Likelihood to Recommend I think the complexity and cost of the program make it particularly useful, in situations where: the project is relatively large, with a wide variety of specialties that interact and depend on one another, and with specialists who are not physically together and whose communication and understanding is vital for the proper development of the project. If the project does not meet these characteristics, it is preferable to use less complex tools, cheaper, and that require less effort training the staff to use the software in question.
Read full review ORD is really focused on modeling of roads infrastructure projects, but includes a few design workflows that are in other disciplines such as stormwater and drainage design and site modeling tools for developments. This is really handy because you don't need a third-party application that you have to transfer your design files over to to carry on with the project. Including LumenRT for free with ORD is by far the most helpful feature because of the visualisation capabilities which most software does not include. ORD is well-suited for what the name of the product says - designing roads. I wouldn't say there are any scenarios in road design that it is less appropriate for.
Read full review Pros It allows the different specialists or users, to make virtual and quick analyzes that have been translated into the rapid resolution of problems. Bentley Navigator allowed me to incorporate and manage important amounts of information that were key in the design phase, and that being inputs for different areas could be a source of conflict. The conflicts that have been generated are much smaller than those seen in similar projects previously carried out without the help of this tool. Allowing the visualization of the information in 3D models, added to its capacity to export 3D models as PD files, has allowed to increase the fluidity and communication of information with the client, which has translated into a reduction of the hours invested by the technical manager in that activity. Read full review Creating linear models, since the app is based on alignment models and templates to extrude along the alignment. Precise long section/profile along horizontal alignment. The app practically flatten the horizontal alignment for profile generation. Template control. Though the template creation takes a bit of effort to create due to the point rulings. However when done right allows the model to be specifically modified with use of functions like super-elevation, point control, widening, parametric etc. Read full review Cons It could give alert messages warning that the information that is of shared use, has the latest version, with all the updated modifications. The information contained in the visual reports currently generated by the software could be expanded. Read full review Buggy at times and crashes Requires a lot of training to use the tools effectively Model management requires some work Read full review Likelihood to Renew We would not use ORD if is was not for clients' contract requirement to use ORD.
Read full review Alternatives Considered The tools and functionalities that have been used previously, are not commercial software, they have been software developed internally, of course much simpler and less functional than commercial software such as Bentley and its competition. This fact clearly obeyed a guideline of the organization that aimed to minimize the costs associated with the acquisition of software such as the Bentley.
As you learn from the experience and mistakes, once you lost a lot of time and money because you did not have the necessary tools to guarantee the timely flow of information, between personnel who were physically distant from each other but who needed of a very high technical interaction. As a result of this fact, the use of tools such as this was proposed as a test, in order to evaluate its real usefulness over time.
Read full review ORD is a lot faster and a lot more modern than
Civil 3D even though they're essentially the same product under different names (in terms of workflows). I find that the DGN file format used by ORD is far better than the DWG file format used by C3D because DGNs can contain much more information and multiple models per file. C3D is very heavy on memorizing keyboard inputs while ORD is a much more modern interface that relies mostly on using the mouse for inputs.
Read full review Return on Investment The frequency and quality of information flow between field and office staff has improved. The costs for cellular use concepts associated with the sharing of information associated with the projects where the software has been used have been reduced compared to projects where more traditional control tools have been used. Read full review Drawing creation from model have speed up drawing delivery by 80% Model creation for linear project based on simple design speed up model delivery by 80% Capturing model change due to alignment change have help speed up change capture by 80% Read full review ScreenShots