Ask what construction software actually is and you get two completely different answers, depending on what the person answering does for a living.
Engineers name Revit, ETABS, Tekla. Managers name the systems that track progress, invoices and staff. Both are right, and that is exactly why newcomers get confused.
This article draws the map: which tool belongs to which stage of a project, who uses it, and what order it makes sense to learn in.
Two families that get treated as one
The first family is engineering software. It produces the work itself: models, drawings, analysis results, quantity schedules, programmes. Engineers and architects use it. A wrong parameter here becomes a wrong member on site.
The second family is business management software: contracts, payments, materials, staff, internal approvals. Managers and accountants use it. It draws nothing.
Search for construction software and most results belong to the second family, because that is the market with vendors and advertising budgets. But the people typing that search are usually students or engineers early in their careers, and what they need sits in the first family.
This article is about the first family.
The map across seven stages
The easiest way to remember all this is not to memorise product names. It is to remember what each stage needs.
| Stage | Tools normally used | What comes out |
|---|---|---|
| Survey, earthworks, infrastructure | Civil 3D | Terrain model, alignments, cut and fill |
| Design and modelling | AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit | Plans, building model, design documents |
| Structural analysis | ETABS, SAP2000, SAFE, Robot, Midas Civil | Forces, deflections, reinforcement required |
| Fabrication drawings | Tekla Structures | Cutting, drilling and welding drawings |
| Quantities and cost | Cubicost, local cost-estimating software | Quantity schedules, tender price |
| Programme and coordination | MS Project, Navisworks, Synchro | Programme, clash reports, construction sequence |
| Handover and operation | Common data environment, IFC | As-built records, handover model |
Nobody uses the whole table. An engineer normally lives in two or three cells and only needs to read what the others produce.
Design and modelling
AutoCAD draws in two dimensions. It remains the common language of construction documents in Vietnam: drawings submitted for appraisal and drawings sent to site are still mostly in this form. Everyone has to read it, though not everyone needs to master it.
SketchUp builds massing quickly and belongs to the concept stage. First-year architecture students usually start here before moving to Revit.
Revit is the most widely used building information modelling application in the country. It builds a model and generates drawings from that model, so changing the model changes the drawings. Revit splits into three disciplines: architecture, structure and building services. Which one you take follows your job, not a wish to learn all three.
Civil 3D handles what sits outside the building: terrain, alignments, earthworks, drainage. It differs from Revit in what it works on, not in difficulty.
This is the busiest stage for learners, which is why the Institute's Revit courses by discipline run most often.
Structural analysis
Once a model exists, someone has to check it carries the load. That is the analysis family.
ETABS, SAP2000 and SAFE travel together: ETABS for tall buildings, SAP2000 for frames and trusses generally, SAFE for slabs and foundations. The three differ in the problems they suit, not in raw power.
Robot Structural Analysis belongs to Autodesk, so it exchanges models with Revit in both directions more comfortably than the others.
Midas Civil is for bridges and infrastructure, where moving loads and staged construction enter the problem. That is why it has a course of its own rather than sitting with the building work.
One thing beginners misread: analysis software does not make the engineer's decisions. It returns forces. Choosing the analytical model, and judging whether the results are sensible, stays with the person at the keyboard.
Fabrication drawings
In steelwork there is a layer between the design drawing and what the workshop cuts.
Tekla Structures produces that layer. It models down to every bolt and every gusset, then exports drawings for the shop along with machine files for the cutters. The six-step route from model to fabrication drawings is the substance of steel detailing as a trade.
For concrete, reinforcement detailing and temporary works are modelled too — the subject of the Revit Structure for construction course.
Quantities and cost
This is the stage that decides money, and after design it is the stage most people work in.
Local cost-estimating software — G8, Delta, Eta and a few others — applies norms and unit rates to produce an estimate under current regulations. It is the required tool for anyone pricing work.
Cubicost measures quantities from the model instead of by hand. It takes quantities off the model and is far quicker, provided the model was built properly.
One thing worth saying plainly: software does not replace understanding the work. Quantity take-off is still a skill to learn, because someone who cannot measure by hand cannot tell whether the machine's answer is right. Where to start with cost estimating is a separate question, worth reading before picking software.
Programme and coordination
MS Project builds the programme: breaking down activities, setting what follows what, and finding the chain that decides the finish date.
Navisworks federates discipline models and detects clashes. It is a coordinator's tool, not a modeller's.
Synchro ties the programme to the model so the building rises over time on screen. The usual name for this is BIM 4D, one rung on the 3D to 7D ladder.
At this stage software is only half the job. The other half is procedure: who hands a model to whom, where it lives, which version may be used. That is what a common data environment and a BIM execution plan are for, and it is the work of a BIM Manager.
What to learn, in what order
The map above can make it look like a great deal to learn. The opposite is true: two or three tools used properly in your own stage will keep you employed, while ten tools known slightly will not.
A sensible order for someone starting out:
- Read drawings before learning to draw them. If you cannot read a document set, opening the software tells you nothing about what to build. That is why reading drawings comes first in most learning paths.
- One main tool for your discipline. Structures means Revit Structure plus ETABS. Services means Revit MEP. Construction economics means cost software plus quantity take-off.
- One coordination tool. Navisworks or MS Project, depending on whether you lean technical or programme-side.
- Automation, once the work itself is familiar. Dynamo for anyone tired of repetition, the Revit API for anyone who wants to build tools a whole office can use.
If you would rather see this ordered by job title than by project stage, read what software a graduate engineer should learn first.
Frequently asked questions
How many packages does a civil engineer need?
Two or three used fluently for the main job, plus the ability to read what neighbouring stages produce. Employers ask what you can do with software, not how many names you can list.
Which construction software is free for students?
Autodesk grants a free one-year educational licence through an Autodesk Education account, covering AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, Navisworks and Robot; the full list is on Autodesk's education pages. Trimble grants the same kind of licence for Tekla Structures. Both require current enrolment and study use only.
Do I still need structural theory if I know the software?
Yes, and assuming otherwise is the most expensive misunderstanding in the field. Analysis software returns numbers based on the model you declare. Declare the wrong model and the results still appear, still look convincing, and are still wrong.
Is BIM a piece of software?
No. BIM is a way of working around a model that carries information; Revit and Tekla are tools for working that way. "Installing BIM" is not a thing.
What sort of machine does this software need?
It depends on the package and on model size. Modelling tools are far heavier than 2D drafting. Check the hardware requirements the vendor publishes for the exact version you intend to install, rather than going by an older release.
Online or in a classroom?
Both work; they differ in the discipline they demand and in whether your work is corrected in front of you. The comparison of the two formats goes into that.