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DGN Export ​
Exports a Bentley MicroStation DGN file to PDF. The drawing is read directly and rendered with Bentley View, so no MicroStation licence is required. Because there is no single‑instance constraint, this task can run in parallel across many drawings at once.
Server setup required
This task needs Bentley View 2026 (the only supported version) installed on the automation server, with a small amount of configuration. See Bentley View setup & troubleshooting and confirm the Bentley View / DGN Export readiness check passes before using this node.
Purpose ​
Use this task when a workflow needs a print‑ready PDF from a DGN drawing — for example to publish on approval, to archive a revision, or to batch‑produce consistent plots. The task locates the drawing's title‑block border, clips the view to it, and prints that sheet. A drawing that contains several borders produces several sheets, which can be combined into one PDF or kept separate.
How borders are found ​
The task recognises two kinds of border, both matched by name against the advanced settings table:
- Reference border. A reference (external DGN) attached as the border — for example
pqa0.dgn. List its file name in the table. - Cell border. A title block placed directly in the drawing as a cell. List its cell name in the table.
- Whole‑drawing fallback. If nothing is matched, the whole drawing's extents are exported as a single sheet.
Each matched border is exported as its own sheet. When a drawing contains the same border in several places (several sheets), each is clipped and exported in turn.
Inputs ​
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local File Full Path | Text | Yes | Full path to the DGN file to export. |
| Export Type | Dropdown | Yes | The target output format. Only PDF is currently supported. |
| Advanced Export Settings | Advanced Table | No | Optional table mapping each border to its plot settings. See below. |
Advanced Export Settings ​
An Output Mode control sets whether the produced sheets are merged into one PDF or kept as a separate PDF per sheet:
| Control | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Output Mode | Single PDF / PDF Per Sheet | Whether all sheets are merged into one PDF, or kept as a separate PDF per sheet. |
Each table row maps a border to its plot settings. The first column is the match key:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Reference/Cell Name | The border to match — a reference file name (e.g. pqa0.dgn) or a cell name found in the drawing. Use Default for borders not explicitly listed and for the whole‑drawing fallback. |
| Paper Size | Paper name passed to the plot driver (e.g. A1). Must exist in the active plot configuration. |
| Orientation | Landscape or Portrait. |
| Color Mode | Color, Monochrome or Grayscale. |
| Scale | Fit to Page to fit the border to the paper, or a ratio such as 1:100 for a fixed scale. |
| Plot Config Path | Path to a .pltcfg plot configuration file. Leave empty to use the default PDF plot configuration. |
| Apply Line Weights | Whether to plot line weights. |
| Pre-Plot Keyins | Optional advanced print commands, separated by semicolons, applied before plotting. |
When a border is found, the row whose Reference/Cell Name matches its reference file name or cell name is used. If there is no exact match, the Default row is used; if there is no Default row, built‑in defaults apply.
Visibility Rules ​
Advanced Export Settings is shown when Export Type is set to PDF.
Outputs ​
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| ExportedFilePath | Full path to the primary output PDF (the merged file in Single PDF mode, or the first sheet in PDF Per Sheet mode). |
| ExportedFiles | List of full paths to every PDF produced. |
| SheetCount | Number of PDF files produced. |
Related ​
- Get DGN Info — read title‑block metadata, references and extents before exporting.
- Bentley View setup & troubleshooting — server prerequisites for this task.