Connect to the data, AutoCAD Map – Bentley Map

In this post I want to make a comparative between the access’ ways to a database with geospatial platforms from Autodesk and Bentley.

I’ve used for this:

• AutoDesk Civil 3D 2008 (which includes AutoCAD Map)
• Bentley Map V8i

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008	Bentley Map V8i
Connect to: File, connect to Data…	Connect to: Settings, database, connect
AutoCAD concentrates here all the alternatives for connecting with data from: ODBC Oracle ArcSDE MySQL Raster Image o Surface SDF (MapGuide) Shp files SQL Server WFS WMS Additionally from Import it can be accessed to: mif. tab (Mapinfo) ESRI (.shp, e00, E00, ArcInfo Coverages) sdf (MapGuide) GML (gml,xml,gml.gz) and of MasterMap sdts (promote by USGS) vpf, ft (from military standard)	Here, Bentley only maintains connections with databases: ODBC Oracle OLEDB via udl (SQL Server and Oracle) BUDBC (OLE DB, SQL Native, and others from Microsoft) From the Raster manager it can be accessed to this data types: WMS ESRI (mxd y lyr) Other types of rasters, plus formats of AutoDesk but not the same. From Import it can be accessed to: Oracle Spatial (like GIS data) Shp files (like cad file) From Open it can be accessed to: mif. tab (Mapinfo)
	It can’t be accessed to data: WFS (Web feature services) SDF (MapGuide) ArcSDE MySQL Although some of this can be accessed via ODBC.

In general, the two tools have almost the same features, but AutoDesk is more focused on a single connection panel to data services. In the case of Bentley, some of them are from raster manager, import and open.

In this, AutoCAD is in better conditions than Bentley; at least in MySQL, ArcSDE and MapGuide data access, without having to resort to gadgets via ODBC.

And as for OGC standards, AutoCAD takes the advantage of accessing wfs, although it has been leading with wms since time ago, because Bentley makes it only until this V8i version while AutoCAD did it before… note it, I’m not using the 2009 version. Even so, in this there have been left behind both platforms, whereas low-cost or free tools can do well… let alone serve data.

To open or import data, AutoDesk has more than Bentley Map, we put some basic examples but this is not understood how to connect to data because it has to be imported.

In regard to raster formats AutoCAD has less than MicroStation, but the ones who usually stored AutoCAD elevation data, has some of the more common use such as those from ESRI. AutoDesk exceeds the fact to “connect” data, while what Bentley does is to “call reference”. Both are emerging in radar capture, like very few by saying almost nothing.