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revit mep learning curve from autocad


paul1966

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i work for a contractor who has recently been asked by a major customer to do some hvac layouts in revit, i know my way around autocad very well doing 2d but understand that probably won't help much with revit. the layouts will be for large department stores usually two story the upper being a mezzanine floor. so am i in for a hard time learning new tricks and what sort of time scale before i can handle the layouts for above, i know its down to how much i study, assume its 20hr per week. i have had a look at a demo and it looks pretty daunting. the other option is to sub out the revit work but that's as a last resort.

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We can help you along. It's much, much different though if you're about to dive into Revit as a first time user. Do you need some specific questions answered right away?

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looks like i'm going on a 3 day training course to get me started, i have also ordered a book to help me along, stand by for more questions soon!

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*EDIT* (link removed)

 

nvm, forgot you were meaning Revit MEP. I linked to a book for AutoCAD MEP. :oops:

 

Glad to hear you're moving forward. After the training you might forget a lot of stuff, but keep this board in mind - we'll help you get back up to par and beyond. :)

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i've ordered Mastering autodesk revit mep 2012 by Don Bockmiller, i am quite looking forward to learning Revit. looking at some on-line tutorials the 3D is impressive, this is from someone who has only worked in 2d autocad so i am prepared for a steep learning curve.

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Everyone always relates Revit to 3D. Yes, Revit is a 3D parametric modeling program but that's not what Revit is all about. If you simply want 3D for mechanical designs, then AutoCAD MEP is a much better contender, especially if you consider the out-of-the-box catalog of content you get with it.

 

Revit is collaborative, it's intelligent, it's fully parametric, and technically Revit MEP shouldn't even be used unless there's an architectural model created in Revit to begin with. Most of the time, the reason there's a "steep learning curve" with Revit is because people open the program expecting it to work like AutoCAD. Once you forfeit your AutoCAD knowledge, that's when the learning curve steepness becomes exponentially less aggressive. Just food for thought. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Once you are talking about this issue, one thing that i always ask myself when i open a new Revit MEP version,is why doesn’t Autodesk develop the software to come with some content out of the box, i mean, it's a bit poor in terms of families when you want to create something to impress. The duct fittings are terrible, and most of the time not accurate, not to mention the diffuser that comes with it, a unique model serves for basically everything. I just think that Revit could be much better with a few changes, to attract more people. By the way, now the two softwares are no longer on a same package, do you have any idea why Autodesk decided to sell them separated?

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Families are meant to be created by you, the designer/engineer, so you know it's accurate. Revit isn't all about "models" but also about the information that is tied in with the equipment. If you are using Revit as just a 3D modeling program then you're using it for the wrong reasons as it's much more than that.

 

I agree with ANSI standard fittings, etc. But Revit has been showing vast improvements in adding this type of content in lately. Electrical especially is impressive compared to a few versions ago. In Revit MEP 2013 they are showing Routing Preferences now for piping, which leads me to believe that there will be significant additions to fittings in the piping world. And the duct fittings are accurate enough for me. Not much else to it for standard transitions and taps. Granted, serious offsets and wyes become an issue but Revit doesn't advertise to be a fabrication level software app so it makes sense that it's not strong in this area.

 

Nonetheless, anything that's missing OOTB in Revit can be added if you're willing. ;)

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The entire OOTB experience will no doubt improve very shortly, with a much larger family and component availability, more structured with naming conventions and accuracy. I believe that Autodesks aquisition of cadmep, and the knowledge of the industry with the latter will lead to a much more user friendly interface and greater engineering/co-ordination accuracy. An awful lot of work is being put in, in order to spread the usability of Revit MEP beyond that of it being almost exclusively a design tool. The programme will become, at some point, a one stop shop for design through fabrication, using real world fittings and data.

 

What Styk does have entirely right is that you can add anything you wish to what you already have, almost anything can be created for your own use.

 

Here in the U.K, the government have stated that ALL govt. projects are to be completed using full BIM techniques by 2015. While this does not mean that everybody will be using Revit exclusively, it is through recent experience that this seems to be the software of choice for 90% of Architects. Once all contributors to the project are onboard with Revit, your job becomes an awful lot easier.

 

Revit is massively more than a 3d draughting tool, one thing that it does do, which to each of us here is a massive bonus, is that it put us as Revit users at the center of each and every project on which it is utilised. Things dont happen till we are informed in one way or another. I believe that this is finally a time when CAD Draughters/Engineers/Technicians can finally stand up, be counted and be recognised for the pivotal role that we have always taken within the construction industry, but rarely noticed for. I for one am really excited about the possibilities that BIM as a process can bring to us as a CAD community.

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