Seminars AGTEK's Earthwork Software Products
AGTEK Software Products and Our Corresponding Seminars
AGTEK has been developing and marketing innovative earthwork modeling and quantity
takeoff software solutions since the early 1980s. AGTEK's original "Blue
Screen" Sitework Analysis System (circa 1982), its EDGE Sitework
Engineering System (1989), and its Sitework 98/SitePlan
98 products (1998) were all MS-DOS®-based modeling and takeoff applications
(these legacy MS-DOS products are no longer sold or supported by AGTEK and Earthwork
Software Services does not provide training for them).
AGTEK's first Windows® product was actually a field survey and grade-setting/checking
application, the optics-based Graphic Survey (circa 1987), which is no
longer sold or supported by AGTEK. Graphic Survey was replaced by the robust
and versatile Graphic Grade 3D products (1998),
which offered both optical and RTK GPS versions, including GPS machine control versions
(Graphic Grade MC/Super with GPS BladePilot indicate only
and GPS AutoPirate automatic control options). AGTEK retired the
Graphic Grade 3D product line in 2016 (it's no longer
sold or supported) in order to focus attention on its next-generation mobile (smart phone/tablet)
GPS field control applications:
SmartPlan
(basic 2D autonomous GPS site inspection tool),
SmartDirt
(robust 3D autonomous GPS site management tool),
SmartTrack
(autonomous GPS production analysis tool),
SmartGrade
(RTK GPS survey, grade setting/checking tool), and
SmartBlade
(RTK GPS machine guidance tool). Earthwork Software Services does not provide training
for these legacy and current AGTEK field control applications.
Earthwork Software Services' training seminars are narrowly focused on creating,
editing, and manipulating 3D site surface models using AGTEK's Windows-based
Earthwork 3D and Sitework 4D products as detailed below ...
AGTEK 3D Product Family (2002-2015)
[Note: AGTEK retired the 3D product family in 2015 (AGTEK has discontinued
sales, product updates, technical support, and training services for the AGTEK 3D products). AGTEK's ongoing product development efforts are now focused exclusively on the
Gradework 4D platform.]
AGTEK's first Windows-based earthwork modeling and takeoff application was
Earthwork 3D (2002). Earthwork 3D provided various data-entry
methods, including scaled manual digitizing from paper plans and importing DWG, DXF,
DGN, and ASCII PNEZ text files (the ability to import PDF/TIF/JPG/PNG/GIF files could
be added by purchasing AGTEK's PDF
Utility). The
Day 1,
Day 2 and
Day 3 seminars
thoroughly cover Earthwork 3D's surface modeling and quantity takeoff functions.
SiteModel 3D (previously known as Sitework
LT) was a limited-function version of Earthwork 3D which allowed data
entry only by way of importing DWG, DXF, DGN, and ASCII PNEZ text files (the ability
to import PDF/TIF/JPG/PNG/GIF files could be added by purchasing AGTEK's
PDF Utility). SiteModel 3D also
included the ability to export KMZ files for display in
Google Earth.
Scaled manual digitizing from paper plans was not supported by SiteModel 3D.
The Day 1,
Day 2 and
Day 3 seminars
thoroughly cover SiteModel 3D's surface modeling and quantity takeoff functions.
SitePlan 3D was a limited-function version of
Earthwork 3D which allowed data entry only by way of scaled manual digitizing
from paper plans (importing DWG, DXF, DGN, PDF and ASCII PNEZ text files was not supported).
The Day 1 seminar
thoroughly covers SitePlan 3D's surface modeling and quantity takeoff functions;
however, the Day
2 and Day 3
seminars DO NOT apply to SitePlan 3D.
Highway 3D was a specialized add-on earthwork module
for Earthwork 3D and SiteModel 3D which provided additional functionality
for modeling and quantifying linear earthwork projects (highway, rail, aqueduct, etc.).
Highway 3D allowed entry of cross-section, horizontal COGO and vertical COGO
data via the scaled digitizing of paper plans, manual keyboard entry and importing DWG,
DXF, DGN, ASCII text, and (via the PDF Utility)
PDF/TIF/JPG/PNG/GIF files. Our seminars DO NOT address the specialized
functions of the discontinued Highway 3D product (AGTEK's library of Highway 3D training videos is no longer available but the current
Highway 4D videos include many basic functions that are shared with the older Highway product.
SiteModel-Highway was a product that simply combined
SiteModel 3D and Highway 3D (see individual product descriptions above).
The Day 1,
Day 2 and
Day 3 seminars
thoroughly cover SiteModel 3D's surface modeling and quantity takeoff functions
but our seminars DO NOT address any Highway 3D functions.
