Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ContextCapture VS SierraSoft Hydro

Compare ContextCapture VS SierraSoft Hydro and see what are their differences

ContextCapture logo ContextCapture

Acute3D develops breakthrough photogrammetry software solutions to automatically turn photos into photorealistic high resolution 3D models

SierraSoft Hydro logo SierraSoft Hydro

BIM software for hydraulic design
  • ContextCapture Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23
  • SierraSoft Hydro Hydraulic BIM design of a pipe
    Hydraulic BIM design of a pipe //
    2025-08-28
  • SierraSoft Hydro Pipes networks
    Pipes networks //
    2025-08-28
  • SierraSoft Hydro BIM design of canals
    BIM design of canals //
    2025-08-28
  • SierraSoft Hydro Canals and intersections customizations
    Canals and intersections customizations //
    2025-08-28
  • SierraSoft Hydro Quantities calculation in BIM
    Quantities calculation in BIM //
    2025-08-28
  • SierraSoft Hydro Final drawings in BIM
    Final drawings in BIM //
    2025-08-28

SierraSoft Hydro is a BIM software for hydraulic design of waterways, canals, ditches, pipes, pipe networks and manholes.

The BIM functions of SierraSoft Hydro allow you to produce, modify, share, and analyze hydraulic information models.

Design and information modeling occur simultaneously with a strong optimization of activities and cost containment.

In one product you have all the tools for design, information modeling and quantities calculation.

SierraSoft Hydro is a powerful software that allows you to integrate land surveying work, infrastructure design and construction within the processes, guidelines and tools used for BIM. Information exchange, information modeling, information analysis, and information verification occur through the functionality of BIM software extensions (SierraSoft BIM Modeling, SierraSoft BIM Exchange an SierraSoft BIM Checking)

With SierraSoft Hydro you can manage big quantities of data. Your projects will have no limits.

SierraSoft Hydro is international by nature and manages different languages (English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French) and several units of measure. You can choose different languages among interface, project data and printouts. So you can work in your favourite language and deliver your work in the language that your client wants.

ContextCapture

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

SierraSoft Hydro

$ Details
paid Free Trial โ‚ฌ870.0 / Annually
Platforms
Windows
Release Date
2022 February

ContextCapture features and specs

  • High-Quality 3D Models
    ContextCapture produces detailed and accurate 3D models from photographs and other data, which is essential for applications in architecture, construction, and urban planning.
  • Scalability
    ContextCapture can handle projects of varying scales, from small objects to entire cities, making it versatile for different types of projects and industries.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The software offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, which helps users, even those with less experience, to start generating models quickly.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    ContextCapture integrates well with other Bentley Systems software and third-party applications, enhancing its utility as part of a broader workflow.
  • Automated Processing
    The software offers automated workflows for processing and generating 3D models, reducing the amount of manual intervention required.
  • Strong Support and Community
    Bentley Systems provides solid customer support and a strong user community, offering additional resources and assistance.

Possible disadvantages of ContextCapture

  • High Cost
    The software can be expensive, making it less accessible for small businesses or individual hobbyists who are budget-conscious.
  • Resource Intensive
    ContextCapture requires significant computing resources for processing large datasets, which might necessitate high-end hardware that not all users have.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic features are user-friendly, mastering the advanced functionalities can take time and effort, especially for less experienced users.
  • Limited Format Support
    The software supports a limited number of input and output file formats compared to some competitors, which can be a limitation for specific workflows.
  • Subscription-Based Model
    The subscription-based licensing model can be a drawback for users who prefer a one-time purchase or may have irregular usage patterns.

