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 Real estate is not really the most likely use for Sketchup, since it has so many choices and possibilities. But, it is an innovative way to differentiate yourself from the competition. The program is very well-suited to the myopic seller or buyer who can't visualize future changes and their effect on value.
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 Quickly exploring solutions in 3D: We get a lot of "what if" and "what would that look like" questions. While hand-sketching and hand-drafting can be fairly quick, SketchUp allows me to quickly create 3D and 2D views of a detail or solution, change dimensions and materials in a flash, and show a client or installer the plan in minutes. Creating professional design documents in LayOut: Projects of any scale need good documentation. Using a combination of SketchUp and LayOut, I can create a Design Intent Set, plans for permitting, a set for mechanical trades to mark-up, etc. Having clear, appropriately-scaled drawings with dimensions or notations is a must, and we don't always have the time or budget to get an architect involved! Using live files to guide discussions: Not all clients are "visual" people, so opening their model and orbiting around their space in real time has been extremely helpful. Clients and trades enjoy the perspective views so much that we often include them in the full-sized drawing sets to give a good "overall" view of the project intent. For complex or tight spaces, sometimes un-rendered plans and elevations just aren't enough! 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 Ability to import Revit files and libraries. Ability to export true curved vector linework. There are some workarounds, needs to be refined. Create an OPEN MAPS connection. Since the split from Google, the source for high-quality aerials is limited. Ability to dock all menus to the master window on a Mac Ability to develop dockable menu trays on a Mac Read full review Likelihood to Renew We typically wait a few years in between renewing, as even older versions are powerful tools for modeling, and we make sure the amount of feature changes are worth the re-investment.
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 Support Rating We haven't had to use it for many years, so not able to comment.
Read full review Sketchup is so intuitive; I can't recall ever looking for official support. However, there are many user forums online that can answer more questions. The usefulness of the online forums is, however, tempered by the fact that there have been many versions of the software under different ownership and support regimes, and thus finding the right information for the right version of the software can be a challenge.
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 It's great to give the customer an overview of how a project will look, but it will never replace the information that a blueprint or engineering drawing can convey. SketchUp is great for the casual user or someone who is just getting started in design work. Other high powered software, such as Solidworks or Inventor is more suited for 3D modeling on a regular basis
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 SketchUp has definitely had a positive impact on the customer experience with our company. The model can be generated to give the owner a good idea of the final product before actually committing the resources to complete the project. Having simple models created before the work gets started in the field means that issues with elevations or odd angles can be ironed out beforehand and solved with the design team. This has greatly reduced the rework on our more complex self-perform concrete structures! Read full review ScreenShots