Hey everyone! Our company needs to switch from our current design tool since support is ending. We narrowed it down to two options: AutoCAD Civil 3D and Bentley OpenRoads Designer.
I know Civil 3D pretty well but have zero experience with OpenRoads or any Bentley products. They are not common where I work but some companies do use ORD successfully.
We mainly work on road projects, utility networks, and site development for parks and industrial areas. I need to understand how these programs compare in key areas:
Surface modeling - This eats up most of our time. We need clean triangulated surfaces and accurate breaklines. Civil 3D handles this but what about ORD?
Corridor design - How well does ORD handle complex road intersections and transitions? Can it build detailed cross-section templates like Civil 3D assemblies?
Performance - Does ORD run smoothly with large datasets? Any stability issues?
Customization - Civil 3D has great API support and Dynamo integration. What automation options exist in ORD?
File management - How does ORD handle project versioning and data backup?
We will start testing OpenRoads soon so any learning resources or tips would be awesome. Thanks for any insights you can share!
ORD’s solid once u get the hang of it. Surface modeling is faster than Civil3D - the terrain tools are more intuitive. Corridor design can be a bit confusing at first, but its parametric modeling is really strong. Just keep in mind, it’s not like Civil3D, totally different flow.
I’ve used both extensively. ORD crushes Civil 3D when it comes to surface modeling - the terrain model approach is way more solid than Civil 3D’s TIN surfaces. ORD’s parametric corridor modeling also handles complex intersections much better, but there’s a brutal learning curve if you’re used to Civil 3D assemblies. ORD definitely wins on performance with large datasets thanks to its database setup, though you’ll spend time figuring out WorkSets and WorkSpaces for file management. The automation through MicroStation CONNECT and OpenRoads SDK is pretty powerful, but you’ll need different scripting skills than Civil 3D’s .NET API. Bottom line - think about whether your team can handle the workflow change. ORD works completely differently but it’s usually more efficient once everyone gets it.
Interesting choice! What made you narrow it down to these two? Have you thought about how your clients handle file exchanges? Some of our partners had trouble with ord’s dgn format since most people still expect dwg files. Also, how big is your team - how many people would need retraining?