Whats New Announcements have moved to our iTwin Design Review Blog
Learn about the new features and improvements made to iTwin Design Review
April 2020
New Render Modes Options
A new View Display options widget has been added to the bottom toolbar that allows the user to select from various Render Modes and View Attributes to adjust the display of the model.
Tools Updates
The Review Tools available on the top left have been reorganized to make the desired tools easier to find.
The measurement tools have been updated, a new Measure Area tool has been added and a new measurement information pane has been added to display additional measurement details.
Multiple measurements can be made at one time and a new ‘Clear Measurement’ button has been added at the top left of the screen to clear all measurements. Any selected measurements will appear in the Measurement Property pane with additional information.
SafetiBase Integration
iTwin Design Review can now be integrated with SafetiBase to visualize the location of health and safety hazards within the model. This feature can be accessed and configured from the Design Review backstage to link to your SafetiBase repository.
March 2020
Civil Review Tools
New Civil Review Tools have been added to Design Review. These tools are available from the tools menu in the top left of the model viewer.
Profile Tool
The profile tool allows the user to open a second viewport to view the Profile information included on any linear geometry within the model. The information available in the profile tool will be more detailed when loading a Civil design file from Open Roads Designer.
Cross-Section Tool
The cross-section tool allows the user to open a second viewport to view a 2D cross section of the model at a selected location. The 2 Point cross section allows the user to draw a cross section at any location in the model. The Perpendicular tool will snap to linear geometry and ensure the 2D cross section is perpendicular to the selected geometry.
Station Offset
The Station Offset tool allows the user to take an offset measurement from linear geometry in the model. After selecting the desired linear geometry the user can move the cursor to the location of the desired measurement.
User Settings Page
A new user settings page has been added to iTwin Design Review. Users can access this user settings page from the menu in the top right of the viewer.
The settings page currently includes the option to choose between Metric and Imperial units for all measurements taken in Design Review. Additional user settings will be added in the future.
Selected Element Count
A new visual indicator has been added to the screen to show the number of elements that are currently selected. This number is shown in the bottom right corner of the viewer.
Version Comparison improvements
The Version Compare workflow has been enhanced to show the hierarchy of your data. The comparison legend has been upgraded with the following new look:
The comparison legend will first show the list of the models that contain changed elements. To inspect changes that occured to a model, click on the ">" icon to the right of the model entry. This will let you inspect further and see the elements that have changed in the model:
You may also turn on/off the display of a change type using the color-coded toggles. To visualize the changes easier, we can turn off Unchanged elements with the toggle, causing the view to hide those unchanged elements:
Notice that a breadcrumb is shown to let you know which changes are being inspected. In the image above, you can see that you are currently looking at the changed elements in the "ProcessPhysicalModel" model. The path on the breadcrumb is clickable to let you go back in the hierarchy. The changed elements may have child elements. If that is the case, the ">" icon is also displayed to the right of the element to let you inspect the changes further:
Notice that visualization of the viewport is based on what you are inspecting in the Comparison Legend. That is why only the equipment is left in the viewport. Notice that in the picture above, two nozzles (P-100-N1 and P-100-N2) were added to the current parent element (P-100). You can see the parent elements label in the breadcrumb now, because we are inspecting its changes. You may also notice that we see blue and green geometry in the view. The blue geometry is the parent's geometry (P-100) which was modified to contain new child elements, which are shown in green.
Side-by-side comparison and properties
The same ability to do a side-by-side comparison of modified elements is still available. It can be accessed by using the comparison button in the header of the widget after selecting an element in the view, or with the comparison button that is displayed when the element is selected in the comparison legend:
Navigation tools
To improve usability and consistency with other Bentley products, we have updated navigation tools layout. The horizontal toolbar now includes the Rotate, Pan, Fit, Window Area, View Previous and View Next tools The vertical toolbar includes the Walk and Camera On/Off tools with navigation cube in corner.
Selection scope persistence
We have made change to persist selection scope for each user throughout all projects and models. Simply select the desired scope in the scope selector while using the application, and it would be remembered the next time you return to Design Review. In addition, we also changed the default scope to “Top Assembly”. If you are opening Design Review for the first time, it will be your default.
Issue resolution in clash detection
We have added the issue resolution panel to the clash detection view to help document your clashes more easily. Select a clash, create an issue based on one of the clashing elements and store any necessary data to the issue itself.
December 2019
Version Comparison
Understanding change allows your reviews to be more effective as you can focus your efforts on the appropriate areas of the project. You can now compare a previous named version with your current session to visualize and inspect what has changed between the 2 version. After selecting a version to compare the model will be color coded to display what has been added, modified removed or unchanged between the version. You can also select modified elements to view the specifics of how the element has changed whether it be a physical change or modification to its attribution.
