Different Software Uses for Roadway Construction
Hello all,
I’m on the contractor side of heavy highway construction. I’ve been in the industry for 5 years and I’ve gotten a little bit of experience in surveying along the way. I am getting more interested in the software surveyors use and wanted to ask a few questions here (hopefully without starting an argument).
I had a situation the other day when our main surveyor was on vacation and I needed to take topo information from a data collector and calculator a fill to finish volume for our road job. Being in a pinch, I downloaded C3D 30-day trial, messed around a little and got a number (waiting on confirmation from our surveyor).
I had downloaded Trimble Business Center HCE before, and was able to load our model on there, and the existing conditions surface. This has been very useful for me, just being able to hover over to see station/offset/elevation. Our company uses all Trimble and we now have a GPS rover and data collector on the project for use by the non-surveyors.
I know our survey staff uses Carlson, I’ve talked a little with the survey manager about that. I’m working on getting a license for C3D from the company. That is one good thing about Autodesk with the remote licenses, I might be able to get access without it costing anyone any money. I have some decent AutoCad experience and C3D was very familiar but didn’t seem as intuitive or simple to use as compared to TBC. Of course I don’t have full access to features in TBC but I still thought even for basic commands it seemed easier to use.
I know Carlson software is highly regarded but that I don’t think I’ll ever have access to.
When you guys build models, is there one software program that stands out for the different trades and projects?
I know this discussion could start a fight but I know that someone can give me an honest opinion on the pros and cons of each platform.
Thanks for any insight!
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