Emerging Trends in Civil Engineering

Unit- 1 Soft Computing Techniques

Software Programs to Know in Civil Engineering: -
These programs help civil engineers in their daily duties – whether it’s modeling pipe networks
or detention/water quality ponds, or making sure they’re staying on schedule, these 10 programs
are fundamental to the job!

If you’re curious about, or interested in joining the field of Civil Engineering, you should
probably be familiar with the following programs. These programs help civil engineers in their
daily duties – whether it’s modeling pipe networks or detention/water quality ponds, or making
sure they’re staying on schedule, these 10 programs are fundamental to the job!
Are you looking for a fulfilling career in Civil Engineering? Check out WGI’s available civil
engineering jobs on our Careers page.

1. Auto Cad Civil 3D: -

Easily the most used program in the industry, Civil 3D is a civil engineering drafting software
with a multitude of design, analysis and simulation tools for civil engineering design. If we’re

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talking high level, we use CAD to create sets of plans known as construction documentation.
From polylines to feature lines, pipe networks to profiles, Civil 3D’s range of tools will allow
you to create innovative and detailed designs. Want to try Civil 3D free for 30 days?

2. HEC-HMS:-
Considered a standard for hydrologic simulation, The Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS)
is designed to simulate the hydrologic process of watershed systems and provides you with
nearly all the drainage values you could need. In the program, you describe the physical
properties of a watershed and the meteorology that act on the watershed during a defined time
span of simulation. The simulation results are easy to understand. Summary tables for each
element are provided including peak flow, total volume, depth and storage values in reservoirs
and ponds, and more.
Developed at the Hydrologic Engineering Center of the US Army Corps of Engineers, HEC-
HMS is made available to the public.

3. HEC-RAS:-
In addition to HEC-HMS, the Hydrologic Engineering Center of the US Army Corps of
Engineers has also created the River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). This program models the
hydraulics of water flow through rivers and channels of many cross sections. This program will
help you determine if water can travel through specific structures (channel, stream, bridge,
culvert, etc…) safely without causing adverse flooding in the area. The system is able to analyze
both steady and unsteady flow, sediment transport computations and water quality components
and is often used for floodplain management with the help of its mapping tools.

4. Microsoft Project:-

Project is Microsoft’s project management tool. It is similar to Microsoft Office, specifically

Excel, with its user interface, making navigating the program easy. Scheduling is very important

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when it comes to managing engineering projects. With the knowledge of basic scheduling
concepts such as activity relationships, critical paths, Gantt Charts, and more, Microsoft Project
will enable you to create detailed schedules to manage your different projects.

5. Storm-CAD:-
Storm-CAD is a modeling and analysis program for drainage system, stormwater and sanitary
sewer design. Civil engineers use it daily to size pipes and structures for a variety of
development projects. Storm-CAD can provide calculations for drainage area runoff, inlet
capacity, gutters and pipe network flow and more. The outputs and custom report generator are
helpful in providing necessary information to ensure your system is engineered correctly. With
GIS and AutoCAD support, importing and exporting between programs makes doing the job that
much easier.

6. SSA:-
Comparable to Storm-CAD is Autodesk’s Storm and Sanitary Analysis (SSA) application. SSA
can also be used to analyze and design drainage systems, storm-water, and sanitary sewers. As
the maker of AutoCAD, Autodesk created SSA as an extension within CAD so that users could
utilize both soft-wares with the ability to import and export back and forth as you update your
design. Whether you need to design/size pipes, detention facilities, or drainage channels, SSA is
a user friendly program that can do it all.
SSA is a feature of Civil 3D. You can try Civil 3D with a free 30 day day trial.

7. Water CAD: -

Water CAD is another Bentley program used for utility design – specifically water distribution
networks. It is a hydraulic model that helps you design improvements such as the sizing and
location of pipes, pumps, and more, using details of the network such as appurtenances and fire
flow data.

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8. EPANET:-
A free alternative to Water-CAD is EPANET. Released by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, EPANET models water distribution systems and will output the flow of
water in each pipe, the pressure at each node, and more. EPANET is free and available to the
public. You can download the program here.

9. Arc-GIS:-
Esri, the Environmental Systems Research Institute, is a supplier of geographic information
system (GIS) software that released Arc-GIS – a mapping platform that civil engineers can use to
create a multitude of exhibits. With data resources such as images, shp files and more, Arc-GIS
allows you to layer information on top of each other. You are able to take utility, property, and
other information, and layer it on top of imagery, street or topographic maps to portray exactly
what you need in a neat and orderly exhibit.

