When I open Google Earth on my computer I cannot see the Bentley campus that you published from MicroStation. Why?
MicroStation users can easily publish data assembled from a DGN or DWG file to the KML file format, or its compressed derivative, KMZ. Anyone who has a KML or KMZ file can open it within the Google Earth™ application and see the file's information in the site context that Google Earth provides.
Rest assured, your published data is safely located in the KML or KMZ file - it is not residing on a Google Earth server that would be accessible by everyone with access to Google Earth.
In short, the model data is published from MicroStation to a file on your computer that can then be shared with other Google Earth users via E-mail, as a download from an FTP site or as a link on a Website.
For managing access control to the KML/KMZ file you may also elect to use the ProjectWise managed environment to store all relevant files safely and securely.
You tell us that you are making 3D modeling “cooler” for a wider audience – is that necessary?
MicroStation has always enjoyed an enviable reputation for its modeling capabilities as demonstrated by signature users and their designed products.
The current trend for our competition to try to “catch up” with our technology confirms the current “cool” rating of 3D. We are simply moving the bar a little higher and making 3D cooler for a very broad, global audience.
This integration with the Google Earth tools takes the models out of the hands of the designers and places them firmly in the hands of educated and information-hungry consumers who want to take their time to review, navigate and query the designs.
You are not the first to push CAD information into the Google Earth environment.
What makes this news?
With MicroStation we are uniquely positioned to collate and publish 3D models of buildings, land terrain and roads and combine them with geospatial and 2D data with raster overlays.
We are proud that MicroStation and DGN are the most widely used tool and file format in the world for creating base maps. For a long time, MicroStation has also been the preferred tool of choice for many professionals who model complex structures and buildings.
This integration with the Google Earth tools provides a consumer-level environment for publishing and reviewing these information rich models.
No other vendor that we are aware of has the ability to create, coordinate and publish this highly valuable mix of data to the Google Earth environment from a single source.
How does this impact upon geospatial (GIS) data?
We are proud that MicroStation and DGN are the most widely used tool and file format for creating the world's base maps. We also enjoy great success with our Bentley Geo Web Publisher built on top of the ProjectWise platform.
These developments with the Google Earth tools complement our long-term strategy for the GIS market.
It is clear that a graphical environment provides a highly intuitive navigation pane for accessing all kinds of information related to infrastructure assets such as building plans and elevations, directories and service and maintenance schedules.
Our integrated platform of MicroStation and ProjectWise provides for a wealth of development options for the vertical markets we serve.
Your examples show URL links. Are the files being retrieved from a local copy or from the Web?
URL link targets can be stored anywhere including a local folder, the Internet or even inside ProjectWise.
URLs are as universal as their name suggests. Link to Web pages, 2D PDF drawings, 3D interactive PDF models, other published models in KML or KMZ format, high resolution photo-realistic images, O&M manuals, CAD model files, Word documents, spreadsheets, and more.
From the URL, you can link to any file format and view it with any application you have present.
What impact does the acquisition of @Last by Google™ have on your plans?
The future is rosy for Google Earth users, given Google's recent acquisition of @Last and the release of our Google Earth tools. It's clear that soon the Google Earth environment will be well populated with more of the world's infrastructure projects.
Bentley is proud to be the first company to create a single-point solution for the publishing of 2D and 3D models with raster, GIS and civil data from both DGN and DWG files. We are very proud of being the first to embrace this wonderful tool with such a complete strategy for all kinds of data used on all major infrastructure projects. Our sample file showing San Diego is a case in point where the basic, 3D block models already in Google Earth are enriched by the addition of the MicroStation 2D GIS and utilities data.
With MicroStation, we address a much wider market including conceptual modelers and teams working on large global infrastructure projects. Martyn Day summed up our position well when he said, "In the Google Earth environment 3D models are cool and Bentley is leading the charge at the professional end."
When will V8 XM be released?
MicroStation V8 XM Edition and ProjectWise V8 XM Edition will be launched at BE Conference 2006 in Charlotte.
MicroStation has benefited from a complete architectural overhaul and now sports a powerful new graphics platform that takes full advantage of Direct X technology from Microsoft.
The release candidate was issued on March 1, 2006, on SELECTservices. Since then, user feedback has been tremendously positive, and we are very confident that V8 XM will be a winner.
Users have all the assurance that goes along with the nine months of extensive testing the V8 XM Edition has received in the lab and in the field.
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