BricsCAD vs. MicroStation

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BricsCAD
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
BricsCAD is a computer-aided design (CAD) toolkit, supporting 2D drawing, 3D modeling and visualizations, and is customizable as well as compatible with many 3rd party applications, developed by Belgian company Bricsys, a Hexagon company since late 2018.
$590
one-time fee
MicroStation
Score 6.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Bentley Systems offers the MicroStation application and product family as a 3D and 2D modeling and computer-aided design (CAD) solution for engineers and designers.
$250
Per User Per Month
Pricing
BricsCADMicroStation
Editions & Modules
BricsCAD Lite
$590
one-time fee
BricsCAD Pro
$1,265
one-time fee
BricsCAD Mechanical
$1,780
one-time fee
BricsCAD BIM
$1,890
one-time fee
BricsCAD Ultimate
$2,100
one-time fee
Microstation
$250.00
Per User Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BricsCADMicroStation
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BricsCADMicroStation
Features
BricsCADMicroStation
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
BricsCAD
8.4
Ratings
17% above category average
MicroStation
-
Ratings
3D Modeling9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
2D Drafting10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Parametric Design7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization and Extensions7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
User Ratings
BricsCADMicroStation
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
2.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BricsCADMicroStation
Likelihood to Recommend
It is possible to use BricsCAD in a free version over time except that it is considerably reduced in terms of functionality and performance. I especially like the collaboration, import and export features. These tools are important in that they allow you to exchange with the different teams involved in the project to make the necessary changes in time.
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MicroStation is well suited for environments where animation and 3D modelling is required for designs. It perfectly fits into scenarios where Building Information Modelling (BIM) is used. One should avoid this platform if the budget is low and the overall length of the project is not huge.
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Pros
  • 3D Modeling
  • Machine learning / A.I.-assisted feature named PROPAGATE.
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  • MicroStation, as a stand-alone CAD package, is a great plan production tool.
  • MicroStation makes a very good base to build other applications on top of.
  • It has at least, in my opinion, a very easy to use interface.
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Cons
  • there is not full compatibility with dynamic blocks but it isn't so bad -we can create them in AutoCAD and use them to some extent anyway
  • it doesn't look as "sexy" and the interface looks kinda orimitive in some screens but the functionality is all there and the some
  • there is the hurdle of users thinking they are getting a lesser product so more marketing pozazz is needed to get the message over it is a very capable product
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  • MicroStation's graphic interface appears data in comparison to other CAD software.
  • MicroStation has a tendency to crash if not managed properly during design.
  • MicroStation's transportation design component is separated from the main system which causes occasional complications.
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Usability
it's exteremly useable. AutoCAD users will carry over many eisting skills and learn some new ones on the cross over. It's fast adn lightweight meaning ot can be run on just about any PC. The help and support are realy good and problems are usually responded to within a day by experts.
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MicroStation is very hard to use for our newest employees. It is not intuitive, and you need to know where to find the buttons to perform the commands you would like to perform instead of typing in the commands like other similar modeling programs. Also, it has no good traffic turning add-ins. We continue to run ALL our turning in Autoturn, since this is not a usable feature with MicroStation.
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
We haven't had to use it for many years, so not able to comment.
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Alternatives Considered
Very cost-effective solution, it even supports pointclouds natively and is something we will investigate further as time goes on and may in fact utilise it to replace AutoCAD with 3rd party add-ins at some point in the future, and we hope it can further reduce costs in the long-run as it continues to develop and mature.
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Microstation is not intuitive. It is almost impossible for our newest employees to use effectively, and I strongly prefer to start them with Civil 3D, where possible. With MicroStation, you really need to be an intermediate to advanced user to use the program and know where the buttons to do what you want are located. They need to make their program more command based. Things like snapping to a near point or correcting text size universally are not intuitive like they are in Civil 3D or SOLIDWORKS. For other programs you can just type in commands like "LINE" and draw a line. In Microstation, you need to select between a polyline or smartline from the tools>geometry menu. Why does it need to be so complicated? We ONLY use this program, because we are required to deliver our models in the DGN format to our client. Otherwise, we would use Civil 3D for everything.
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Return on Investment
  • yearly subscription/update costs vastly reduced
  • abiity to keep it up to date without bloated updates - the installer is smaller than many typical Autodesk service packs
  • speed
  • scripting/lisp routine suppport by default
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  • Been beneficial in the current office to have a copy for information exchange.
  • Some of the more "die-hard MicroStation users" often do markups in it over our current software.
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ScreenShots

MicroStation Screenshots

Screenshot of Take advantage of built-in support for 100+ common formats and data types for 2D and 3D raster and vector geometry and associated BIM information, including trusted RealDWGScreenshot of Supporting hundreds of coordinate systems and dozens of geospatial data types, users can reliably integrate existing data quickly and confidently.Screenshot of Produce better documentation, faster, with fully integrated 2D and 3D workflows, creating a single integrated model that allows you to view drawings and other model information directly immersed within the 3D modelScreenshot of You can ensure your design intent while speeding modeling with extremely powerful and flexible constraints and a range of solid, mesh, surface, and topological modeling toolsScreenshot of MicroStation's native support for an unmatched range of file formats and data types means you can leverage any data you have to speed drafting and modeling and decision-makingScreenshot of Turn your models into polished professional presentations to win stakeholder buy-in and speed approvals on your design projects.