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OpenRoads | OpenSite
OpenRoads | OpenSite Wiki Working from home with OpenRoads Designer
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    • -Road and Site Design - Wikis
      • -OpenRoads Designer
        • +Training
        • +Basic Settings
        • +Terrain Modeling
        • +Geometry CONNECT
        • +Model Analysis & Reporting
        • +Corridor Modeling
        • +Model Detailing
        • +Drawing Production
        • +Drainage and Utilities
        • +Survey CONNECT
        • +Civil Cells CONNECT
        • -How To Wikis
          • How can I customize the keyboard shortcuts (Position Mapping) to numeric only shortcuts?
          • How to add the View Control short-cut on long right click to your workspace
          • How to disassociate/remove a WorkSet from a dgn to be able to load a ProjectWise WorkSpace
          • How to remove the workset association in a dgn file
          • How to set an Active Feature Definition
          • How to set-up a ProjectWise Managed Configuration for ORD
          • Video: Send File within OpenRoads Designer
          • Video: How to expand the feature definition dialogue box in OpenRoads Designer
          • How to change the black canvas background in OpenRoads Designer
          • Where is Help in OpenRoads Designer?
          • How to copy Feature Definitions from one DGNLIB to another in Explorer in OpenRoads Designer?
          • How to truncate the Path Length to see File name and type 2D & 3D dgn at the top of the window
          • How do I control the display of tabs in the Explorer dialog?
          • How To Auto-Rotate North Arrow Cells
          • How to create a workspace debug file
          • How to delete corrupt ghost/phantom elements from a .dgn file in OpenRoads Designer
          • How to edit the Heads Up Display
          • How to export a dgn with Geo-Coordinate assigned to a dwg
          • How to find the Item Type Syntax for Civil Elements
          • How to open a dgn without any reference attached in Open(Roads/Rail/Site) Designer
          • How to open the Element Template Dialog box
          • How to read a msdebug.txt debug file
          • How to synchronise the standards from the libraries
          • Item Type Configuration Variables
          • List of Files Delivered through Installation
          • Removing Annotation Cell Text Background
          • Templates Part 2
          • Using Your Data
          • Video: Creating Custom Geographic Coordinate Systems in OpenRoads Designer
          • Video: How item type changes in feature definitions effect design element properties in OpenRoads/Site/Rail Designer
          • Video: How to assign multiple ITEM TYPES to feature definitions in Open Roads/Rail/Site Designer
          • Video: How to change display or transparency of reference files
          • Video: How to Create a Terrain from Borehole Data
          • Video: How to place guardrail using 3D linestyles and terminator
          • Video: Migrating GEOPAK SS2 Project Data to OpenRoads Designer
          • Video: Migrating GEOPAK SS4/SS10 Project Data to OpenRoads Designer
          • Video: Migrating InRoads SS2 Project Data to OpenRoads Designer
          • Video: Migrating InRoads SS4/SS10 Project Data to OpenRoads Designer
          • Working from home with OpenRoads Designer
        • +Installation CONNECT
        • +ProjectWise Integration
        • +Workspace
        • +Troubleshooting Various Issues
        • +MX to OpenRoads Designer Equivalence Videos
        • Downgrade Civil Model
        • Remove Civil Model
        • Civil File Manager
        • Bentley Civil Québec
        • "Error reading the Feature XML File" in the Features XML To/From Excel
        • Bentley Civil User Accreditation - Program Overview
        • How to turn off display of inactive topology?
        • Migrating Project Data to OpenRoads Designer
        • OpenRoads Designer Workflow - Voice Command
        • Workspace error when working with Subsurface Utilities in OpenRoads Designer
        • Textual manipulators missing for survey data
        • Unable to Open Utility Properties for catchment areas
        • When opening a file, it closes right away
        • +VBAs and DLLs for Custom Functions
      • +OpenRoads ConceptStation
      • +OpenRail Designer
      • +OpenSite Designer
      • +OpenRoads Navigator Mobile App
      • +SS10/SS4/SS3 OpenRoads
      • +GEOPAK Native
      • +InRoads Native
      • +MX Native
      • +OpenRoads SignCAD
    • +Draw Profiles - Bentley PowerCivil

     
     Questions about this article, topic, or product? Click here. 

