CivilCAD and/versus MicrosurveyCAD

shippy7 · Post by **shippy7** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 4:57 pm

It appears as though I may be called upon to do some new work. I presently have the premium edition of MSCAD. The prospective client (a utility firm with a minimal technical staff) has indicated that I should be considering CivilCAD. I have tried to find some comparison articles on the Web, but to little avail. Could anyone comment on the comparative capabilities of each? Are they complementary? Is there a source of comparative information?

Sorry if this question sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about...you're probably right!
Thanks, Robert

rwhatman · Post by **rwhatman** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:32 am

shippy7 wrote:It appears as though I may be called upon to do some new work. I presently have the premium edition of MSCAD. The prospective client (a utility firm with a minimal technical staff) has indicated that I should be considering CivilCAD. I have tried to find some comparison articles on the Web, but to little avail. Could anyone comment on the comparative capabilities of each? Are they complementary? Is there a source of comparative information?

Sorry if this question sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about...you're probably right!
Thanks, Robert

You gave no details on what you need it for.

I have used both programs.

They stopped updating CivilCAD more then 5 years ago.
I stopped using it because it did not write a DWG file correctly.

MicroSurvey is better if being used in Surveying.

Both programs do Contours well.

MicroSurvey does have a 30 day free trial or it did.
So try it. If you like it, buy it.

shippy7 · Post by **shippy7** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:51 am

Well, your response surprises me a bit...in the context of my web search. Topcon PTY and another firm have several modules (5 or so) of what they call CivilCAD 2006. One of the modules is for piping; one for 3-d display of road modeling. As I indicated in my first post I presently have the premium edition of MSCAD 2005.

CivilCAD does advertise as running in both AutoCAd and IntelliCAD environments! So, is the dwg compatibility you noted still a problem?

Finally, I don't have a lot of detail on why my client prefers it to other applications at this moment. Perhaps it is because CivilCAD has a piping module and this is what the utility does.

Any response?

Robert

Glen Cameron · Post by **Glen Cameron** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:50 am

Looking at the web-site you mentioned, it appears that the last updates issued for version 5.5 were back in 2000. They do mention a version 6.0 but I don't see anything to indicate when that was issued. All of their pages on the web-site have a copywrite dated 2001 so that may be a clue.

I don't see anything telling us what version of DWG it supports. Not allot of details are given, just allot of promotional info.

Other web-sites just seem to repeat the same info.

Cheers,

CHRIS L · Post by **CHRIS L** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 8:05 am

I get around the surveying message boards and around the web alot and this is the first time I've heard of Civilcad......it does appear to have a 6.3 version upon researching it now.

You might want to post the question on www.rpls.com and see if anyone in that board uses the software.......the last post on civilcad on there although was in 2004.....I dont think too many surveyors are using it

Good Luck

Richard Sands · Post by **Richard Sands** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:34 am

I have Civilcad and MSCAD2005. My Civilcad is an old 'Trainer' version that is locked to 300 points - enough for smaller jobs.
They are alive - I was talking to them last week as I was considering upgrading.
Its far above MSCAD in Roadworks/ Drainage- Sewer/ Hydraulics etc. Its dedicated to engineering stuff but with a very strong surveying dimension. The old DOS based program was a bit!! Nothing like MSCAD interface. Being familiar with it (older 5.5 version) I find it easy to work but the new Windows version is (they tell me) vastly improved.
If you want roadworks stuff then you cant really compare it with MSCAD - its out and out an engineering design program. Here in Aus its AU$4500 fully featured.
hope this helps, regards Richard

shippy7 · Post by **shippy7** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:09 pm

Thanks for your responses. I obtained more information today from the prospective client -- the horse's mouth in this case. The actual application is Autodesk's Civil 3D -- not the CivilCAD I had mentioned. A bit of investigation at Autodesk's Civil 3D site indicates that this is a heavy weight (also heavy weight in cost -- ca 7-8K) application.

So appologies for any wild goose chases! However, I do now wonder if anyone has used the Autodesk Civil 3D and it s compatibility with MSCAD. (Perhaps too general a question, n'est pas?)

Thanks again for your contributions.

Robert

MicroSurvey Software Inc.