On most road and rail jobs, we’re never dealing with a single alignment. There’s usually a mainline plus ramps, offsets, adjacent tracks, service roads, or platform lines that all need to behave together vertically.
That’s where problems often creep in.
Horizontal relationships are usually under control, but vertical geometry between parallel alignments is harder to keep consistent as designs evolve. A small change to one profile can quietly introduce grade breaks, clearance issues, or mismatched transitions elsewhere—often without being obvious in plan or long section.
Bentley’s Project Vertical Geometry Between Alignments workflow is designed to manage exactly this scenario.
Instead of manually re‑creating profiles, this approach allows vertical intent to be projected from one alignment to another in a controlled, repeatable way. When used properly, it helps keep parallel profiles aligned with the same logic-rather than relying on visual checks or manual edits.
The real value isn’t just speed. It’s about:
Reducing rework when changes inevitably happen
Avoiding subtle inconsistencies that only show up late
Making authority reviews easier to defend
Letting engineers focus on design decisions instead of redrafting
The video linked below walks through the workflow step by step and shows how Bentley handles this natively within its alignment and profile tools.
If you regularly work with multiple parallel alignments in MicroStation, OpenRoads, or OpenRail, this is one of those features that’s worth understanding properly. It can save hours-and avoid some painful surprises later in a project.
▶ Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cs7UcNMXMc
Terrain models are a core part of civil design, and even small improvements in how they’re managed can save meaningful time across a project. This video explores three practical techniques for working more efficiently with terrains in Bentley OpenRoads and MicroStation. Watch the video:https://youtu.be/RpTPMpMiLLg
The first technique covers updating a terrain model using the graphical filter. This approach avoids unnecessary recreation of data and provides a clean way to rebuild a surface directly from selected geometry. It’s particularly useful in workflows where terrain updates are frequent or iterative.
The video then outlines two methods for modifying terrain settings. Adjusting attributes through the Properties dialog allows quick, direct edits, while using element templates ensures consistent presentation and standards compliance across a project. Knowing when to use each method helps maintain both accuracy and visual clarity.
Finally, the video demonstrates how to remove unwanted triangles-such as swipes-using the Delete Triangles by Line tool. It also shows what occurs when new data is added in the same location and how to restore a clean model using the delete option. This helps avoid irregular contours or unexpected triangulation patterns.
These techniques focus on reliability and simplicity, supporting smoother day‑to‑day modelling and helping users produce more predictable, professional terrain results
For years, cross-section annotation in OpenRoads Designer has come with a big condition: “ORD needs to know the features first.”
That’s been a major roadblock for teams working with partners who live outside the Bentley world -GIS departments, surveyors delivering DWGs, asset owners using ESRI services, or planners managing cadastral data in their own systems.
The new EPP Cross-Section Annotation Tool removes that restriction entirely.
You can now annotate any information that Bentley DGN can display in your cross-sections -even if ORD has never heard of it before.
That includes:
GIS cadastral boundaries and property data
AutoCAD (DWG) 2D and 3D strings
ESRI REST services
External 3D models and linework
Any element with accessible properties (levels, line styles, PFI values, custom attributes, item types, etc.)
And it’s not just visual. You can automatically add:
Dimensions and slope labels
Offset and elevation call-outs
Cells placed at meaningful positions
Property labels (e.g. lot numbers, boundary IDs, asset attributes)
All directly onto your cross-sections.
The real change isn’t just in presentation -it’s in workflow freedom.
You’re no longer forced to import, reclassify, or “teach” ORD about external features just to see them in cross-section. If it can be displayed in MicroStation, it can now be annotated in your sections.
That’s a big deal for collaborative projects where design, cadastral, utility and GIS data live in different ecosystems.
Less time converting data. Less time reworking cross-sections. Better information for better engineering decisions.
And ultimately -safer, clearer documentation for the people building it on site.
If you’ve ever had to explain why something didn’t show up in section just because ORD “didn’t know it”… you’ll understand why this one matters.
Here’s the deal: after over 40 years of crafting tools that make civil engineering faster, smarter, and less of a grind, CaddPro is hitting LinkedIn with a bold new chapter. We’re thrilled to launch our CaddPro Company Page and Engineering Productivity Pack (EPP) Product Page, your new go-to hub for infrastructure designers and firms using Bentley’s OpenRoads, OpenRail, OpenBuildings, and MicroStation. Our EPP-a powerhouse of over 250 productivity tools built from decades of real-world experience-is ready to go global, and we’re stoked to share it with you. If you’re tired of repetitive tasks eating up your day, we get it, and we’ve got solutions to make your workflow smoother. Let’s dive into why this launch matters and how our LinkedIn presence will power up your infrastructure projects.