Depending on the information files you are using, ArcGIS has the ability to pull data from them
such as elevations, street names, materials, and more and display it in many useful ways. The
capabilities explained above are only a few of the many this program has! Learn more about
ArcGIS here.

10. Bluebeam:-
Bluebeam’s Revu, or what we just refer to as Bluebeam, is a multi-tool PDF editor that allows us
to create, edit, and markup PDF’s effortlessly. It may sound simple, but being able to easily
combine documents, to quickly redline plans or documents, and to accurately measure and
markup plans no matter the scale is immensely helpful in this industry. Get familiar with
Bluebeam Revu with a free 30 day trial.

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11) Autodesk AutoCAD:-

Today, our job is much easier because of AutoCAD. Maybe your boss is forcing you to use
AutoCAD, or you have to pass a course. But there are other reasons to use it – some of which
may help you pass that course or get home from the office a little earlier.
CAD advantages:
Accuracy:-AutoCAD is equipped for accuracy to 14 critical digits (ask your math professor why
one digit is more significant than another). That’s way more precise than the best manual drafter
could ever be.
Appearance: - AutoCAD-created drawings are cleaner, simpler to use when minimized, and
more predictable than literally drafted drawings.
Reuse. It’s easy to reuse because we can directly copy and paste drawings of other projects.
Scalability:-You draw things full-size in AutoCAD on a boundlessly enormous drawing sheet.
This not only eliminates the possibility of scaling errors as you draw, but it also lets you print
your drawings at any scale.
Sharing work:-Drawing files can be shared with consultants and contractors who can add their
own information without having to redraft the whole drawing.
Distributing work:-Not any more running many prints and having them couriered to clients –
utilizing AutoCAD you can electronically transmit drawings by email or transfer them to
Webspace.
3D benefits:-You’re not limited to 2D space; AutoCAD’s drawing space is three-dimensional so
you can create models of your projects and generate drawings from them.

It is the Computer-Aided Design Software also used for Drafting Purposes. It is served as the
most powerful tool out of this list. It comes integrated with various enhancements such as
AutoCAD Architecture, Civil 3D, Map 3D, Structural Detailing, etc that are useful for Civil
engineers.

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Use:-
1. AutoCAD Architecture Helps architecture to build 3D objects, such as doors, windows
with far more intelligent data.
2. While Civil-3D helps engineers to measure accurate data specific objects following all
the standards of civil engineering representation and calculations.
See how people are using AutoCAD
Prize: $1,288.00 /year

12) STAAD Pro:-

Another Widely Used software available is STAAD Pro that is used for Structural analysis by
civil engineers. It supports over 90 different steel, concrete, timber, aluminum codes which
makes it different from other software. It is Interoperable with various other application to
improve collaboration of various software involved in one project.
It provides various features such as Analytical Modelling, Building Planner, Auto drafter,
Physical Modelling, Advanced Concrete, and Slab Design, Earthquake Mode and much more.
This Tool is much popular because of some of the features available in this software that’s not
available in other ones.
Example:- Earthquake mode served to be a really helpful feature for Civil Engineers as it creates
a recommendation for building the structure in Seismic regions to ensure that structure can stand
strong even after seismic load without collapsing.
This all the features combined make a perfect tool for Civil Engineers.
13) SAFE:-

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From Concrete Floor to Framing, Safe Software creates one Intuitive Environment where
engineers can integrate everything involved in a project and provides unmatched Benefits in all
Aspects. It can Designs the Whole Foundation with ease because of its comprehensive
capabilities.
Importing Options helps to take data from other application and further maximize the work with
ease. It is a nice way to design Slabs, Foundation, Beams, Columns, Walls, Ramps, etc with a
variety of different shapes and types matching your needs.
It also Offers Posttensioning Features that can be added to slabs and beams.
FME Desktop Price: starts from $2,279.40
FME Server Price: $14,284.80
FME Cloud Price: $0.90 /hour

14) RISA:-
The Name RISA also abbreviated as “Rapid Interactive Structural Analysis”, it designs various
structures such as building, structures, stadiums, cranes, etc in a far quicker pace.
Some Integration like Risa Floor, Foundation, Section, Connection can be used for designing and
modelling structures layer by layer.
Benefits:

 Easy to Understand
 Provides Drawing Tools with Advanced Selection.
 Gives Result in a quick.

