Prepare one clear legacy plant view while specifications and project data stay in the engineering workflow.
Prepare one useful view from an existing AutoPLANT project for a client, owner, or operations discussion. Plant data and engineering deliverables stay in its source workflow. Page media shows general RENDERCAD examples, not AutoPLANT footage or a Bentley integration.
Bentley AutoPLANT Modeler is retired AutoCAD-based plant-design software for specification-driven piping, equipment, and raceway models. Bentley ended support and new sales on December 31, 2024. This page is for teams maintaining existing projects; OpenPlant Modeler is Bentley's current replacement.
This workflow serves teams that still maintain AutoPLANT projects. A focused image can help clients, estimators, owners, or operations groups understand one plant area without opening Modeler and its database. It works best for physical-arrangement discussions rather than engineering decisions.
Choose a view with a specific purpose. A pump connection can explain nearby valves and nozzles. Rack bays show how parallel runs share limited space. An equipment access side or raceway corridor can clarify maintenance needs. Include enough surrounding plant to locate each subject.
Use the image to explore lighting, finish, depth, or presentation context. AutoPLANT's final environment also inherited AutoCAD materials, user lights, and native rendering for saved, repeatable scenes. RENDERCAD offers a separate image-based route from one prepared view.
Before sharing, compare each result with its source viewport. Keep a related isometric, orthographic, or report nearby for detailed questions. An illustration can explain arrangement, but model or database revisions still belong in AutoPLANT or its migration destination.
Start with one question, not a full plant. Frame a tie-in, equipment bay, rack section, access route, or raceway area. Show enough upstream, downstream, and surrounding equipment to make its location clear without turning the capture into an unreadable overview.
Keep system colors and identifiers that matter to the discussion. Hide distant geometry, unused layers, selection marks, and unrelated notes. Check framing at presentation size. Small branches should remain separate, valve positions should read clearly, and equipment outlines should not merge into nearby runs.
Capture a sharp shaded viewport as PNG or JPEG. A native AutoCAD render can also serve as source material when its saved camera, materials, and lights matter. Upload one flat view with a clear visual direction. Object intelligence and project records stay behind.
Compare each result with its saved source view. Trace main runs, count repeated fittings, check nozzle and valve positions, inspect supports, and confirm access space. Keep a relevant engineering drawing or report beside each illustration. Return to plant-design software for any real revision.
This animation begins with an Onshape example rather than an AutoPLANT model. Generated movement cannot inspect plant intelligence or anything outside the visible still.
Use a mask for visible equipment paint, pipe finish, or background areas. It selects image pixels, not AutoPLANT objects or their project records.
Compare runs, branches, valves, flanges, nozzles, supports, equipment envelopes, and access space against the prepared source. Set aside any option that changes the arrangement being explained.
| Feature | RENDERCAD | AutoPLANT Modeler CONNECT Edition Update 2 (retired) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Generative image models | Specification-driven plant modeling hosted on AutoCAD 2019 or 2020, with native AutoCAD rendering available |
| Output | Presentation images and optional generated video | Plant-model DWG views, orthographics, flattened drawings, intelligent isometrics, reports, and i-model review data |
| Resolution | HD / 4K | Defined by viewport capture, drawing output, or native AutoCAD raster-render settings |
| Image Speed | About 60 seconds | No single AutoPLANT presentation-render step; viewport capture and optional native AutoCAD rendering vary by model and hardware |
| Optional motion example | Usually 2-5 minutes | No dedicated presentation image-to-video workflow |
| Scene Set Up | Flat plant view and instructions | Legacy Modeler objects, project records, system visibility, identifiers, AutoCAD view settings, and optional native materials and lights |
| Input | One submitted image | AutoCAD-based plant projects with intelligent piping, equipment, raceways, specifications, and shared project data |
| Hardware | Cloud processing | Legacy 64-bit Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 environment |
| Install | Web app or capture tool | Final Modeler 10.02.00.48 installed with AutoCAD 2019 or 2020; support and downloads ended in 2024 |
| Cost | From $9/mo | Retired; new sales ended December 31, 2024 |
AutoPLANT keeps intelligent objects, specifications, connections, drawings, and reports. Only a flattened capture is submitted to RENDERCAD.
Choose a tie-in, equipment bay, rack section, access side, or raceway corridor. Preserve the identifiers and surrounding plant needed to understand that exact area.
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RENDERCAD™
Save a sharp PNG or JPEG after checking small fittings, overlapping runs, supports, labels, and access gaps at final display size. Upload this image rather than project files.
Get StartedBentley AutoPLANT retirement, project data, and flat-image limits
No. Bentley ended support, new sales, general availability, and Software Downloads access on December 31, 2024. Existing entitled teams may still use it for ongoing work. OpenPlant Modeler is Bentley's current replacement.
Final release was CONNECT Edition Update 2, version 10.02.00.48. Bentley documented it for 64-bit Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 with AutoCAD 2019 or 2020. Do not assume compatibility with newer AutoCAD releases.
Bentley identifies OpenPlant Modeler as the replacement. For new work, compare its current collaboration, licensing, and migration options with each project's needs instead of building a new workflow around retired software.
No. Upload one PNG or JPEG. Object identity, piping specs, connectivity, shared-database records, line properties, isometric intelligence, reports, and editable DWG geometry remain in the plant-design workflow.
No. A matching Object Enabler lets AutoCAD users view AutoPLANT objects without Modeler. It does not provide Modeler's routing, editing, specifications, connectivity, project-database, or deliverable workflows.
Use isometrics, orthographics, reports, i-model review data, or ProjectWise documents when people need measurements, identifiers, properties, revisions, or a formal engineering deliverable. Use presentation imagery when explanation is the goal.
No. A mask selects visible pixels, not plant objects or project records. Use it for a visible finish area, equipment surface, pipe region, or background.
No. Motion starts from a flat still without connectivity, hidden geometry, process behavior, construction sequence, or equipment logic. Treat it as presentation material and compare every moving relationship with the source.