Usage i-model Transformer with Bentley Map Mobile .imodel?

Jan,

You are correct. During the Bentley Map Mobile Publisher process, a temporary .i.dgn file is created, then converted into .imodel format. The Bentley Map Mobile Converter process does not create an intermediate file, going directly from design file sources to .imodel format.

We have discussed with our i-model Transformer team colleagues a number of potential enhancements that would support a custom Bentley Map Mobile i-model creation process. I believe there are plans to add .imodel input file support to i-model Transformer at some point. The more we hear from users such as yourself on these needs, the more likely we will be able to prioritize that work.

For now, only Bentley Map Mobile Publisher and Bentley Map Mobile Converter are available to create Bentley Map Mobile i-models.

Hi Jeff,

thanks a lot for your answer :-)

Unknown said:

only Bentley Map Mobile Publisher and Bentley Map Mobile Converter are available

Well ... I know Publisher, as I installed it to the latest Bentley Map and it added File > Publish For Map Mobile item into BM menu. But what is Converter?

Unknown said:

I believe there are plans to add .imodel input file support to i-model Transformer at some point.

It would be nice. Regardless I have not many reasons to use Transformer, in particuar situations it's really great tool.

Unknown said:

The more we hear from users such as yourself on these needs, the more likely we will be able to prioritize that work.

My current need (fortunately not critical and is logged with low pririty) is:

• There is feature with a property expressed by a number.
• This number represents "human readable" value from dictionary linked through key in database.
• In this configuration, the property value is displayed using dictionary text, but stored using integer ID.
• When converted into .imodel, integer ID is used, not the nice text.

Because of that, I thought about Transformer to harvest the dictionary and to replace the ID.

I think it can be also an enhancement of Mobile Publisher to be albe to convert not only stored actual data, but to take in account properties, especially how domains are defined (as translation between IDs and their values).

With regards,

  Jan

Jan,

The latest Bentley Map Mobile Publisher 05.05.02.11 commercial release includes the new Bentley Map Mobile Converter, a 64-bit standalone command line tool (MapMobileConverter.exe), that runs from a Windows command shell, does not require use of Bentley Map session and provides extensive configuration capabilities to produce Bentley Map Mobile i-models from both Bentley Map and MicroStation data. It can process 1 or more, even 1,000s of input design files to create a single Bentley Map Mobile i-model.

The Bentley Map Mobile Converter can also detect changes to input design files and generate .changes files that contain changesets which can be used for "Incremental File Updates" in Bentley Map Mobile to ensure field personnel have the latest data w/o requiring reloading of data on mobile devices. All of these capabilities can be used from the command line or from within a ProjectWise i-model Composition Server environment, allowing you to automate and schedule the production of Bentley Map Mobile i-models suited to your organizations requirements.

Using XML configuration files, the Bentley Map Mobile Converter provides the ability to control the conversion process for both Bentley Map and MicroStation design files, supporting the following capabilities...

• Map Layers
• Display Priorities
• Zoom Ranges
• Symbology Overrides
• Searchable Text
• Search Labels
• View Thumbnails
• Spatial Filters
• Redline Favorites

...and more. For MicroStation design files no Bentley Geospatial Administrator schema is required. If you have XFM design file data w/o a Bentley Geospatial Administrator schema the ability to control the Bentley Map Mobile Converter process with a configuration file is fully supported. The Bentley Map Mobile iCS Plugin has also been updated so the production of Bentley Map Mobile i-models in the ProjectWise iCS environment can now use the Bentley Map Mobile Converter process, including the ability to generate and publish changesets (incremental updates). This is important so as the source data changes, incremental updates (e.g. changesets) can easily be generated and distributed to Bentley Map Mobile clients.

You can review the delivered MapMobileConverter.config.xml and MapMobileConverter.config.xsd to get an idea of the configuration capabilities. Using an XML editor such as Visual Studio with IntelliSense can recognize the XSD and provide XML element and attribute documentation. For example, the following is from MapMobileConverter.config.xml which creates Bentley Map Mobile features based upon MicroStation element information.

Here polygons on specific MicroStation levels are assigned a feature class name, category, display priority and symbology overrides.

View thumbnails are defined here...

...variables that can be used throughout the configuration are defined here...

...and referenced here.

There is much more that can be done, but hopefully the above gives you a better idea of the Bentley Map Mobile Converter configuration capabilities.

Please refer to the Bentley Map Mobile Converter documentation for additional information.

Hi Jeff.

I didn't realise that these 'change sets' were an option. Sounds interesting and potentially very useful to distribute updates to Third Parties via email etc. without having to recreate the complete/original I-model.
How do these work in practice? If you have an original I-model and then produce a change set, do these modify the original I-model or do they act more like a higher priority 'layer' that sits on top of the original I-model.

If not using ProjectWise, does the script still detect changes in the contributing base files and if so how? Is it as simple as a modification date change on the base file?

Thanks Jeff.

