Bentley's New IAI Support Expands Interoperability.

EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 1999--

Worldwide Leader in Engineering Software to Build

IFC 2.0 into ProjectBank

Bentley Systems, Incorporated today became the first company to announce its support of the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) new standard IFC 2.0, which will be unveiled at the 2nd Annual IAI International Conference in Washington, D.C., later this spring.

Bentley's initial implementation of IFC 2.0 will be built into ProjectBank(TM), the new EEM-based project management capability built into MicroStation/J(TM).

Patrick MacLeamy, chairman of the board, IAI North America and executive vice president for operations of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc., one of the world's leading architecture, engineering, interiors and planning firms noted, "Bentley's decision to support IFC 2.0 places them in the front rank of global software companies committed to interoperability. This commitment will give users of Bentley products many advantages, including flexibility of usage, full data exchange with other systems, and better end products for clients."

Richard Geissler, IAI executive director, said, "Bentley is the first major company to announce it will introduce IFC Release 2.0 in its software. This is a major step for Bentley and ensures that its customers will be at the forefront of the move toward interoperable software."

Interoperability has long been a top priority at Bentley. Architectural and engineering projects based on Bentley products are typically large-scale, comprising hundreds of professionals and a high volume of interrelated information (i.e. design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the project). Information must be effectively shared for these projects to be successful.

Interoperability from Bentley comes in many forms, including the single building model of MicroStation(R) TriForma(R), support of the IAI and STEP standards, client/server distribution of information, and Java(TM) programmability.

"If Bentley had a middle name, it would be interoperability. For large projects, interoperability is more than a luxury; it is a necessity. We are pleased to add IFC 2.0 support to our list of firsts in interoperability. And we will continue this leadership by developing and supporting standards that clients need to be successful on their projects," noted Brad Workman, AIA, vice president for building engineering at Bentley and an IAI board member.

With the introduction of MicroStation TriForma three years ago, Bentley has been the lead developer of intelligent object software that IFC interoperability requires. MicroStation TriForma is an easy-to-use, high productivity modeling and documentation application that offers an advanced, integrated approach to building and plant engineering.

MicroStation TriForma's single building model represents a dramatic improvement over traditional CAD approaches by focusing on the creation of a complete 3D data model which embodies the full design scope.

The single building model centralizes all project data and provides automatic extraction of plans, elevations, sections, bills of materials and details - all without leaving MicroStation TriForma's interface.

MicroStation TriForma is the standard for many of the world's leading architectural and engineering firms, including NBBJ, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, and Buro Happold Consulting Engineers.

Bentley is a Platinum-Plus member of the IAI and holds a seat on the Board of Directors of the North America Chapter.

The company also plays a leading role in STEP consortia such as Pro/STEP (German Automotive Industry association for promoting STEP), STEPNet (US-based association of CAD vendors where STEP translators are tested before being released), and PlantSTEP (a consortium of key players in process plant industry).

For more information on Bentley's software, please contact Bentley at 1-800-BENTLEY, [phone] (Americas), [phone] (Europe, Middle East, Africa), [phone] (Asia/Pacific), through E-mail at [e-mail] or through www.bentley.com.

About EEM 

EEM (Enterprise Engineering Modeling) is a market category that has been identified by Dataquest, a Gartner Group company, as a progression of the computer-aided design market. CAD is limited to geometric data shared within a design group. EEM encompasses modeling all aspects of engineered assets and sharing the information with extended enterprises that design, build, and operate the assets.

Driven by forces similar to those behind ERP, EEM is made possible by advances in client/server, component software, web, mobile device, and spatial database technologies.

More on Bentley

Bentley Systems, Incorporated is a worldwide leader in engineering software. The Bentley Continuum(SM) is the company's comprehensive engineering IT strategy comprising products, services, and strategic affiliations. The company now serves over 300,000 professionals in building/plant engineering, geoengineering, and manufacturing engineering.

With revenues now over $150M annually, Bentley was listed as the largest privately held company on the 1998 Softletter 100 and named to the 1998 Upside Hot 100.

Bentley's MicroStation and ModelServer(R) EEM products, together with high-quality, interoperable engineering applications provided by strategic affiliates, are used at over 70% of the largest U.S. engineering firms. These products form the software foundation of the world's infrastructure such as landmark buildings, roadways, industrial plants and machines.

The Bentley SELECT(SM) technology and service subscription program now reaches nearly 200,000 users. The Bentley Wire automatically delivers company press releases through E-mail within minutes of being issued. To subscribe, click www.bentley.com/news/bwire.

More information about Bentley is available at www.bentley.com.

Bentley, the "B" Bentley logo, MicroStation, ModelServer, and TriForma are registered trademarks; ProjectBank and MicroStation/J are trademarks; Bentley Continuum and Bentley SELECT are service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Java, all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.