This is a good article about Bruce Carlson and where Carlson Software is planning to go in the future…
What is Carlson up to?
May 13, 2010
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AutoCAD, BIM, Carlson Software, Civil, Construction, ESRI, GIS, Hydrology, IntelliCAD, Machine Control, Microstation, News, Product Updates, Survey, TakeOff | Tagged: AutoCAD, bentley, CAD, carlson, Civil, Construction, ESRI, GIS, IntelliCAD, microstation, Survey | 
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Posted by Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
Carlson, Civil 3D and Shootouts
August 26, 2009Update 9/12/2009: Much appreciation to James Wedding at www.civil3d.com for extending the Carlson VS Civil 3D discussion to his website. A lot of commentary and good discussion has taken place on both sites. I’ve just posted my response to the comments. Also, as noted at the end of my reply, I am working on setting up a very thorough Shootout between Carlson and Civil 3D. Invitations have been sent, so keep looking for updates.
www.civil3d.com Carlson VS Civil 3D Post
Latest Autodesk Discussion Group Post
Update 9/1/2009: Folks at www.civil3d.com have started a post comparing Carlson to Civil 3D. Link is here. James has a minor detail wrong about my background. As a sole-proprietor, I was never an Autodesk reseller, but I did work for a couple of them before going out on my own. I’ve posted that as a comment and thanked James for starting the thread but, as of a couple hours later, it is still telling me that “Your comment is awaiting moderation”.
Update: Not that the edits, so far, have changed the original Posts too much, but wanted to make everyone aware that the Moderator is revising some of the posts. Mostly, it makes me look like I don’t know grammar and don’t proofread very well.
An interesting discussion has been started on the Autodesk Discussion Group here:
http://discussion.autodesk.com/forums/message.jspa?messageID=6243535#6243535
Harry Ward discusses the shootout between Carlson, Civil 3d and Bentley and several others discuss their experiences and compare their use of the products.
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Posted by Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
BIM is not GIS
August 7, 2009As someone quite entrenched in both disciplines (Civil and Architectural), I’ll add my 2 cents worth on the BIM vs. GIS subject.
In my opinion, BIM and GIS are both “methodologies” rather than “products”. The acronyms each have their own meaning and refer to designing, building, and managing information in a full life-cycle.
Each discipline has its own standards; from CAD standards to design standards (think of AIA vs. AASHTO), but both BIM and GIS rely on correct As-Built data to provide accurate information about their models.
BIM
The National BIM standard states the definition of BIM as:
“BIM is best thought of as a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility…and a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life-cycle; defined as existing from earliest conception to demolition.”
Autodesk has taken the BIM acronym that has provided a great deal of success with their Architectural Modelling packages and applied it to their Civil products as well. Their logic appears to be that its a “3D” product, therefore it is a “BIM” product. I believe that it is irresponsible to change terminology to simply advance product sales.
On the Autodesk Web Site, Autodesk lists a number of products as being “BIM” products:
- Revit
- Navisworks
- Design Review
- AutoCAD LT
- + several more
With the acronym meaning Building Information Modelling (with building being a verb OR a noun), its interesting to see products such as AutoCAD LT and Design Review being shown on the list. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Jon Luby
BIM for Civil… Not
August 6, 2009Several months have passed since I made my original post BIM This, BIM That… What is BIM?. In that time, I have asked a lot more questions, read a lot more on the internet and had a lot of discussions with Ladd and Felicia and also read the post by one of our commenters. I think I’ve developed a more concrete idea about BIM and how it applies, or doesn’t, to the civil/survey world and where the various software packages stand in regard to their “BIM-ability”.
Now, after all this additional information has percolated in my brain, I’m drawing two main conclusions: Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | BIM, Carlson Software, Civil, ESRI, GIS | Tagged: autocad map, BIM, building information modeling, carlson, carlson gis, Civil, civil 3d, ESRI, GIS, map | Permalink
Posted by Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
Carlson Webinars – BIM, GIS and CAD Standards
July 18, 2009Carlson Software recently asked Felicia and me to present webinars on topics we have particular interest in or specialize in.
Felicia’s webinar on BIM, GIS and Carlson Software can be viewed here: BIM, GIS and Carlson Software Webinar
My webinar on CAD Standards can be viewed here: CAD Standards for Carlson Software with AutoCAD or IntelliCAD
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Posted by Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
The Power of LandXML
June 5, 2009The ability to import and export to LandXML has been around for quite awhile, but I still get a lot of curious looks when I mention it in my training classes. So, what is it? And why should you be using it? Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
Engineering, Construction, and BIM
April 18, 2009There have been many articles, discussions, and presentations on Building Information Modeling in the recent months. If you haven’t already heard the basics, this post covers it well. For surveyors, civil engineers, and construction firms, there are two things you should know about BIM and how it will impact your business.
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Posted by Felicia Provencal
BIM this, BIM that… What is BIM?
March 27, 2009Q: What is BIM? And, exactly how does it relate to the civil engineering industry?
A: BIM, by definition, has nothing to do with civil engineering.
BIM stands for “Building Information Modeling”. The term “BIM” originated in the Architectural world and, generally, defines the process of inputting information to and extracting information from a 3D model of a building/facility. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | BIM, Civil, GIS, Hydrology, Survey | Tagged: autodesk, BIM, building, Civil, civil 3d, GIS, Hydrology, information, land desktop, modeling, Survey | Permalink
Posted by Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
Top Myths About Carlson Software
March 27, 2009I’m asked many of these questions on a fairly regular basis and thought it was time to look into some of them and provide the fullest answer I could. Where possible, I’ve researched and found the answer myself. In a few cases I had to rely on Carlson representatives to supply the answers.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
