I need to open a few drawings but they are in Microstation and we use CAD. I can't find a good source to download a free trial. I just need to open the drawings, do some redlines and some minimal hatch markings, save the file and send them back via email. I don't expect the trial version to allow me to plot the drawings out on the plotter.

Anyone know? Not having good luck with Google.

 

www.downloads.com

 

http://www.cimmetry.com/MicroStation_viewer.html <--viewer for microstation, not a free trial, but still get to view the drawings.

No free trial easily found either.

 

If you have MicroStation, you can enter the file and do what ever you need to for 15 minutes at a time, then it kicks you out. There's also a fee viewer from Bentley, I think. Not sure if you can do redlines. Let me check into it.

 

Yeah I need to do redlines. I don't need to change any exisiting drafting done. A viewer would be okay but I could always have my client pdf the file and give me the same thing without the need for a viewer.

I'm trying to avoid having to do that though. The pain in the ass way would be take the pdf of the Microstation drawing, save as a bitmap, make that my background in CAD and then draw on top of it. Trying to avoid that at all costs because I'll lose a ton of resolution and I'm sure it'll end up looking sub-par.

The Fed Gov't is a pain in the ass Why can't they use CAD like the rest of normal people?

 

^^ Because MicroStation is better

Still checking.

 

PM sent.

 

Replied thanks

 

moeronn, mrsteve you guys work for DOT? or Civil companies?

 

Civil company.

 

what field are you in? Transportation, land development?


Im studying Civil Engineering at UF and going for my master in Structures.


you are the second Civil Eng i have met here

 

Nothing to do with transportation.

 

That's why you think ACAD is good.

I work in transportation. Most of my electives in college were structure related, but haven't done any structural design at work.

Structural guys typically fit into the engineer stereotype much more frequently than the roadway folk.

 

You must be out of your mind!

I am an avid AutoCAD user. Use it everyday. Tried Microstation and to me it was a lot harder to use.

 

And if you had hald a mind, you would have been able to figure out how to use MicroStation

MicroStation is much more powerful, flexible and still reads/writes files from previous versions.

 

So does CAD

 

My dad is in charge of the GIS/mapping for our local power company. They use MicroStation, and boy does he have that stuff TRICKED OUT. I was amazed at what you can do with it!

I took many years of AutoCad classes, and know my way around it pretty well. I have to agree with the above poster saying that MicroStation seems a bit hard to use at first coming from AC. It just takes a bit of getting used to IMO, but it's VERY powerful and their support and third party is UNREAL...

 

Your probably right. I have just never had to much experience with it. I know autocad pretty damn well. Plus i use it everyday so im used to the commands. Im sure if i played with it for a while i could get the hang of it. But i can only handle teaching myself one peice of software at a time. Right now im on 3d Studio Max 8.


Did you have any luck fnding the demo?

 

I'm a Civil Engineer.

I learned Microstation so I am a little biased here, but Mircostation is easier to use. V8 Microstion, however, is a little more difficult to use, but you can modify AutoCad drawings in it, which is nice.

 

www.fastcad.com

Free trial DL - will open DWG & convert to DXF/DWG.

I have used MicroStation (Integraph) & AutoCAD extensively. Fast CAD, IMHO, wins hands down. Not as function loaded as the other 2 but it is very fast for line drawings and rendering. The architect left AutoDesk to start Evolution Computing - FastCAD.

 

BL or Miner, Either of you guys know anyone in the San Antonio area needing an Experience Autocad user?

 

^ Try Bury + Partners

Thats my old company in SA