The Benefits of MicroStation 3D Modeling for Infrastructure Projects

MicroStation -- The Unique 3D Modeling Software

MicroStation, Bentley’s solution for engineering, infrastructure, and architecture, was developed in the ’80s and since then has been evolving to become the most advanced CAD tool in the market. The latest versions are released for Microsoft Windows only, but you can run on Mac OS through third-party software. Its capability to be interoperable with almost all platforms makes it the right choice for complex projects. In the following, I’ll cover some of its unique capabilities that you won’t find in other platforms.

MicroStation 3D Modeling Capabilities

You can start a project either from scratch, using a white canvas, or import meshes from point clouds - MicroStation supports point cloud streaming of any scale, and in native format. This ensures you can get started faster and be productive as there are no uploads to third-party software or conversions to be done. 

3D Workflow

Bridging the Gap Between 2D and 3D Workflows


MicroStation can bridge 2D and 3D workflows, improving the clarity of models and drawings, accelerating drawing production with workflows to create and dynamically update drawing extractions that remain up to date as you perform changes in your model. Also, they are uniquely embedded within the models themselves and provide easy navigation back and forth.

MicroStation 3D Modeling

For projects who require expanding your view, MicroStation allows the use of up to 4 monitors simultaneously to give you the ability to use as much screen real estate as you need.

Another interesting productivity feature is the ability to create smart parametric objects with pre-defined variants so that you can get rid of the “guessing game.” How many nearly identical components you have in your CAD library, and how long do you spend finding the right one for the design task at hand? As you’ll have fewer objects in your library, you’ll spend less time searching through and manage. They also include the 3D and various 2D representations of those objects that can be managed and shared in the cloud with project teams along with any associated documents such as specifications.

MicroStation 2D workflow

When using a 3D perspective, MicroStation enables you to start a command (such as placing a line) in one window and snap to a spot in any other view without having to make the view active – This is really useful in 3D modelling to speed up your design workflows.

MicroStation also allows you to reduce the time when creating and updating annotations, reports and schedules and reliably control the consistent display of objects by leveraging their embedded properties. For example, you can easily create annotation that takes its information (like equipment ID) from the associated object. Once created, the annotation stays automatically updated the properties change, eliminating the tedium of manual drafting.

Microstation drawing 1

Stream to Your Team!

For collaborative projects, instead of manually compiling project progress reports or struggling to get everyone using the right projectInfrastructure project design standards, every file can be associated with a shared project, automating project-wide reporting, standards adherence, and simplifying collaboration workflows. MicroStation also possesses advanced referencing capabilities to enable both live referencing (refreshed with a click of a button) and even referencing a drawing to itself for things like detail creation.

Such unique features were developed to make teams collaborate more effectively and be more productive when dealing with repetitive tasks. Also, while MicroStation is powerful enough to design and deliver the world’s largest AEC projects, its flexibility and ease of use make it equally well suited for small-scale projects and can be adopted by organizations of any size. You may not be working with big projects yet, but MicroStation’s scalability means you’ve got the horsepower you need to take on any job.

 

Make Your Projects Stand Out With MicroStation

To summarize, we can say that MicroStation is a tool that can do more for you in your business life than any other platform.

MicroStation gives you the Ability to:

  • Explore more design options
  • Design within real-world context
  • Efficiently collaborate on projects
  • Improve project deliverables
  • Integrate any data type and format

Your Advantages amongst others:

  • Customizable to user needs and multiply workflows
  • Intuitive dialog tools
  • Easy to learn
  • Prepackaged with excellent tools to improve workflows and can emulate AutoCAD and work with DWG files in a MicroStation environment
  • Comes with 2d & 3d tools and some GIS features
  • Backward compatibility of old files, you can open DOS version DGN files from 25 years ago, and they still work in the current version

So, try MicroStation out – it is no doubt the best software working for the development of 3D models.

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