Bentley Systems Incorporated released the commercial version of MicroStation V8 XM Edition. Its powerful innovations include: reference enhancements (which allow users to attach a PDF reference to a design file, to dynamically manipulate reference clipping boundaries with handles, and to attach multiple instances of the same model at different stages of development); element templates (which integrate CAD standards with MicroStation tasks to align features and tools with design and production workflows); ProjectWise StartPoint (which manages, finds and shares CAD and geospatial content using Microsoft Office SharePoint technologies); link sets (which manage and navigate relationships of content within files such as drawings and specification documents and across formats); DirectX Graphics System (which leverages Microsoft DirectX high-speed graphic technologies); element transparency and display priority; PANTONE and RAL color systems; keyboard position assignments (which provide immediate access to any MicroStation command at the stroke of a key, and programmable mouse functionality to increase the performance of view and model navigation); 3D modeling advancements; improved visualization capabilities for photo-realistic rendering and new animation tools; native DWG support; digital security (which applies electronic signatures to drawings and supports multi-level access privileges for projects); and design history (which gives users the ability to isolate and view any change or set of changes to a design). (Bentley, Exton, Pa.)