    Working from home with OpenRoads Designer

    Product(s): OpenRoads, OpenRail, and OpenSite
    Version(s): CONNECT Edition

    In these challenging times when COVID-19 is imposing significant disruptions to day-to-day activities and affecting normal business flow of our much-valued users and employees, we at Bentley are mindfully committed to ensuring smooth transition of work from office to remote location or home. Our innovative software and services are all geared for working from home or remote locations and do not impose the need to be in an office set-up.

    To ensure smooth transition of work and effectiveness of your daily workflows with Bentley software, we have assembled information that you can refer to while working remotely or from home. We are working hard to deliver high levels of customer service, and welcome feedback, questions, and ideas on how we can serve you better in a remote work environment.

    Machine Requirements

    What can we do to ensure our users’ workflows are uninterrupted?

    There are several options to work remotely. You may decide to install the software on your home computer. Please click here to see these minimum machine requirements for OpenRoads Designer.

    Processor Intel® or AMD® processor 1.0 GHz or greater. OpenRoads is not supported on a CPU that does not support SSE2.
    Memory 4 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended. More memory almost always improves performance, particularly when
    working with larger models.
    Hard Disk 10 GB minimum, 10-25 GB depending on additional installations such as Companion Features and Companion
    Products.
    Video See the graphics card manufacturer for latest information on DirectX drivers. 512 MB of video RAM or higher
    is recommended. If insufficient video RAM or no graphics card supported by DirectX can be found, OpenRoads
    attempts to use software emulation. For optimal performance, graphics display color depth should be set to
    24-bit or higher. When using a color depth setting of 16-bit, some inconsistencies will be noted. For more
    information on recommended workstation profiles for OpenRoads, see OpenRoads System Requirements
    and Hardware Recommendations.
    Screen Resolution 1024 x 768 or higher

    Internet Connectivity

    Internet Access

    Internet access is required for downloading, installing, and licensing the software (unless the machine concerned has a checked-out license). As the OpenRoads installer is almost 8 GB, installation may take a significant time over low bandwidth connections. Ensure the connection used has sufficient data allowance if it is not an unlimited data package. Many CONNECT Edition products are installed from a small installer file that pulls the rest of the installation files from our servers. If you encounter problems with this installation route, please refer to the DOWNLOADING SOFTWARE section below for links to full software downloads or guidance on the use of Deployment Images to take home.

    Internet Proxy Settings

    OpenRoads Designer will try to obtain your Internet Proxy Settings from Internet Explorer browser. If it is not feasible, you can fill the details manually as described in this page located here.

    Connecting to Your Organization’s Network via VPN

    Virtual Private Network enables organizations to provide secure connection to their network over the internet so their employees can connect remotely or from public places. Click here to follow these instructions to connect to Windows VPN. If your organization uses a different VPN software, contact your IT administrator to guide you with the steps.

    OpenRoads Designer Features that require Internet Connectivity

    The following features of OpenRoads may not work properly in the absence of internet connectivity.

    • Bing Maps
    • CONNECT Project
    • CONNECT Licensing
    • CONNECT Advisor
    • Web Map Service
    • Component Center
    • Issue Resolution Service
    • Reality Context Share Service
    • User Feedback Service
    • Send as Email
    • Google Earth and Google Map integration
    • Social interaction (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
    • Online Help
    • Publish iModel and PDF to ProjectWise Share
    • CONNECT Notification Service
    • RSS Feeds

    VIRTUALIZATION and VIRTUAL MACHINES

    Virtual Machines

    Virtual machines are a great way to manage operating systems and work remotely with a running Remote Desktop Connection, login credentials and a valid IP address. Installing virtualization software allows one or more virtual machines to share one physical computer. Your IT administrator can create VMs with a readymade image of Windows operating system that includes OpenRoads and any other software needed. When such a VM is provisioned to you, you can directly launch OpenRoads and start working on your project.

    You can create a new VM and install its operating system by following these simple steps located here.

    You can export and import existing VMs in Windows Hyper-V Server by following these steps located here.

    Important notice about use of Bentley applications in virtual environments - click here

    REMOTE DESKTOP CONNECTION

    Remotely Accessing Office Computer

    If you work on a heavy-duty desktop machine that is difficult to carry or if your organization does not allow employees to move computers out of the office premises, Remote Desktop Connection offers a great way to log into that machine from your personal computer. You will require your computer name or IP address. Click here to follow the instructions on this page.

    SHARING CONFIGURATIONS AND PROJECT DATA

    When you’re working remotely, you are still part of a team and therefore sharing of project data is crucial. This is where the Configuration system shines. No matter where you are, you can be sure to be using the correct CAD standard with server-based Configurations. If your system has already been configured to use server-based resources virtualization and remote desktop access results in a similar experience to
    working in the office, there may be some graphic latency, but the system will be identical.

