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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    AutoCAD

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/AAutoCAD is a CAD product from Autodesk. It allows designers to work in 2D and 3D, and is available on Windows and Mac, but with extensive online collaboration tools.

    $245

    per month

    Civil 3D

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/AAutodesk's Civil 3D is a computer aided design (CAD) application designed to support a variety of civil infrastructure projects including rail, roads and highways, land development, airports, drainage, storm and sanitary, and civil structures.

    $335

    per month

    Pricing
    AutoCADCivil 3D
    Editions & Modules
    Monthly Subscription
    $245
    per month per user
    Yearly Subscription
    $1975
    per year per user
    3-Year Subscription
    $5925
    3 years per user
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AutoCADCivil 3D
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Can be licensed monthly ($305), Annually ($2,430), or every 3 years ($6,560).Available free for one year on a student license.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AutoCADCivil 3D
    Considered Both Products
    Autodesk
    Chose AutoCAD
    AutoCAD was chosen for its versatility, customisation and compatibility. AutoCAD is a highly versatile software used across various industries, including civil engineering. It's known for its precise drafting and drawing capabilities. It allows for extensive customization …
    Incentivized
    Autodesk
    Chose Civil 3D
    As mentioned before, using Civil3D got its own pros such as creating different profiles that are interactive such if you change any level, the profile will be updated automatically while in AutoCAD you will suffer by updating them manually. In addition, creating models that …
    Incentivized
    Chose Civil 3D
    The products I have used are not on the list. This includes Civil Designer and Model Maker. Autodesk Civil 3D is an all-in-one software. The design and drawings can be completed together on the same software. Results are updated automatically when changes are made without …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    96%
    Would buy again
    45 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    38 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    43 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    29 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    38 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    Features
    AutoCADCivil 3D
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of AutoCAD and Autodesk Civil 3D
    Feature
    AutoCAD
    7.0
    7 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Autodesk Civil 3D
    -
    Ratings
    3D Modeling6.17 Ratings00 Ratings
    2D Drafting8.77 Ratings00 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization6.47 Ratings00 Ratings
    Parametric Design7.57 Ratings00 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing8.77 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats8.77 Ratings00 Ratings
    Assembly Design6.77 Ratings00 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis4.76 Ratings00 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation7.67 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions5.37 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AutoCADCivil 3D
    Small Businesses
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    MicroStation
    Score6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AutoCADCivil 3D
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.7
    (88 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.3
    (9 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.9
    (13 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AutoCADCivil 3D
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Autodesk
    Once again, for jobs/companies where you are doing a lot of design and modelling of tanks, pipework or filling machine or basic electronics its fantastic as a 3D and 2D modelling tool, however once again when it comes to testing these actual products in the real world, I feel like AutoCAD is let down by its clunky fitting and spec management and also in very limited in-house engineering simulations.
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    Civil 3D is best suited for medium to large-scale projects, as it may be overkill for small projects. It is very efficient in design and drafting work, as well as creating reports. It also helps in creating surfaces using external data and building assemblies, as well as providing drainage for infrastructure projects. It can also provide outputs as DWG files to be directly used in the AutoCAD application.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Autodesk
    • Compatibility of different file formats, and also exports to different file formats.
    • CLI Commands as well as internal functions which are exposed can be used for automation of various tasks.
    • The new 2025 comes with .NET Core support which helps AutoCAD to connect with Cloud based features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • We use this software for the optimal and advanced design of pipelines and complex structuring, or it can also be said that we use it mainly for a geotechnical model, due to its high definition of the large proportion of the works that are carried out through of this application, since the tasks that are used with Civil 3D require extreme patience, precision and a lot of time to develop a model in its entirety, but we managed to acquire all the necessary and strategic points, to establish and start the production of a prototype digitized in particular.
    • Easy to export to normal AutoCAD or collaborate with most Autodesk products.
    • Vehicle Turning Simulation and Stormwater analysis is great addition to the package. Ability to use the all familiar AutoCAD tools, as well as LISP and SCR to automate some processes is one of the greatest advantages of the software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Autodesk
    • User Interface Customisation: AutoCAD's user interface could benefit from more robust customisation options. Allowing users to rearrange toolbars, menus, and panels according to their specific workflows and preferences would enhance productivity.
    • Enhanced 3D Modeling Tools: While AutoCAD is capable of 3D modeling, it's not as intuitive or feature-rich as dedicated 3D modeling software. Streamlining the process and adding more advanced modeling tools would be a welcome improvement.
    • Enhanced Collaboration and Version Control: AutoCAD could improve its collaboration tools, such as real-time editing and version tracking, to facilitate smoother teamwork, especially in multi-disciplinary projects.
    • Intelligent Object Libraries: AutoCAD could benefit from an expanded and more intelligent library of standard objects and components. This would save time for designers who often have to create custom components from scratch.
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • I think I need more experience in using Autodesk Civil 3D as it is a huge jump from the previous software that I had been using
    • Some functions could take less steps to complete
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Autodesk
    Because rarely we [would] rather wait for a whole year to update, sometimes the new updates don't bring many new features and we are still ok with the current version. Also the change of interface is always something that takes time for every partner in the company to get comfortable with. So those are the main reasons we may want to keep the same version.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Autodesk
    It is very usable once you understand the program. I believe there is room for improvement in the 2D to 3D modeling capability. We have to use other apps to 3D model and that can be time consuming and sometimes AutoCAD doesn't transfer work that well between apps. They can improve there.
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    It is one of the most standard Designing and drafting tools for infrastructure projects and is the go-to for including it with the Autodesk ecosystem. Its strong collaboration with GIS and Other tools helps us to create a software workflow as a digital twin platform as well. The Drawings and plans generated can be easily imported into other applications, allowing for full control over the workflow.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Autodesk
    AutoCAD has the issue of crashing or slowing down the design procedure once a heavy design that includes several disciplines or multiple families/blocks is involved. Customer services gets the feedback from the crash reports but this issue seems like it has never been addressed in the software updates past several years.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    They have a vast open community, which has helped us understand Autodesk Civil 3D from the beginning. They have provided many templates and tutorials videos to our team due to that we can learn every new feature from them. Autodesk Civil 3D has also helped us to interconnect all its software in an internal bridge, which helps us switch between software as we need.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Autodesk
    the implementation was realy easy , to set up our workstation we pay for the licenses we are about to use , there was a little bit of delay to get the payment processed to receive the serial but after that the install runs without any problem , so you can fell secure there will be not issue with the implementation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Autodesk
    I use Revit far more than I use AutoCAD. AutoCAD is great for simple linework, but even then I will often create the lines in Revit and then export to AutoCAD for final touches and printing. AutoCAD is a bit easier for large-format prints, which is why I almost always end up using it after starting in Revit.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    As mentioned before, using Civil3D got its own pros such as creating different profiles that are interactive such if you change any level, the profile will be updated automatically while in AutoCAD you will suffer by updating them manually. In addition, creating models that also are interactive and help in clash detection for different utilities in a project.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Autodesk
    • As an educational institute there are no overall business objectives.
    • As a negative, the licensing is expensive and we have to limit the number of computers we put it on.
    • As a positive, many of our students will have a leg up when entering into programs or companies that use this software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • positive: saved us time on setting up sheets/sheet set manager
    • positive: saved time and effort on cutting profiles
    • positive: saved us money on printing, since it is easy to bind the dgns it creates
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Civil 3D Screenshots

    Screenshot of Civil 3D - Infrastructure Software from AutodeskScreenshot of Civil 3D - Rail Alignments