KB10636 - Why is the DK support for the MicroStation v.8 DGN files not perfect? Do you have any suggestions about how to best support the reading of DGN files in our DK application.

TatukGIS would require access to the DGN specifications to perfectly support this format. TatukGIS has contacted Bentley and asked if they would provide TatukGIS with the DGN specifications for the purpose of enabling TatukGIS to better support the reading DGN data files created by their Microstation software product in TatukGIS products and software applications crated by TatukGIS customers from the DK toolkit. Bentley declined to cooperate with TatukGIS on this initiative. Bentley suggested that TatukGIS consider the Open Design Alliance (http://www.opendesign.com/), of with Bentley is a member.

We contacted the Open Design Alliance to ask if the terms of their membership (cost $5,000 for first year, $2,500 each subsequent year) would allow TatukGIS to license their OpenDGN library for the purpose of incorporating support for the DGN format into our DK toolkit product. The Alliance responded that, even if TatukGIS were an Alliance member, we would not be allowed to do this because our DK is a SDK product used by developers. Because of this, if the DK product contained their libraries, it might compete against the DGN and DWG libraries licensed by the Alliance. We were informed that if we were to add the Open Design Alliance libraries to the DK, we would have to somehow ensure that any DK developer using this functionality is also a paid up member of the Open Design Alliance. This would not be comfortable situation for TatukGIS to have to enforce. Furthermore, this would mean that a DK customer would have to pay the Open Design Alliance significantly more for the DXF and DGN support than they pay to license the comprehensive DK GIS toolkit product itself. So far no DK customer have expressed a interest in incurring this sort of additional expense to have more perfect DXF and DGN support. This has lead TatukGIS to conclude that it is probably not worthwhile for us to incur the cost of joining the Open Design Alliance.