Civil 3D Implementation

In my last post I was a bit negative about Civil 3D. How about an upbeat marketing type post? Well if you are looking for a feel good story then this post is for you.

As many of you know, Implementing and Using AutoCAD Civil 3D is difficult, even almost impossible for some. Everyone that moves to the Civil 3D platform, needs a full time CAD Manager and Trainer on staff! Now this is not only an expensive need, depending on the number of staff, it can be simply out of the question! So what does a company do? They need to stay up to date with the leading design software for the Civil and Civil related industries, including the Survey side of the designs and construction. The software is not cheap. All users need hours and hours of training, they really need a 2 year program in order to truly use this software. Users also need, someone to help them on the spot when C3D is just not acting as expected. It can be overwhelming, but I have found an amazing service to help all of the Civil 3D users and companies that have or will be purchasing Civil 3D.

It is this, TSC365, a service that provides all of the Training, Support and Consulting a AutoCAD, Map 3D and Civil 3D user needs to be, not only successful, and productive much sooner, but it should ease the entire process of implementing and using Civil 3D. This service available through a leading Civil 3D Implementation, Training & Support Consulting firm CADTECHS, that is growing at an amazing rate. They must be onto something! They have very recently partnered with another very successful and well known Civil Implementation, Training & Support Consulting firm APW-CTS. APW-CTS is very well known for their Civil 3D training videos, rGuides. The rGuides or a online recorded training program that is very similar to the standard 3 Day class most users attend when they first start “trying” to use C3D. Plus they have many more titles, beyond the standard classes. It is obvious that both firms focus on the services side of Autodesk software, as my own Company does.

The rGuide training comes from another partnership with Retrieve Technology. They not only have over 200 Autodesk product titles available, but other software. Microsoft Office & Windows, Adobe, Microstation, Siteops, Engineering practices, and lots of titles that are not related to CAD at all. The ability to attend training anytime and anywhere, including from smart-phones, is a great concept. Knowing that at the moment I need to create and alignment for the first time, is just a login away is nice. Being able to watch it more than once, is great. The videos are keyword searchable, this is amazing! You can run a search for “how to import points”  and get a list of where in that video the answer may be found. Add to that the closed caption in multiple languages and even voice overs. Could leave you wondering if what is being said is correct, but opens up the same training to a large portion of the World!

Retrieve Technologies is also behind the technology of TSC365’s communications and training system. What this new technology does is, give users the ability to have video and screen capture communications with support and consulting staff at Cadtechs and APW-CTS. No need to go out and buy Camtasia or other screen and video recording applications, as this are built into the system. Simply start a message and choose what to add to the message, if anything other than text. Upload files, Upload video, Create Webcam and Screen capture videos, Embed other messages and training content, directly into the message.

Here is a short list of some of key points of the TSC365 Program:

1. Support, including “how-to questions” and available 24/7/365
2. Training, including for no extra cost is AutoCAD, Map 3D and Civil 3D training. If purchased separately this adds up to $529. Not sure of the total time of training, must be well over 50 hours, and available 24/7/365
3. Consulting services, content creation and help and available 24/7/365

I know what you're thinking, “this must cost a lot”! Get ready, because you’re about to say “ok, what’s the catch”. It is only $600 a year per user! And right now, until the end of the month, it is only $500!

For full disclosure I have a business relationship with CADTECHS, which may explain the upbeat tone of the article. Hopefully that satisfies the FTC on disclosure rules for bloggers. Now if I can only get Retrieve Technologies to release number of units purchased for the Civil 3D 2009 VBA vBook I wrote.

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