    Attempting to connect to a configuration on office-based shares via VPN may be possible, depending on your IT systems, but is likely to be subject to significant latency, especially with many more VPN users than usual. Working with a local copy of the network configuration may be more appropriate.

    Common Network Storage

    One of the simplest and effective ways of work sharing is by storing the project data in a common network location and pointing every user’s configuration to that location by setting the OpenRoads  _USTN_CONFIGURATION configuration variable. In addition, we recommend mapping a drive letter to organization’s network server path. For example, in ConfigurationSetup.cfg, the variable should be set as follows:

    _USTN_CUSTOM_CONFIGURATION = Z:\SharedStandards\

    To point to your Organization, WorkSpaces, and WorkSets (if in another location) use the WorkSpacesSetup.cfg file and uncomment and set:

    MY_CIVIL_ORGANIZATION_ROOT = D:/Configuration/MyOrganization-Civil/

    and

    MY_WORKSPACES_LOCATION = D:/Configuration/MyWorkSpaces/

    See the following article for more information on creating a customized workspace environment:  How to create a customized network workspace environment

    Storing Your Project data on ProjectWise Share or OneDrive

    Store your project data on ProjectWise Share or Microsoft OneDrive, which allows high levels of control. Easily manage and transfer without the need for additional software.

    Collaborating on Projects with ProjectWise

    The beauty of working with ProjectWise is that work sharing is built-in and the concept of being tied to a location is foreign. In a Client-Server architecture the client can be anywhere. By storing standards and work files on a server you can ensure proper access by anyone. By establishing a digital environment for all project information, you can give access to people regardless of location and device type. However, ensuring the correct access is the key to success. So, setting up ProjectWise Explorer locally locally is key.

    The way to install ProjectWise Explorer can be found here.

    DOWNLOADING SOFTWARE

    • Software Downloads
    • Portable Deployment Images
      We recommend that CAD/BIM administrators create Deployment Images to use as the source for multiple installations in normal circumstances. In this situation either an existing or a new Deployment Image can be copied to removable media and taken home to use as the installation source where internet availability/speed is limited (note: Internet access is still essential to sign-in to licensing services). The step to create a Deployment Image for OpenRoads Designer are explained here, Silent Install/Deployment Image for OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition. Creating a Deployment Image for other products is very similar.
    • Download link for full installers (aka. Deployment Image)
      If you are having difficulty downloading software from Software Downloads site, full installers can be obtained by contacting support by filing a Service Request here: https://apps.bentley.com/srmanager/ProductSupport .

    ACCESSING PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION

    • OpenRoads Designer help
    • OpenRail Designer help
    • OpenSite Designer help

    GETTING STARTED WITH BENTLEY APPLICATIONS

    OpenRoads

    1. Introduction to OpenRoads Designer
    2. OpenRoads Designer - Fundamentals Learning Path
    3. Accelerate Going Digital with OpenRoads Virtual Series

    RESOLVING LICENSING ISSUES

    • Licensing Wiki
    • Subscription Entitlement Service
    • Bentley User Registration
    • Offline Usage
    • How to ensure usage from only one user on a shared workstation
    • How remote usage is recorded with Subscription Entitlement Service (SES)
    • How to check out licenses from Entitlement Management (how to run offline)
    • How to bulk checkout licenses from Entitlement Management (extended offline scenarios)

    HOW TO GET HELP

    • Service Request Manager
    • Bentley Communities
    • OpenRoads Community
    • CONNECT Center
    • Bentley LEARNserver
    • License Manager
    • Entitlement Management
    • User Management
    • Roles and Permissions

    USEFUL ARTICLES ABOUT WORKING REMOTELY

    • Super Evil Megacorp
    • Suddenly Remote? Here’s How to Regain Your Productivity in Record Time
    • The Ultimate Guide to Remote Work

    TIPS

    Printing

    At home set your default printer to PDF to avoid sending prints via a VPN to an unattended printer.

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    • Kevin McDonald Created by Bentley Colleague Kevin McDonald
    • When: Wed, Mar 18 2020 3:25 PM
    • Kevin McDonald Last revision by Bentley Colleague Kevin McDonald
    • When: Wed, Apr 22 2020 6:02 PM
    • Revisions: 19
    • Comments: 0
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