Hello,
I am fairly new to the Bentley World and want to set it up properly for my users who haven't used it at all. What I would like to do is setup the standards and DNG templates and other items that the end users will need on the server and have Bentley look there for these items.
Dimension Styles, Layers, Wall Configs, tags and callouts.
What I am lacking is what to look for and where in the configuration would I find the paths to point the others to? Is there a book or a white paper somewhere that I can refer to for this?
Thank you for the help
OK, we are going to have a lot information in this thread, maybe we can parse it all out at a later date (!). There are several ways to do this.
But, here's my take on the first steps to doing a relatively simple networked set-up.
1. Create a folder location on your server for the networked workspace location, e.g., e:\BIM\Workspace\
2. Copy the delivered workspace from the installed location. So, copy all the folders under c:\...\Workspace\ to the newly created network location (in this example e:\BIM\Workspace\ ).
The delivered workspace will probably be on your hard drive in this location: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\MicroStation\WorkSpace\ Note that 'Appliction Data' is a hidden folder so in Windows Explorer you need to have "Show hidden files and folders" set in Tools->Folder Options->View->Hidden files and folders->Show hidden files and folders
The delivered workspace will probably be on your hard drive in this location: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\MicroStation\WorkSpace\
Note that 'Appliction Data' is a hidden folder so in Windows Explorer you need to have "Show hidden files and folders" set in Tools->Folder Options->View->Hidden files and folders->Show hidden files and folders
3. Once that is copied over you should have a folder structure like this (note that I have structural and mechancial apps installed so I have extra folders) :
This is the start. Next post will go from here.
<Paul Wagner> wrote in message news:62730@communities.bentley.com... OK, we are going to have a lot information in this thread, maybe we can parse it all out at a later date (!). There are several ways to do this. But, here's my take on the first steps to doing a relatively simple networked set-up. 1. Create a folder location on your server for the networked workspace location, e.g., e:\BIM\Workspace\ 2. Copy the delivered workspace from the installed location. So, copy all the folders under c:\...\Workspace\ to the newly created network location (in this example e:\BIM\Workspace\ ). The delivered workspace will probably be on your hard drive in this location: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\MicroStation\WorkSpace\ Note that 'Appliction Data' is a hidden folder so in Windows Explorer you need to have "Show hidden files and folders" set in Tools->Folder Options->View->Hidden files and folders->Show hidden files and folders 3. Once that is copied over you should have a folder structure like this (note that I have structural and mechancial apps installed so I have extra folders) : This is the start. Next post will go from here. http://communities.bentley.com/Products/Building/Building_Analysis___Design/f/5917/t/26367.aspx#62730
regards / Thomas Voghera
<tcfonts> wrote in message news:62703@communities.bentley.com...I'm just having a hard time believing it's this complicated - I feel dumber and dumber each passing day. http://communities.bentley.com/Products/Building/Building_Analysis___Design/f/5917/t/26367.aspx#62703
Thomas Voghera: Paul can't use the wiki for this? -- regards / Thomas V Good idea, once done, I will compile the steps from the posts here and create a wiki for it.
It's really not that complicated.
One of the hallmarks of Bentley technology is that it's very open, so you can do WHATEVER you want to do to match your workflow. You're not bound.
By having so many different ways to do things, you're bound to get many different answers or versions of answers from many different voices.
As Brian Yeo mentioned, we had sessions last year at the Kansas City Conference (MCMC User Group) and I will see about posting some of the relevant sessions here on the Communities Website. I also have many sessions I have done in the past on configurations, which I will be happy to share.
If you or anyone reading this is interested in learning more about this or other topics, I would suggest you register for this year's MCMC 2009 Summer Conference. Building a Workspace is one of the many valuable sessions taking place at this great conference. Check our community out (search on MCMC) or go to http://communities.bentley.com/UserGroups/GroupDetail.aspx?GroupID=35
(BTW, just because we are based in KC doesn't mean we don't want all comers...we have folks coming in from all over the world this year, and you are most welcome!)
Meantime, i would suggest the following (above whatever anyone else is posting):
1) Understand the importance of _USTN_WORKSPACE. It drives the whole system and can point you anywhere you want to go...and if used properly, you can basically "cascade" your entire system by changing one variable....that is, if everything is based on a relationship between variables, then changing one at the top can change a user from looking at the workstation to the server in one swoop.
2) Understand the important of _TF_WORKSPACE for the BIM Tools.
3) Spend a little time undestanding what the Dataset is (a subset of "TriForma/Bentley BIM resources within the Workspace), and what the Workspace is (a superset of all resources, including MicroStation AND Application resources)
4) Check your Help file for a little tool called -DEBUG. This will allow you to generate a text file of all the variables being loaded without actually launching the program, and you can backtrack the variables that way.
5) Don't get frustrated! You do have a lot of help, you're not dumb, and these tools really aren't too hard to pick up...they are just so darn open, you can honestly do whatever you want to do, you may just need to map it out first.
Thanks,
Shawn
follow MCMC on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tmcmcmc
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The next steps to doing a relatively simple networked set-up.
1. Copy the files, atflocal.cfg and tflocal.cfg, from your local folders to the newly created network workspace location. In our example they are copied from C:\Program Files\Bentley\MicroStation V8i\Triforma\config\ to e:\BIM\Workspace\
Note: The local folder location depends on where V8i is installed, in our example MicroStation V8i is installed to C:\Program Files\Bentley\MicroStation V8i\
2. The network workspace folder now contains these folders and files:
2. Edit the newly created atflocal.cfg file and add a line defining your network workspace location. In our example I am adding this:
_MY_COMPANY_NETWORK = e:/BIM/
Note: This variable can be named whatever you want it to be, just something that makes sense to you. We are simply creating a variable to use downstream. If you are running other building apps, copy the specific '.cfg' file and make the same edit, e.g., stflocal.cfg for Bently Structural. Naming a variable with an underbar character as the first character makes it a 'hidden' variable.
3. Make another edit to the network atflocal.cfg file to include the newly created tflocal.cfg file. In our example I am editing the line that states: %include tflocal.cfg to state this: %include $(_MY_COMPANY_NETWORK)Workspace/tflocal.cfg.
4. In our example the newly created network atflocal.cfg file now reads like this:
In the next post: Edit the Network tflocal.cfg File and Create a New Shortcut for Bentley Architecture.
There are also two options for pointing the root '_USTN_WORKSPACEROOT' variable to a remote server location...
Via Windows Environment Variable
or
At the Command Line using the - '-WS<configuration variable>
Either of these would let the appearance of network integration appear 'seemless'.
A third option might be to 'hard code' 3 variables:_USTN_PROJECTSROOT, _USTN_USER and _USTN_USERINTROOT which all utilize the '_USTN_WORKSPACEROOT' variable prior to reading the Config System.
This hard coding can be done by creating a custom cfg file after which you place in the Local Config 'System' folder with the file name preceeded with an underscore '_' so that this file is read first... i.e. before all other configr files are read. Sounds a little unorthodox at first but still works...
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