Bentley Announces Objective MicroStation; Next Generation, Upward Compatible MicroStation Architecture First to Bring Object-Oriented Benefits to Engineering Modeling for Large-Scale Projects.

EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 25, 1995--Bentley Systems, Inc., the leader in professional computer-aided design products and services to engineers, architects, drafters, and organizations whose overall success relies on CAD, today announced Objective MicroStation, an expanded object-oriented architecture for its MicroStation range of products. Objective MicroStation is the first architecture to bring object technology and its integration benefits directly to models for large-scale engineering projects in AEC, GIS, and mechanical design. Users can now work with long-sought-after integrated project models; generate multiple design representations from a single model; build and accumulate design "knowledge"; use and expand higher-level, discipline-specific design components; and use OLE and CORBA to communicate with desktop office tools.

The object-oriented engineering models of Objective MicroStation uniquely meet the full lifecycle and portability requirements of large-scale, multiple-discipline engineering projects. Termed "regenerative," these models are designed to maintain their integrity, readability, and expandability throughout these projects' long and often complex lifecycles. Also unlike others, these models are portable and can be shared by users on all engineering platforms, including DOS, Windows, Windows NT, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, DEC Alpha AXP (Windows NT), and UNIX on the Sun SPARC, HP RISC, SGI, Intergraph Clipper, and IBM RS/6000 workstations.

Company CEO, Keith Bentley, comments, "The future of modeling for large-scale engineering projects is objects. The transition will be marked by a strong upturn in user productivity and competitiveness. We assert that Objective MicroStation is superior to other object-oriented engineering systems because our implementation focuses on the models." Bentley explains, "The approach multiplies object benefits, passes the durability tests of larger projects, allows for user-expansion, and makes no `start from scratch' data demands."

Objective MicroStation is fully upward compatible with existing MicroStation products and data. It will be the architecture for the entire range of MicroStation products, which today includes MicroStation Modeler, MicroStation V5, MicroStation PowerDraft, MicroStation Review, MicroStation Field, and MicroStation Masterpiece. The architecture will continue to serve also as a full-featured engineering application development and customization environment for users and developers.

Object Technology Carefully Applied to Engineering Models

Objective MicroStation takes advantage of the natural match between CAD and object technology. "Real world" components are modeled as objects. Component characteristics and behavior can be added to objects so that they more accurately model the real world. Users design using familiar objects such as doors, pipes, roadways, and mechanical parts. Examples of behavior would include matches between pipes and valves, checks for conformance to regulations, and GIS objects that display greater or less detail depending on the viewing context.

Objects within Objective MicroStation models meet the three established criteria for object-orientation: a) inheritance - they can inherit characteristics from other objects; b) polymorphism - they can respond differently to requests, depending on their type; and c) encapsulation - they can hide internal details from their external interface. This combination allows objects to present many representations of the same data. An example of such an integrated model would be a door that contains a 2D drafting view, a 3D architectural view, a materials schedule occurrence, and so on.

These models also offer critical benefits of expandability. Users can easily create new objects and add new characteristics to existing objects. In this way, they build design knowledge or "rules" into the model and grow objects to meet customized or new needs. Examples of rules that the system would enforce include placement of outlets in conformance to local electrical code, or selection of the proper fastening screw depending on supported weight.

Previously, engineering systems supported just one layer of extension, commonly called applications. Now, multiple layers of model extensions can be added to Objective MicroStation and shared. These collaborative models will more quickly and accurately represent the real world. In contrast, many object-based technical applications offer only "hard-coded" objects, tantamount to pre-programmed macros, with expansion difficult or impossible.

Large-Scale Engineering Projects Considered

Objective MicroStation meets the special data complexity and integrity challenges of large-scale engineering projects. During design, the system combines all objects and their methods into "self-contained" Objective Models, based on ObjectiveMDL. The regenerative nature of these models ensures the integrity, readability, and expandability of the project data across all team members, on all engineering platforms, across all applications, throughout long lifecycles. The alternative "static" or "dispersed" approaches of other systems are not regenerative and therefore result in non-portable models and a high risk of data loss.

