The OpenBuildings product team is pleased to announce the availability of OpenBuildings Station Designer CONNECT Edition, Update 6 (v10.06.00.40) through the Bentley CONNECT Center Software Downloads portal or the desktop CONNECTION Client. OpenBuildings Station Designer is currently only available in English with a Neutral Metric dataset, and is expected to expand to other languages and regional datasets in future updates. It incorporates all the features and capabilities of OpenBuildings Designer CONNECT Edition Update 6 and MicroStation CONNECT Edition Update 13. Please refer to the "What's New Highlights" section below for some of the product updates and enhancements. LEGION Model Builder CONNECT Edition, Update 1 (v10.01.00.51) is available as a companion application (optional installation; license included with OpenBuildings Station Designer) and can be included as part of any deployment of OpenBuildings Station Designer. LEGION Model Builder allows you to create pedestrian simulation scenarios by defining spaces, activities in spaces, and characteristics of people movement to be used as input to LEGION Simulator (optional installation; license not included with OpenBuildings Station Designer). Activities include, but are not limited to, definition of arrival points, destinations, waiting zones, queuing behaviors, stairs, and escalators. LEGION Simulator CONNECT Edition, Update 1 (v10.01.00.51) is available as a companion application but requires a separate license, which is not included with OpenBuildings Station Designer. LEGION Simulator calculates pedestrian simulations based on LEGION Model Builder scenarios and provides review analysis with movement dot patterns and density heat maps. OpenBuildings GenerativeComponents CONNECT Edition, Update 6 (v10.06.00.88) is available as a companion feature (optional installation; license included with OpenBuildings Station Designer) and this computational design platform can be included as part of any deployment of OpenBuildings Station Designer. Specialized GenerativeComponents template scripts are included to generate station assets relative to linear alignments utilizing parametric design and change-propagation supporting exploration of design alternatives. Additional information about the template scripts is available through a Bentley Community Wiki page which will also point to training opportunities.
Update via CONNECTION Client:
If you have OpenBuildings Station Designer CONNECT Edition already installed on your computer, you can incrementally download and install OpenBuildings Station Designer CONNECT Edition, Update 6 from the CONNECTION Client. It will replace any earlier versions of the product. Sign into the CONNECTION Client to view and apply your Application updates. If needed, please refer to the CONNECTION Client help for more information on installing the update.
Download from the CONNECT Center > Software Downloads:
Please follow these steps to download the installation of OpenBuildings Station Designer CONNECT Edition Update 6 from the Bentley CONNECT Center, Software Downloads portal:
Software Downloads can also be accessed through the desktop CONNECTION Client. Open the CONNECTION Client from the system tray and click on [CONNECTION Center]. Scroll down to the ‘My Services’ section and click on the [Software Downloads] tile. Important installation requirements and notices are found in the Readme.
Updating Dataset:
Please remember that upgrading OpenBuildings Station Designer from one version to the next does NOT upgrade the dataset. Datasets are NOT automatically upgraded to preserve project fidelity or any customizations. It is recommended that you make backup copies of your current dataset and allow the upgrade installer to install fresh and current versions of the datasets that can be used as an aid to upgrade any custom versions. Each dataset includes a version to version migration outline for additions, deletions and significant changes.
• Pedestrian Model Prep Workflow
OpenBuildings Station Designer Update 6 introduces a new workflow called "Pedestrian Model Prep" to assist users in preparing their 2D drawings or 3D Models as an input to LEGION Model Builder. This workflow provides a focused set of tools to assist in identification of project sources and composing them into a Legion Model Builder-ready composition for pedestrian simulation. This workflow also provides a path to leverage and evaluate your BIM models for Pedestrian Simulation.
• Drawing Composition Wizard
The Drawing Composition Wizard is the core of the 'Pedestrian Model Prep' workflow. LEGION Model Builder currently requires a set of 2D plan drawings to perform Pedestrian Simulation. The Drawing Composition Wizard will assist with the necessary steps to prepare the models or drawings for import into LEGION Model Builder. This wizard accepts 2D Drawings (in dgn, dwg, and/or dxf format) or 3D Models (Bentley, Revit i-model, or IFC) as input into the wizard and creates a LEGION Model Builder-ready composite layout drawing. This wizard reduces the level of knowledge needed for users to access Pedestrian Simulation using their project data. ProjectWise Integration with the Drawing Composition Wizard is planned for the next release:
• New Configuration Variables
New configuration variables were added to support the 'Pedestrian Model Prep' workflow and the ability to define custom levels that interact with 'Pedestrian Model Prep' ribbon bar user interface.
PEDSIM_SIMULATIONAREA_LEVEL Sets the level name used by the elements that will define the simulation area and will be used for autonavigation and simulation in Pedestrian Simulation. Used in the 'Pedestrian Model Prep' workflow PEDSIM_HIDDEN_LEVEL Sets the level name to be used when elements need to be moved from its original level to a separate level to be hidden in the pedestrian simulation and the creation of the simulation area. This may be required when multiple elements share the same level and turning off the entire level is not a viable solution. Used in the 'Pedestrian Model Prep' workflow PEDSIM_PRESENTATION_LEVEL Sets the level name to be used when elements need to be moved from its original level to a separate presentation level to be hidden in the creation of the simulation area. This may be required when multiple elements share the same level and turning off the entire level is not a viable solution. Used in the 'Pedestrian Model Prep' workflow PEDSIM_TEMPBOUNDARY_LEVEL Sets the level name to be used when elements are added to enclose a region and establish a boundary edge for the simulation area(s). Used in the 'Pedestrian Model Prep' workflow PEDSIM_SIMULATION_LEVELACTIVEFILTER Sets the Pedestrian Simulation Level Filter Name. Used in the 'Pedestrian Model Prep' workflow
• Platform-Train Interface
The new Platform-Train Interface (PTI) feature is designed to streamline the process of modelling transport services in LEGION. It can be used to model boarding & alighting situations in multiple transport scenarios, including trains at platforms, or trams and buses at stops. Instead of manually entering combinations of Level Entrances, Level Exits, Waiting Zones, Arrival Profiles and other objects, users may now specify a much smaller number of high-level objects, which incorporate the desired behavior, automatically. The feature is designed to simplify workflow and reduce workload and opportunities for error. This is a technology preview and we expect to receive users’ feedbacks on its usability before making it available for commercial use. The following enhancements are planned for the next release:
• Per-entity Data
The per-entity data feature lets users save simulation output to CSV. It can be used to pass pedestrian co-ordinates and attributes to a 3D provider for animation, or make custom statistical analyses of simulation output, where standard analyses are too coarse. Although LEGION provides XML output of entity positions, the new feature offers the advantages of:
• Command line arguments for LEGIONModelBuilder.exe
You can use the following command line arguments to launch CAD import with LEGION Model Builder (LEGIONModelBuilder.exe)
/ImportCAD:"<path/filename>" - Specifies the file to import./LayerAutonav:"<levelname>" - Specifies the level name from the imported file to use for AutoNavigation. This argument can be used multiple times to define multiple level names/LayerSim:"<levelname>" - Specifies the level name from the imported file to use for Simulation. This argument can be used multiple times to define multiple level names
Sample Command line syntax:
"C:\Program Files\Bentley\LEGION CONNECT Edition\Bin\LEGIONModelBuilder.exe" /ImportCAD:"C:\temp\MyCAD.dgn" /LayerAutonav:"Autonav level name" /LayerAutonav:"Second Autonav level name" /LayerSim:"Sim level name" /LayerSim:"Second Sim level name"