If you are interested in Civil Engineering, you need to
familiarize yourself with several civil engineering software programs. Civil
engineers use various programs to help them in their daily duties. They do
everything from modeling pipe networks or water quality ponds to making sure
they stay on schedule. Although there
are various sub-disciplines like transportation engineering and structural
design, there are several civil engineering software programs that are
universal.
The civil engineering software you use the most will depend
on the kinds of projects you are involved in and your specialization.
You will also use different programs as you progress in your
career as an engineer.
To start with, you will use the more technical programs, and
as you progress, you will begin to use programs that focus on project
management.
The list we've put
together below contains programs for civil engineers used most often by every
civil engineer, no matter what phase of their career they are in.
AutoCAD
AutoCAD is likely the most used software program in the
world of civil engineering.
CAD stands for computer-aided design. AutoCAD is drafting
software that's used to prepare construction plans. It can also be used in many
other industries, like surveying, architecture, interior design, electrical
engineering, communications, and many more. This means that learning AutoCAD
will make you very versatile. Autodesk is the company that makes AutoCAD, and
they also make a program called AutoCAD Civil 3D. Along with using drafting
tools, AutoCAD Civil 3D allows you to perform tasks like creating surfaces,
profiles, alignments, and more.
HEC-HMS
HEC-HMS, or the hydrologic modeling system, is considered a
standard for hydrologic simulation. It is used to simulate the hydrologic
process of watershed systems. It also provides you with nearly all the drainage
values you will need. With HEC-HMS, you can describe the physical properties of
a watershed and the meteorology that will act on the watershed during a
specific timeframe in a simulation. The simulation results are easy to
understand, with summary tables for each element, including peak flow, total
volume, depth, and storage values in reservoirs and ponds. Although it was
developed at the Hydrologic Engineering Center of the US Army Corps of
Engineers, anyone can download HEC-HMS.
Revit
Revit is a great program that will extend your Building
Information modeling (BIM).
You can use Revit to design, plan, and construct buildings
and infrastructure elements. And instead of just creating a drawing of the
elements in your projects, you can build 3D models with Revit. You can attach a
lot of information to each element in your model.
After learning how to use Revit, you will have the confidence
to manipulate the data from a BIM model and know how one change to an object on
a model will impact the rest of the design.
STAAD PRO
STAAD PRO by Bentley systems is a program used in the design
and analysis of structures used by many professional civil engineers for
construction projects.
Many structural design engineers choose STAAD PRO for the
steel, concrete, timber, aluminum, and cold-formed steel design of any
structure.
Microsoft Excel
Most civil engineering calculations are performed in Excel,
so it is imperative that you know how to use MS Excel in civil engineering.
You need to have basic Excel skills, but don't worry; you
don't need to become a Microsoft Excel wizard.
If you had to use Microsoft Excel throughout your time as an
undergrad engineering student, you have probably developed enough skills in the
program to get by.
To stay familiar with Excel, you can use spreadsheets in
your personal life. For example, you can create a spreadsheet to organize your
finances or create daily schedules.
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is an excellent project management tool
you should be able to use in civil engineering. Microsoft Project is similar to
many Microsoft Office programs, so it will be easy to navigate. When it comes
to managing engineering projects, scheduling is extremely important.
MicroStation
MicroStation doesn't tax your system resources like RAM, and
MicroStation typically runs pretty light. It's also popular because of its
speedy modeling, viewing, documentation, and visualization of projects. MicroStation
is an easy-to-use program with an easy-to-use interface that you can get the
hang of it pretty fast the first time you use it.
Bluebeam Revu
Bluebeam makes marking up PDFS and managing sheets easier
than if you were using Adobe Acrobat. It also allows you to measure the length
of linear features and determine the area of polygons by using the scale to calibrate
the page. Many civil engineers prefer Bluebeam Revu over Adobe Acrobat. It's a
fairly intuitive program, and you won't need to dedicate much time, if any at
all, to learn to use it outside of work. As a civil engineer, you at least need
to be aware of Bluebeam Revu because it's always good to know as much as
possible about your industry.
SketchUp
There are many remarkable capabilities in SketchUp, especially when you consider its robust extension warehouse. With it, you can utilize pre-built assets from fellow users to speed up the design process.
It also makes the design process extremely easy. With it, you just draw lines and shapes and then push and pull the surfaces to convert them into 3D forms. It can also stretch, copy, orbit, and paint easily and quickly to make anything you desire.
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