sinc Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 I actually haven't looked for any, since we've been using C3D for auto-linework for the last three years. And now in C3D 2010, there are more options - we no longer have to use FBK files. So any tutorial created for C3D 2009 or earlier would be out-of-date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Guys one question. Does Carlson support metric system of units? We are located in Europe and interedsted in a road design software. Thanx in advance :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJJ Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Carlson does support metric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJJ Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I've never used Carlson, myself, but the company I work for uses a wide variety of CADD applications for our surveying, civil engineering and land planning. We have an employee who was beta testing Carlson 2010 and we have a few guys who run the 2009 software. The general consensus is that Carlson is awesome. As has already been mentioned, it handles streets and roads much better than C3D, it's easier to deal with your pipe networks and storm drains, and that it's streamlined so that design is just as fast, or faster, than using Civil 3D. It's cheaper to buy licenses for Carlson than for C3D, as well, which is a definate plus. By default, Carlson uses the IntelliCAD engine, but you can also use it over AutoCAD. All of my users are running it with AutoCAD instead of IntelliCAD. The guys who have tried the IntelliCad flavor said it was actually very frustrating to use, and they will only work with the AutoCAD flavor. While ICad is similar to ACAD, it's different enough to be a pain in the neck. I'm not sure if one is "better" than the other, but if you're used to using ACAD (like everyone I know) then you might have some time switching to the IntelliCAD engine, so you'll have to license both Carlson and ACAD for each computer. If you're not a die-hard Autodesk fan, then using the IntelliCad version might be fine for you, and you can save yourself a few bucks by not having to buy a license for AutoCAD. My only real experiences with Carlson has been dealing with their tech support. I had been dealing with Autodesk a lot in the past few months, and I must say that calling Carlson was a breath of fresh air. Rather than sifting through automated menus and speaking to customer support reps who were reading from a script somewhere in some foreign country like I'm used to, I got strait through to a human being (named Dave Carlson) who then connected me to his chief engineers. While I do get a lot of enjoyment dealing with most big companies' overseas tech support fiascos, it was cool to be able to ask questions directly to the people who had written the software. In short, the engineers and draftsmen in my company who have used Carlson are all very happy with the software, but they only run it on the AutoCAD platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Hey CJJ! Thanx for the input! We already have Acad in our firm so yes, the plan would be to run Carlson (if decided to use it) on top of it. I watched their web seminars, and they where quite nice and informative. Could I ask you few question if Carlson can do? The most usual case that we have in our office is that roads usualy change their cross section quite often, from eg. profile 10 -20 you have no retaining walls, then from section 25 you have big retating walls than continue to grow in height. Can custom road templates be crated and used for road design and quantity take-off? Thanx a bunch :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkmcswain Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 It's cheaper to buy licenses for Carlson than for C3D, as well, which is a definate plus. Not really. Already covered that here. Civil 3D retail = $7495 Carlson suite (3500) + AutoCAD (4000) = $7500 The guys who have tried the IntelliCad flavor said it was actually very frustrating to use, and they will only work with the AutoCAD flavor. While ICad is similar to ACAD, it's different enough to be a pain in the neck. I agree for the most part. IntelliCAD has an place in the world, but why would you use a $200 CAD engine with a $3500 survey/engineering package? It's just not up to the task, and will always be "behind the curve" (AutoCAD). My only real experiences with Carlson has been dealing with their tech support. I had been dealing with Autodesk a lot in the past few months, and I must say that calling Carlson was a breath of fresh air. Rather than sifting through automated menus and speaking to customer support reps who were reading from a script somewhere in some foreign country like I'm used to, I got strait through to a human being (named Dave Carlson) who then connected me to his chief engineers. Ha... Dave IS the head programmer... :-) Your comparison of Carlson to Autodesk is valid if you are talking about generic AutoCAD support, but Civil 3D users have access to subscription support which is nothing like you describe. I have used it several times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJJ Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Could I ask you few question if Carlson can do? To be honest, I've never actually used it so I'm not that familiar with its functionality. I'm the IT guy now, not doing any production work, so I only know what my users have told me. I think you'd have better results asking someone on the forum who uses it on a regular basis. Civil 3D retail = $7495 Carlson suite (3500) + AutoCAD (4000) = $7500 That's the point I was trying to make. Carlson IS cheaper, by itself, using IntelliCAD. But I think most people will want an AutoCAD license along with it, which like you said, will cost about the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Can Civil 3d do what I asked in post 65? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinc Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Yes. ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 hmmmmmm... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGAL Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Have a look at www.cadapps.com.au also It runs on top of Autocad its written in Australia hence metric out of box the owner has been in the software business for over 25 years with his former software Civilcad used all over the world. Does lots of powerfull multi alignment stuff as per post 65 automatically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Yes....... Do you know how to do all of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinc Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Yes, but I hope you don't expect me to explain Corridors and QTO in a forum post... There's a lot of info in the Civil 3D Help about it, including some tutorials. Best bet is to dig into it, and then ask questions when you get stumped. There's too much involved to just explain it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Agree :-) Thanx a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dent Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Not really. Already covered that here. Civil 3D retail = $7495 Carlson suite (3500) + AutoCAD (4000) = $7500 I agree for the most part. IntelliCAD has an place in the world, but why would you use a $200 CAD engine with a $3500 survey/engineering package? It's just not up to the task, and will always be "behind the curve" (AutoCAD). Ha... Dave IS the head programmer... :-) Your comparison of Carlson to Autodesk is valid if you are talking about generic AutoCAD support, but Civil 3D users have access to subscription support which is nothing like you describe. I have used it several times. You need to update your figures. The 2010 Carlson Civil Suite lists for $2500 not $3500, thus the AutoCad version is about $1000 cheaper. Just went to a demo of the Civil package and was very impressed in the speed and ease of use. I do not do civil work in Civil3D so I can not make any real comparison, bit I think it would deserve a look, especially at the current price. http://www.carlsonsw.com/PL_CS_CivilSuite.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkmcswain Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 You need to update your figures. The 2010 Carlson Civil Suite lists for $2500 not $3500 You are correct. They must have dropped the price at some point, because at one time, it was $3500. Thanks for the correction. Of course, I doubt anyone is paying $7495 for C3D either, but the same would apply to AutoCAD. It's kind of impossible to compare real costs since what you might actually pay has so many variables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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