GradeModel 3D (2008) was a comprehensive modeling
and takeoff product that combined an extended version of SiteModel 3D with
Highway 3D, the PDF Utility,
and the haul planning functions that are still available in the current standalone
Trackwork 4D product. As
with SiteModel 3D, manual digitizing from paper plans was not supported by
GradeModel 3D and data entry was based on imported digital files. GradeModel
3D also included the ability to export KMZ files for display in
Google Earth.
Although the Day
1, Day 2
and Day 3 seminars
thoroughly cover creating and editing 3D surface models with GradeModel 3D (corresponding
to the identical functions of SiteModel 3D and the PDF Utility), our seminars
DO NOT address GradeModel 3D's haul planning tools and our seminars
DO NOT address GradeModel 3D's incorporated Highway 3D functions.
PDF Utility was a purchasable add-on module for
Earthwork 3D and SiteModel 3D (the PDF Utility was included, at
no additional cost, with GradeModel 3D--and it's included with the Sitework 4D
and Gradework 4D products discussed below). This very popular utility enabled
the host 3D software to import and display/process
vector PDF and
raster PDF (plus TIF/JPG/PNG/GIF)
files. With the PDF Utility, vector PDF files could be imported and processed
much like layered CAD files and raster PDF files could be processed via either raster-to-vector
conversion or "heads up" on-screen manual digitizing. Our
Day 1 seminar
documents using the PDF Utility with raster PDF plan sheets and our
Day 2 seminar
documents using the PDF Utility with vector PDF plan sheets.
AGTEK 4D Product Family (2011-Present)
The 4D products provide a number of significant operating advantages over the retired
3D products, including Windows 8/10 compatibility, 32- and 64-bit versions, cloud-based
license (no more lost/broken hardware dongles), improved CAD/PDF import, additional
import/export options (LandXML), cloud-based data sharing, tight integration with
Google Earth, and
more.
Sitework 4D (2011) is the base module of AGTEK's Earthwork 4D
product suite (the Earthwork 4D suite became legacy products in 2024 and will be discontinued at
some near-future date). Sitework 4D's user interface, menus, data organization,
and basic functional procedures are essentially identical to those of Earthwork 3D
(so much so, in fact, that experienced Earthwork 3D users migrating to Sitework
4D are immediately comfortable and productive in the 4D product). Unlike
Earthwork 3D, manual digitizing from paper plans is not supported by the standard
version of Sitework 4D (most 4D users skip it, but a paper digitizing option
can be added to Sitework 4D at additional cost). Essentially all of the
Day 1,
Day 2 and
Day 3 seminar
topics demonstrate and document identical program functions available to Sitework
4D users; however, Sitework 4D includes unique improvements
and functions that are not available in Earthwork 3D and some of these are not
yet addressed in our seminars (see
related FAQ).
Highway 4D is a specialized add-on earthwork module for Sitework 4D
which provides additional functionality for modeling and quantifying linear earthwork
projects (highway, rail, aqueduct, etc.). Highway 4D allows entry of cross-section,
horizontal COGO and vertical COGO data via keyboard entry and importing DWG, DXF, DGN,
LandXML, ASCII text, and PDF/TIF/JPG/PNG/GIF files. Our seminars DO NOT
address the specialized functions of Highway 4D; however, AGTEK offers Highway
4D users a series of self-paced
Highway 4D training videos, as well as a live "hands-on"
Highway 4D Web Training and
Highway 4D Classroom Training options.
Trackwork 4D is an add-on module for Sitework 4D
which combines a comprehensive set of haul planning tools with the ability to analyze
a project's actual haul production (as documented with field-collected autonomous
GPS data) verses the originally anticipated haul production (based on site surfaces
modeled in Sitework 4D). Our seminars DO NOT address the specialized
functions of Trackwork 4D; however, AGTEK offers Trackwork 4D users a
series of self-paced
Trackwork 4D training videos, as well as a live "hands-on"
Trackwork 4D Web Training class.
Other modules in the legacy Earthwork 4D suite of products include
Materials 4D
(detailed length/area paving materials takeoff) and
Underground
4D (detailed storm/sewer/water pipe materials takeoff). Our seminars
DO NOT address the specialized functions of Materials 4D and Underground 4D;
however, AGTEK offers
Materials 4D/Underground 4D training videos for these legacy products.
Gradework 4D
(2017) is AGTEK's current flagship product suite. Gradework offers all the features, functions and module options of AGTEK's
legacy Earthwork 4D product suite, but Gradework includes a long list of new features and seamless integration for the optional
Trackwork and
Materials/Undergound
modules. Gradework also includes the ability to import and process
raw (not down-sampled) point cloud files and full-resolution orthomosaic image files produced
from drone topo surveys (importing and processing drone topo data is not addressed in our seminars
but AGTEK provides
training videos,
web-based training and
classroom training options for this application). All
Day 1,
Day 2 and
Day 3 seminar
topics apply to Gradework 4D users.
