Item: MicroStation
Rating: 7
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with MicroStation

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros and Cons

Pros

roadway and corridor modeling
storm sewer and utility layout
cutting sheets and production
plan and profile annotation

Cons

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

Most Important Features

corridors! We use this feature constantly
surface modeling and triangulation
the inroads add-in for modeling storm sewer and utilities-trickle tool is invaluable

Return on Investment

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.

Alternatives Considered

Autodesk Civil 3D, Revit and SOLIDWORKS

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.

Key Insights

Do you think MicroStation delivers good value for the price?

Are you happy with MicroStation's feature set?

Yes

Did MicroStation live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of MicroStation go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy MicroStation again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Microsoft Teams, InEight, Axiom Software (formerly Axiom EPM)

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.

Using MicroStation

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.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
None	Do not like to use Unnecessarily complex Difficult to use Requires technical support Slow to learn Cumbersome Feel nervous using Lots to learn

Easy Tasks

roadway and corridor modeling
surface creation, surface grading, and triangulation
converting to DWG and other formats

Difficult Tasks

drawing basic features like lines or circles
updating drainage and utility profiles automatically
adding "smart" tables that update automatically when inverts/elevations change

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Comments

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Gerd Eisenacher
commented 2 years ago
You should be comparing apples to apples. Pure AutoCAD is not AutoCAD Civil. There is a Civil flavor of microStation available - as there are versions particularly other crafts. Better go check it out. I could likely write the same review the other way around. I find AutoCADs concepts equally twisted. I started with cad even before CAD (microStation or AutoCAD etc) came to the desktop. Every software has its pros and cons (and there are some things in acad that I would like to see in mS) If months are required to train newbie’s there maybe should be a review. For basic handling our guys we require a couple of days to become productive. For advanced another couple of days later, typically task related. I have also trained lots of acad guys that mostly agreed later on that many things are better on the other side. Also check the things that you additionally get (visualization etc)

Microstation-good for roadway and corridor model, bad for new users