ActCAD Software vs. Bentley ProjectWise

Some dimensions move for no apparent reason. 3d modeling could be improved upon. As a 2D program I use it daily and prefer it to 3D modeling programs for drawing details.

ProjectWise is good for really large projects with many team members. I would not recommend it for small projects or those with a small team of people working on them. It is best for technical people and those who plan to use it daily. There are better FTP options out there if you just want to use them for file sharing.

• This is one of the most complete packages that I've used, very intuitive, thus saying user-friendly is somewhat on the mild side, as it is a pleasure to use
• Functionality is straightforward and all pertinent information are right on the screen
• Its ease-of-use cuts down on documentation time thus allowing me to spend more time where it's really needed

• It works for collaboration
• The backend is customisable to do work that other document management systems just cannot do.

• My major complaint is sometimes the dimensions do not stay where I place them.
• 3D modeling is complicated for me.
• Need to specify wall types and be able to create custom walls.
• Need to have a roof manager to make trusses or hand-stack framing.

• many users cannot be in the same file at the same time
• files are not automatically freed upon closure
• copying files to another ProjectWise folder is complicated. There is an option to copy, another to copy to, etc.

It's the best alternative to cost-prohibitive CAD software.

Bentley ProjectWise from a user perspective just does not stack up to even something as simple as Dropbox. ProjectWise is powerful, it is capable, it has a ton of features. The best implementation I have seen from Projectwise is where the admins unlocked everything and let the users do as they please defeating everything it stood for and using it as a big Dropbox account, though even then the user interface couldn't be improved still causing significant workflow delays. I would reluctantly leave a good company if they implement ProjectWise, I respect that it's powerful for system admins but it sucks for users. This means 2-10% of what it is used for is well designed while the other 98-90% of its functions are just bogged down by a lack of development in its user interface and I say this as someone who has periodically used it over the last 10 years and seen no effective improvement in usability. Bentley ProjectWise was one of the first I believe to do this type of system, but as is common with being the first is you don't keep up with the times and bring a lot of baggage with you.

• Its ease-of-use allows me more time to focus on project needs and completion

• It has saved us time in archiving and versioning documents
• It has saved us effort in backing up files and restoring them when mistakes are made
• It has had an overall positive impact on our bottom line by helping with file sharing and collaboration