OpenDWG Alliance and Bentley Partner to Deliver OpenDGN

OpenDWG Alliance Expands Mission to Support V8 DGN; Bentley Joins Newly Chartered Organization as First Supporting Member

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (PRWEB) May 21, 2003 - OpenDWG Alliance, a non-profit industry consortium committed to promoting open industry-standard formats for the exchange of CAD data, and Bentley Systems, Incorporated, today announced that the Alliance will support V8 DGN. Simultaneously, the Alliance has expanded its mission, welcoming Bentley at a higher level of membership and commitment. A commensurately broadened name for the Alliance is pending.

The Alliance, a driving force for the open availability of de-facto CAD file formats since 1988, previously concentrated on DWG interoperability. The Alliance is expanding its mission by bringing a wider focus and increased file format support.

Bentley is increasing its membership level to become the Alliance's first supporting member. Bentley is the only member providing full documentation and technical support to the Alliance for its implementation, delivery, and maintenance of software libraries to read and write Bentley's format, V8 DGN.

"It goes without saying that the authors of AEC content own the intellectual property rights to their data. What must also be clear is that, in addition to the right, they have the ability to access and reuse their content, indefinitely," said Keith Bentley, co-founder and co-CTO. "That ability can only be truly unambiguous if content is stored in a format that is stable, open, and documented versus a format that is merely 'cracked' and subject to uncertainty due to vendor self-interest. The fact that Bentley is the only vendor to provide full documentation and support to the Alliance on its file format underscores our forthright commitment to openness and interoperability."

"Bentley is a major presence in the AEC industry, and its vision, drive, and knowledge will be invaluable as the Alliance grows," stated Evan Yares, president of OpenDWG Alliance. "Autodesk's DWG and Bentley's DGN have been de facto standards for many years. By broadening our focus to support DGN, we are taking a significant step toward promoting true CAD data interoperability throughout the industry."

Bentley views its unprecedented involvement in the Alliance as contributing to the interoperability of the digital information upon which architects, engineers, contractors, and owner-operators rely to be successful in their businesses. The Alliance's work serves to enable managed environments for AEC projects and operations - where tools leverage unifying platforms; where AEC information is securely shared and synchronized; and where people, regardless of location or discipline, have the right information to make the best decision for their task. Bentley's breakthrough supporting membership in the Alliance fulfills an aspect of the company's OpenDGN initiative, first articulated in January.

About Bentley
Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a global software vendor founded in 1984, provides software solutions to create, manage, and publish architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) content. Bentley enables leading AEC firms and owners to design, build, and operate facilities, industrial plants, roadways, and other essential infrastructure assets. Bentley delivers integrated building design, plant design, civil engineering, and geospatial solutions for transportation, process and discrete manufacturing, government and public works, building, and utilities.

Bentley's 2002 revenues reached $230 million. Bentley software plays a mission-critical role in over two-thirds of the work of the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms.

For more information, call 1-800-BENTLEY or visit us on the Web at www.bentley.com.

About The OpenDWG Alliance
Founded in 1988, The OpenDWG Alliance is a non-profit consortium committed to promoting open industry-standards for the exchange of CAD data. Its members include thousands of the largest and the smallest companies in the world. OpenDWG is a leading light in interoperability issues for the engineering software industry and its users.

For additional information about The OpenDWG Alliance, please call (602) 263-7666 or visit www.opendwg.org.

OpenDWG is a trademark of OpenDWG Alliance. Bentley and the B" logo are registered trademarks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or Bentley Software, Inc. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Press Contacts
Rachael Dalton-Taggart         
Strategic Reach PR
303-487-7406            
rachael@strategicreachpr.com      

Christopher Rogers
Bentley
610-321-6309
christopher.rogers@bentley.com