Yes, we have problems.
Most of the time, we can give them an Export to Autocad and a LandXML dump of a surface; a lot of the time, that gets the Engineer what he really needs. In fact, we've made that a standard deliverable - we give the client our undestroyed Civil 3D files, along with an Export to Autocad 2007, and a LandXML Export of civil entities, and a CSV dump of Cogo Points. For most people, that works.
It can vary from job to job, though, and sometimes we have more problems than others. It depends on what kind and version of software the client has (and possibly also on how skillful the client is with that software). With some clients, we've had to try multiple times, sending files in various ways, before we finally get something that works.
We've also been more proactive with checking with our clients and making sure they get something that works. We'd hate to give them a survey, and have them say "Edward-James gives us #%*(@&!" simply because they can't use the files easily. And so far, I think we've been pretty successful. Lots of people already hate Autodesk, so we can just blame them. People are used to this, so we then both nod and swap Autodesk rants, sharing our particular pet peeves. Then we can get down to solving the problem.
🙂
On the flip side, Styles in Civil 3D encapsulate a lot of our company standards. They're a pain to set up, and take a long time initially until you get something you're happy with, but then things typically can go very fast. And the results tend to be pretty high quality. We have a number of clients who use us exclusively, because they are so much happier with the quality of the product they get, compared to what they've gotten from others. And that's despite the fact that they have to deal with getting Civil 3D files from us. And despite the fact that we're in a poor economy, and they get low-balled offers from others.
Truth be told, many Surveyors will find it faster and easier to implement Carlson, and get it to the point where you can produce a quality product. But Civil 3D gives you more control over the appearance of what you create. And while Carlson exceeds Civil 3D in some regards, the opposite is also true. For example, Civil 3D Point Styles seem pretty complicated when you first start using them. After a while, though, it becomes difficult to use Cogo Points in other programs, because it's so easy to do so many things with Civil 3D Cogo Points. Of course, that's after you get through the learning curve, and after get your Styles setup, both of which are time-consuming tasks.
Another big thing that bites Surveyors is that this software is different than any other. That means you'll have to change some of your other processes, as well. We typically have a lot of standard procedures designed to provide redundancy and catch errors. With Civil 3D, some of those processes will no longer be valid, and you'll also have to develop new processes to catch new errors you never had to deal with before. This is something most people don't mention when they talk about switching software, but it's important to keep in mind. All in all, though, we've found the transition to be worthwhile, as we are now routinely doing things we never even thought of just a few years ago.
-- Sinc
http://www.ejsurveying.com
http://www.quuxsoft.com
Sinc
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