BE Newsletter: Issue #81

Archives

April 11, 2008

BE Newsletter
Technical Issue

Read the latest issue of BE Magazine
           

BE Conference registration opens, keynotes announced    

Register now for BE Conference 2008
BE Conference 2008 is an ideal setting to meet, network, and exchange ideas with fellow executives, managers, architects, engineers, designers, builders, and other infrastructure professionals. Attendees will share best practices among peers who are working smarter through pragmatic innovations developed “organically” among Bentley users. The two-and-a-half day event includes solution tracks and community and networking events designed to empower and connect today’s globally connected infrastructure professionals. You can register now.
>> more (registration)

Andrew Winston to deliver conference keynote
Andrew Winston, founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, helps leading companies use environmental thinking to drive growth, consulting with Fortune 500 companies such as Bank of America, Cisco, HP, and IKEA. He is co-author of the bestseller “Green to Gold,” which highlights what works – and what doesn’t – when companies go "green." Winston is a globally recognized expert on green business, and has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, Business Week, Forbes, The New York Times, ABC News, and CNBC.
>> more 

MicroStation tips from BE Conference 2007: Using Other File Formats
This tip was presented at BE Conference 2007 by Stephen Holmes, head of Consultancy Services at Cadventure. [www.cadventure.co.uk]
>> more

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Discussion group threads     

The Bentley discussion groups are a great place to learn new tips and tricks with Bentley products and to hear the frank views of other users.

If you have a question, it might have already been the subject of a discussion. To search the discussion groups for answers to your particular questions, use our customized Google search.
>> more

Here are a few of the interesting conversations going on now in the discussion groups:

How can you determine the angle between two lines using MicroStation VBA?
 

How do you merge cell libraries with MicroStation V8?
 

Is there a way to create a MicroStation configuration variable and have that variable printed in the print attributes border comment?
 

How can you remove Z-values from elements?
 

Can you export to Google Earth with MicroStation PowerDraft?
 

Answers to commonly asked questions can be found here.

All the discussion groups are listed here.

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Bentley tips    

InRoads tip: How can I make custom operations that are using attributes display only if an attribute is collected for a point in InRoads Survey XM?

Take the example of an attribute collected for a fence point that records the type of fence.  Be sure the fence style has the attribute name TYPE set in the Style Manager.  Then click on the Custom Operations area within the style and key in the following string:

IF $(TYPE)<>[NULL] THEN 'Type of Fence: $(TYPE)

This syntax will only allow the custom text string to display in the graphics if the attribute TYPE is not a null value.  So when an attribute value is not recorded for a fence point, you will not see any of the custom text that was added before the actual attribute ("Type of Fence:" in this example).  If an attribute is recorded, let's say "Chain Link," the following will display in the graphics:

Type of Fence:  Chain Link

Submitted by: Alan P. Gilbert, P.E., supervisor, Technical Support Civil Products, Bentley

AutoPLANT tip: Determining your computer’s system variable path

Many initial installation issues with AutoPLANT relate to the system variable path statement. Here’s how to determine the system variable path when a Bentley analyst is working with you:

1. Go to the desktop and right click My Computer.

2. Select Properties.

3. Go to the Advanced tab.

4. Click the Environment Variables button.

5. Go to the bottom of the next dialog and under System Variables, scroll down and select PATH.

6. Highlight the line and click EDIT.

7. Copy and paste the entire variable value to an e-mail and send it to the analyst requesting the information. Scroll through the variable value to make sure you copy the entire line.

Submitted by: Ron Plaisance, Bentley AutoPLANT P&IW technical support analyst

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Client Server articles     

Enhancements and changes to MicroStation XM printing in versions 08.09.03.xx and 08.09.04.xx
>> more 

RAM CADstudio Column Schedules

RAM CADstudio is very flexible when it comes to setting up the appearance of the column schedule. Its options let you control both the table layout and the content.
>> more 

InterPlot products are now part of the ProjectWise family: What does this mean to today’s InterPlot user?

