REVIT - Change of heart?

[O Snap!]

Boy am I confused I just found this CADTutor Forum, and I'm enjoying finding all the invaluable information in here. I recently asked the big bosses for approval to go purchase my upgrade to 2006.

I just came back from a "free lunch" hosted by an Autodesk reseller, and the product they were highlighting is Revit.

This was a first for me, as I've never seen a live demo of Revit, and let me tell you, WOW.

I think I'm liking it.

I've already heard a couple comments that basically, once you start using Revit, AutoCad use becomes less and less every day. "You'll never go back", is what a couple Revit users told me.

I'd still like to hear more from anyone with Revit experience.

Your thoughts please?
Thanks,

[Bloodwig80]

havent heard of it.

[f700es]

Well, unless something has changed Revit could not draft worth a crap. They used to bundle LT with Revit when you need to do a quick 2D draft of a detail or something. I say download or order a demo CD and try it but I am just not sold on it yet. Revit used to have high hardware specs/needs as well. You needed to have high end equipment last time I tried it. Maybe they have worked out a few bugs on it.

[O Snap!]

Well, unless something has changed Revit could not draft worth a crap. They used to bundle LT with Revit when you need to do a quick 2D draft of a detail or something. I say download or order a demo CD and try it but I am just not sold on it yet. Revit used to have high hardware specs/needs as well. You needed to have high end equipment last time I tried it. Maybe they have worked out a few bugs on it.

Yeah, I'm not completely sold, but I like what I've seen so far. No kidding on Revit being hardware hungry. I've met Revit users using up to 3gig of RAM.

[Spageddie]

Yep...that's revit alright, it is impressive, the entire back end of it is database driven.
Anything you do reflects the database, you work on part of the project...(Eg make a change in the window schedule and this tranfers thru to the model, the 2D Elevations and any other schedules that are affected...

But it still can't beat plain ol autocad for quick 2D work....hence why they bundeled LT with it....

[maxholer]

for architecture revit is the best...you build an actual model and there are no errors....when i use acad i make sections from the plans and you can screw up if you are not careful

revit does not have good drafting capabilities (as mentioned) but since it is compatible with acad the two are a very powerful tool

i am messing around with it and i think it could speed up work in our office dramatically!

[f700es]

Hi Max, I do agree that it is a powerful application. Just not the answer for everybody. I do residential and I would like to see 1st hand a house done from the foundation up with Revit to make a decision.

for architecture revit is the best...you build an actual model and there are no errors....when i use acad i make sections from the plans and you can screw up if you are not careful

revit does not have good drafting capabilities (as mentioned) but since it is compatible with acad the two are a very powerful tool

i am messing around with it and i think it could speed up work in our office dramatically!

[Galingula]

I've worked as as an account manager for an Autodesk reseller.

Revit is the wip. I had a couple guys who swore, and proved, they could do anything they wanted with revit.

Revit is a bit new, and it gets better every year.

Revit Structure came out this year. Because you're working with a pure database, anything can be plugged into it. The manual drafting will get better.

The downsides...

1. It's a whole new program to learn.

2. The pool of workers out there to choose from tend to be Revit illiterate.

3. Everyone will be using a database driven bit of software to do BIMS with, sometime within the next five years. Those who don't will be like the old guys now who decided never to go to cad. They sit in their rooms sharpening their pencils with no clients.

Database software and the BIM is a bigger revolution than the initial 80k system back in the 80's. Much bigger. No one got a return off the beginning of that revolution, the Revit revolution is much less costly to learn and transition to

[-sun]

I have to say after using revit for a month or two doing a tenent improvement which requires some walls to remain and other to be added this program is very insufficient. There are other problems i see when thinking about doing newer construction projects. When i was first introduced to Revit i was skeptical having used Architectural desktop. This product is very inflexible and in my option not "ready for primetime". It seems as if the program was completely designed without any architectural professionals present.

Sample Case: Doing a toilet room and having to specify Accessiblity minimum and maximum requirements. It is very typical for the actual room dimensions to be either larger than the minimum or smaller than the maximum. However with revit you cannot edit the dimensions without "tricking the system". The common response is to draw it to those dimenions which basically means you have to draw the minimum size toilet room or instruct the contractor without any flexibility with their layouts which is critical considering that plumbing fixutres come in so many different sizes. You might have space for a very comfortable toilet room but you would have to layout the space to the minimum requirements in order to instruct the contract that a toilet may move as long as it is a minimum of 18" off the adjacent wall.

I wish i could add images to further describe what i mean. But this is just one of many scenarios that reinforce my point on this. I will admit that this program is making me re-consider a position at an otherwise excellent firm.

Other issues:

Try viewing the lower level of a buidling in 3D. You have to hide everyting on every floor above that level element by element.

Use phases to delete a portion of a wall or build another wall next to the end of an existing wall. The cleanup will not always work properly and you can't turn off the clean up. You again have to "trick" the software.

Remove a door in an existing opening and try putting a new door of a smaller size in that opening or try to fill that opening with a solid segment of wall. You need this to show the existing demo plan and then the new configuration. This is difficult. YOur elevation will end up with a line that shows that opening that you filled.


These are all real world issues that regardless what the software developers believe, people run into. I wish i had more time to explain this slower, but I have to get back to fighting with Revit. Have a good day everyone.