Bentley vice president of product marketing, Yoav Etiel, notes, "Large-scale projects last decades and often survive applications and sometimes operating systems. Users want to freely add and share objects with confidence, without fear of incompatibility or data incoherence over time." Etiel adds, "Objective Models guarantee that data and object methods stay readable and expandable throughout the lifecycle of large projects."

Compatible with MicroStation Design and Development Environment

All existing data, MDL-based applications, and customizations that operate within MicroStation will operate in Objective MicroStation. Users can migrate to object technology at their own pace by using Objective MicroStation's "dual" approach -- running existing applications for some projects and object-oriented applications for others. As ObjectiveMDL is an upward compatible extension of today's MDL capability, application developers can leverage their knowledge of MDL in upgrading their products to object technology. Users and developers can create applications also using programming environments such as Visual BASIC, C++, and Objective C. Keith Bentley comments, "A complete object-oriented engineering modeling solution doesn't come from a single vendor. Everyone contributes. The very point of objects is that the users and developers can and do expand the system." Bentley states, "Objective MicroStation provides for a graceful migration for 180,000 users to objects with the momentum of 700 independent software vendors."

Objective MicroStation will also support OLE and CORBA for interoperability with desktop office tools. Bentley is a founding member of the Design & Modeling Applications Council (DMAC) for Microsoft Windows, which recently announced extensions to OLE for 3D design and modeling.

Industry Response

Carleton Howk, editor of A-E-C Automation Newsletter, states, "We live in an object world. Objective MicroStation makes it easier for all types of users to understand and work with complex project data. It allows companies to better integrate their disciplines and build best practices into their designs." Howk adds, "It will also result in far better alignment and re-use amongst application developers."

Dataquest Inc. reports, "CAD companies have talked for years about the obvious connection between designing actual objects and the various object-oriented development methodologies. Finally something seems to be taking hold. Bentley Systems has outlined an ambitious and impressive new approach to MicroStation."

Buddy Cleveland, president of software provider Jacobus Technology, Inc., says, "The manner in which Bentley is incorporating object technology within MicroStation will provide a great step forward for application developers, enabling them to provide more sophisticated and flexible applications. At Jacobus, we will transition to Objective MicroStation because it presents a true object-oriented foundation for our JSpace products."

Marc Pritchard, ISS Manager at MicroStation user Rust Environment and Architecture, comments, "Objective MicroStation sets our automation stage for the next twenty years. It gives us a secure system that we can expand as our needs expand. For example, a user or developer could implement a highway transitional spiral as an integrated design element." Pritchard adds, "In the future, they could add other, more complex design elements and attributes as application needs require."

Availability

Objective MicroStation will be available to developers for Beta test later this year. The product will be shipped to users for Beta test early in 1996. First release is expected late 1996. The product will be released on all supported MicroStation platforms, including DOS, Windows, Windows NT, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, DEC Alpha AXP (Windows NT), and UNIX on the Sun SPARC, HP RISC, SGI, Intergraph Clipper, and IBM RS/6000 workstations. For more information, please contact Bentley at 800/778-4274, via the Internet at [e-mail], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.bentley.com/.

Bentley Background

Bentley Systems, Inc. is the leader in professional computer-aided design products and services to engineering organizations where CAD is mission-critical. The company's MicroStation product range is relied upon by over 180,000 professional users and over 700 commercial application developers worldwide in the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC), geographic information systems (GIS), and increasingly in mechanical design markets. Founded in 1984, Bentley has now become one of the fastest growing international software companies.

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MicroStation is a registered trademark; MicroStation Masterpiece, MicroStation Modeler, MicroStation Field, MicroStation PowerDraft, MicroStation Review, Objective MicroStation, ObjectiveMDL, and MDL are trademarks of Bentley Systems, Inc. JSpace is a trademark of Jacobus Technology Inc. Microsoft is a registered trademark, and Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

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