Note: To enable version comparison you will first need to go to iModel Manager for your project and then enable version compare for your iModel.
November 2019
Issue Markers
Understanding the location of issues in the model is very helpful in seeing problem areas or quickly finding the issues in your area of interest. We have now added issue markers which will appear in the view for any issue that has an element associated to it. the markers will appear when the issue panel is open and you can select a marker to view the details for that issue.
Search by element name
In complex models it can be frustrating trying to find an object you need to review when all you know is the name of the object but you do not know its location. We have added a new enhancement to our search functionality to make this task easier. You can now type an element name into our search panel and it display all the elements that match that name making it easy for you to find the elements you are looking for. Once you have a search result you can select individual elements to zoom to them and view properties or add the whole search result into a selection set.
Copy properties
Sometimes you need to do more than just view the properties of element. Now you can right click on a property and select "Copy Text" which will place the value of the property in your clipboard.
Favorite properties
Most design applications create elements rich with attribution but sometimes all these properties make it hard to find the information that is most important to you. We have added the ability for you to favorite important properties you would like to have quick access to. These favorited properties will appear in their own group at the top of the properties panel making easy to find. When you favorite a property that property will be favorited for every element in the same class as the original element. For example if i favorite the fire rating property for an element on the door class then all other elements in the door class will have the favorited property of fire rating. To favorite a property simply right click on the property and choose "add to favorite" from the menu. You can also remove a favorite by right clicking on the favorited property and choosing the "remove from favorite" option.
Silhouette outline of emphasized elements
We have received feedback that when emphasizing selected elements in a crowded scene it was difficult to see the emphasized element. Now when you emphasize an element we create a silhouette around the element which makes it stand out better even when there is a lot of geometry around it.
Enabling camera for newly created views
We have made a change for created views, are the views that are created when you select model or document codes from the iModel Index screen. Now when we generate these views the camera will be enabled by default, this will make it easier to navigate through the model in a first person perspective mode. You can always disable the camera and go to an orthographic view by deselecting the camera view attribute found in the status bar or selecting the Toggle Perspective tool in our view navigation area in the upper right corner of the application.
Shadows
To provide better context when viewing your iModels we have added support for shadows. While this will have a minor impact to display performance when enabled, adding shadows will provide you a bit more realism to your view. You can easily turn shadows on by going to the view attributes popup in the status bar.
| shadows disabled | shadows enabled |
Skybox background
To provide better context when viewing your iModels we have now added the ability to change the background from black to a skybox background that defines sky, ground and horizon. The skybox background will be used by default when you go into an iModel but if you use a saved view which does not have the skybox enabled you can easily turn it on by going to the view attributes popup in the status bar.
| skybox disabled | skybox enabled |
Issue Resolution improvements
We are excited to announce some big changes we have made to our issue system that will dramatically improve the way you capture and manage issues in iTwin Design Review. You can read all about the changes made to the Issue system in the Improvements to Issue Resolution blog post.
Report problems
While we strive to have a perfect functioning application there are those rare times when something is not behaving properly. If you experience any difficulties with Design Review we now have a very easy way for you to report the problem and then track that issue until its resolution. If you go to the gear icon located on the right hand side of the header bar, you can select "Report a problem". This will take you to a form you can fill out to provide information about the issue you are experiencing and then receive tracking information to follow it as the problem is resolved.
October 2019
Show issues only for the iModel
We have changed the default display of the issues list to filter only the issues created in the Design Review app for the active iModel. This will allow you to easily review the relevant issues for your model reviews. You can always show all the issues by going to the more actions button ••• in the Issue panel and enabling the "Show all issues" option.
Sharing Saved Views
Sharing saved views is a great way to collaborate with team members. Until now you were only able to copy a link to a shared saved view if you were the creator of the saved view. We have now removed that limitation and you can copy the link to any shared saved view regardless of who created it. Only the creator will still be able to update or delete the saved view but now anyone can get the shared link to distribute to others.
3D Background Maps
Get more from your background maps by enabling terrain mode which will show the 3d topography of the map to display your models in the context of its surrounding environment. To enable the 3d map just go to the reality data panel and select the more actions button ••• and choose settings. From the settings dialog you can enable the terrain option and then adjust the elevation of the map. Because some of your data maybe underground you can use the transparency to be able to see through the map.
Document Codes
To improve your ability to filter the model to focus on information you need to conduct your reviews, we have added ProjectWise Document Code filter to the iModel Index screen. Selecting this tab will allow you to see all the unique values of your Document Codes and then use it to selectively pick the information you want to display in the view.
Note: The Document Code tab will only appear if your source files that were converted had ProjectWise Document Codes defined.
