Likelihood to Recommend MicroStation is THE program to use for roadway and corridor modeling. Most departments of transportation and municipalities in my region require that the models be delivered in the dgn format, so it is MicroStation or bust. It is an absolute pain to use some of the add-in features though. Things that are easy in other programs like making smart tables that update with the latest information usually necessitate the use of
Axiom or similar outside programs/add-ins. I design storm sewer systems, and it takes us 6 months to train up new hires on this software, because it is NOT intuitive. You need to know which buttons to press, since it is not designed to be easily command-based like AutoCAD
Civil 3D .
Read full review NX CAD is very good when it comes to three dimensional modelling and rendering and visualization. Furthermore, the export to jt function together with import into other Siemens software packages, such as
Teamcenter , is a major reason why I am using
NX . However, it can be a little more computationally expensive compare to other CAD packages.
Read full review Pros Plethora of design alternatives to choose from right from design to completed models Detailed approach towards parametric, mesh and surface modelling Well integrated modelling workflows Intelligent parametric components with 2D and 3D designs Read full review Seamless interaction across multiple departments. The software allows you to create a very high level of control and organization within your engineering staff. This reduces the companies mistakes and maximizes productivity. The software makes it very easy to track your product through every phase of the production cycle. Read full review Cons Some of the more complex models have had a few issues exporting. We've struggled with external consultants using the custom Autocad engineering tools, and it plays nicely with MicroStation. Read full review Keeping the colors of surfaces if volume bodies are linked Show and keep symbolic threads For me, I miss more information why a surface can't be deleted or a radius is not possible. And maybe a solution, how could it look like, if NX CAD adds a new surface. Read full review Likelihood to Renew possibility of integration and customization
Read full review Usability 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.
Read full review Siemens NX CAD has been has been simple in design & user interface. It is best among the competitors. It can develop heavy models & designs with very ease. It has Layers options for arranging multiple assemblies in the same file. It does not require heavy system investment & works fine on professional PCs
Read full review Support Rating We haven't had to use it for many years, so not able to comment.
Read full review NX CAD version is going out of support after only 12 months. Changes will not be implemented after 12 months from prodcution
Read full review Implementation Rating the manitenance period is too small for our implementation timeline
Read full review Alternatives Considered 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 who know MicroStation. This makes
AutoCAD easier to get up and running for most firms.
Read full review The only reason why NX was chosen was due to the process management, and revision control that's built-in. And being able to limit access to files and if they can be modified.
Read full review Return on Investment MicroStation usage is primarily necessitated by our major client who also uses the program. Without using MicroStation there would be many times where we would not be able to provide our clients with what they need. Therefore, MicroStation has had an incredibly positive impact on the business I work for as its usage has continued to secure contracts. Read full review The software itself is pretty expensive compared to other CAD-systems. Implementation is not out of the box, it requires a lot of consulting and iteration cycles. On the positive side is to mention the seamless of downstream functionalities, from product development to manufacturing and visualization, etc. Read full review ScreenShots