InterPlot Client and Digital InterPlot are now part of the ProjectWise family of products and have been renamed. InterPlot Client is now named ProjectWise.
>> more 

Using VBA to Programmatically Import a VBA Project’s Components and References

This article is a continuation of the Dec. 2, 2004, Client Server article entitled “Using VBA to Programmatically Export a VBA Project."
>> more 

Recovering Corrupt DGN and DWG Files

Have you ever said, "My deadline is tomorrow and my file won’t open!" when you were working on a design that was critical to your project?
>> more 

Enhanced Selection Set Features from WaterCAD and WaterGEMS

Bentley developers have enhanced the original Selection Set feature from WaterCAD and WaterGEMS to create a trio of powerful modeling tools for the V8 release.
>> more 

Frequently Asked Questions About Bentley Building Electrical Systems

In a new file, none of the BBES commands are working. Why? How can I access projects on our network using the Project Navigator tool? More . . .
>> more 
 

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BE User Group Events      

BE User Group Officers meeting
May 28-30, Baltimore, Md.
BE Conference 2008 will host the BE User Group Officers meeting.

Florida Local Users Group (FLUG) Spring Conference
May 28-30, Radisson Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Bentley Plant Users Group
Sept. 17-19, Biloxi, Miss.

Watch for more upcoming BE User Group events.
>> more

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Bentley Seminars    

Site, Water, and Wastewater Infrastructure Seminars

You are invited, at no cost, to join your peers in Exton or Pittsburgh and spend one day with us learning about the latest infrastructure design and modeling technologies available to you:

Site Design and Stormwater Modeling
May 1 – Exton, Pa.
May 8 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
>> more (registration and agenda) 
 
Strategic Water and Sanitary Sewer Modeling
May 2 – Exton, Pa.
May 9 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
>> more (registration and agenda) 

Meet face-to-face with Bentley site and water infrastructure design and modeling specialists and learn how your organization can benefit from industry-leading software products.
>> more 

SCI and Bentley Highlighting Floor Frequency Design in Upcoming Seminars

Dr. Tom Murray, founder of Structural Engineers Inc. and one of the world’s leading experts on floor vibration, developed a new design routine that allows engineers to determine the vibration response of steel floors. The routine, which was recently released in the SCI publication “P354 Design of Floors for Vibration: A New Approach,” has quickly become a fundamental design guide for structural engineers designing steel structures in the U.K. and Ireland.

Currently, Bentley – with the RAM Structural System – is the only company in the U.K. to have fully implemented this new design routine. It’s done so by providing a link from its system for designing steel buildings to Dr. Murray’s FloorvibeUK program.

To highlight the work of SCI and FloorvibeUK, SCI and Bentley will be running free seminars throughout the U.K. and Ireland in May and June of this year.

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Sponsors           

FIATECH is an industry consortium that provides global leadership in identifying and accelerating the development, demonstration, and deployment of fully integrated and automated technologies to deliver the highest business value throughout the lifecycle of all types of capital projects.

HP delivers workstation technologies that help you work efficiently and reduce costs.

The HP workstation line includes mobile, desktop, and blade workstations. HP offers a choice of processors including Intel dual-core processors or quad-core processors or AMD processors. In addition, HP offers highly secure Blade Workstations, which provide the capability of remote engineering from centralized server-based workstations with powerful 3D performance.
>> Learn more about HP and great deals on HP workstations 
>> Learn more about HP and Bentley

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Bentley eSeminars    

Find the most recent and most popular MicroStation/ProjectWise, Building, Civil, Geospatial, and Plant eSeminars from Bentley, with links to Bentley resources in each vertical.
>> more

Connected by ProjectWise
You can improve project team collaboration without changing the way your team works. See how ProjectWise Explorer is as easy and intuitive as Windows Explorer, only better. Effectively manage reference files, find files quickly and collaborate with others across all projects when your project team is connected by ProjectWise.
>> more

Video spotlights Barge Waggoner’s ProjectWise success
See how Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon is using ProjectWise to connect people and information across project teams – no matter where they are located – to improve quality, reduce rework, and meet deadlines. The firm has created a solution that integrates ProjectWise with Microsoft SharePoint to enable work sharing among 12 offices across three states.
 
