ZN posted a comment to my last post on Microstation. The tone of his comment was one of which one to choose, Microstation or Autodesk. That really isn't the point of my posts on Microstation. Even if Microstation is better, I think I will still be using Autodesk products.
First off I work for a leading provider of consulting, engineering, and technical services worldwide (yes, I did copy this from the website). We have many clients with a diverse set of requirements on how their work is performed. My learning Microstation has more to do with meeting the clients requirements than seeing which company has the best software.
If I really wanted to see what product is best, I think I should use the most current Microstation products, mainly PowerCivil. But since client requirements preclude this I don't think any of my posts should be taken as which is best and which one to use. For instance Microstation V7 has a limitation on how many levels (layers in Autocad terms). In V8 an larger amount of levels are allowed. Obviously V8 would be better to use, but I am precluded from using it due to client requirements. From what I have heard Microstation has the same version problems that Autodesk has.
Since I won't have access to the most current Microstation version of the software I don't think I can make a valid assessment of what is better. I did request a version of the most current version of Microstation, but haven't received it after two or three months and have given up on ever seeing it show up.
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7 comments:
First I wanted to clear up the comment concerning Microstation Versions.
Microstation has 2 versions since its beginnings back in the 1980s . They are V7 and V8.
The V8 format has been in use for over 8 years. (How many AutoCad formats is that?)Microstation Beta release available for downoad now by "SELECT" members is called Athens and uses the same V8 format. So it appears V8 will continue long into the future.
This format (V8) is remarkably stable, you will find no recover or purge commands for the Dgn.
Microstation can work with both formats and also all AutoCad formats back to R-11. By this I man Microstation can open and write to as well as save as Dwg.
Also Dgn is a much more compressed format than Dwg.
PowerCivil is a design package specific to site design. While it lacks the flash of dynamic annotation that civil3D has, The grading and modeling tools are second to none.These tools make Intersections, Cul de sacs ponds, channels and site grading easy.
Additionally the program uses a drainage component that performs design and analysis (SCS and Rational) and is far above current Autodesk pipe components.
mike.barkasi@bentley.com
I worked on microstation SE, J and V8 for 4 years. We started out trying to figure out geopak and that lead to dumping it all and moving to autodesk.
I found that microstation is very stable and works great with xref. I always got the feeling though I was using Autocad for Windows. Microstation was like using paintshop (microstation instead of photoshop (autocad.
We are moving forward with further investigation into Bentley Products specifically PowerCivil. I am certain that many of you who post to this Blog probably visit the other available newsgroups.
We are in a position that requires substance in answers and not ridiculous comments pertaining to "feel", "look" and a bunch of other crap adjectives that users have used in the past.
The one matter that nobody seems to give a straight answer is their profitability and bottom line. Probably the users are just that "user", not required to be held accountable to the bottom line of "making money".
We know what our profit margins were with LDD and let me tell you the profits are not as we expected with Civil 3D?
So if you or anyone else can provide more substantive evidence between the two applications, we don't need to hear how one coloring book is better than the other.
We in the LDD/C3D have been asking for a dynamic platform, and many other features from Adesk for the past 10 years. We are not in the business of learning how to drive all over again every 4 to 6 years.
I sent an e-mail to an individual (James Wedding) who is also involved with LDD/C3D asking him how complacent users would be of MS WORD or MS EXCEL decided to change the look and feel of those applications.
ChristopherF
Although you feel that my initial post may have been asking "which one is better?". It was to be construed as how functionality occurs between the two applications with respect to certain features (xref, align, cogo, xs, etc..). I realize that one will excel over another in certain areas but one application has been developed longer than the other?
It appears that Projectwise (Vault) and Dynamic linking (C3D)has been on the side of Bentley? These timelines are a key component to our decision making process in addition to who is assisting in the development of the software.
For example, if Autodesk does not have licensed engineers on staff to help facilitate the development of software then why would I expect it to work in my field.
In the past two days, I have spent over 6 hours just trying to figure the multitude options for a simple "box" found for XS and Profiles. I don't konw about you but I have yet to meet an engineer that is concerned about how a XS or Profile will look on all four side and in between. Those are basic items in our world? In the XS module the dam thing has the ability to label every single vertice and grade break from an existing ground sample? Whey in the world as a licensed engineer would I want to use or see that?
ZN
ZN Microsoft did change the look and feel of Excel and Word.
now you have my curiosity...
The last time I saw it change was with win95 from Win3.11? Since '98it has remained the same? I open a document or spreadsheet start typing, formatting, wordart, macro's, inserting, draw and it still is the same today.
Is Vista that different from what I just described above?
How you get to things in Excel and Word has changed. Microsoft went with a ribbon at the top instead of the traditional menu and toolbar arrangement. It takes a little bit to get used to, especially since you can't go to where you normally go to do something. Now that I am used to the new layout I like it, but it takes some time to get used to and was a major change in how the program works.
I would say it would be about the same as the switch from LDD to Civil 3D. For the most part Civil3D does most of what LDD does, it just does it differently.
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