Bentley Introduces Shared ‘OpenRoads’ Information Modeling Functionality in InRoads, GEOPAK, and MXROAD V8i (SELECTseries 3)

Business Wire

Wednesday, May 16th 2012

Final Stages of Product Convergence Deliver Benefits of Cumulative Innovations for Roadway Design

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, today introduced, at this gathering of infrastructure professionals from around the world, the shared OpenRoads information modeling functionality in its InRoads, GEOPAK, and MXROAD V8i (SELECTseries 3) products for roadway design. The common code foundation across them represents the final stages in the evolutionary convergence of functional innovations among all three products – an evolution that began with the introduction of Roadway Designer. Users of any or all of these products can now benefit from shared innovations that increase the potential of information modeling in road design, construction, and operations. The new functionality advances what’s possible in civil design through immersive modeling, design-time visualization, design intent capture and persistence, hypermodeling, information mobility, and construction-driven engineering. Moreover, because Bentley has conscientiously incorporated these capabilities within each of the existing product lines to preserve user equity in standards, deliverables, and legacy data, all civil users are now enabled to advance rapidly.

Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley said, “We have carefully enabled the users of InRoads, GEOPAK, and/or MXROAD to adopt and benefit from OpenRoads information modeling in a continuous and nondisruptive manner. This powerful new functionality is here in the SELECTseries 3 releases of these products, and all users will gain by previewing them and upgrading as soon as possible.”

The just-released McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Report “The Business Value of BIM for Infrastructure” emphasizes the strong potential of information modeling for roadway and bridge infrastructure. According to the report, the percentage of firms expected to reach information modeling usage for the majority of their work on these projects will rise to 56 percent in 2013 (from 20 percent in 2009 and 35 percent in 2011). A key reason for this increasing uptake, states the report, is that “The project-related benefits of model-based design and construction accrue directly to owners and are compelling.” To accelerate these gains, delegates from more than 30 transportation agencies are attending Bentley’s Be Together conference this week to hear about the latest advances in information modeling. For consulting firms doing work for multiple departments of transportation, the OpenRoads common functionality is just as compelling because it will enable them to maximize return on talent through work sharing to the best needs of all clients.

Commenting on the benefits of information modeling, Steve Meyer, information technology specialist, Engineering Applications, Iowa Department of Transportation, said, “We have been using Corridor Modeler (Roadway Designer) for a number of years. 3D design has improved our ability to produce more accurate plans with less field changes because we can look at our design and find problem areas before they are constructed. With SELECTseries 3 using intelligent elements that can update on the fly, we see huge advantages. Intelligent elements will allow us to establish an interrelational design that maintains our design intent while giving us the ability to make changes that are immediately apparent, both visually and geometrically.”

Immersive Modeling and Design-Time Visualization

The OpenRoads immersive modeling functionality provides design-time visualization, giving engineers and designers the ability to view their designs interactively as rendered on-demand models in the design software environment – enabling government agencies, consultants, and operators to make better design, construction, operations, and maintenance decisions. Immersive modeling is supported by the software’s ability to capture and persist design. It does this by self-documenting design decisions and changes, and then reacting to and anticipating such changes as they relate to design intent. As a result, the engineer or designer is always in control of the design process and no changes or relationships are ever “hidden.”

Hypermodeling