CaddPro: Four Decades of Solving Design Challenges
For over 40 years, CaddPro has been the trusted partner for engineering consultancies, government agencies, and utility providers across Australia, delivering custom solutions that supercharge Bentley software. Our tools have powered major infrastructure projects, from bridges to rail systems, by tackling the toughest design challenges. Recently honored with Bentley’s 2024 Partner Excellence Award for Developer of the Year, we’ve earned our stripes through innovation and a knack for automating complex tasks like bridge geometry. Our close collaboration with Bentley’s team ensures our solutions mesh perfectly with their ecosystem, making us a reliable choice for firms worldwide.
Now, with a fresh name and a global vision, CaddPro is ready to take our expertise beyond Australia. The EPP is the culmination of decades spent solving real problems for designers, built to integrate seamlessly with OpenRoads, OpenRail, OpenBuildings, and MicroStation. Our LinkedIn pages are here to showcase how EPP can transform your projects, share Bentley software tips, and spark conversations with the global infrastructure community. This is about making your work easier and your designs sharper-let’s get started.
Engineering Productivity Pack: Your Workflow Game-Changer
If you’re a civil designer, you know the pain: hours lost to manual annotations, clunky data transfers, or intricate geometry calculations. The EPP is here to fix that. Crafted from years on Bentley projects, it’s a collection of tools that automates the tedious stuff, freeing you up for the creative, problem-solving work you love. Here’s a quick peek at a few features that’ll make you wonder how you managed without them:
Bridge Design Tools: These tools streamline complex bridge design by automating 3D barrier placement, super ‘T’ beam geometry, and solids modeling. You’ll shave days off design time, cut errors, and get detailed reports on taper plates or motor pad levels in minutes, keeping projects on track and reducing rework.
Civil Engineering Tools: From batter ticks to kerb labels and stormwater pits, EPP automates annotations and placements to meet strict standards. It slashes drafting time, ensures compliance, and speeds up delivery, so you can focus on the big picture and keep clients happy.
Excel Integration Tools: No more wrestling with data between spreadsheets and drawings. EPP syncs Excel data seamlessly, importing ranges and placing text directly on your designs. It eliminates manual errors, saves hours, and makes data-driven design effortless.
These are just a taste of EPP’s capabilities. Built to scale with your projects, our tools deliver precision and reliability, whether you’re designing roads, rail, or buildings.
EPP subdivision, parcels of land “geometry annotation” including “analysis-based” thematically displayed attributes
CaddPro LinkedIn page
Why LinkedIn? Your Hub for Tools, Tips, and Connection
Our LinkedIn Company and Product Pages are more than a digital landing spot-they’re a space to connect, learn, and grow. Here’s what you can expect:
Showcasing EPP’s Power: We’ll share demos, screenshots, and real-world stories-like bridge designs finished in half the time or OpenRail annotations done in a snap-to show how EPP boosts productivity
Bentley Software Tips and Tricks: With 40 years of Bentley expertise, we’ll drop practical hacks to get more out of OpenRoads, OpenRail, OpenBuildings, and MicroStation. Think shortcuts for complex geometry or workflow tweaks to beat tight deadlines
Updates That Keep You in the Loop: From new tool releases to company milestones, we’ll keep you posted on how EPP is evolving to meet global infrastructure demands
A Community for Collaboration: This is your space to swap ideas, ask questions, and connect with other Bentley users. Whether you’re tackling a tricky rail alignment or exploring productivity hacks, we’re here to listen and share insights.
EPP has transformed workflows for Australian firms, and now we’re bringing that value to the world. Our tools are robust, scalable, and tightly integrated with Bentley’s platforms-perfect for firms looking to deliver standout projects with ease.
Join the Journey
We’re pumped to launch CaddPro and EPP on LinkedIn, and we want you along for the ride. Whether you’re a designer grinding through annotations or part of a firm tackling massive infrastructure projects, EPP is built to make your work faster and better. Follow our CaddPro Company Page and Engineering Productivity Pack Product Page to stay in the know. You’ll get fresh tips, see EPP in action, and join a community passionate about smarter infrastructure design.
No hard sell here-just an invite to check out what we’re all about. Got a design challenge? Curious about how EPP fits your workflow? Drop a comment, send a message, or hit that follow button to stay connected. Let’s make infrastructure design faster, smarter, and way more fun-together.
