CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
27 March 2013
Product News
Bentley Announces Immediate Availability of New Navigator Mobile App for the iPad Leveraging Next Generation of i-models
Bentley Systems, Incorporated, announced the immediate availability of the new Navigator Mobile app, providing review of 3D models on the iPad, and the next generation of Bentley’s i-models, which serve as containers for open infrastructure information exchange. Navigator Mobile enables construction workers in the field, architects and engineers on the move, and other project stakeholders to navigate – online or offline – 3D architecture, engineering, and construction models intuitively and fully using i-models, as well as to browse a broad range of project documents in various formats.
The app’s ability to offer users superior 3D model scale and fidelity for dynamic review on mobile devices is enabled by its use of i-models that can now package together 3D models and related documents for use on mobile devices. This next generation of i-models uses the SQLite software library to deliver unmatched performance on virtually all mobile devices.
Harry Vitelli, Bentley vice president, construction and field products, said, “Our first generation of i-models had all of the functional requirements nailed: provenance, engineering precision, self-description, and portability. And they also could normalize AEC data for accessibility through office technologies and enterprise connections.
“Our next generation advances the technology underlying an i-model with the power of SQLite, which is perfect for the challenges of industrial-strength, ‘purpose-built’ apps for mobile infrastructure professionals involved with complex tasks such as interactive inspections, engineering data visualization, and model review. At the same time, this extends Bentley’s platform across iOS, Android, and Windows RT environments.”
Navigator Mobile extends the value for ProjectWise Passport holders by further advancing information mobility with integrity across engineering disciplines and the infrastructure lifecycle, improving workflow efficiencies and providing additional opportunity for project reviews. iPad users can download this innovative app and try it for themselves using sample data or their own models via Bentley’s “Explore” trial services program, available at www.Bentley.com/NavigatorMobile.
With the all-new Navigator Mobile app, iPad users can navigate architectural, engineering, or construction models in 3D using easy-to-use, game-like touch gestures to walk, fly, zoom, and analyze objects in the model, but with the power, precision, and integrity they’ve come to expect in engineering environments. Moreover, they can review the properties of a selected object, query to find similar objects, filter to hide or display objects that match specific properties, measure distances between objects, and more.
Stephen Corney, senior structural modeler, Arup, said, “Now that projects are more distributed – with teams and other resources often scattered around the globe – it’s becoming difficult to maintain collaborative workflows. Mobile devices like the iPad are fast becoming the clipboard of today, and adding a project review tool to them is the ideal solution to the growing project collaboration problem. Bentley’s new Navigator Mobile app is easy to use, provides the comfort factor of data security, and will be part of our team’s solution set.”
Huw Roberts, Bentley vice president, core marketing, said, “Bentley’s Navigator Mobile app and its next generation of i-models extend Bentley’s commitment to information mobility, substantially expanding the reach and flexibility of collaborative project workflows, expediting reviews, and saving time and money. Used in conjunction with our ProjectWise Explorer Mobile app, Navigator Mobileensures that, along with drawings, spreadsheets, and PDFs, even the largest and most complex AEC models can be confidently reviewed, whether in the office, a remote location, or the field. From now on, such information mobility is no longer a nice-to-have convenience, but rather a must have for project success.”
Roberts continued, “The AEC community has long contended with interoperability struggles regarding disparate native file formats used by architects and engineers. But at this point, the real opportunity is the application of information mobility into construction and into operations, and for those purposes i-models are the very practical answer – combining ‘industrial-strength’ performance, functionality, and integrity with the easy-to-use experience that consumer advances have led us all to expect and appreciate on our iPads!”
For additional information about Navigator Mobile or to download and explore the app, go to www.Bentley.com/NavigatorMobile. For additional information about Bentley’s iWare and other apps, including ProjectWise Explorer Mobile, go towww.Bentley.com/iWare. For additional information about ProjectWise, go towww.Bentley.com/ProjectWise.
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