Autodesk Civil 3D vs. Autodesk Tinkercad

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Civil 3D
Score 9.5 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk's Civil 3D is a computer aided design (CAD) application designed to support a variety of civil infrastructure projects including rail, roads and highways, land development, airports, drainage, storm and sanitary, and civil structures.N/A
Autodesk Tinkercad
Score 6.6 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk offers Tinkercad, a 3D modeling and design tool available free for educational purposes. Shapes are the building blocks of Tinkercad. Users can add pre-existing shapes, or import them. To adjust objects, users can rotate the workplane to adjust shapes or change views and input exact dimensions with the ruler. Custom shapes can also be created by combining elements.N/A
Pricing
Autodesk Civil 3DAutodesk Tinkercad
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Civil 3DAutodesk Tinkercad
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsCan be licensed monthly ($305), Annually ($2,430), or every 3 years ($6,560).Available free for one year on a student license.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk Civil 3DAutodesk Tinkercad
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Autodesk Civil 3DAutodesk Tinkercad
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Score 9.9 out of 10
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User Ratings
Autodesk Civil 3DAutodesk Tinkercad
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
(0 ratings)
9.8
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk Civil 3DAutodesk Tinkercad
Likelihood to Recommend
Well suited:
  1. Simple and self-explanatory user interface.
  2. Inter usability between other software such as MicroDrainage and Bentley CivilStorm.
  3. Autodesk customer service.
  4. Easily customizable.
Not suitable: The software is still very resource intensive on the machines and often crashes when too much data is being shown. Though significant improvements have been made in other Autodesk software like Revit, older applications like AutoCAD and C3D seem to be stuck on old, inefficient source codes.
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Tinkercad is such a great program and I would recommend the program to anyone who wants an introduction to a simple CAD program. I have another colleague that is now using it in her classroom due to my recommendation. I have had students start with me in Tinkercad and eventually work their way up in skill and purchase other Autodesk products because of the enjoyment and opportunity that Tinkercad provided.
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Pros
  • Very useful for projects that contain rail alignment in such showing profiles along with the utilities that the rail is crossing it
  • Manage GIS data along connecting the design to documentation in order to support the productivity
  • Provide team coordination along using visualizing, simulation, and analysis that integrates with the design process to improve the delivery
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  • Tinkercad is very easy to use. Most of the 3d design software have steep learning curves.
  • It is compatible with 3d printing. It is a proper tool which gives you solid 3d files needed for 3d printing.
  • Tinkercad is fun to use. There are tones of 3d models created by the community. You could share your designs or even collaborate on designs.
  • Must have tool for STEM teachers. It provides both electronics and coding features in a proper way.
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Cons
  • Specific tools for sewers design
  • Possibility for the users to choose other rainfall data and parameters
  • Possibility to create vertical pipes in gravity networks
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  • The Tinkercad provided projects were upgraded in some aspects but the text for the projects has not and can cause confusion.
  • Tinkedcad works best in Google Chrome on a windows machine but most of my students have Macs and even when using Chrome they run into issues that Windows users don’t
  • Tinkedcad is browser-based but, to have a program that would be tablet compatible would be invaluable. So far it has only really worked on a Surface Pro 3.
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Usability
It is one of the most standard Designing and drafting tools for infrastructure projects and is the go-to for including it with the Autodesk ecosystem. Its strong collaboration with GIS and Other tools helps us to create a software workflow as a digital twin platform as well. The Drawings and plans generated can be easily imported into other applications, allowing for full control over the workflow.
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Support Rating
They have a vast open community, which has helped us understand Autodesk Civil 3D from the beginning. They have provided many templates and tutorials videos to our team due to that we can learn every new feature from them. Autodesk Civil 3D has also helped us to interconnect all its software in an internal bridge, which helps us switch between software as we need.
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Alternatives Considered
Autodesk Civil 3D provides more all-round support in comparison to this software and using a bit of coding and creating connectors, we can easily provide all supports of different software to it. The Development ease for creating plugins for Civil 3D also gives an edge over other software. Other software are also old and a bit outdated in comparison.
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Autodesk Tinkercad is by far the most user-friendly 3D modeling program I have used, especially for basic 3D modeling tasks. MeshLab and MeshMixer have similar functions but are far more complicated to navigate and difficult to use. These programs also tend to crash frequently, which has never been a problem with Tinkercad. The fact that you can use Tinkercad without downloading any software also makes it far more accessible, as you can log into your account and edit your models from any computer. I use 3ds Max for more complex 3D modeling, but for small tasks I always choose Tinkercad.
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Return on Investment
  • It has made design much easier and simplified
  • Drawings are easier to complete
  • Time taken to complete designs and drawings have reduced drastically
  • Multiple people can work on one project at the same time without affecting the entire design/drawing
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  • Autodesk Tinkercad has enabled us to engage our customers further by offering enrichment programs for their children which will help to inspire them into STEM careers
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ScreenShots

Civil 3D Screenshots

Screenshot of Civil 3D - Infrastructure Software from AutodeskScreenshot of Civil 3D - Rail Alignments