AECOSim and Microstation Connect on the same PC

Hi Danny,
ABD and MicroStation are separately licensed products.
You cannot run MicroStation whether V8i or CONNECT Edition on an ABD licence.
You can run ABD in MicroStation mode when you do not need the ABD tools.
ABD CONNECT EAP1 is based on the work in progress builds of MicroStation CONNECT Update 4 so there will be some features in ABD EAP releases that are not yet available as released or technology preview features in MicroStation CONNECT.
MicroStation CONNECT Update 4 will be available soon, watch the MicroStation forum for news of that.

Well
Here's the situation
For many years, to use Bentley Building Products (Arch, MEP, Structural), you had to
- install Microstation
- then install Triforma
- then install your chosen Bentley Building Product Discipline (Arch, MEP or Structural)
So you then had Microstation installed separately on your PC, and you could switch without any issues from Microstation to Bentley Building

Then it changed a bit, you no longer had to install Triforma separately. So you just had
- install Microstation
- then install Bentley Building (which included Triforma)
Again, you had Microstation installed separately, and you could switch between Microstation and Bentley Building.

Additionally, the new version of Microstation would typically be released some months before the update of Bentley Building. I would usually download the newer version of Microstation and start testing/checking it well before the updated version of Bentley Building. From what I could make out, many of the Bentley Building users were doing the same thing as I recall them also being active on the Microstation forums, indeed discussing the latest version of Microstation.

So, for 10 years plus, I've had license of Bentley Building, and it was pretty obvious that this also included a license for Microstation. I would have thought that was quite obvious as the Bentley Building products are 'built-on' Microstation.

When AECOSim was about to be released, we were informed (here on these forums), that you would no longer have to install Microstation separately before hand. Microstation would be installed at the same time, so there was just a single install.
We were also assured that we would be able to continue using our existing license of Microstation and Bentley Building (V8i) as well as running AECOSim. It's quite normal to have to continue using existing versions, as you typically have projects they are set up with, and you can't upgrade those projects to the newer version of the software.

Also, AECOSim includes a 'Microstation only' mode. It would seem pretty obvious that the intention is to allow you to use only Microstation, instead of the full Bentley Building/AECOSim suite/product.

it is quite ridiculous then that when I downloaded the newer Microsation Connect, I was told 'you don't have a license for that', you only have a license for AECOSim'

This is just plain 'silly' and frankly a 'downgrade' or a step backwards as far as the licensing is concerned.

I find it totally 'off' and just plain 'wrong' that we AECOSim users have NOT BEEN ALLOWED to use Microstation Connect for at least 18 months now. As far as I'm concerned, I had a licence for Microstation for 10 years or so (via the Bentley Building Products) and never had any problem with that.
Why does AECOSim come with a 'Microstation only' mode??????????????????????????
Surely the intent there is that you can indeed use Microstation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is also counter productive and surely a shot in the foot for Bentley Systems.
It's always been the case that one would evaluate/test out Microstation for some considerable time (months!), to get to grips with the new features/approach before then attempting to implement any Bentley Building product.

Do they seriously expect people to 'evaluate' Microstation Connect, with a 14 day trial version????????????
Assuming most people are working and/or have a life of some kind, in that 14 days, exactly how many hours are people actually going to be sat in front of a PC, evaluating the newer Microstation Connect????????
Answer, ....... a few at most.
This is patently ridiculous and I'm beyond unhappy about this (obviously!)

I very much hope this is just an oversight by the licensing department (who it seems aren't fully familiar with how these software products 'work', .................. A quote from one of my replies, ...... 'AECOSim is a CAD software', ..... right, ..... that really clears that one up then, ..... good to know)

This approach, apart from being a bit of a 'let-down' for existing Bentley Building users, is also going to delay the uptake of the newer version of AECOSim Connect.
It is only now (even then only via the EAP) that we can get to grips with the new approach in the Connect series of software. 18 months after Microstation Connect has been released.

I can see no commercial reason or advantage to Bentley Systems for taking this approach!

Do they seriously think that anyone using AECOSim, should they wish to use Microstation on a project, is going to go and buy a separate license of Microstation, just so they can use some of the Connect features that are not currently available in AECOSim. That's just not going to happen!

Will someone at Bentley look in to this?
It's more than annoying and if this is a serious decision by Bentley Systems, ....... then I will be more than 'disappointed'