once the source application is saved and closed the shading will not be seen in MicroStation
OLE Updating:
After changes are made to the source application the data stored in the DGN file will need updating. OLE data can be updated from the MicroStation pulldown menu Edit>Update Links
12 Jul, 2015Attaching an image file into your AutoCAD drawing only inserts it as a reference, which means always sending the image file along with the AutoCAD drawing. (What a hassle!) Join Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen as she shows you how to embed an image file so it becomes part of the drawing file!
Video Transcript
Hello there, this is Lynn Allen. Thank you for joining me for another AutoCAD tip, courtesy of Cadalyst magazine. Hope your week is great so far. I received an email from someone asking if there was anyway to insert an image into an AutoCAD drawing file so that it was embedded and not just attached. If you've ever done this before, you know what talking about.
When you attach an image file, it's just referenced in the drawing file, so if you need to send your DWG to somebody, you have to always send the image file with it. Otherwise they'll have a big empty space in the drawing. It's not good.
Let me just make sure we are all on the same page just to make sure you know what I'm talking about. I'm going to attach the Autodesk logo. Why not? This is the way most of us normally do it. Drop it into place. Easy enough. I'm going to go into the Xref Manager, and you will see that it's referenced. So it's not really embedded inside the drawing file. Well, that's a drag.
Let me come back out here and let's erase that, right? Then we'll go back into the Xref Manager, and so you know I have nothing up my sleeve, let's do a right-click and detach it.
The way to insert an image file and have it embedded is genius from Greg, my buddy Greg, from AutoCADTips1.com. Be sure to check it out. He has a solution that I would have never come up with. What a genius idea. What you are going to do is go to the image file, like Internet Explorer, for example. Do a right-click and you are going to go to Edit. More than likely it's going to bring it up into Paint, or you can go to Paint directly and open the file.
What I want to do is I'm going to a Ctrl-A. That selects everything, or you could do a right-click or a Select All -- whatever makes you happy. I'm going to do a right-click and I'm going a Copy -- or you can do a Ctrl-C. We all know there's lots of ways of doing it.
Cannot Embed Or Display Ole Objects In Autocad For Mac Free
I'm going to go back over to my AutoCAD drawing file. Let's go over to the Home tab on the Ribbon and the Clipboard panel, and I'm going to do a Paste Special. My default is going to want to insert it as a Paintbrush Picture. Totally fine with me. Hit OK. Then simply place it just like we did before. It looks pretty simple and pretty straightforward. Now if I go into the Xref Manager, you will see that it did not come in as an attachment. It's actually physically embedded into the drawing file. Awesome! So, so clever.
Ole Objects In Autocad
Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you Greg for being a genius. I hope to see you back here in two more weeks. Give it a try!