While the industry has moved on to the CONNECT Edition, XM holds a special place for those of us who learned CAD on "iconic" interfaces.
: This feature allowed users to define and enforce CAD standards (such as level, color, and line weight) through templates, ensuring consistency across large project teams. bentley microstation xm
Key features that were game-changers back then: While the industry has moved on to the
Handling large projects with multiple reference files (the industry standard for civil and architectural collaboration) became more robust. XM introduced nested reference display priority , allowing users to control how overlapping elements from different files appeared on screen. XM introduced nested reference display priority , allowing
The XM generation (which included not just MicroStation but also companion products like Bentley Structural, Bentley Architecture, and Bentley GeoWeb Publisher) was released during a crucial industry shift. The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) world was beginning to move from pure CAD drafting toward Building Information Modeling (BIM). XM laid the groundwork for the subsequent platform (where "i" stands for "intuitive"), which would fully embrace parametric modeling and data-rich workflows.
: This version was notably the first to be Certified for Windows Vista , optimizing directory structures and system performance for that OS.
Any advice on migrating workspace preferences from XM to the CONNECT Edition would also be appreciated.