SierraSoft Hydro features and specs

  • User Interface: Beautiful and functional
    The ergonomic and refined User Interface of SierraSoft Hydro is focused on the userโ€™s experience. The result is a simple and effective Interface with a wider graphic area and the access to functionalities is natural and more intuitive.
  • Graphic engine: Extraordinarily fast
    Based on the special flexible and very high-performance 3D graphic engine, the CAD of SierraSoft Hydro is extremely fast and convenient, even with huge quantities of vector data and images.
  • Database: A stable base for your projects
    SierraSoft Hydro includes a powerful, stable and high-performance database, with an excellent level of data compression, in order to minimize the used space. The security data is ensured by the backup function and SmartSave, which avoid the loss of information in case of unexpected stop of the software (for example a blackout).
  • Memory manager: Everything you need without waste
    SierraSoft Hydro can use all the memory made available by the Windows 64-bit operating system (64GB). It has an optimized management, which uses just the necessary memory and free memory as soon as possible. The memory management is automatic and smart, in order to make the most of the resources of the computer.
  • Data exchange: Fast and accurate data access
    Through the data exchange functionalities SierraSoft Hydro can directly read and write CAD data (DXG and DXF) and data of other formats such as GIS, TXT without any dependence on other software. Data exchange recognizes the entities present in various files and transforms them into its internal entities by reproducing their information.
  • International: Work without boundaries
    SierraSoft Hydro is international by nature and manages different languages (English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French) and several units of measure. You can choose different languages among interface, project data and printouts. So you can work in your favourite language and deliver your work in the language that your client wants.
  • Parametric engine: Automate the impossible
    SierraSoft Hydro allows you to parameterize complex calculation flows in order to make the management of complex processing operations simple and intuitive.
  • Modification and check in real time
    It is possible to control the design like never before, drastically reduce designing time thanks to 3D real time cross-section on planimetry. By changing a parameter everything is updated automatically. The result can be immediately checked even before creating the final project. Maximum control over the entire design and over every detail.
  • Dynamic engine - The results in real time
    SierraSoft Hydro is equipped with a dynamic processing engine, which combined with the parametric engine allows you to obtain complex results in real time and facilitate all design and modeling activities
  • Stereoscopic engine: Improve accuracy with stereoscopic viewing
    Stereoscopy visualization is integrated into the SierraSoft Hydro CAD system. Hardware interfaces are managed such as: NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards, NVIDIA 3D Vision Steroscopic Glasses, or 3DpluraView stereoscopic stations.
  • Point clouds: Upload and manage point clouds in a very simple way
    SierraSoft Hydro easy handle one or more point clouds of any size. Loading and display are really fast, drawing and extraction functions occur in real time. A special tool โ€œSierraSoft Mass Data Converterโ€ converts LAS, XYZ, PTS, XCF, E57 and DEM GeoTIFF files so that you can manage them with ease.
  • Help: Learning by doing
    SierraSoft Hydro is a powerful software that allows you to integrate land surveying work, infrastructure design and construction within the processes, guidelines and tools used for BIM. Information exchange, information modeling, information analysis, and information verification occur through the functionality of BIM software extensions (SierraSoft BIM Modeling, SierraSoft BIM Exchange an SierraSoft BIM Checking)
  • BIM Software: Modeling, sharing, checking
    SierraSoft Hydro is a powerful software that allows you to integrate land surveying work, infrastructure design and construction within the processes, guidelines and tools used for BIM. Information exchange, information modeling, information analysis, and information verification occur through the functionality of BIM software extensions (SierraSoft BIM Modeling, SierraSoft BIM Exchange an SierraSoft BIM Checking)
  • Mega projects: When size matters
    With SierraSoft Hydro you can manage big quantities of data. Only necessary data are loaded into memory and the ones on the disk are automatically compressed in order to create small files. Your projects will have no limits.

ContextCapture videos

ContextCapture for Beginners: Final Production and Review of the Results

More videos:

  • Review - ContextCapture for Beginners: Importing and Reviewing Your Photos
  • Review - ContextCapture CONNECT Edition Overview

SierraSoft Hydro videos

No SierraSoft Hydro videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ContextCapture and SierraSoft Hydro)
3D
88 88%
12% 12
Architecture
100 100%
0% 0
CAD
0 0%
100% 100
Photos & Graphics
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using ContextCapture and SierraSoft Hydro. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ContextCapture and SierraSoft Hydro, you can also consider the following products

Pix4Dmapper - Photogrammetry software for professional drone-based mapping, purely from images.

SierraSoft Roads - BIM software for the design of roads and highways

Regard3D - Regard3D is a free, multiplatform, open-source structure-from-motion application.

Civil 3D - Civil 3D supports BIM for civil engineering design and documentation for rail, roads, land development, airports, water and wastewater, and civil structures.

RealityCapture - RealityCapture is a software solution which automatically produces high resolution 3D models from photographs or laser-scans.

OpenRoads Designer - A detailed design application for roadway, surveying, drainage, and subsurface utilities that supersede capabilities previously delivered by InRoads and GEOPAK