AEC-focused partnership to enhance interface between Bentley 3D design software and Z Corporation 3D printers

BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Z Corporation, maker of the world's fastest 3D printers, today announced it is partnering with Bentley Systems, Incorporated to streamline the generation of physical architectural models from designs created with the help of Bentley software for architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations.

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The companies will work together to tighten interoperability between 3D designs that architects, engineers and contractors create in Bentley software and the 3D printers that bring these designs into the physical world as models. 3D-printed building models are in demand as fast, affordable and accurate alternatives to handcrafted and laser cut models.

"We look forward to working closely with Z Corporation developers and providing them with all of the information, tools, technical support and programming resources they need," said Phil Chouinard, Director of Bentley Developer Relations. "The goal is to establish a transparent interface between Bentley's comprehensive portfolio of software for sustaining infrastructure, including its BIM solutions, and Z Corporation's highly flexible and cost-effective 3D printing technology. We know our mutual customers will be excited about this new ability to easily turn their design work into physical models."

Included in Bentley's comprehensive portfolio of solutions and products is software for building information modeling (BIM), which is the production of 3D digital models that encompass geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and component properties.

The partnership is important because of the soaring interest in 3D printing in the AEC market, according to Olimpio DeMarco, Z Corporation Director, Business Development. "Speed, affordability and accuracy make 3D printing an attractive alternative for building physical architectural models. The unique ability of ZPrinters to quickly and cost-effectively produce high-definition models in both traditional white or multiple colors gives building designers a wide array of options for representing rooms, buildings and communities. This partnership will only enrich and expand these capabilities."

Z Corporation and Bentley's Applied Research Group have long cooperated on advanced application research involving 3D printing. Z Corporation joining the Bentley Developer Network formalizes this relationship and dovetails with Bentley's commitment to helping architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators improve project quality.

About Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators are indispensable in improving our world and our quality of life; the company's mission is to improve the performance of their projects and of the assets they design, build, and operate. Bentley sustains the infrastructure professions by helping to leverage information technology, learning, best practices, and global collaboration -- and by promoting careers devoted to this crucial work.

Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 2,800 colleagues, offices in more than 50 countries, annual revenues surpassing $500 million, and since 1993, has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions. Nearly 90 percent of the Engineering News-Record Top Design Firms are Bentley subscribers, and a 2008 Daratech study ranked Bentley as the world's #2 provider of geospatial software solutions. For additional information about Bentley, visit http://www.bentley.com.

About Z Corporation

Z Corporation makes products that enable users to capture, edit, and print 3D data with unprecedented speed, ease, versatility and affordability. These products include the world's fastest high-definition 3D printers -- machines that produce physical 3D models from digital data in full color -- and uniquely portable 3D scanners -- handheld machines that digitize 3D surfaces in real time. Z Corporation technology is enabling a wide range of applications in manufacturing, architecture, civil engineering, reverse engineering, geographic information systems (GIS), medicine and entertainment. For the latest news and information from Z Corporation, visit http://www.zcorp.com.

    Contact: Julie Reece             Ed Marshall
             Z Corporation           Beaupre & Co. Public Relations
             +1 781-852-5058         +1 603-559-5816
             jreece@zcorp.com        emarshall@Beaupre.com
             WWW.ZCORP.COM           www.beaupre.com

Web site: http://www.zcorp.com/
http://www.bentley.com/