Bentley to Showcase Seven BE Award Projects at SPAR 2005 Laser Scanning Conference; Featured Projects Benefited from Integration of Design Software and Laser Scanning Technology.

EXTON, Pa. -- Bentley Systems, Incorporated will showcase seven BE Award projects at the SPAR 2005 conference in Houston, May 23-24. Each benefited from the integration of design software and laser scanning technology.

Commenting on the use of Bentley software in laser scanning applications, Bruce Jenkins, senior analyst and managing partner, Spar Point Research LLC, said, "Our research suggests a high proportion of successful laser scanning projects to date have involved MicroStation - a tool of choice in much brownfield work, where laser scanning shines. Too, MicroStation's openness helps enable work-process breakthroughs that make point-cloud data more readily usable with design tools from not only Bentley, but even other providers. Support for laser scanning-based work processes and Bentley CloudWorx comes right from top management, and can be traced back to 2003."

The BE Awards of Excellence, which are presented at the annual BE Conference (www.be.org), honor the extraordinary work of Bentley users improving the world's infrastructure. These projects set benchmarks for their industries, and showcase the imagination and technical mastery of the organizations that created them.

The BE Award projects that will be featured at SPAR 2005 include:

--EDG - When Chevron contacted EDG to work on an offshore platform project involving the hanging of a compressor addition from an existing eight-pile structure, EDG needed to create an accurate 3D model with all the structure's correct as-built data. The firm selected Bentley CloudWorx to perform and capture a laser scan and Bentley AutoPLANT to create the 3D model on this complex project, which could not have been achieved in the time frame without this technology.

--Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. - This tunnel inspection project for the Maryland Transit Administration involved the use of 3D laser scanning to identify cracking, water seepage, and other critical problems along a more than 600-foot stretch of a Baltimore Metro subway tunnel. A significant time-saver, laser scanning is now consistently used for maintenance planning in subway tunnels.

--Hatch - During a furnace reline, the entire OneSteel steelworks plant was shut down for roughly two months. One of the many tasks performed during this time was replacement of the furnace's cooling system. Because of the complexity of the piping and equipment surrounding the furnace, Hatch Associates Pty Ltd. detailed the design of the new cooling system using laser scanning and 3D modeling.

--LJB Inc. - LJB combined 3D laser scanning with global positioning technology and conventional survey methods to create an extremely precise model of existing pavement along U.S. 40 in Columbus, Ohio. The model helped designers accurately calculate quantities, design drainage without profile grade adjustments, and salvage most of the existing pavement during this rehabilitation project. In the end, an estimated 30 days were slashed from the project schedule.

--Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. PETROBRAS - PETROBRAS owns a number of stations for collecting and processing oil, many of which were developed using techniques that are now outdated. The stations have various types of data, including 2D engineering documentation, raster documents, and 3D models based on laser scanning data developed in Intergraph PDS. To unify the technical documentation and test a more agile tool of plant design, PETROBRAS integrated Bentley PlantSpace and Bentley CloudWorx. The as-built models created were so efficient that the company will use PlantSpace to update all of its stations.

--ProjEx Technologies Ltd. - The Canadian government's 10-year plan to reduce air pollution required revamping over-40-year-old refining assets and infrastructure. ProjEx Technologies used laser scanning technology to minimize field rework and complete the design within a compressed schedule - cutting an estimated three weeks off of the construction schedule.

--Veco Tyonek - Veco was tasked with upgrading several major pieces of equipment on the ConocoPhillips Tyonek platform to reduce particulates in the gas to improve transmission through the pipeline. The project schedule was tight and shutdown time was critical. Accurate drawing information was not available due to poor as-builts, which meant that changes on the platform would be almost impossible to complete without huge repercussions, financial losses, and possible disasters. 3D laser scanning with Bentley CloudWorx and Bentley 3D AutoPLANT was used to provide the needed information.

For information on all of the 2005 BE Award of Excellence winners, including project summaries, go to www.be.org/2005beawardwinners.

Those attending SPAR 2005 can visit Bentley in Booth #6 to learn more about 3D scanning with Bentley solutions. For more details on Bentley's participation at SPAR 2005, visit www.bentley.com/en-US/Community/Industry+Events/Bentley+Plant.htm.

About BE and the BE Conference

BE, which stands for "Bentley Empowered," represents the achievements of Bentley users, how Bentley can help them reach their goals, and the common vision and causes Bentley and users share.

The BE Conference (www.be.org) is a once-a-year learning opportunity for Bentley users and their managers offering professional training, technology updates, keynotes, and best practice sharing. At these sessions, attendees better themselves, better their organizations, and better the ways they can improve the world's infrastructure.

About SPAR 2005

This year's SPAR 2005 will be held May 23-24 at the Omni Westside Hotel in Houston, Texas. In its second year, SPAR 2005 is the construction industry's only conference focused on the business and technology of advanced terrestrial 3D laser scanning.

The aim of SPAR 2005 is threefold. First the conference will illuminate the business case for using 3D laser scanning and other dimensional control technologies to improve the efficiency and reduce the risk of capital project execution for process manufacturing, civil infrastructure, transportation, fossil and nuclear power generation, offshore construction, and architectural projects through improved existing-conditions capture. Second, SPAR 2005 will help practitioners from survey firms, laser scanning service providers, engineering/construction firms as well as asset owners and operators discover and exchange information about best practices to deploy these technologies. Third, SPAR 2005 showcases the newest technology from the world's leading suppliers of terrestrial laser scanning hardware, software, and services. For more information, visit www.sparllc.com/spar2005.

About Bentley

Bentley Systems, Incorporated provides software for the lifecycle of the world's infrastructure. The company's comprehensive portfolio for the building, plant, civil, and geospatial vertical markets spans architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. With 2004 revenues exceeding $300 million, Bentley is the leading provider of AEC software to the Engineering News-Record Design 500 and major owner-operators.

To receive Bentley press releases as they are issued, visit www.bentley.com/bentleywire. For more information, visit www.bentley.com.

Bentley, the "B" logo, BE, MicroStation, BE Awards of Excellence, Bentley CloudWorx, AutoPLANT, and PlantSpace 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.