Autodesk AEC Collection vs. MicroStation

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk AEC Collection
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
The AEC Collection provides a set of BIM and CAD tools supported by a cloud-based common data environment that facilitates project delivery from early-stage design through to construction. The bundle includes popular Autodesk tools such as Revit, AutoCAD, FormIT, and Navisworks Manage, with access to 12 integrated CAD and BIM tools.
$435
per month per user
MicroStation
Score 6.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Bentley Systems offers the MicroStation application and product family as a 3D and 2D modeling and computer-aided design (CAD) solution for engineers and designers.
$250
Per User Per Month
Pricing
Autodesk AEC CollectionMicroStation
Editions & Modules
AEC Collection - Monthly Subscription
$435
per month per user
AEC Collection - Yearly Subscription
$3,465
per year per user
AEC Collection - 3-Year Subscription
$10,395
3 years per user
Microstation
$250.00
Per User Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk AEC CollectionMicroStation
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk AEC CollectionMicroStation
Considered Both Products
Autodesk AEC Collection
Chose Autodesk AEC Collection
Each of these pieces of software has a different use and focus. Some overlap with each other and some are components of Autodesk AEC Collection, such as Autodesk Fabrication CADmep. They are all well designed and powerful applications that help us with everything from planning …
Chose Autodesk AEC Collection
Other products that have been used include Civil Designer and Model Maker for civil services. Other products for structural designs include aq product called "SEDA" These products are not included in the listings.
Chose Autodesk AEC Collection
I have most of my experience in Revit and AutoCAD from the Autodesk AEC Collection. We used SketchUp for a short period of time because of the low cost of the software, but features in Revit, like the analysis tools, scheduling, and more made things faster and gave a more …
MicroStation
Chose MicroStation
Microstation is not intuitive. It is almost impossible for our newest employees to use effectively, and I strongly prefer to start them with Civil 3D, where possible. With MicroStation, you really need to be an intermediate to advanced user to use the program and know where the …
Chose MicroStation
MicroStation is best suited for large infrastructure projects, example: road design projects. Designing 2D and 3D can be done in other software too, but the context of real-life examples is an added advantage of MicroStation.
Chose MicroStation
MicroStation offers great capabilities which enable quick Engineering design and document generation, the view comparison functions is the best among the above tools and the easy of customizing the features.
Chose MicroStation
It seems to be getting good investment with features, and information exchange is working between us and others still.
Chose MicroStation
The only general purpose CAD program that you can compare MicroStation with would be AutoCAD. MicroStation, in my opinion, is a superior product in every way but one. That one issue is that there are just more people who have and know how to use AutoCAD than there are ones …
Chose MicroStation
I prefer MicroStation personally. It is much less taxing on your computer's RAM. However, they all have their pros and cons.
Chose MicroStation
I grew up working on AutoCAD and most recently was training on Microstation. To be honest I like MicroStation but Autodesk has a little bit more refined product. But we utilize MicroStation as mush as possible when needed.
Chose MicroStation
In my opinion, I would recommend AutoCAD Civil 3D over Microstation V8i unless you/your company benefit from using MicroStation due to your contracts requiring you to submit a digital design in MicroStation file type (.dgn). Otherwise, I feel that AutoCAD Civil 3D is actually a …
Features
Autodesk AEC CollectionMicroStation
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk AEC Collection
9.4
Ratings
23% above category average
MicroStation
-
Ratings
3D Modeling10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
2D Drafting10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Parametric Design9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Assembly Design10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization and Extensions9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Autodesk AEC CollectionMicroStation
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 6.5 out of 10
Revit
Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 6.5 out of 10
Revit
Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 8.4 out of 10
Revit
Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk AEC CollectionMicroStation
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
2.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk AEC CollectionMicroStation
Likelihood to Recommend
It is perfect for the completion of designs and drawings which fundamentally covers the main focus of all our projects. It is easy to use and works well for both complicated and simple projects
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MicroStation is well suited for environments where animation and 3D modelling is required for designs. It perfectly fits into scenarios where Building Information Modelling (BIM) is used. One should avoid this platform if the budget is low and the overall length of the project is not huge.
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Pros