Spatial Containment Tree
A new tree presentation is available in the Tree panel. The spatial containment tree displays a breakdown of the model by spaces by using the IFC tree structure of Project > Site > Building > Storey > Elements. To access this tree presentation just expand the Tree panel then from the drop down menu select Spatial Containment. Selecting nodes in the tree will select the corresponding elements in the view.
Note: The tree will only display when your iModel contains elements from OpenBuildings Designer, Revit or IFC.
September 2019
Set background map elevation
Displaying a background map helps provide context for your spatially located models. The background maps default elevation is determined by several factors, if you set an elevation in MicroStation or the bottom plane of the project extents. This default elevation may not always be correct and as result your model floats above the map which makes the appearance look wrong in any other orientation then top. With the new elevation you can now set the elevation height of the map so it is correctly positioned in space.
to change the elevation open the Reality Data panel and select the more actions button "..." next to the Bing Map. From the menu choose settings to adjust the elevation. The elevation will be saved so you will not need to change the elevation for future sessions.
Tool Assistance
Many tools in the Design Review app have options to make them more efficient to use for you to complete your tasks. The problem is many of these options are "hidden" or not obvious to new users as they require the use of modifiers or specific actions. While these workflows are documented in our [[help | Help Guide]] this can be inconvenient for you when you are in the middle of a review. To help explain how to take advantage of these advanced options we are introducing Tool Assistance. when you select a tool you will see a tool prompt on the status bar describing the action you need to take to use the tool. if you click on the prompt a Tool Assistance popup will now appear explaining the other options that are available that you may find useful.
Note: Tool Assistance is not available for all tools yet.
Apply Saved Views from source design files
You can now apply saved views or viewpoints created in your design applications. By default the iModel Index screen and Saved View dialog will only show saved views created from within the Design Review app but you can display the saved views from the design applications by toggling on the "Show All Saved Views" option from either the iModel Index screen or Saved View dialog.
iModel Index screen
Saved View dialog
Copy shared Saved Views to clipboard
Trying to collaborate with team members that are not in the same location as you can be difficult. Telling them to go to a certain area is time consuming and frustrating. With the new shared save view feature we have made this process much easier. All you need to do is create a saved view of the area of interest then select the more actions button next to your saved view "..." and choose Share. The Share View dialog will appear and you can copy the URL to distribute to others on your team. When others launch the URL the model will automatically open and the shared view will be displayed.
August 2019
Copy Measurements to clipboard
When using Measure Distance or Measure Location the results of the measurement will appear in the message console, found in the status bar. You can highlight the text then using CTRL+C keystroke you can copy the measurement results to the clipboard for use outside of the app.
Sectioning Reality data
When using the sectioning tools the clip will now apply to the reality mesh along with the model elements as it did in the past. This feature enhancement was in response to "Section tool does not section Reality Mesh" idea submission.
Saving Sections
Sections are now stored with Saved Views so you can recall them in future sessions or share them with the project team. When a section is active just create a saved view and the section will be stored in that saved view. When you apply the saved view the section will display.
Note: When applying a save view with a section any active section you currently have will be cleared.
Capture Issues
identify and report problems found during your model review using our issue service. Capture issues associated with items and share these issues with other project participants. Each issue has a set of editable fields, defined by the project administrator from the Issue Resolution Service tile in the Project Portal. To capture an issue click on the "Create issue" tool in the tool bar then select an element in the view. The new issue form will display in the right panel for you to fill out. Once complete just save the issue and it will be stored in our Issue Resolution service with other issues associated to the project.
Note: You can resize the issue panel by clicking and dragging on the left edge of the panel. You can hide the panel by dragging it all the way to the right then bring it back by dragging the edge of the application to the left.
Visibility Tree
Easily control the display of elements in the view by the use of trees. You can select different trees, each showing a hierarchy of the iModel using different breakdown rules. You can choose from a model or category tree. The Model tree is a hierarchy of your models with nested models representing referenced files in your design application. Each model will show a list of categories and elements that you can toggle the display by selecting the icon next to the name. The Category tree shows a list of all the categories of the iModel along with nested sub-categories.
Note: Turning on/off the display of a node will apply that action to all of its child nodes.
Find Similar
Quickly find related elements in the model by using the new find similar feature. All you need to do is select an element and then choose a property and right click to run the find similar tool. The Design Review app will use the class of the selected element and the property and value to find any elements that match that criteria. The found elements will display in our search results panel where you can individual select each elements or add the entire search result to a selection set where you can use operations like isolate or hide.
July 2019
Sectioning
Interactively clip your model using a number of different sectioning tools like section by plane or element. This will allow you to filter the model and focus your review on a specific area of the project in easily see inside structures.