Bentley Elevates Building Design With New Architectural Modeling; MicroStation TriForma Boasts 3-D Conceptual Modeling and Automatic Generation of Drawings, Specifications, and Cost Estimates.

EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 1996--Bentley Systems, Inc., today announced MicroStation TriForma(TM), its new architectural modeling software product that offers an advanced, integrated approach to building design and drawing production. The new MicroStation(R)-based product features powerful 3D conceptual modeling as well as automatic generation of drawings, specifications, and cost estimates. The streamlined methodology, viewed as the most important automation advance of the decade by many architects, will lead to increased productivity, better designs, and more complete client services for architectural firms.

In MicroStation TriForma, users design with conceptual 3D solid modeling. As the design progresses and details are added, all information is stored in a single building model. From this model, users are able to computer generate all production drawings and detailed specifications. Previously, users entered these items separately, giving rise to needless errors and omissions. Now, users can produce accurate floor plans, sections, elevations, renderings, animations, specifications, and exact bills of material straight from a single, unambiguous model.

Yoav Etiel, vice president of product marketing for Bentley, comments, "MicroStation TriForma elevates computer-aided architectural design far above the electronic pencil of today. It is the first system that tightly integrates conceptual design and the full production drawing capabilities of MicroStation. Users can quickly identify their best design, communicate it effectively, and move through production without delay." Etiel concludes, "These capabilities are strong enough to win business and increase profitability for architects and their firms."

MicroStation TriForma includes true 3D solids for architecture design. It understands the properties of solids and associated building materials. The easy-to-use tools allow architects to quickly sculpt, modify, section, and visualize conceptual designs.

Jerry Albert Laiserin, AIA, design management consultant and author, comments, "What appeals to me is that MicroStation TriForma represents a class of products that will help architects be more successful. Architects can spend less time in production and more time in design. The new dynamics allow architects to explore more scenarios and produce better designs."

The MicroStation product range is already a de-facto standard within top architectural firms. For example, over 70 percent of the top 25 North American architectural engineering firms, as listed by ENR magazine, use MicroStation. As MicroStation TriForma is a fully compatible expansion of this architectural functionality, the new product is designed to continue this tradition.

Roger Poole, AIA, national director of computer systems for HLM, a leading national architectural engineering firm with over 300 employees, says, "MicroStation TriForma allows us to offer superior service to our clients. Specifically, the single building model allows us to communicate design intent more completely and far earlier. For us, this advance is the most compelling that we've experienced since our initial investment in CAD." Poole adds, "This type of capability will soon be in the hands of all of our design participants, including designers, managers, and draftspeople."

The single building model integrates all aspects of the design, including architectural structures, parametric doors, windows and openings, walls and cavity walls, floors, roofs, parametric stairs, and construction materials.

MicroStation TriForma designs can be rendered and animated using Bentley's engineering visualization product, MicroStation MasterPiece(TM). This new combination of single building model and integrated visualization equips architects to make better design decisions and sell concepts more effectively. For example, architects can perform solar studies, produce radiosity-based renderings, and generate walk-through animations from any perspective at any point in the design process.

MicroStation TriForma serves as both an end-user tool and a development platform for new applications and customizations. The programmability of MicroStation TriForma is provided by the MicroStation Development Language (MDL(TM)) and MicroStation BASIC programming environments. The MDL environment provides programmatic access to over 2500 functions, with over 100 specific to architectural modeling. Independent software vendors (ISVs) are now using MicroStation TriForma as an integration platform to develop a range of new building applications, such as HVAC and plumbing.

MicroStation TriForma is based on technology from BRICS N.V. of Gent, Belgium. Managed by founder, architect, and CEO Erik de Keyser, the company is a leader in 3D architectural software and services with customers now throughout Europe. The new MicroStation TriForma product will expand the use of this important technology worldwide.

Bentley and BRICS also announced that BRICS has been appointed a Bentley Strategic Affiliate. Bentley began its Strategic Affiliate program in 1994. The program is designed to combine the world's best engineering applications and development platforms with MicroStation and assure full interoperability. It involves intense technical and business collaboration with, as well as a corporate investment in, a select number of focused, luminary developers.

Like other MicroStation products, MicroStation TriForma offers users their choice of platforms including DOS, Windows(TM) 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT(TM) for Intel-based and DEC Alpha AXP computers, the Power Macintosh, and SGI machines.

MicroStation TriForma, which includes MicroStation 95 functionality and the new architectural modeling and cost-estimation functionality and MDL libraries, is priced at $5325 U.S. MicroStation TriForma powered by and including MicroStation PowerDraft(TM) is $3650 U.S. Upgrades for MicroStation 95, MicroStation V5, or MicroStation PowerDraft users are $1950 U.S. Special upgrade pricing is available to users of ArchiCAD, Architrion, Arris, VersaCAD, and other architectural products.

For more information on MicroStation TriForma, the range of MicroStation products, or Bentley, please contact Bentley at 1-800-BENTLEY, [phone] (US), [phone] (Europe), [phone] (Asia), via e-mail at [e-mail], or through the World Wide Web at http://www.bentley.com/.

More on Bentley

Bentley Systems, Inc. is a worldwide leader in engineering software products and user services. The company now serves over 200,000 professionals in building/plant engineering, GeoEngineering, and mechanical engineering. Its MicroStation products are proven at over 70% of the largest U.S. engineering firms and are the software foundation behind the engineering of well-known buildings, airports, hospitals, highways, machines, bridges, and industrial plants throughout the world. Founded in 1984, Bentley has now become one of the world's fastest growing software companies. -0-

MicroStation is a registered trademark; and Bentley, MicroStation TriForma, MicroStation MasterPiece, MDL, and MicroStation PowerDraft are trademarks of Bentley Systems, Inc. Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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