In the computer aided design world there is frequently the debate about which 2D software is better, AutoCAD or MicroStation. There really is no right or wrong answer here as they both do the same thing very well, so often it just comes down to personal preference or what package you have used the most.
In 1990 I did my first City and Guilds in CAD using AutoCAD V10. Back then AutoCAD was pretty simple and it didn’t take too long to master the basics. I extensively used AutoCAD for another 13 years before landing a contract role which required the use of MicroStation.
Having only ever used AutoCAD any other software was going to be a little strange but I was looking forward to trying something different. Unfortunately my initial thoughts about MicroStation were not particularly positive; the fact there was no command bar was something I found highly annoying. MicroStation just felt somewhat backwards to use and what seemed so simple in AutoCAD now suddenly felt a bit of a struggle and at times frustrating.
I spent 6 months drawing electrical schematics and really couldn’t figure out why MicroStation was chosen over AutoCAD. That said, by the time I had got up to speed on MicroStation I dont think I could have drawn them any quicker on AutoCAD.
Having now used MicroStation for many years there are parts of it that I actually prefer to AutoCAD. For example the use of reference files are far better than AutoCAD’s Xrefs and Overlays. Also you can group objects together easily which is incredibly handy for building layouts. So for most civil engineering drawings I would actually prefer MicroStation.
For general engineering drawings though I would still favour AutoCAD because I know so many shortcuts on the command bar and can produce drawings very quickly. I feel AutoCAD focuses more on the drafting process as it seems easier to get the desired results.
In 1993 Autodesk launched AutoCAD LT, a very similar program to AutoCAD but with less capability. This proved a huge success as it was a fifth of the price and had most of the standard 2D commands. Bentley have finally cottoned on to this and have now introduced MicroStation PowerDraft which is a slimmed down version to compete with AutoCAD LT, although LT is still considerably cheaper.
It is worth mentioning that many other applications use AutoCAD as a platform such as AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Revit Structure and AutoCAD Steel, which may favour companies going the Autodesk route. Both Autodesk and Bentley have now ensured that their native DWG and DGN files can be read with either package which is very useful.
AutoCAD LT is currently priced at £414 a year and frankly I think this is an absolute bargain for what you get. I would be more than happy to design pretty much anything with this software. I haven’t used MicroStation PowerDraft so can’t comment on that package. If you are considering buying just a 2D CAD package then it doesn’t make much financial sense to choose MicroStation over AutoCAD LT.
This webpage shows the different terminology for both packages:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-lt/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2018/ENU/AutoCAD-LT/files/GUID-14C18189-3124-4AA2-BCF7-0860460C7F58-htm.html
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