Bentley View (Free Viewer) 08.11.09.829

I am using the above version of BV to open Connect models, they open fine and I can see the extra properties associated with the applied Display Rules, the only thing that is missing are the colours associated with the respective Display Rules. I have mentioned this before that my clients are not willing to purchase Navigator in order to view these missing element colour attributes, this has presented me with a big problem as I have to provide them with various rendered graphics from Microstation Connect, I have tried generating 3D PDF's but this just captures one display rule with no option to toggle to the others.

Question is, how difficult would it be to enable the viewing of the Display Rules colours in the above mentioned Bentley View version.

Another issue that has come to the fore having explained that a free viewer will not be available for subsequent versions of Microstation, is that I am being asked to supply deliverables in DWG format, not good.

I have just downloaded a trial of Bentley Navigator just to see that it supports all the stuff relating Display Rules and Item Types as to date no one has been able to confirm this. Having not used Navigator before I was expecting just to search for a DGN and open it up, I find that it is not as simple as BV, okay I thought I'll try publishing an i-model  from within Microstation but it doesn't create an i-model directly, it creates an *.dgn.i-dgn file (????). So I tried opening this file with Navigator but it's looking for an I-model. Yes I know it sounds convoluted (maybe just me) anyway my question(s) are:- one, how do I create an i-model file?  two, how does your clients view DGN files at the moment? and three, is it just me that's not happy about the lack of a free DGN viewer?

Update, I did find a tick box to create an i-model, however Navigator failed to open the i-model file.

 

Regards

Ken

 

Regards

Ken

  

  • With BV SS4 we don't have Displayrules definitions. That comes with the The Next Generation CE.

    Don't know what Bentley have reserved for this but they put aside BV CE.

    communities.bentley.com/.../396150

    Regards

    José

  • Hello Jose,

    I am aware that they ditched BV CE, such a pity as the potential for show casing 'Display Rules' and 'Item Types', even for that matter DGN format  is lost without a free viewer, I have tried to understand the logic behind such a decision and I detest saying to clients that they have to buy another product in order to view a DGN file with Connect functionality. Maybe they think they can sell heaps of viewers at £96.00 a pop, personally I think Bentley are shooting themselves in the foot.

    Till they change their mind I have no option other than to issue my clients with PDF's and DWG's.

    Regards

    Ken

  • Hi Ken
    I agreed with you and find it stupid that Bentley view connect was removed shorty after it was released. I don't understand the thinking at all... microstation connect and Bentley view connect could have been the perfect combination, but at the moment there are no free alternatives for viewing display rules etc. So no, it's not only you...
    Regards
    Helge
  • I believe there are some Autodesk free viewers that can open the DGN files.

    Navisworks freedom
    DesignReview
    TrueView

    There maybe more, but none from Bentley..........

    So unless Bentley really do want their users moving to Autodesk, in my opinion the Bentley View removal is a serious bad move

    Ian
  • I was not aware of this although that's bad that you have to use an Autodesk product. Based on what I said in my earlier post, that Navigator fell over when trying to open my file then this suggests that we have features in the latest version of Connect (5) that are not supported by any viewer, free or otherwise. having marketed the use of Display Rules and Item Types to my clients, I find I am now in an awkward position that I can't give them a deliverable to use .

    Come on Bentley do the right thing, we had a BV Connect edition during the beta stage, I'm sure that you are doing our clients a disservice and are not helping to promote the DGN format by charging £96 for Navigator which my clients are not prepared to pay for and I am not entirely sure that it is better than BV for reviewing complex 3D and 2D drawings.

    Regards

    Ken