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Export Files from the Key-In Command Line
You can export files from the key-in command line individually or in batches.
You can also add the commands to the Key-In menu to speed up the process.
To use the key-in command line to export files
1 Click Utilities ➤ Key-In to open the Key-In dialog box.
2 To export an NWC file, type nwcout.
NOTE To export the current design file quickly, you can use the batchnwcout command. The explorer replaces
the design file extension (usually .dgn) with .nwc when exporting the file. When you use this command, you are
not prompted to overwrite any existing files, and no export dialog box is shown.
3 In the Export Navisworks File dialog box, browse to the desired storage location.
The exporter automatically provides a filename, and a view number, which you can modify, if necessary.
The chosen view number determines the initial model view in Navisworks.
4 Click OK to export the file.
To add Navisworks export commands to the Key-In menu
1 Click Workspace ➤ Customize.
2 In the Customize dialog box, the Menu Bar tab, expand the Utilities option in the Edit Menu Bar field.
3 Click the Key-In option, and click the Insert button.
4 In the Insert Menu Item dialog box, enter the Label, for example, “Export Navisworks Cache File”.
5 In the Key-In field, type the appropriate command, for example, “nwcout”.
6 Click OK.
7 Add as many menu items as necessary, and click Save.
The added options are now available from the Utilities ➤ Key-In menu.
Export Files from the Command Line
You can also export files from the command line by using the msbatch.bat file. This is useful when you want to
set up an automated script for file export.
NOTE To export a file from the command line, you must first add the MicroStation program directory to the Path
environment variable.
The format of the command line exporter is
msbatch nwexport8 [-f] FILE [OUTPUT]
FILE is the name of the MicroStation file you want to export. This is the only required option. The OUTPUT
argument enables you to specify the name of the output file.
By default, the exporter only converts files that have been changed since the last time you exported them. This
is useful for speeding up exporting a large number of files. If you want to force the exporter to convert all files,
use the -f option.
NOTE If the exporter encounters any problems, it produces an error log in a file called nwdout.err.
To modify the Path environment variable
1 In the Control Panel, double-click System.
2 In the System Properties dialog box, Advanced tab, click the Environment Variables button.
138 | Chapter 5 Work with Files