Currently, the domestic market offers several BIM platform software options suitable for bridge engineering, including Bentley and Autodesk from the United States, Dassault from France, Tekla from Finland, and Rhino from McNeel.
Bentley
Bentley’s core modeling software, MicroStation, offers powerful 2D and 3D capabilities comparable to various BIM platforms in the market. To maintain data integrity during model conversions, all Bentley products are built on MicroStation, using a unified file format.
GenerativeComponents (GC), Bentley’s derivative design software, allows users to create parameterized components and define relationships between them through programming. By adjusting these parameters, multiple design solutions can be generated quickly, reducing repetitive tasks for designers.
Additionally, Bentley offers OpenRoads Designer and OpenBridge Modeler, specialized for terrain, road, bridge, and tunnel design. Together, these tools provide comprehensive support throughout the entire lifecycle of transportation infrastructure projects.
Autodesk
Autodesk’s AutoCAD is the most widely used software for 2D drawing design in China, while its BIM core software, Revit, is among the most popular 3D modeling platforms in the domestic BIM market.
Autodesk’s derivative design tools include Autodesk Within and Autodesk Dynamo Studio. Autodesk Within targets industries such as automotive, medical implants, aerospace, industrial equipment, and 3D printing lightweighting. Dynamo Studio, a powerful visual programming tool, enables designers to create logical workflows, explore conceptual design parameters, and automate tasks. This allows users to drive geometry and design models through logic-based programming.
In Revit, bridge modeling is centered around creating a parametric family library of bridge components. These models can then be exported for structural analysis in software like MIDAS or ANSYS, enhancing bridge structure design.
Tekla
Originally developed for steel structure design, Tekla stores comprehensive cross-sectional data for steel components and offers modules for designing steel connections, enabling detailed steel structure modeling. Its modeling approach is similar to Revit.
However, because Tekla was initially designed specifically for steel structures and lacks the ability to import external structural models, its capabilities are limited for modeling other bridge types. As a result, it is not suitable for all bridge design projects.
Rhino
Rhino is a 3D modeling software based on generative algorithms. It allows users to create and edit any geometric shape without limitations on accuracy, complexity, or kernel size, and it also includes animation and rendering features. Unlike typical BIM software, Rhino belongs to the same category as 3ds Max and SketchUp, focusing on 3D geometric modeling.
Rhino excels in precision and 3D visualization. Its derivative design software, Grasshopper (GH), operates within Rhino and emphasizes parametric design through programmatic modeling. GH enables automatic model generation based on programmed calculation methods, allowing users to conceptualize logic and create models flexibly. This approach greatly improves modeling speed and quality compared to traditional methods.
However, Rhino-based modeling defines entities through closed surfaces rather than solid objects. For bridge projects that require numerous solid entities, this “hollow body” modeling mainly serves visualization purposes and offers limited support for structural analysis. Therefore, despite Rhino’s strong complex curve modeling capabilities, it is better suited for rendering landmark buildings than for detailed bridge engineering.
CATIA
CATIA is a global leader in product design software, widely used in industries such as aerospace and machinery that demand high precision. Its modeling accuracy surpasses many other BIM platforms, making it well-suited for designing irregular structures with complex surfaces.
While CATIA can be applied to bridge design, it is not specifically developed for the construction industry and has few documented cases in bridge engineering. As a result, no dedicated solutions exist for bridge-specific applications within this software.
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