Overview

When using the out of the box integration of ProjectWise and AutoPLANT products, there was one product that was not fully integrated with it, ProSteel. As one explores through the Applications of a datasource that has been integrated with an AutoPLANT Project, they may notice that the is no Application for ProSteel. However, there is an Application for AutoPLANT Structural. For those of that don't know the history behind the ProSteel\Structural product, AutoPLANT Structural was the AutoPLANT integrated version of ProSteel. It's last release was the 8.9.2.3 release. Bentley has since moved on to ProSteel releases with AutoPLANT integration added to them and has dropped the AutoPLANT Structural product since Structural was just a modified version of ProSteel. ProSteel for XM allowed users to install the ProSteel R18 release with AutoPLANT PDW and use the Structural icon in the AutoPLANT 3d Menu to load ProSteel. In short, ProSteel replaced the AutoPLANT Structural software. Since ProSteel is basically an upgraded version of AutoPLANT Structural, the AutoPLANT Structural Application in ProjectWise can be used for the ProSteel program. However, this will take a bit of modification so that the ProSteel profile is used rather then the Structural one. This Technote first goes over the Alert that some users will see when attempting to use the AutoPLANT Structural Application with a ProSteel install. Followed by this information is steps to get the Application to point to the correct profile.

What happens when using the Structural App for ProSteel

If a user has ProSteel install, but not AutoPLANT Structural and attempts to use the AutoPLANT Structural Application for a document the following AutoCAD Alert displayed below:

This dialog box will be displayed when the program is looking for a profile that is not there. When a user is using ProjectWise with AutoPLANT and decides to try using the AutoPLANT Structural for their ProSteel without making the needed changes discuses above, this Alert will appear. AutoCAD will then launch and load the last known working profile. If the last Profile that was used was an AutoPLANT one, then the AutoPLANT 3D menu will be loaded and the user can just use the Structural button to load the ProSteel program. However, if the client worked in a vanilla AutoCAD Profile, then there will not be any AutoPLANT 3D menu and the user will need to manually load the AutoPLANT/ProSteel Profile to get the menu.  The below steps will keep this alert from appearing when working with ProSteel.  It will also make AutoCAD per load all the ProSteel menus.  All that will be needed of the user is to activate one of the ProSteel commands to full load ProSteel. 

Setting up ProSteel with AutoPLANT Structural Application

The following steps should only be performed by a ProjectWise Admin.  Please take care when working in the Application area of Datasources.  If some of the information is incorrect, it can result in the Application not working properly. 

1. Open ProjectWise Administrator
2. Locate the AutoPLANT Structural Application
3. Go into its Properties by right clicking on it
   1. 
4. Select the "Actions" tab
   1. 
5. Press the [Create] Button
6. Add the following values into each field
   1. Action = Open
   2. Program description = ProSteel
      1. If multiple versions of AutoCAD are being used, then add this to the name just as "ProSteel with AutoCAD 2008"
   3. Program class name = AutoCAD.Application.17.1 
      1. This class is for AutoCAD 2008, for other versions of AutoCAD see below
      2. AutoCAD 2004 = AutoCAD.Application.16
      3. AutoCAD 2005 = AutoCAD.Application.16.1
      4. AutoCAD 2006 = AutoCAD.Application.16.2
      5. AutoCAD 2007 - AutoCAD.Application.17
   4. Command line arguments = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant XM\ProSteel18ACAD_6001_409.arg" /b loadstructural
      1. This command line argument points to the ProSteel profile for AutoCAD 2008, to use a different version of AutoCAD use the follow
      2. AutoCAD 2004 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant XM\ProSteel18ACAD_201_409.arg" /b loadstructural
      3. AutoCAD 2005 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant XM\ProSteel18ACAD_301_409.arg" /b loadstructural
      4. AutoCAD 2006 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant XM\ProSteel18ACAD_4001_409.arg" /b loadstructural
      5. AutoCAD 2007 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant XM\ProSteel18ACAD_5001_409.arg" /b loadstructural
7. Make sure that the Command line Argument is for the same version that is being called in the Class name
   1.  
8. Press [OK] once all the information in filled in
9. Set this new Action as the default by pressing the [Set Default] button while the action is selected
10. Press [OK] to close out the Properties and accept the changes
11. Launch ProjectWise Explorer to test out the application
12. Go to the Structural folder in the Datasource where the modification was done
13. Great a new document using "No Wizard"
14. Fill out all the required information and select the AutoPLANT Structural Application for the document 
15. Confirm that the Document has a size of about 26 kbs once the save button is hit
16. Open the document with the default application that we just created

Do not change the name of the Application.  It most remain AutoPLANT Structural.  Doing so will result in the ProSteel files not being generated correctly and result in a 0 kbs size file.  If the name does get changed, simple going back into the Application and changing the name back to AutoPLANT Structural will fix the issue.  Remember to take care when working in ProjectWise Administrator and that only a PW Admin should make any changes that are needed. 

Notes on V8i Release

There is some different information when dealing with the V8i release of ProjectWise and ProSteel.  This same error has been seen in the V8i release, but the fix is different for this release.  The first step that is different is the Program Class Name that is required.  Below is a list of each Program Class Name and what AutoCAD it is for. 

• AutoCAD 2009 = AutoCAD.Drawing.PW.17.2
• AutoCAD 2008 = AutoCAD.Drawing.PW.17.1
• AutoCAD 2007 = AutoCAD.Drawing.PW.17.0
• AutoCAD 2006 = AutoCAD.Drawing.PW.16.2

Next, the user will need to drop the /b loadstructural from the Command Line Argument.  The ncommand line Arguments for V8i ProSteel are below. 

• AutoCAD 2009 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant V8i\ProSteelV8iACAD_7001_409.arg"
• AutoCAD 2008 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant V8i\ProSteelV8iACAD_6001_409.arg"
• AutoCAD 2007 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant V8i\ProSteelV8iACAD_5001_409.arg"
• AutoCAD 2006 = /p "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\Plant V8i\ProSteelV8iACAD_4001_409.arg"

The one downside to this change is that ProSteel will not be automatically loaded.  The user will need to go to the AutoPLANT 3D pull down and select Structural to completely load ProSteel.  The plus side to this is that the ProjectWise Integration will be retained.  (This is lost if the steps for XM are used in V8i.) 

See Also

Plant TechNotes And FAQs

External Links

Bentley homepage 
Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase 
Bentley LEARN Server

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