15) Navisworks:-

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Autodesk Navisworks is a 3D structure collaboration effort that gives us a chance to import
models from different platforms to make an aggregated design. And the last design is a virtual
model where you can explore continuously and make walkthroughs that permit a better
comprehension of our structure expectation.
This virtual model can be allocated to different groups to discover and fix issues, subsequently, it
allows for more productive management and coordination of the project.
Navisworks software can be primarily used by the Industry professionals that enable users to
open, combine 3D Models and navigate around them in Real-Time. Real-Time Navigation helps
you to experience what you have built beforehand. It can be also used to add lightening and
materials to the structure.
pricing starts from $522.11/ Year

16) Autodesk Revit:-

Products of Autodesk used for Modeling. Autodesk is a building information modelling software
for structural engineers to design structure, building, and components in 3D and gives access to
the building information from the building model database. Due to the Revit Rendering Engine,
users can make objects more realistic.
It comes with predefined materials that can be modified as per users’ needs. Modifications can
be done by applying various textures, changing size, shape, brightness, hue, saturation, intensity,
etc.
With the maturity of Revit Architecture in recent years, more and more firms and users are
switching from AutoCAD. General contractors and owners are realizing the potential of BIM and
Revit Architecture and requiring it as a deliverable. Although easy to learn, Revit Architecture is
nonetheless a complicated product, and most advanced users would agree that they learn
something new every day.
See what’s new in the Year 2020
subscription/ year: $1,373.63

7) SAP2000:-

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SAP2000 is a general-purpose software used for civil engineering for designing and analysis of
the structural systems. It is built with various templates that the user can start from and have a
broad range of modelling options.
SAP2000 allows civil engineers to build their design and then it is gone for analysis and then
software tells how the structure will behave under every condition and tells it weaknesses.
The SAP name has been synonymous with state-of-the-art techniques since its introduction more
than 30 years back. SAP2000 follows in a similar convention featuring a refined, natural and
adaptable UI powered by analysis engine for engineers working on, public works, transportation,
and industrial works.
From its 3D article based graphical modeling condition, to the wide variety of analysis and
design alternative totally incorporated across one amazing UI, SAP2000 has demonstrated to be
the most integrated, productive and general purpose structural program on the market today.
Download link
Watch & Learn about the SAP2000 structural analysis and design program
Pricing: starts from 2000 USD

18) SketchUp:-

SketchUp is another software used for drawing purposes for civil engineering designs. It also
allows surface rendering, supports many plugins from the external site called Extension
Warehouse to add more capability. It is available as Paid and Free Versions.
SketchUp is the best design software that gives engineers and designers the adaptability they
have to outline in a 3D world. SketchUp was once viewed as valuable just for preliminary

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schematic designs; however, if you incorporate techniques taught in The SketchUp Workflow for
designing, SketchUp is good to do considerably more.
The design process has been trimmed down into four fundamental stages for SketchUp:
Construction Documents (CD), Design Development (DD), Site Analysis (SA), Schematic
Design (SD).
With SketchUp we can gather a wealth of 2D and 3D information about the site in a very short
amount of time, including site plans, site sections, topography lines, and building context.
Pricing: starts from 119 USD /year

19) eTakeoff software: -

The main task of takeoff is the most tedious and error-prone part of construction cost assessing.
eTakeoff Dimension software and tools quicken the pace of exact takeoffs with modern
gatherings, a protected symbol scan for auto counting, latest database technology, innovative
work breakdown capabilities and that’s just the beginning.
eTakeoff Dimension is so outfitted to simplify how estimators work, even Dodge Data and
Analytics chose their Basic version for use in its designing of rooms.

20) 3ds Max:-

3DS Max is commonly utilized by civil engineers for a 3D perception of their designs. While
AutoCAD can be used for drawing purposes, you can import it to 3DS Max to render
photorealistic representation to it.
Benefits:-
1. It is user-friendly in modelling.
2. Supports Material Editor for editing materials and maps in the scenes.
Autodesk 3ds Max gives designers best rendering technology, simple to-utilize building
architectural materials, improved communication with other tools and software, upgrades to
modeling and tools, and better viewport interactivity ever before.
Each new version of 3ds Max incorporates fresh and exciting tools to enhance your capabilities
and workflow while also increasing the performance of the program on your computer system.
Utilizing these new features is key to improving your skills and decreasing the time it takes to
complete your projects.
New Features and Essential Skills Movies/What’s New and Learning Path

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The new features and additional skills movies are located on the Autodesk website, and an active
Internet connection is required to view them. When you no longer want the dialogue box to
appear as 3ds Max opens, simply uncheck the Show This Dialog at Startup option in the lower-
left corner. The dialogue box can then be opened by choosing Help? Learning Movies from the
menu bar.
Graphite Modeling Tools The new Graphite Modeling tools provide over 100 new modelling
features for organic sculpting, texture painting in the viewports, and advanced polygon
modelling.
Containers Containers are a new toolset within 3ds Max designed to improve project
collaboration and workflows by aggregating multiple objects into containers.

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