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MicroStation

MicroStation

Overview

What is MicroStation?

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.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

MicroStation has become an essential tool for teaching interior design to students, offering a practical approach with real-world context. …
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A look at MicroStation

7 out of 10
February 01, 2019
Incentivized
Well, MicroStation doesn't solve any real business problems, we don't have any issues like that per se. But only our department in at …
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Pricing

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Microstation

$250.00

On Premise
Per User Per Month

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.virtuosity.com/product/micr…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Details

What is MicroStation?

MicroStation is a 3D computer-aided design and visualization software for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operation of all infrastructure types. It is used by architects, engineers, design professionals, and draftsmen. The vendor states that from individual professionals to multinational design firms, project teams rely on MicroStation to confidently deliver projects, no matter the scale and complexity.

MicroStation provides a range of capabilities: CAD drawing and design, 3D modeling, visualization, component management and mark up, and collaboration across disciplines. It is designed so users can do everything that they need without flipping back and forth through many different applications. While users don’t need to use the cloud services available within MicroStation, they can use them to advance productivity and competitiveness.

MicroStation Features

  • Supported: Create project deliverables (drawings, models, reports)
  • Supported: Design with true 3D parametric modeling
  • Supported: Enforce project and design standards
  • Supported: Lay out and annotate drawings
  • Supported: Design within the context of 2D and 3D imagery
  • Supported: Produce animations and renderings
  • Supported: Visualize and analyze designs
  • Supported: Work collaboratively on designs with geographically distributed teams

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.

MicroStation Integrations

MicroStation Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported LanguagesCzech, German, English, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese (Simplified)

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

AutoCAD, Onshape, and BricsCAD are common alternatives for MicroStation.

The most common users of MicroStation are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).

MicroStation Customer Size Distribution

Consumers5%
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)25%
Mid-Size Companies (51-500 employees)35%
Enterprises (more than 500 employees)35%
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(23)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

MicroStation has become an essential tool for teaching interior design to students, offering a practical approach with real-world context. Many organizations, including the majority of the US DOT, rely on MicroStation as their main CAD package for design work. Its excellent 2D capability enables quick production of engineering project drawings, while its easy 3D object modeling allows for high-quality engineering drawings. With the inroads add-in, users can efficiently model storm sewer networks and draw basin maps, while leveraging core features for cutting sheets, annotation, and running corridors. MicroStation is particularly favored in transportation design, especially roadway design, by many DOTs and municipalities. It plays a vital role in opening and converting transmitted drawings to ensure readability and usability for team members. Commonly used by transportation design teams, MicroStation serves as the required CAD program for DOT use and is also applied in civil applications like transportation, site, drainage, and structural bridge drawings. While it may not directly solve specific business problems, MicroStation is chosen by departments and offices that require compatibility with their local DOT's use of the software.

Wide range of design alternatives: Users have praised MicroStation for offering a wide range of design alternatives, allowing for a diverse set of options throughout the entire design process. Multiple reviewers have noted this aspect positively.

Comprehensive parametric mesh and surface modeling: Reviewers have commended MicroStation for its detailed approach towards parametric mesh and surface modeling. This comprehensive toolset provided by the software has been appreciated by multiple users.

Streamlined design workflows: The well-integrated modeling workflows in MicroStation have been highly appreciated by reviewers, as they streamline the design process and enhance productivity. Several users have highlighted this aspect as one of the strengths of the software.

  1. Unintuitive workset configuration and design file settings: Users have frequently mentioned that the workset configuration and design file settings in MicroStation are unintuitive and difficult to understand. This has been a common frustration for many users, making it challenging to efficiently set up their projects.

  2. Lack of modern and intuitive design: Several reviewers have expressed disappointment with MicroStation's outdated and non-intuitive design. This can be particularly problematic for beginners who struggle to navigate through the software easily. The lack of a modern interface adds complexity to the learning curve and hampers productivity.

  3. Difficulty managing multiple versions: Many users, especially those working in large organizations, have found it challenging to keep up with multiple versions of MicroStation. This issue becomes more pronounced when different teams or departments within an organization use different versions, leading to compatibility issues and potential inefficiencies in project collaboration.

Users have made several recommendations based on their experiences with MicroStation:

  • Many users recommend using MicroStation for handling different file formats without data loss. They also suggest using it to create CAD and BIM services, as well as providing plan sets to clients.
  • Users find MicroStation to be a valuable tool in the design industry, particularly in the transportation sector. They recommend it for drafting, modeling, and designing purposes. Some users even mention its usefulness in the restaurant industry.
  • Users believe that MicroStation is worth considering for productive and efficient design or manufacturing environments. They suggest using the newest version of MicroStation and comparing it with other CAD software options. Additionally, they recommend being open to rethinking design workflows to take full advantage of MicroStation's capabilities.

Overall, users find MicroStation to be a solid product with good support. They appreciate its easy navigation, user-friendliness, powerful features, and versatility. The integration with ProjectWise is another aspect that users commend.

While acknowledging that MicroStation can be a powerful program that requires time to learn, users highlight its ease of use and advanced 3D features.

Some users compare MicroStation favorably against Autodesk for large complex projects and recommend using it for basic drafting and 2D drawings. They advise taking trainings to overcome any initial difficulties and staying organized to solve smaller issues before they become recurring problems.

While many users feel that MicroStation is a complete CAD software, some suggest considering Solid Works as an alternative due to cost considerations and better training and customer service options.

It is important for users to have a good understanding of the basics before working on more challenging tasks with MicroStation. They also recommend investing time in customizing the software to suit individual needs. Some users prefer the v8i version over the Connect edition, but once users become familiar with it, they find that Connect edition works similarly.

In summary, users recommend MicroStation for its capabilities in handling different file formats, providing plan sets, and supporting efficient design workflows. They also appreciate its ease of use, powerful features, and versatility. However, users suggest considering alternatives like Solid Works and emphasize the importance of training and customization.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-1 of 1)
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Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Microstation is the product we use most often for transportation design-specifically roadway design-at my organization. I use the inroads add-in very often in my position to model storm sewer networks and draw out basin maps, though I also use Microstation's plain jane features for cutting sheets, annotation, and running corridors too. Microstation is the preferred program for most DOTs and municipalities in my region, so this is why I use it over AutoCAD Civil 3D.
  • roadway and corridor modeling
  • storm sewer and utility layout
  • cutting sheets and production
  • plan and profile annotation
  • adding smart tables to the plans is difficult-I always end up using Axiom
  • tying utilities to a surface-rims, grates, and other features typically need to be assigned elevations manually
  • profiles for pipes are difficult to draw and do not update automatically like they would in ssa
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.
  • corridors! We use this feature constantly
  • surface modeling and triangulation
  • the inroads add-in for modeling storm sewer and utilities-trickle tool is invaluable
  • The trickle tool saves us hours of time and headache
  • The surface tracking tool saves us effort, time, and money in running quick calcs and annotation
  • We constantly fight with manipulating text. It takes hours in production time and a lot of effort to force our text to look/print correctly.
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.
Microsoft Teams, InEight, Axiom Software (formerly Axiom EPM)
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.
  • roadway and corridor modeling
  • surface creation, surface grading, and triangulation
  • converting to DWG and other formats
  • drawing basic features like lines or circles
  • updating drainage and utility profiles automatically
  • adding "smart" tables that update automatically when inverts/elevations change
No
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