“People not being utilized 100 percent of the time is a cost and an inefficiency for us,” said David Davidson, president and COO of Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon. “Through organization-wide adoption of ProjectWise and SharePoint, we have been able to increase utilization and raise the revenue per head by approximately 25 percent.”

Independent ROI reports verify that all engineers in an organization can save up to 15 percent of their annual cost when sharing work with ProjectWise.

“The quality of our projects has really been enhanced through the ProjectWise and SharePoint portals because we can disseminate information so quickly and because we can tie everyone together through one standard,” Davidson said.

Watch the video now! 

Bentley Map XM Edition – the new desktop GIS for mapping and engineering the world’s infrastructure
This one-hour eSeminar demonstrates how Bentley Map, a full desktop GIS, addresses the specific needs of organizations that map, plan, design, build, and operate the world’s infrastructure. The core desktop product in the Bentley geospatial architecture, it integrates seamlessly with the Bentley Geospatial Server and Bentley’s mobile, Web-publishing and industry-specific applications. It is also the preferred platform for customized geospatial workflows delivered by third parties. Bentley Map is one way that Bentley is advancing GIS for infrastructure.
>> more

Information Program for PDS Users
See our video and links to a new utility for ProjectWise and PDS users that enables ProjectWise to automatically manage PDS deliverables.
>> more (video, white paper, and contact point for the free utility) 

Live Distance Learning
This OnDemand eSeminar was created by recording a live, instructor-led distance learning session delivered by the Bentley Institute. You will experience how this learning environment delivers real-time instruction and collaboration right to your desktop. You’ll see how live, instructor-led distance learning

• Delivers live instruction to any desktop
• Provides real-time interaction with the instructor
• Offers an excellent learning environment
• Is effective for individuals and groups
• Provides a virtual classroom for simultaneously training users from multiple offices
• Reduces time away from the office
• Requires no travel

>> more 

eSeminars available from Integrated Structural Solutions Seminar
Bentley’s Structural Engineering Group held a seminar on integrated structural solutions for plant applications in Houston. One of the attendees, James Yong, PE, SE with TechnipUSA, said, “I was very impressed with the seminar. In fact, I am requesting that my company purchase RAM Connection and STAAD.foundation licenses after viewing the capabilities of the programs.”
 
The seminar highlighted the new version of STAAD.Pro, as well as the integration with RAM Connection and STAAD.foundation. The seminar demonstrated an integrated workflow for industrial structures utilizing STAAD.Pro 2007, STAAD.foundation and RAM Connection.

View the seminar:

Integrated Structural Design for Industrial Structures (STAAD.Pro - Part 1)
 

Integrated Structural Design for Industrial Structures (STAAD.Pro - Part 2)
 

Integrated Structural Design for Industrial Structures (RAM Connection)
 

Integrated Structural Design for Industrial Structures (STAAD.foundation)
 

ProjectWise Navigator
Learn more about ProjectWise Navigator and find out what this visual collaboration tool can do for you. You’ll learn how to assemble 2D/3D content, how to check-in/check-out transactions, how to review project designs, and more.
>> more 

Bentley Data Manager/Bentley Datasheets eSeminar
Learn about Bentley Data Manager and Bentley Datasheets, including how to create views in the database, what datasheets are, datasheet synchronization, and more.
>> more 

AutoPLANT P&ID
Learn more about AutoPLANT P&ID, including how to use the symbol manager, what P&ID is, how to use the assembly manager, and more.
>> more 

AutoPLANT Equipment
Learn what AutoPLANT Equipment can do for you, including how to model parametric equipment, how to place and orient nozzles, how to create custom equipment, and more.
>> more 

