Configuring Microstation

Configuring Microstation seems like a difficult task in the beginning, as Windows users being used to graphical interfaces might miss something.

In fact Microstations configuration file based approach in my opinion makes things a lot easier. Many state of the art programs, like the internets most used webserver, Apache, use this approach, and with good reason.

Here's how we have done that at NODE.

1. Install Microstation on your PC
   Starting from scratch the first thing (obviously) is to install Microstation and its vertical applications (Structural Modeler, Architecture,...). One thing to remember is, where Microstation installs its workspace. Things are a bit different for different Windows versions, and languages. 
2. Copy Workspace to network
   Regardless if you are alone in your office, or if you are 100 employees, I recommend to copy your workspace on a network server. Let's assume your network drive is M:, so you'll now have your workspace in M:\Microstation. 
3. Configure client
   This part is extremly easy, but it took us a couple of years to find out. In fact the only thing you have to do is to define a Windows system variable.
   
   Windows - Control panel - System - Advanced - Environment variable - System variables - New
   
   _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT=M:\Microstation\Workspace\
   
   From now on Microstation will use your workspace on the network by default. That also means that you won't see your locally installed workspaces anymore. If you want them back, remove the system variable again. 
4. Configure you workspace
   There are a couple of things I would recommend to do now.
    
   1. create a sitestandard configuration file
      A configuration file which sets all the necessary things for your office. I have included our sitestandard.cfg file in this blog (ignore the norwegian comments), and it should be placed in the Workspace\Standards folder.  
   2. define project configuration files
      Project configuration files are situated in the Workspace\Projects folder and have a .pcf ending. They allow you to make some settings for a specific project. We'll talk about project specific setups in a blog of its own.

So far we have managed to move our workspace over from a local setup to a network setup. If you just want to use the Bentley delivered workspace, you're finished here. If not, stay tuned...