The software market is growing faster than ever. Every year, new tools flood the market, promising faster workflows, greater efficiency and significant savings. That sounds great on paper, until you actually need to choose one. What used to be a market with only a single solution now has a dozen competing products, all claiming to be the best. So how do you decide?
The swept path analysis market is no exception. Today, there are far more options than there used to be, and the tools themselves have become increasingly advanced. But as civil engineers (and the same applies to architects, traffic engineers, and everyone working in design) we’re creatures of habit. Once we get used to a specific workflow, we stick with it. Over time we get comfortable with the tool’s limitations, we learn its quirks, and we even create our own workarounds, even if they cost us extra time (and occasionally some nerves).
From a developer’s perspective, two questions come up again and again.
1. Why spend a full day on swept path checks when the same work could be done in an hour or two?
It’s a fair question. We live in the 21st century – projects move fast, deadlines are tight, and no one has the luxury of wasting time on repetitive corrections or outdated workflows.
Yet many teams still do exactly that. They edit analyses made of dozens of polylines. They redo the same swept path multiple times instead of simply copying it to a new location. They click obstacle by obstacle, even though selecting a single layer could instantly generate a conflict-detection report.
It doesn’t need to be this way. Modern tools can (and should) automate most of this.
2. Why do companies pay for software that they barely use?
This is especially relevant today, when many industries are feeling the pressure of economic slowdowns. Careful spending matters more than ever, and software budgets are no exception.
Most swept path solutions on the market today are extremely advanced. They support 3D swept path checks, specialized heavy-haul transport, hydraulic-steered trailers, and other highly specific scenarios. That’s useful, but only for the small percentage of teams that actually perform that kind of work.
In most firms, only 10–20% of designers deal with 3D environments or heavy-load simulations. They truly benefit from the full range of advanced features.
But the other 80–90%?
They don’t need that level of complexity for everyday 2D planning. What they need is:
- standard horizontal and vertical swept path checks
- conflict detection
- clear animations
- steering-angle graphs
- vehicle profiles
- accurate and reliable vehicle libraries
A lean, efficient tool handles all of this perfectly well, without the price tag of a heavy, enterprise-level package.
For a larger company with 100+ designers, switching part of the team to a more streamlined solution can easily save tens of thousands of euros every year. That’s not a small number.
Change Is Hard, But Often Worth It
People are creatures of habit. We get attached to the tools we know, even when they no longer serve us well. At the same time, we all recognize that improvements usually pay off in the long run, and software is no different. Switching tools can feel inconvenient at first, but it often leads to better results, fewer frustrations, and faster project delivery.
That’s exactly what we had in mind when designing Kobi Swept Path. We focused on making it genuinely easy to use. Dialogs are logical, workflows are straightforward, and most users can begin running analyses just minutes after installation. No complicated setup, no long training, just a tool that does the job.
Download a 15-day free trial (no credit card required): https://kobilabs.com/free-trial/
Our trial license is free and available to everyone: younger engineers, experienced designers and of course curious students.
Give it a try. You will be surprised how much easier swept path analysis can be!