AutoPLANT Piping
Learn more about AutoPLANT Piping, including how to route and place piping components in a 3D environment, how to automatically generate bills of materials, and more.
>> more 

Create PDF with MicroStation V8 XM Edition
Watch this eSeminar to learn about the immutable PDF file-publishing capabilities of MicroStation. See how easy it is to add comments to PDF files using Adobe Acrobat. Learn how to attach PDF files as references in a DGN, and learn how to create interactive 3D PDF files that contain rendered models with switchable level or layer structures and pre-defined animations for playback and review.
>> more 

ProjectWise Passport
Did you know that every MicroStation license covered by a current Bentley SELECT agreement is eligible for a ProjectWise Passport at no additional charge? And did you know that each ProjectWise Passport licenses its holder to use a number of Bentley products, including ProjectWise StartPoint, ProjectWise Navigator, and ProjectWise InterPlot Organizer?
>> more 

Visual Collaboration with ProjectWise Navigator
Joe Croser, global marketing director, Bentley Platform and SELECT, highlights the challenges associated with assembling a variety of project content in one place for design review and analysis. You can learn to:

• Assemble 2D/3D content from hundreds of applications and file stores 
• Review designs and models in an immersive and homogeneous environment 
• Enrich content by adding comments, project links, and materials for visualization 
• Analyze and simulate construction schedules and assess buildability 
• Produce portable and intelligent work packages for downstream activities

>>more

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Bentley Institute training calendar    

Find the Bentley Institute training that best fits your needs.
>> more 

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Bentley white papers    

Making PDS Interoperable
In a recent user survey taken by Bentley, 90 percent said the transition from PDS is important to them. However, only 28 percent said they had enough information to make a decision on which route to take.

This paper is intended to fill that information gap. It sets out options for PDS users to continue gaining value from their PDS systems, and to take an evolutionary approach toward a transition using the components of Bentley’s DigitalPlant solution. It also provides information about future developments that will help users work out the timing of investments.
>>more 

Managing PDS Documents Effectively
Failing to manage and track all the work-in-progress design files for the complete project makes the synchronization between distributed design teams virtually impossible, and can have disastrous consequences for the project. This white paper investigates the processes involved in managing PDS projects and makes recommendations for process improvements.
>>more

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MicroStation tips from aksinga.com

(Free registration required)

The User Preference File (UPF)
Nearly everything you ever wanted to know about the User Preference File: What it is, where it is, and configuration variables to help monitor its condition. This post was updated on March 31 to cover MicroStation V8 XM Edition.
>> more 

AutoScale elements for plotting with Scale Manager
Well, Michael Briggs has done it again with Scale Manager! This must-have utility for V8 and X allows you to control the scale of text, cells, and custom line styles for plotting. It eliminates repetitively modifying data and the redundancy of storing multiple copies of the same data to be presented at varying scales. This post was last updated on March 26.
>> more  

Decompose a DGN with SDT Parts
With thanks to Alexander Molotov for creating this application called SDT Parts. SDT Parts was developed for MicroStation engineers who want to decompose existing design files or need to extract some parts of design files for further use. For example, this tool can be used to create MicroStation cells or AutoCAD blocks from existing drawings.
>> more

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Call for feedback    

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Send letters and comments to the editor. [mailto:benewsletter@be.org]
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© 2008 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. 685 Stockton Drive, Exton, PA USA 19341.

Bentley, the “B” Bentley logo, BE, Bentley Institute, Bentley Map, Bentley SELECT, AutoPLANT, Digital InterPlot, DigitalPlant, InRoads, InterPlot, MicroStation, MicroStation PowerDraft, ProjectWise, ProjectWise Explorer, ProjectWise Navigator, ProjectWise Passport, ProjectWise StartPoint, RAM, RAM CADstudio, RAM Connection, RAM Structural System, SELECT, STAAD, STAAD.foundation, STAAD.Pro, WaterCAD, and WaterGEMS are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated, or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.