Civil engineers have always had a reputation for disliking change. Unfairly or not, they are sometimes seen as being conservative and reluctant to embrace innovation and new ways of working.

But where does this myth come from?  Are they really the grumpy old men and women of the construction world or is the image itself outdated?

It is true that, historically, much civil work has come from the public sector where there have been low profit margins and little budget for investment in advanced technologies, for example. Skills shortages haven't helped either.  Fewer UK graduates mean less young blood and, inevitably, not so many original ideas being injected into the system.

But, of course this perception is totally exaggerated and there are many open-minded and dynamic professionals in the industry. And, in my experience, anyone actually doing a job day in day out will be only too happy to look at  better ways of working - especially if it enables them to get their job done more quickly. 

They are the ones that get stuck in the office on a Friday afternoon when the client asks for a last minute change. Anything that can help them cope with this faster will be welcomed with open arms. Yet, there are still some senior engineers who are protective of traditional ways. And unfortunately, sometimes they are the ones holding the purse strings.

Everyday pressures

Perhaps they are no longer in the loop when it comes to everyday engineering pressures and can't see why there is a need to move on. They may not want the company to use a different solution to the one they are extremely familiar with - it could represent a certain surrendering of control. 

However, even the most traditional among them may revise their ideas when they look at the business benefits of updating to new 3D technology which enables the team to complete design and drafting tasks at unprecedented speed. 

For example, a local council civil design team recently told me that they had completed a project in one quarter of the time using Autodesk Civil 3D than it would have taken them using their previous design software. This was partly because it was quick to experiment with different ideas without going back to the beginning every time.

This is not to say every project can be developed with these drastic time savings but it does give you an idea of the kind of reductions I am talking about.  These solutions can lead to both productivity and quality gains that even the most stalwart senior managers can't help to be impressed by.

So what else can be said to help convince the traditionalists? Solutions such as Autodesk Civil 3D have now been on the market for a couple of years. However, recent releases show a new maturity making investment even more compelling.

Consistent environment

For example, using the latest version of Autodesk Civil 3D, surveying data can be entered directly from a Total Station giving users a consistent environment for importing directly from the instrument into a full 3D drawing.

It also offers, for the first time, a work-in-progress data management solution which provides fast access to project data and reduces the risk of co-ordination errors as modifications occur in the project cycle. This facilitates the organisation of files, distribution of files over a network, version control, check-in and check-out and rollbacks.

One of the big plusses of this solution is that it creates relationships between objects so design changes update dynamically. A change to one part of the design propagates throughout the entire project.

This, combined with the solution's visualisation capability, mean design options can be quickly presented to clients and other stakeholders, so fully involving them in the design process. And, because this capability is totally integrated into the software, it can be used on projects regardless of budget and without fear of corrupting design data through migration to other applications.

The software also helps with volume calculations. Earthworks are often an expensive part of road-building, but working out volumes of material to be removed has always been tedious, repetitive and prone to error. Often local CAD solutions are used, but even the best of these have required some manual iteration to balance cut and fill volumes.

Autodesk Civil 3D includes multiple tools within the product so that different techniques for different types of volume calculations are available. For example, it can calculate volumes of linear objects that follow an alignment such as road excavations, retention ponds, landfill cells and building slabs. Plus, as global kits are available, it can also help outsource work, when the need arises.

However, there is one other feature that could be the clinching factor. Integrated into Civil 3D is the latest version of AutoCAD. This means that users work in a familiar environment so soon feel comfortable. Some find that its time-saving capabilities completely offset the time spent learning the new solution. Consequently, anyone reluctant to change can be reassured that the process is evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

An experienced civil engineer...

One man who doesn't have to worry about anyone else's outdated ideas is Marc Haley. An experienced civil engineer who has worked for some of the big name firms, he now runs his own business, M Design, based in the north east of England.

When Haley first set up on his own he was on the verge of buying an alternative third party application to use with AutoCAD. However, at the last minute, he decided to attend a demonstration at the nearby University of Newcastle where he was introduced to Civil 3D.

"It was far more powerful than anything I'd used before, it could be linked into Micro Drainage -  the drainage design and analysis software - and I could see that it would enable me to make changes far more quickly than before," he says.

The decision was made and now Civil 3D is an integral part of Haley's work and saving time across the board: "I am currently designing the infrastructure for a number of housing developments for David Barlow Homes," he explains. "For example, I've just been working on an eight-house scheme at a small village called Rennington near Alnwick, Northumberland.

"When the client or someone else in the design process wants to make a change, I can do this almost instantly - without this technology it would have taken me hours to go through and change every aspect accordingly.

"Then, when designing the roads, I can build up the whole corridor as opposed to just the central road line - modelling the curves as well as the straight sections. I can also model culverts which I couldn't do before."

As there is a stream running close to the development Haley also needed to calculate whether or not there would be any flood risk to buildings and infrastructure. Usually this would take numerous complex and time-consuming volume calculations, but using Civil 3D most of the work was done automatically. "I was able to create two models to work out potential flood volumes -similar to a cut and fill exercise.  This would have been a very complicated process without Civil 3D."

Haley will also be offering contractors his data with the possibility of this being delivered to them on site via handheld computers. "As contractors get used to the idea of re-using data, I think this will become an excellent way I can add value to my service.

"At the moment they have to type in all the information from the Total Station, but now I can send them an electronic file with everything they need."

It's evident that Haley thinks Civil 3D has helped give him a head start in his new venture. "Using the solution means I can take on as many jobs as I want. I'm now about to start working on a larger development - 52 houses. At the moment, the work keeps coming and Civil 3D gives me the capacity to take advantage of this situation," he says.

Global intake?

From a global point of view, there is every evidence that civil engineering is in a state of flux. Counteracting shortages in the UK is the increase in skilled personnel from an expanded EU and Asia. Some large operations have begun to look in this direction. For example, it was recently reported that 41% of Atkins Global's latest intake of graduates came from outside this country.

But this could mean it's a great time for a real makeover - not just of image but of real results and ultimately the bottom line.  The good news is that it doesn't have to involve pain and upheaval. Just a new attitude and the right technology.