OpenSite Designer for DOT work

As DOTs move to OpenRoads (ORD) and require consultants to deliver in that version of the software will consultants who have OpenSite Designer(OSD) be able to utilize the ORD Workspace and submit their deliverable using OSD as long as their project doesn't involve corridor modeling?

  • I agree any DGN file you create in the various "Open" series CE versions of the software can be opened, reviewed, and merged within the others. MS CE is the base for all of them.

    My thoughts from using both ORD and OSD are that OSD is not a "lower" form of the software just a different one (as with the others OpenRail, OpenBridge, etc..). OSD was set up for working on civil projects that were more "site" specific: small to large tracts of land, subdivision, etc... The tools and reports are more geared towards these products. ORD is more "corridor" driven and requires an alignment to be established by which all other features and functions will be tied to. If you manipulate the alignment or corridor, it could affect any of the features attached/assigned to it throughout the corridor. This includes if you purposely or unintentionally manipulate it in any way outside of ORD. 

    The way you set up your feature definitions can be similar for both ORD and OSD, but the manner in which you want to define your ORD and OSD WorkSpaces to function around certain feature definitions may be different. So far I have experienced that we can set up separate WorkSpaceSetup.cfg files and/or WorkSets within the ORD WorkSpace for OpenBridge, OpenBuilding, OpenPlant (and I am sure this may be true for others such as OpenFlows, OpenRail, etc..); but not quite yet for OSD. This is not just my opinion, but it has been offered to me from a few folks at Bentley during portions of my training on the transition from v8i to CE and from site visits by them.

    As for Microstation previously mentioned, you can open up any files created by the "Open" series of software in MS CE. It will not harm the feature definitions or how they relate or function within the ORD, OBM, OSD, or any other 'Open" series software they were originally created in. You just need to keep in mind that any data you add to the file while in MS CE will be "dumb" data as there are no tools to assign the feature definitions and such to them while in MS CE. Also, any data you may edit or manipulate in any way while in MS CE may be converted to "dumb" data (lose its assigned feature definition and/or portions of it's functionality within ORD, OSD, etc..). 

    I have been using, modifying and making my own GUIs, macros and such at times within MS S, J, v8 and v8i and other companion software for more years than I care to say. I do have great confidence that this will be address in the future by Bentley; they always have (hopefully sooner rather than much later). 

    My opinion at present is that if you intend to use more than one of the "Open" series of software other than OSD, you can probably get by with designing one WorkSpace with multiple WorkSets and/or WorkSpaceSetup.cfg files that address the different modules. That is just one solution, there are most likely others. But for now, I am planning and working on having separate WorkSpaces for ORD and OSD on the network and within ProjectWise in efforts to inhibit any potential conflicts or chances of corrupting data when working on projects that will require the functionality and reporting capabilities of both ORD and OSD within our production flow.