In November of 2013, the exciting news that the business of Engineering Systems, and the Microstran software product line, are now part of Bentley Systems was announced. The popular software products Microstran, Limcon, and MStower are now part of Bentley’s structural analysis and design portfolio alongside RAM and STAAD. Further, the Engineering Systems staff has joined our Bentley offices in Australia, bringing with them over 25 years of experience in developing and supporting a market leading software solution for structural engineers and designers. The details of the acquisition can be found at: http://www.bentley.com/en-AU/Corporate/News/Quarter+4/engineering+systems.htm. This article addresses some commonly asked questions concerning the acquisition.
How does the acquisition affect the Microstran product line?
Microstran is now being packaged and licensed a little differently than it has been in the past. Specifically, Microstran is now offered in three tiers:
Each of these tiers contains an increasing number of features that in the past were sold as separate add-ons by Engineering Systems. Microstran contains elastic critical load analysis and master-slave constraints. Microstran.Pro contains the prior two add-ons, plus dynamic analysis (eigenvalues), cable elements, reinforced concrete design, and steel detailing neutral format. Microstran.Advanced contains all previously mentioned add-ons plus moving loads, gap and fuse elements, and response spectrum analysis.
The design code standards are still offered as individual add-ons that can be applied to any of the three tiers. This is also true of the integrated steel connection design feature within Microstran.
How does the acquisition affect maintenance and support?
Engineering Systems customers will be contacted just prior to the expiration of their existing maintenance plan with Engineering Systems. At this time you will be presented options for moving onto a Bentley SELECT maintenance plan, which will give you access to a wealth of new benefits in support of your Microstran products. A Bentley SELECT plan includes:
See the following link for more information on Bentley SELECT:
http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Subscriptions/Bentley+SELECT/
Who do I contact for more information?
To ask a technical question, please visit our structural user forum. If you require hands on technical support, please visit our solution support center.
Alternatively, if you are new to the Microstran product line and would like more information, please contact:
Existing Bentley customers may also contact their current sales representative.
Where can I find the legacy Microstran FAQ?Those topics are now all included in the Structural Analysis and Design Support Solutions.