Cheers
Alan

Alan,

The process by which the Bentley Map Mobile Converter can be used to generate changesets for distribution to Bentley Map Mobile users can be summarized as follows:

1. Use Bentley Map Mobile Converter to create a baseline Bentley Map Mobile .imodel file from one or more design files. During this step, server, repository and path information is stored in the .imodel indicating the location of future changesets.
2. Distribute the baseline .imodel to any number of Bentley Map Mobile users.
3. As the input design file(s) change over time, rerun the Bentley Map Mobile Converter to detect changes and generate changeset files. The change detection process analyzes the input design file(s), comparing element timestamps and other properties. Each changset can contain 10s, 100s, 1,000s or more individual element additions, modifications or deletions.
4. Store the generated changeset files at the server, repository and path location specified in Step 1 and make available to Bentley Map Mobile users using Bentley's Web Services Gateway product, that enables your organization’s users to connect Bentley’s mobile apps, including Bentley Map Mobile, to project information management systems including ProjectWise, eB and SharePoint.
5. Bentley Map Mobile users that have a copy of the .imodel created in Step 1, need to enable the "Incremental File Updates" setting.
6. Using Bentley's Web Service Gateway REST API, Bentley Map Mobile then uses the server, repository and path stored in the .imodel during Step 1 to prompt the user for login credentials.
7. Once Bentley Map Mobile validates the provided login credentials, a REST query is performed to the Web Services Gateway end-point, searching for available changesets.
8. If 1 or more available changesets are found for the .imodel created in Step 1, Bentley Map Mobile will display a green button on the map thumbnail tile indicating the number of available changesets.
9. Users simply press the green button to download the available changesets. Alternatively, if multiple .imodels on the device are found to have available changesets, a single button can be pressed to download all available changesets for all .imodels in a process that is similar to updating all apps in an app store.
10. After the changesets have been downloaded to the mobile device, the user simply opens the Bentley Map Mobile .imodel to have the changesets applied, ensuring the data is up-to-date.

Although the Bentley Map Mobile Converter can be used on the desktop to solve many data production issues, it has been designed for server-side integration with ProjectWise, Bentley i-model Composition Server and Web Services Gateway. Using these Bentley technologies, organizations can create an unattended automated data production and distribution eco-system, keeping all information consumers up-to-date with the latest information.

Please refer to "Western Power Empowers 3,000+ Field Workers with Accurate, Timely Network Maps and Models" and "Western Power Distribution - Electronic Mapping Utility on the iPad" for details of one such organization using Bentley Map Mobile and other Bentley technologies to provide daily updates to 1,000s of distributed information consumers.

Alan,

The process by which the Bentley Map Mobile Converter can be used to generate changesets for distribution to Bentley Map Mobile users can be summarized as follows:

1. Use Bentley Map Mobile Converter to create a baseline Bentley Map Mobile .imodel file from one or more design files. During this step, server, repository and path information is stored in the .imodel indicating the location of future changesets.
2. Distribute the baseline .imodel to any number of Bentley Map Mobile users.
3. As the input design file(s) change over time, rerun the Bentley Map Mobile Converter to detect changes and generate changeset files. The change detection process analyzes the input design file(s), comparing element timestamps and other properties. Each changset can contain 10s, 100s, 1,000s or more individual element additions, modifications or deletions.
4. Store the generated changeset files at the server, repository and path location specified in Step 1 and make available to Bentley Map Mobile users using Bentley's Web Services Gateway product, that enables your organization’s users to connect Bentley’s mobile apps, including Bentley Map Mobile, to project information management systems including ProjectWise, eB and SharePoint.
5. Bentley Map Mobile users that have a copy of the .imodel created in Step 1, need to enable the "Incremental File Updates" setting.
6. Using Bentley's Web Service Gateway REST API, Bentley Map Mobile then uses the server, repository and path stored in the .imodel during Step 1 to prompt the user for login credentials.
7. Once Bentley Map Mobile validates the provided login credentials, a REST query is performed to the Web Services Gateway end-point, searching for available changesets.
8. If 1 or more available changesets are found for the .imodel created in Step 1, Bentley Map Mobile will display a green button on the map thumbnail tile indicating the number of available changesets.
9. Users simply press the green button to download the available changesets. Alternatively, if multiple .imodels on the device are found to have available changesets, a single button can be pressed to download all available changesets for all .imodels in a process that is similar to updating all apps in an app store.
10. After the changesets have been downloaded to the mobile device, the user simply opens the Bentley Map Mobile .imodel to have the changesets applied, ensuring the data is up-to-date.

Although the Bentley Map Mobile Converter can be used on the desktop to solve many data production issues, it has been designed for server-side integration with ProjectWise, Bentley i-model Composition Server and Web Services Gateway. Using these Bentley technologies, organizations can create an unattended automated data production and distribution eco-system, keeping all information consumers up-to-date with the latest information.

Please refer to "Western Power Empowers 3,000+ Field Workers with Accurate, Timely Network Maps and Models" and "Western Power Distribution - Electronic Mapping Utility on the iPad" for details of one such organization using Bentley Map Mobile and other Bentley technologies to provide daily updates to 1,000s of distributed information consumers.