Welcome to the MicroStation Python Assistant

Welcome to the future of design and automation in MicroStation, powered by the innovative Python Assistant. MicroStation 2025 is set to revolutionize your workflow by integrating Python, a simple yet powerful scripting language, with an intelligent AI assistant that makes automation more accessible than ever before.

Python Assistant and the Rise of Vibe Coding

In the rapidly evolving landscape of software development, a new trend known as "vibe coding" is gaining significant traction. This approach involves describing your programming goals in natural language prompts to a large language model (AI) to generate code. It's about making code creation faster, more intuitive, and accessible to virtually anyone, regardless of their traditional coding experience. The Python Assistant in MicroStation embodies this trend, acting like a "junior developer" that can instantly generate code, though it thrives on clear instructions and guidance. This means that you don't need to be a professional programmer to leverage the immense power of automation within MicroStation.

Key Benefits and Value for Users

The Python Assistant in MicroStation offers a multitude of benefits, designed to enhance your productivity and expand your capabilities:

• Natural Language Interaction: Users can simply describe what they want in a few sentences, and the assistant will attempt to generate the corresponding Python code.

• Boosted Efficiency: It automates repetitive and mundane tasks, allowing you to save valuable time and focus on higher-value design work, planning, and conceptualization.

• Increased Accessibility: Even if you're new to programming, the Python Assistant simplifies complex coding concepts and helps you create partial or complete Python scripts. It removes common blockers, enabling you to complete more tasks directly within MicroStation.

• Enhanced Customization: You can tailor tools to your specific project needs, providing a competitive advantage and helping you win more work.

• Learning Support: The assistant can write entire scripts, help with debugging, troubleshoot issues, and provide clear explanations and insights, making the learning of Python syntax much easier. It allows you to focus on what you want to achieve with the script, rather than getting bogged down in low-level programming details.

• Data Security and Control: Bentley prioritizes safeguarding your data. By default, your data is not captured unless you explicitly choose to submit feedback by pressing the thumbs down button after an answer is provided. Should you choose to provide feedback, only your prompt is sent to Bentley to replicate and improve the quality of the service. No code or design data is sent or retained. You have full control over how your data is used, and for those with strict policies, the Python Assistant can even be turned off during installation.

• In-house Development and Support: Unlike some products that rely on third-party APIs with potential support risks, Bentley Systems provides an in-house developed and maintained Python solution. It is continuously refined by Bentley to provide higher-quality responses tuned specifically to the MicroStation Python environment.

 Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Experience

To get the most out of the Python Assistant in MicroStation, consider these practical tips:

• Be Specific with Your Prompts: The more detailed your description, the more accurate the results will be. Avoid vague instructions to prevent errors and messy code.

• Embrace Iteration and Testing: The Python Assistant is a non-deterministic system, meaning results can vary. The same question can provide a different answer. It's an iterative process: if the assistant produces errors, copy the error messages directly back into the chat and ask it to fix them. Keep related tasks and iterative refinements within the same chat session to benefit from context window. Frequently take a copy of your script, especially if there is a big change to a large code block. AI has the tendency to try and improve with each iteration, which can lead to breakages.

• Break Down Complex Tasks Iteratively: You can implement a "planning-first" approach yourself by breaking down a large problem into smaller, sequential steps. Prompt the assistant for one part of the solution, review and test its output, and then provide a new prompt for the next logical step, building upon the previous output. This "step-by-step approach" allows you to verify each step and ensures the project stays on track.

• Be Direct and Persistent with the Assistant: The assistant is "determined" to produce an answer and may sometimes "hallucinate" or return less relevant output. You may need to be "brutal" and "strong" with your instructions, telling it exactly what you want and, if necessary, even instructing it to "stop producing nonsense" if it continuously provides incorrect or irrelevant code.

• Always Review the Generated Code: While the Python Assistant is powerful never blindly trust AI outputs for critical work. Always review the generated code carefully.

• Understand Confidence Levels: The Python Assistant may provide a confidence rating (e.g., "90% confident") for the code it generates. Use this as an indicator, but always verify the output.

• Leverage Feedback Mechanisms: If a script is unhelpful, you have the option to provide feedback. This can include your chat prompt, helping Bentley Systems to tune the system and improve its accuracy for all users.

• Contextual Awareness: The assistant can maintain context within a rolling last 10 prompts within a single chat session. This means if you ask follow-up questions or provide additional instructions within the same chat, it will consider the last 10 prompts and answers in its history to formulate its response. However, starting a "new chat" means it has no recollection of previous conversations.

• Keyboard Actions: Python Scripting is very sensitive to indentations in the code. Selecting single lines of code or whole code blocks and using TAB indents code. To reverse this use SHIFT + TAB. In the “Ask Assistant” prompting input, pressing Enter will send the prompt to the AI. SHIFT + ENTER will allow a new line. This is common practice for Chat Bots.

MicroStation's Python Assistant is currently in tech preview and is currently offered for free with a limit of 100 prompts per day. It represents a significant step towards a more intuitive and efficient design process, empowering all users to automate and innovate within their projects.