OpenPlant Isometrics Manager
Alternative: Extract MTO from Any Isometric, No 3D Required
Bentley OpenPlant Isometrics Manager generates isometrics from 3D models. For brownfield plants, revamps, fabrication shops with paper drawings, and most Indian / Gulf mid-EPC projects without full 3D models, OpenPlant Isometrics Manager fundamentally cannot help: there is no 3D source to generate from. Pathnovo extracts piping MTO directly from existing isometric drawings (scanned, PDF, hand-drawn, third-party CAD) with 99.5% contractual accuracy. The only managed service globally for this workflow per Excel S6 ranking #1.
Works on Existing Isometrics, No 3D Model
OpenPlant Isometrics Manager requires a Bentley 3D source (OpenPlant Modeler or iModel) to generate from. Pathnovo extracts MTO directly from existing isometric drawings: scanned PDFs from the 1980s, hand-drawn legacy drawings, third-party CAD exports. No 3D model required.
Brownfield-First
Most Indian and Gulf EPC projects, plus all brownfield revamps, lack a complete 3D model. The isometric is the only source of truth. Pathnovo is purpose-built for this reality. OpenPlant Isometrics Manager is purpose-built for the opposite case (full 3D-modelled greenfield).
Zero Direct Competitors Globally
Per Excel S6 market gap analysis ranked #1: there is no other managed service globally that extracts piping MTO from scanned and hand-drawn isometric drawings. Pathnovo holds this position alone.
Credits Scale With Revision Sets
Bentley Piping Passport licensing is per-user per-year (~$5,995/yr) plus enterprise scope. Pathnovo is credit-based: each isometric sheet consumes 8 credits and a typical revision set fits comfortably inside Starter (1,000 credits/month) or Professional (5,000 credits/month). No annual seat commitment, no enterprise agreement.
48-Hour Managed Service SLA
Pathnovo delivers structured MTO from a batch of isometric drawings within 48 business hours under a contractual SLA. OpenPlant Isometrics Manager generation speed depends on local 3D model size and engineering team availability.
Complementary, Not Competitive
For projects with full 3D models in OpenPlant, use OpenPlant Isometrics Manager to generate. For projects where the isometric is the only source (brownfield, revamps, mid-EPC, fabrication shops), use Pathnovo to extract. Most asset owners have both kinds of projects in their portfolio.
| Feature | Pathnovo | Bentley OpenPlant Isometrics Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Isometric generation from 3D model (OpenPlant Modeler, iModel) | ||
| MTO extraction from scanned PDF isometrics | ||
| MTO extraction from hand-drawn legacy isometrics | ||
| MTO extraction from third-party CAD isometrics | ||
| Multiple drawing styles (As-Built, IFC, Stress) | ||
| Output to PCF / IDF / DGN / DWG | ||
| Output to Excel / CSV / SAP MM / Oracle iProcurement | Limited | |
| Specification compliance (PMS) validation | ||
| Weld schedule + NDE plan generation | Manual | |
| ProjectWise integration | Yes (data feed) | |
| PlantSight digital twin integration | Yes (data feed) | |
| iTwin platform integration | Yes (data feed) | |
| 99.5% contractual accuracy SLA | ||
| 48-hour managed service turnaround | ||
| Free 14-day trial, 100 credits, no card | ||
| Transparent pricing | Credit-based | ~$5,995 / user / year + enterprise |
| Pricing | Credit-based, from ₹40,000/$1,200/month for 1,000 credits. Free 14-day trial. | ~$5,995 / user / year (Piping Passport) + enterprise scope |
Piping MTO from Isometric Drawings
The blue-ocean extraction service this page is about.
Piping MTO Extraction (pillar)
Pillar covering all piping MTO workflows.
Bentley OpenPlant Alternative
The parent OpenPlant suite comparison.
Weld Schedule from Isometrics
Auto-generate weld schedules from extracted isometric data.
Piping MTO Software Comparison
Pathnovo vs Hexagon, AVEVA, Bentley, IPS.
Why can't OpenPlant Isometrics Manager extract MTO from PDF isometrics?
OpenPlant Isometrics Manager generates new isometric drawings from a 3D plant model (OpenPlant Modeler or iModel). It is not built to read existing PDF or scanned isometric drawings. The architecture is fundamentally outbound (model → drawing), not inbound (drawing → data). For projects where the isometric already exists in PDF form, OpenPlant Isometrics Manager has no extraction path.
What is the difference between isometric generation and isometric extraction?
Generation (OpenPlant Isometrics Manager, AVEVA Plant SCM) creates new isometric drawings from a 3D model and produces MTO from the model's metadata. Extraction (Pathnovo) reads existing isometric drawings (in any format) and produces MTO from the drawing's geometry and annotations. Generation requires a 3D model; extraction does not. They serve different points in the project lifecycle.
Can Pathnovo feed extracted MTO into ProjectWise or PlantSight?
Yes. Pathnovo's MTO output is configurable to ProjectWise document management schema and to PlantSight asset data structures. Workflow: scanned isometric drawings → Pathnovo extraction → structured MTO → ProjectWise / PlantSight ingestion. Useful for owner-operators standardised on Bentley iTwin who need to populate the platform with brownfield asset data.
Is Pathnovo more expensive than OpenPlant Isometrics Manager?
Different pricing models. OpenPlant Isometrics Manager via Piping Passport is ~$5,995 per user per year, plus enterprise scope, plus the OpenPlant suite licence. Pathnovo is per revision set ($1,200 to $12,000 depending on sheet count). For one-off brownfield projects or fabrication shop pre-ordering, Pathnovo is dramatically lower cost. For large multi-year programmes with stable engineering teams, Bentley's per-user model can be competitive.
Can I use both OpenPlant Isometrics Manager and Pathnovo?
Yes, and this is the most common pattern. Greenfield projects with full 3D models: use OpenPlant Isometrics Manager to generate. Brownfield projects, revamps, and fabrication shop pre-orders without 3D source: use Pathnovo to extract from existing drawings. Most owner-operators have both kinds of projects in their portfolio simultaneously.
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