  • Clash Detection
  • Bill of material creation
  • Phase planning and material requirements
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  • MicroStation, as a stand-alone CAD package, is a great plan production tool.
  • MicroStation makes a very good base to build other applications on top of.
  • It has at least, in my opinion, a very easy to use interface.
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Cons
  • Revit is limited in its use for civil engineering and landscape architecture.
  • There are bugs due to the complex nature of the software.
  • Use of software requires the latest high-tech computers.
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  • MicroStation's graphic interface appears data in comparison to other CAD software.
  • MicroStation has a tendency to crash if not managed properly during design.
  • MicroStation's transportation design component is separated from the main system which causes occasional complications.
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Likelihood to Renew
I gave a rating of 10 because, thus far, Autodesk AEC Collection Seems to be on the leading edge for what is required for the construction planning, implementation, and continued of real-world assets. Autodesk has been a great benefit for our organization and has allowed us to continue to improve not only ourselves but the people we work with. We have been using Autodesk AEC Collection for a number of years and hope to continue for a long time coming.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
The software has a significant learning curve. You also must know and understand construction standards and codes. Each member of our BIM team has spent 10+ years in construction and has had years of software training. The software also requires powerful computers to render the models. Without a BIM focused gpu and processor, the software will seem less usable when in reality, the computer is not capable of running the software properly
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MicroStation is very hard to use for our newest employees. It is not intuitive, and you need to know where to find the buttons to perform the commands you would like to perform instead of typing in the commands like other similar modeling programs. Also, it has no good traffic turning add-ins. We continue to run ALL our turning in Autoturn, since this is not a usable feature with MicroStation.
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
We haven't had to use it for many years, so not able to comment.
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Alternatives Considered
Each of these pieces of software has a different use and focus. Some overlap with each other and some are components of Autodesk AEC Collection, such as Autodesk Fabrication CADmep. They are all well designed and powerful applications that help us with everything from planning to design and collaboration. We use all of them and will continue to explore other Autodesk products that may help our organization grow and accomplish more.
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Microstation is not intuitive. It is almost impossible for our newest employees to use effectively, and I strongly prefer to start them with Civil 3D, where possible. With MicroStation, you really need to be an intermediate to advanced user to use the program and know where the buttons to do what you want are located. They need to make their program more command based. Things like snapping to a near point or correcting text size universally are not intuitive like they are in Civil 3D or SOLIDWORKS. For other programs you can just type in commands like "LINE" and draw a line. In Microstation, you need to select between a polyline or smartline from the tools>geometry menu. Why does it need to be so complicated? We ONLY use this program, because we are required to deliver our models in the DGN format to our client. Otherwise, we would use Civil 3D for everything.
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Return on Investment
  • Positive impact on collaboration between disciplines.
  • Products are the industry standard, which allows for collaboration with other firms.
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  • Been beneficial in the current office to have a copy for information exchange.
  • Some of the more "die-hard MicroStation users" often do markups in it over our current software.
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ScreenShots

MicroStation Screenshots

Screenshot of Take advantage of built-in support for 100+ common formats and data types for 2D and 3D raster and vector geometry and associated BIM information, including trusted RealDWGScreenshot of Supporting hundreds of coordinate systems and dozens of geospatial data types, users can reliably integrate existing data quickly and confidently.Screenshot of Produce better documentation, faster, with fully integrated 2D and 3D workflows, creating a single integrated model that allows you to view drawings and other model information directly immersed within the 3D modelScreenshot of You can ensure your design intent while speeding modeling with extremely powerful and flexible constraints and a range of solid, mesh, surface, and topological modeling toolsScreenshot of MicroStation's native support for an unmatched range of file formats and data types means you can leverage any data you have to speed drafting and modeling and decision-makingScreenshot of Turn your models into polished professional presentations to win stakeholder buy-in and speed approvals on your design projects.