Changing design software is a journey – but doesn't have to be an adventure.
Implementing and learning a new software platform requires significant investment and can be a daunting prospect – to say the least. How do you know when it’s time to make a change? Fortunately, if you're making the transition to MicroStation from AutoCAD, the decision is easy and we make the journey smooth and fast, too.
To help make this decision easier, we are offering a limited-time discount if you switch your CAD software to MicroStation.
Get your move to MicroStation started here.
1. Is your current CAD software holding you back? We offer a better alternative to AutoCAD!
Some of the burdens associated with any software — such as the financial costs — are obvious, and easy to calculate. Others require closer inspection:
Ownership costs.
MicroStation offers both perpetual licenses and subscription licenses of varying lengths to give you more flexibility in your costs.
File interoperability costs.
MicroStation has been developed on a common platform allowing any work completed in MicroStation the ability to be moved on to Bentley’s design and analytical modeling applications for building, civil engineering, plant, and other disciplines — and back again — without a hitch.
Upgrade burdens.
New software features can be a huge productivity boost, but implementing upgrades can be time and labor intensive, so organizations often use the same version for a few years to minimize disruption. Autodesk customers, conversely, are forced to upgrade to new versions shortly after they are released. What is the risk when you’re working on projects that may span 3, 5, or even 10 years?
Bentley lets you use whatever version of the software you need, for as long as you need to. As a bonus, MicroStation CONNECT Edition allows users to learn from within the design environment, and even recommends tools and discipline-specific workflows — reducing the time and risk of getting new users up to speed, and ensuring that all team members continually improve their skills.
Drawbacks of software development priorities.
Decreased vendor focus on a product is another way that software users can miss out over time. You might already be feeling the effects of Autodesk’s growing emphasis on developing industry-specific software tools, such as Revit and InfraWorks, at the expense of AutoCAD.
Bentley, on the other hand, doesn’t have to make such trade-offs, and all customers benefit from enhancements to the common software platform.
The cost of falling behind.
And of course, there is a trend toward advancing into BIM workflows across a wide spectrum of disciplines. Is the answer to abandon your CAD solution and force users to move to BIM-specific software? If you don’t, do you run the risk of losing out on new work because you can’t meet client requirements? Will you miss out on the opportunity to improve your team’s productivity and software expertise?
If you are losing money, wasting time, or missing out on business opportunities because of AutoCAD’s limitations, now is the time to explore making a change — your competition already is.
MicroStation is the CAD of Choice for Infrastructure Firms
• Produce all deliverables with one application
• Explore more design options
• Work with huge data sets
• Rely on native DGN – the file format for infrastructure
2. Is MicroStation right for you?
If the writing on the wall indicates that it is indeed time for your company to look beyond AutoCAD, the next step is to understand whether you and MicroStation will make a good match. As you read through the following questions, consider how many of these factors apply to your situation.
Do you ...
... juggle multiple projects, coordinating input from a variety of contractors, clients, and other outside collaborators?
MicroStation makes it easier to keep track of project-specific files and apply standards consistently with a project-centric environment, standards management and checking tools, and support for a comprehensive range of file formats and data types that you can open, reference, import, save, and export.
... require the ability to extensively customize your software workflows?
MicroStation features advanced handling of extended attribute data, universal database connection support, a customizable user interface, and support for VBA, .NET, C++, and C#.
... regularly take on projects that are demanding due to their large size or complexity?
MicroStation is more stable than AutoCAD when handling large data sets, and better equipped to conquer the interoperability challenges that inevitably arise in large projects, easily integrating multiple file formats from CAD, BIM, and geographic information systems (GIS). In addition, MicroStation’s mesh, solid, and surface capabilities enable users to create geometry of any complexity.
... already work frequently in 3D, or need to transition to more 3D workflows?
Although AutoCAD offers some 3D capabilities, it is primarily a 2D application. MicroStation’s 3D modeling capabilities are more extensive and easier to use.
... frequently work with geospatial data like federal, state, or local maps, SHP data, KMZ, GeoTIFFs in a wide range of coordinate systems?
Although you can import this data into AutoCAD, it’s up to you to transfer it to a common coordinate system and place it in your model in exactly the right spot. MicroStation allows you to automatically snap any geospatial data in any one of hundreds of coordinate systems into its precise position automatically without the risk of errors.
If you answered “Yes” to most of these questions,
then MicroStation may well be the right CAD solution for you!
3. Are you ready to make the switch to your new CAD software?
It’s easier than you think!
It’s all about the data.
MicroStation licenses and uses the authentic RealDWG libraries from Autodesk. So, you can open, reference, and save all your work in MicroStation just like Autodesk products do, with 100% confidence!
Get productive, fast.
MicroStation comes with CONNECT Advisor, an adaptive learning system that delivers hundreds of hours of online help, learning videos, and training courses to your fingertips, right in-application. You can even get real-time tips and advice on how to use the current tool and get recommendations about other tools and workflows for your current task.
Take a shortcut.
You don't need to start over from scratch! You can use your familiar AutoCAD key-ins and use your own PGP files. You can also easily create custom shortcuts to assign tools and macros to specific keys and key combinations.
Help is only a click away
Contact Bentley's MicroStation experts by phone, email, or online 24/7/365 to access online support resources and get help from your peers on Bentley Communities.