Carlson Software

Exactly, I had .bat files to overwrite the fig_pref.db utilized by LDD. You can do the same thing using Windows Exployer. LDD itself only provided the means for one fig_pref.db BUT if you read the help file they provide you with the file name on where said data is kept.

As far as telling which one is current is irrelevant, I'd double click an icon (*.bat file) on my desktop to set current the needed fig_pref.db. LDD would open said file on a as needed basis so you wouldn't have to worry about a sharing violation.

A "power user" is an individual who takes advantage of the customization and programmability of software (see Wikipedia). All software suck and don’t do everything I like. Autodesk provides more tools than Carlson.

We do a lot of work for municipalities. This means a lot of nit picking. An example of such, one agency wanted property corners located to a baseline. They wanted a LEADER with a distance from the property corner perpendicular to baseline. At the baseline they wanted a partial station. By partial station I mean 20+03.26 they wanted +03.26. Obviously, Autodesk or Carlson doesn’t do something this stupid. With LDD, I was able to create a macro and perform this task in a matter of hours. To perform this task with straight Autodesk or Carlson would have taken me days.

Just upgrade to C3D 2010 and everything is pretty comparible. There is a survey database that can be locked down. 2010 now has an intersection module that is pretty awsome. Check out 2010 then compare the software.

Why would I want to spen $7500 for a software package in order to use its survey pull down. In a purely surveying company, purchasing a $7500 software package instead of a $1500 package that does all that I need does not make good economic sense. C3D 2010 is virtual overkill for my needs. A Bently drives much better than a Saturn, but if your goal is simply to go from point A to point B, then the Bently does not make sense. Unless you have more money than you know what to do with. In that case I will be glad to send you my mailing address for any other excess you may have.

I’m a surveyor and I have the Carlson Civil Suite (cost $3500 and does not include the cost of AutoCAD). I do utilize the civil portion as well as the GIS portion; I do not use hydrology though. Also, Carlson Survey does not support the ability to cut cross sections which is a surveyor’s task on this side of town.

I’d prefer Civil3D 2010 on my computer because their data is easier for me to access via in-house programming. An example of a surveyor using civil data for programming would be automated cut sheets for construction stakeout. I had this with LDD, I could easily have this with Civil 3D 2010. Carlson has cut sheets built into the software but it doesn’t suit our needs.