The term "i-models" is used to describe a type of Bentley file (container) which can be used to share data between applications. The formal definition of an i-model is:

An immutable container for rich multi-discipline information published from known sources in a known state at a known time. It is a published rendition in a secure read-only container. It is a portable, self-describing and semantically rich data file.

i-models can be thought of as similar to shapefiles in that they provide ways to share data. They are immutable in that they cannot be modified (they are read-only). They reflect the state of the model file at the time the i-model was created.

i-model support is built on Bentley technology and is not automatically installed with SewerGEMS V8i or other hydraulic products. The software to use i-models is installed with Microstation and other Microstation based products (versions 08.11.07 or later). If a user attempts to create an i-model and the support for i-model creation is not installed, an error message to download and install the necessary files is issued. The i-model files can be installed from the Bentley SELECTdownload site.

An i-model can contain all the elements and their properties for a model for a given scenario and time-step or the information can be filtered so that only a fraction of the elements and their properties are incorporated in the i-model.

An i-model is generally much smaller than the .mdb file for the hydraulic model even though it does contain results.

For details on publishing and viewing i-models, see ”Publishing an i-model’ and ”Viewing an i-model’.