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Revit MEP vs MEP


chelsea1307

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Looking into downloading(student version) and learning one of these but not sure which one I should learn or what the difference is. Any suggestions from users out there?

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Looking into downloading(student version) and learning one of these but not sure which one I should learn or what the difference is. Any suggestions from users out there?

Revit MEP is for mechanical engineering, and it utilized best when you have a completed Revit Architecture model to work with.

 

AutoCAD MEP is for partial engineering, but is more widely used as a much faster, better solution for creating very accurate mechanical layouts that can (1) coordinate in a 3D BIM model and (2) produce very good construction documents for installation/fabrication purposes.

 

My suggestion? Learn both. :)

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Revit MEP is for mechanical engineering, and it utilized best when you have a completed Revit Architecture model to work with.

 

AutoCAD MEP is for partial engineering, but is more widely used as a much faster, better solution for creating very accurate mechanical layouts that can (1) coordinate in a 3D BIM model and (2) produce very good construction documents for installation/fabrication purposes.

 

My suggestion? Learn both. :)

 

Completely agree, not only are you going to learn two very nice programs, but you will also make yourself much more marketable.

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Right now im downloading Revit MEP becuase i thats what my company has a few seats of. still have another hour and 15 mins before it will be done downloading. Ill try MEP next. These downloads take forever

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Right now im downloading Revit MEP becuase i thats what my company has a few seats of. still have another hour and 15 mins before it will be done downloading. Ill try MEP next. These downloads take forever

2 questions: Do you work at an engineering firm, or a contractor? And how often are you getting fully developed Revit architectural models, complete with spaces and UV Values set to walls, etc?

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1. I work at an engineering firm, we do hvac and plumbing design mainly for schools and hospitals.

2. We have a revit model for the project that we are currently using Revit MEP for, i have no idea if its complete with all that stuff or not though

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1. I work at an engineering firm, we do hvac and plumbing design mainly for schools and hospitals.

2. We have a revit model for the project that we are currently using Revit MEP for, i have no idea if its complete with all that stuff or not though

Okay, well here's why I ask:

 

Revit MEP is meant to provide the tools to run mechanical and electrical engineering applications. On the mechanical side of things within Revit, it utilizes Revit Architecture walls and wall types with UV Values, glass/glazing, room volumetric info, calculates btu values for occupancy, geographical location of the building, etc etc and that info can be pulled and used for engineering your mechanical systems. It needs a fully functional and complete Revit Architectural model for this "magic" to happen, and even then the learning curve is steep.

 

So for this particular job that you're talking about, if you just simply need to provide a 3D modeled CAD file for coordination purposes, then knowing AutoCAD MEP will provide MUCH better results since it's faster, it "operates like AutoCAD" so the learning curve isn't that steep at all, and it creates better construction documents ready to plot.

 

Mechanical systems in Revit MEP is for laying out diffusers and registers, then connecting it to ductwork that is then connected to a unit just for engineering data and calculations, and utilizing the Revit architectural model for initial engineering data, instead of using a 3rd party app such as Trane's Trace 700 or something similar. It is not as robust in terms of providing great quality layouts of mechanical systems since this portion of Revit MEP is extremely limited compared to AutoCAD MEP. Plus, Revit MEP is s l o o o o w w w . . . . . . . . . .

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I typed a response and could have swore i hit submit, but its not here.

The bosses want all the drafters to learn MEP they dont know there is two of them. Not so much for the current job because its almost finished but to be able to say next time someone says they want it done in 3d we have ___ number of drafters who can efficiently use the program. I know theres a lot more stuff that can be done if the architects model is created right compared to it not being created right. Im downloading Autocad MEP now to see how it works, It sounds like you think autocad MEP is easier to learn the Revit MEP is that right? Is Revit MEP any easier after Autocad MEP? Any suggestions of good books for learning MEP/Revit MEP?

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I typed a response and could have swore i hit submit, but its not here.

The bosses want all the drafters to learn MEP they dont know there is two of them. Not so much for the current job because its almost finished but to be able to say next time someone says they want it done in 3d we have ___ number of drafters who can efficiently use the program. I know theres a lot more stuff that can be done if the architects model is created right compared to it not being created right. Im downloading Autocad MEP now to see how it works, It sounds like you think autocad MEP is easier to learn the Revit MEP is that right? Is Revit MEP any easier after Autocad MEP? Any suggestions of good books for learning MEP/Revit MEP?

