Home » OpenDWG Alliance and Bentley Partner On Behalf Of OpenDGNOpenDWG Alliance and Bentley Partner On Behalf Of OpenDGNSCOTTSDALE, AZ, May 16, 2003 OpenDWG Alliance Expands Mission to Support V8 DGN 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’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 http://www.bentley.com. About OpenDWG™ Alliance For additional information about The OpenDWG Alliance, please call (602) 263-7666 or visit http://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 Christopher Rogers |