Bentley Unveils New OpenPlant Products and Announces Value-Creative Pricing

HOUSTON, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- DIGITAL PLANT Conference 2010 -- Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for the infrastructure that sustains our world, today unveiled three innovative Bentley OpenPlant products: Bentley OpenPlant Modeler V8i, Bentley OpenPlant ModelServer V8i, and Bentley OpenPlant Isometrics Manager V8i. OpenPlant has been developed to uniquely meet the new requirements of today's globally-sourced, loosely-coupled project environments: universal accessibility, concurrent file- and component-based workflows, and comprehensive applications and services. Bentley also announced value-creative pricing, including a new Passport Subscription for piping designers, that's less than the maintenance charges for other vendors' proprietary systems. In a separate announcement, Bentley recommended a "Smart Plan" for consideration by PDS users preferring a sustained return on their investments (www.bentley.com/SmartPlan).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090611/PH30770LOGO )

The OpenPlant breakthrough is that it uniquely addresses all of these modern requirements in combination:

• Universal accessibility: OpenPlant incorporates Bentley's robust MicroStation platform – the market leader for plant creation – to provide intrinsic interoperability across DGN- and DWG-based interfaces and applications already familiar to almost all infrastructure professionals, especially in operating plants. By way of the MicroStation platform, its users are assured of information modeling continuity, including proactive support of emerging data types such as 3D PDF and point clouds. The "OpenPlant Services" packaging enables breakthroughs in ease of use and affordability, as MicroStation installations and licensing are not required, and subscription licensing is role-based. OpenPlant is intrinsically based on the open ISO 15926 data schema, assuring universal accessibility for dispersed project teams using disparate systems across the project lifecycle.
• Concurrent file- and component-based workflows: OpenPlant fully leverages ProjectWise collaboration servers, which are mission critical to managing distributed enterprise workflows across a wide range of disciplines and project types. Designed for today's real-world project environments encompassing individual practitioners, globally distributed engineering/procurement/construction contractors, and small- and large-scale modularization of plant projects, OpenPlant adroitly meets the resulting challenges for design, engineering, and handover throughout the project lifecycle.
• Comprehensive applications and services: OpenPlant robustly supports applications for every infrastructure discipline with software and information modeling services that enable the integration of civil, geotechnical, electrical, instrumentation, equipment, structural, piping, and environmental engineering, and construction.

These new OpenPlant offerings being demonstrated at DIGITAL PLANT will be released by the end of Q2 2010:

• OpenPlant Modeler V8i, the first 3D plant modeling software based on ISO 15926, is both more versatile and productive than any existing "3-D piping" application. Crucially, OpenPlant Modeler V8i supports project workflows for engineering, tracking, and management at the component level ("data-centric design"), while concurrently also accepting as well as producing conventional ("file-based design") work packaging.
• OpenPlant ModelServer V8i provides management of components on a ProjectWise server for distributed team collaboration. In addition, OpenPlant ModelServer V8i can automatically migrate PDS models, as well as piping catalogs and specifications, to ISO 15926 so the PDS data can be readily shared across applications.
• OpenPlant Isometrics Manager V8i extracts isometric information in a neutral format so it can be easily maintained, modified, and tracked outside of design systems. This new tool provides management control capabilities for pipe models and isometrics from not only OpenPlant, but also PDS.

Bentley's OpenPlant offerings will be available to individual practitioners through a new value-creative Bentley Passport Subscription, which will allow piping designers to employ the same world-class information modeling best practices that give larger organizations a competitive edge. For a single annual fee of $5,995, Bentley's Designer for Piping Passport Subscription (OpenPlant) will include Bentley OpenPlant Modeler, Bentley OpenPlant Isometrics Manager, ProSteel Modeler, MicroStation, ProjectWise Passport, and ProjectWise Clash Resolution Visa – plus complete virtual training.

Organizations choosing to acquire plant creation software for their project teams via perpetual licenses will also save substantially with Bentley's OpenPlant offerings. OpenPlant Modeler V8i will be priced at $7,295, OpenPlant ModelServer V8i at $25,000, and OpenPlant Isometrics Manager V8i at $6,500.

For additional information about OpenPlant, visit www.bentley.com/openminds. To read the press release "Bentley Recommends a "Smart Plan" for PDS Users" and the white paper "Making PDS Interoperable," visit www.bentley.com/SmartPlan. For additional information about Bentley's Passport Subscriptions, along with Bentley's other subscription offerings, visit www.bentley.com/subscriptions.

All prices noted are for the U.S. For global pricing information, please contact Bentley at www.bentley.com.

About Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 2,700 colleagues and offices in more than 45 countries, achieved in 2008 the milestone of $500 million in revenues, and, since 1995, has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.

For additional information about Bentley, visit www.bentley.com. To subscribe to an RSS feed of Bentley press releases and news alerts, visit www.bentley.com/rss/news. To view a searchable collection of innovative infrastructure projects from the annual Be Inspired Awards, visit www.bentley.com/yearininfrastructure. For information about Be Communities, a professional networking site that enables members of the infrastructure community to connect, communicate, and learn from each other, visit http://communities.bentley.com.

Bentley, the "B" Bentley logo, Be, ProjectWise, ProSteel, and MicroStation are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Bentley Systems, Incorporated