Since Trimble has discontinued Terramodel, I am considering upgrading to Business Center. I know some of you have worked with both, so wanted to get your opinion on it. What will it do that Terramodel doesn't? What does it do better than Terramodel? What does Terramodel do better than Business Center? Will I still be needing to use Terramodel even after learning Business Center? I've messed with it a little, but was pretty much lost.
Right now I use Terramodel to create machine control files for both the old Blade-Pro system (yes we still have it on the trimmer) and GCS 900 we now have on a grader and dozer, for SCS 900 in the controller the grade checker uses, and for Survey Controller in my controller. I also use it for generating cross section plots, overlaying jobs onto aerial photos, digitizing plans, calculating yardage, creating plats of boundary surveys, doing stakeout calculations, etc. Can I do all that in Business Center?
I should say that Terramodel is all I have ever used, for 24 years now. Has always done everything I needed. May be hard to retrain.
Thanks
I have found that using Carlson Survey and Civil works for me. There are a few things Terramodel does that I would like to see incorporated into other packages, but the biggest change with TBC is if you go with the full package, creating subgrade models will be easier than what you have now. I do like the ability to set vertical control points on a line that do not have to coincide with the horizontal points. I only use TBC to write the machine files.
I've never used TM, but am led to believe that it's very competent at handling DTMs and contours. TBC has only rudimentary and cumbersome tools in that realm, so you may find it very frustrating -- even impossible -- to use for your purposes.
I had hoped to be able to use TBC as a replacement for the Eagle Point Surface Modeling and Site Design modules that have gone the way of the dodo. However, I found the breakline generation and management too awkward to use effectively, and the contour management to be very limited.
It's possible that the TBC flavor I have -- the one geared toward surveying -- lacks features found in a more design-oriented version, so my perspective may not be universal. I suggest explaining to your dealer what you want to accomplish and then arranging for a demo of the aporopriate version of TBC. Please let us know what you find out!
24 years?
Do you go back to TerraCad?
Yep, Terracad from Plus 3 in Atlanta. Still have the original box.
I began using TerraModel right after they changed the name.
I've got 1000's of drawings from before 8.41 which I can't open and use anymore . . . unless I find a good(and very old), dos machine, which BTW will run TM8.41/dos without a dongle.
I just did a a large topo of a dam and reservoir and TBC is more powerfull than TM. There are still some things that TBC doesn't have that TM does but I think its all being switched over. It's a totally different interface though so knowing TM doesn't do you much good (probably holds you back). With the integration of the functions from TGO and being able to handle it all in one software I think in the end it will be a great improvement. TBC still lacks much final drafting capability (less than TM which itself was lacking compared to AutoCAD/MS) so maybe they are not even trying to make it do that. But as a way to design with full survey/points/alignments handling capability inside one package I thinks its got it or soon will. So I'm going with TBC and scaling back the use of TM wherever I can. If I want full drafting for the final drawing I'll just convert to dwg/dgn from TBC and go from there.
I haven't got into machine control modeling but I think that is a major focus of TBC. I can see after using the topo modeling functions that the tools are there.
So even though I've been one of those disappointed by the dropping of TM I think TBC is going to be more than a better replacement. Learning any software is a pain for sure but you can either be part of the steamroller are part of the road. So shovel some coal into the boiler and get going. TGO had to stop processing baselines to get me to switch and about a year went by before I really jumped in.
I agree with jim, creating and working with a dtm in tbc using the tools provided is a very slow and painfull, there is no way to flip triangles unless you draw a breakline through everything.
I find it easier to build the dtm in software called modelmaker and export it as a landxml, import it into tbc and then carry on.
I was also hoping that tbc would handle all my dtm needs, but gave up after a few months and went some dedeicated dtm software.
