MicroStation is the instrument professionals rely on to design, model, and manage infrastructure.
It’s more sophisticated than a tool, it’s an accessible instrument that offers power, control, efficiency, and security. It enables users to deliver innovative designs and creative visualizations and consolidates critical project elements in a single environment for effective, secure project deliverables.
With MicroStation, you can:
- Model anything, anywhere with geospatial context
- Create conceptual and detailed drafting, drawing, and modeling for any industry
- Design, communicate, and deliver your infrastructure projects in a single platform
Integrate any data type
MicroStation supports and integrates more than 7x the number of file formats than our competitors. Incorporate legacy client data and a variety of file formats like DWG, SHP, and point-cloud data without the need for data conversions. And easily integrate models, drawings, documents, and data from other disciplines.
Localize and add geospatial context
Integrate geospatial information from thousands of supported coordinate systems into your designs. Access data from Esri ArcGIS™ REST Feature and Map Services, OGC Web Map Servers, use real-time GPS data, Microsoft Bing maps, and create and reference geospatial PDFs.
Produce all deliverables with one application
Automate drawing sheets, models, visualizations, multi-discipline documentation sets, and embedded BIM data. Generate high-quality deliverables such as paper plots, 2D/3D PDFs, i-models, and 3D physical models. Reduce the risk of project delays and errors, adapt to project changes, and save time with MicroStation.
Start Your No-Risk, 14-Day Free Trial of MicroStation Today
Technical Capabilities
Develop better design, faster
Draft in 2D: Develop precise drawings using a comprehensive set of drafting tools to efficiently create 2D geometry. Rapidly progress your designs from concept to completion using persistent constraints to maintain your design intent.
Model in 3D: Develop models in real context with a wide range of 3D modeling tools. Build and edit curve, surface, mesh, feature, and solids models. Build functional and parametric components with predefined variations to simplify managing and finding many similar components.
Develop Comprehensive Model Documentation: Present documentation and related design information within the spatial context of the 3D model to significantly improve their clarity. Embed links to related Microsoft Office documents and websites. Easily navigate from content in one file or model to others.
Analyze and Visualize Models: Analyze and visualize models based on their geometry or attributes. Detect and resolve clashes; perform analysis of real-world solar exposure and shading. Apply real-time display styles to visualize models based on each object’s height, slope, aspect angle, and other embedded properties.
Accelerate Workflows: Speed design tasks and related workflows with intelligent interactive snapping. Improve productivity with the AccuDraw tool for dynamic data entry with heads-up display. Customize and group tools and tasks and reduce keystrokes with keyboard position mapping and the ability to customize cursor menus.
Secure your Data: Ensure that only certain individuals can view and/or edit files. You can ensure the integrity of your documents using digital signatures and control the digital rights to view, edit, print, and copy file contents, including a pre-defined expiration date when the file can be accessed
Better Inform Teams
Create Animations Produce realistic movies and simulations from design, construction, and operational models with the built-in VUE rendering engine. Choose from keyframe and time-based animation. Get the results you want, faster, using live on-screen animation previews and distributed network processing.
Create Lifelike Renderings Create lifelike visualizations using a built-in VUE Rendering engine. Use online and delivered libraries of physically correct materials, lighting, and rich photorealistic content (RPC). Get results faster with distributed network rendering.
Generate Intelligent Documentation Generate consistent, high-quality paper and digital deliverables such as paper plots, reports, 2D/3D PDFs, and 3D physical models. Automate and speed annotation, display styles, and reports by generating them directly from the embedded properties of objects. This automates and speeds annotation display styles, and visual reports, and gives you confidence that they will always remain in sync with the model during work in progress.
Create Your Digital Twin Easily start synchronizing your existing designs with an iModel to take advantage of a Digital Twin. Share the Digital Twin with your project team to see the latest revisions and changes to the project.
Review Designs Collaboratively Work in real-time with your project team members reviewing/tracking/ resolving with the Issue Resolution Service. Identify, assign, and review the progress of revisions and changes for any type of issue that arises in the model.
Maintain and Enforce Standards Ensure the proper application of organizational and project specific standards. Apply templates to control geometry and data standards such as styles for dimensions, text, lines, detail symbols, and more. Once designs are complete, use automated tools to check drawings for standards compliance.
Freedom to focus on design
Geospatially Locate Projects Integrate geospatial information from hundreds of supported coordinate systems into your designs. Access data from OGC Web Map Servers, use realtime GPS data, Microsoft Bing maps, and create and reference geospatial PDFs.
Incorporate Common Design Formats Easily read, share, and consume precise data in key industry formats such as Autodesk®’s RealDWG™ (share and consume), IFC (read), Esri SHP (read), and more. Aggregate and assemble multiple file formats including PDF, U3D, 3DS, Rhino 3DM, IGES, Parasolid, ACIS SAT, CGM, STEP AP203/AP214, STL, OBJ, VRMLWorld, SketchUp SKP, and Collada.
Incorporate Referenced Design Content View and work with design information from others in real-time using live referencing of 2D/3D DGN, DWG, and large image files, refreshed on demand. You can even natively reference PDF files into your designs.
Integrate Point Clouds Easily incorporate a wide range and scale of point-cloud data into the design environment. “Visualize, render, and measure point-cloud data to better understand existing conditions and speed dimensioning and modeling.
Integrate Raster Imagery Easily incorporate raster imagery of all types, including aerial and satellite imagery, and scanned documents. Choose from dozens of supported file formats including CALS, BMP, TIF, GeoTIFF, JPG, and many more.
Integrate Reality Meshes Incorporate realistic, photo-textured 3D models or reality meshes into your designs. These highly realistic models can be used directly in the design environment as the basis for your design and construction modeling for faster and better-quality models.
Manage Design Changes Track and easily understand changes made to design files, even at the component level, throughout their lifecycle. View, plot, and selectively roll back any individual changes made throughout the history of a file.
Work in a Personalized Environment Confidently work in the right context for each project because the required settings and standards are automatically applied. Take advantage of personalized recommendations to help you get the most from your use of the software.
Extend and Customize Workflows Streamline your workflow and integrate with enterprise systems using a wide range of available tools to customize the user interface. Develop solutions using Microsoft (VBA), .NET, C++, C# as well as user-defined macros.
System Requirements
- Processor
Intel Pentium-based or AMD Athlon based processor 2.0 GHz or greater
- Operating System
Windows 10 (64-bit) – Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education
Windows 8 (64-bit) – Standard, Pro, and Enterprise
Windows 8.1 (64-bit) – Standard, Pro, and Enterprise
Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit) – Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64 bit) – Standard and Enterprise
Windows Server 2012 (64 bit)
Internet connectivity is required to use some of the features of the product and installation of software pre-requisites.
Microsoft Internet Explorer, minimum v8.0, recommended v9.0 or later, with 128-bit cipher strength is also required.
Also supports Citrix XenApp 6.5 64-bit on Windows Server 2008 R2
- Memory
1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended, (more memory typically results in better performance)
- Disk Space
1.25 GB minimum free disk space