I will say this... Do not compare Revit MEP vs AutoCAD MEP. They are two totally different applications, with two totally different approaches of designing. Revit MEP is not a "drafting" program. And it most certainly is not the "new AutoCAD". Not even close. It honestly sucks, and has HUGE limitations when it comes to drafting and layout of 3D mechanical drawings. It's not meant for that at all. The ONLY benefit is when you strictly utilizes Revit architectural models to pull data to use in calculations - that's the only one between Revit MEP vs AutoCAD MEP. Granted, you don't have to use Revit MEP only in collaboration with a Revit architectural model, but you would be seriously hindering productivity in using it as your new mechanical drafting program for layouts and design and plotting construction documents.

 

Just as a for instance, here at my company if we are engineering a mechanical job, we still do it the manual way using Trane's Trace 700 application, then use AutoCAD MEP to lay out the design. Only when we are REQUIRED via bid contract to provide an engineered Revit MEP file is the only reasons we use Revit MEP.

 

To make things easier, Revit MEP Suite comes with Revit MEP, AutoCAD MEP, AutoCAD Architecture (profile and tools only, not the content), and AutoCAD. It's all rolled into one package so you can use both when needed. This will help you decide because it's essentially the same price to buy, but a little higher in price to maintain the yearly subscription. 8)

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so pretty much it would be use autocad MEP 99% of the time and on the rare occasion everything in the building is put in right use Revit MEP to make calculations but still use autocad MEP to layout the ductwork. Now if i could just get autocad MEP to install on my computer

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so pretty much it would be use autocad MEP 99% of the time and on the rare occasion everything in the building is put in right use Revit MEP to make calculations but still use autocad MEP to layout the ductwork. Now if i could just get autocad MEP to install on my computer

Call your reseller and tell them to bring you a copy of it. Make them salesmen earn their dollar. 8)

 

And yes, I would suggest using AutoCAD MEP all of the time unless required to use Revit MEP. Or, if your company just wants to use Revit MEP then by all means do so. It definitely gets the job done, I'm just speaking of personal experience within my own office. But I am just sort of judging your situation and can understand where you are coming from. I didn't have too much initial input on my questions between the two when I first acquired the programs, but now I have a MUCH better understanding.

 

And use Revit MEP as much as you can to learn it. Because trust me, it'll take every effort to become good at it, and even then you'll feel like you're far, far away from calling yourself an "efficient" Revit user. No joke. :lol:

 

Hopefully all this is helpful in your decision making process. :)

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You've been very helpfull, thank you. I now have Revit MEP installed on my computer (student version) and Autocad MEP is in the installation process. You will probably be seeing me posting in the MEP section in the near future with tons more questions

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You've been very helpfull, thank you. I now have Revit MEP installed on my computer (student version) and Autocad MEP is in the installation process. You will probably be seeing me posting in the MEP section in the near future with tons more questions

I'm working on doing some "quick start guide" tutorials on my website in Flash video format. Give me a week or so. The link will be here..... http://www.tannarzane.com/tutorials/autocadmep/

 

Obviously still not done, but will have at least 2-3 tutorials coming REALLY soon. Of course I'll be doing the same thing for CadTutor.net, but they will be a little more "professionally done". :)

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  • 6 months later...

Hi to the pair of you, Chelsea1307 and StykeFace,

I'm a new member, I'd like to Thank you Stykeface, for your very informative knowledge about the two packages. I am about to embark on a new project inthe middle east, and my boss wants to use Revit..... I don't. I have used Autocad MEP before it became MEP, It used to be called ABS... I shall (now) persuade my company to go down the Autocad MEP route..

As a matter of interest, is Cadduct used in the States?

Thats is quite good easy to use 3d MEP drafting package, used in the UK.

 

Kind Regards

Omega1227

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As a matter of interest, is Cadduct used in the States? Thats is quite good easy to use 3d MEP drafting package, used in the UK.
Yes, it's popular here as well. I wouldn't suggest using it just for 3D.... CAD-Duct is what's known as a "design to fabrication" software and is extremely expensive just for drawing 3D duct.... stick with AutoCAD MEP if you're just creating 3D mechanical shop drawings, you'll save money and effort by doing this.
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