The thousands of users who have participated in Bentley’s early access program for MicroStation CONNECT Edition have had an early glimpse of the potential new workflows and productivity enhancements that it delivers. As the quotes below reveal, they are very excited about what it means for them.
The first thing users are discovering is that this new release introduces a modern, streamlined user experience highlighted by an updated user interface and other enhancements to make it easier to use, learn, and find help to become productive quickly. Gary Mansager, professional associate at HDR, Inc., said, “I really do like the new interface – it makes a lot of sense. The new capabilities are intuitive, and the introduction of the workflows they enable will cut down the time it takes to get things done!”
In reaction to the many enhancements to the modeling tools in MicroStation, Robert Cervellione, principal at CERVER Design Studio, said, “What I’m really looking forward to in the new version of MicroStation is the new, clean user interface, the improvements in the solids modeling, and the great new constraints and parametric capabilities that can be used to capture design intent and quickly develop reusable model content that is really powerful and versatile.”
Building upon its industry-leading hypermodeling workflows for creating deliverables that are inherently immersed within the context of models, MicroStation CONNECT Edition provides a new set of capabilities to speed the production of intelligent deliverables from BIM models. Most significantly, this new Documentation Center functionality automates the processes required to produce multi-discipline documentation, including rapid generation of schedules and bills of materials. Regis Mitchom, BIM manager at John Portman & Associates, Inc., commented, “The ability to easily create and manage sheet sets and produce annotation and schedules based on the model’s embedded information is a huge step forward, and I anticipate we’ll save time and reduce the chances of manual errors thanks to this new MicroStation innovation.” With these innovations, users can expect clearer project-wide insight and improved clarity and precision of project documentation.
Early access program participants have also seen the planned connected user experience. The personalized in-product capability will provide the ability to communicate with project teams through ProjectWise CONNECTION Services, access project content such as catalogs, specifications, and standards, and leverage learning paths for directed learning. “We are thrilled to see that access to relevant learning content is being integrated within the product itself. I see that as being particularly helpful for new employees. I also like the new more project-centric nature of the product and think the ability to publish i-models and share them through a cloud service will be really valuable,” said David Haskin, senior applications specialist at Burns & McDonnell.
