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Revit stand alone or Revit Suite Premium or Ultimate


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I need to now should we just get Revit without any other software or should we get a suite that includes AutoCAD and other software?

Do we need AutoCAD to get the 2D shop drawings from Revit?

And we want to get into BIM portion of the world.

Besides the architect having to convert or drawings to work with theirs they want us to supply our parts in a BIM form. I am behind on the BIM world.

 

So here is a little back ground on our Illuminate Handrail work flow.

Now, we (usually) receive pdf's from the client of stairs and a idea of what they want for handrails, they are plan views & elevations, and then in AutoCAD we draw the stairs, nothing fancy and add in the handrails how they can be built and code requirements and add details on attachments and electrical entry points and send to the client, they will make changes and take field measurements, we make any adjustment necessary and then send again for them to sign off on and t`hen we break it down into 2D drawings for the shop to build from.

We want to supply the client with more visually professional drawings, it would be nice to show some 3D view for a better visual of the areas but we need to have basic 2D shop drawings. Some 3D views might help the shop sometimes when we have an unusual corner or bend.

So I have been working on the boss about going to the next level in software and he has been getting feedback from architects wanting to do business with companies that are using Revit as it makes it easier on them since they are already using that software, we now just use AutoCAD and supply 2D drawings.

I don't see use using any of the extra software in the suites other than AutoCAD for now. It would be nice to learn what the other software can do for us. Doing some structural analysis of the handrail before sending to an engineer to do calcs and stamp might save some time.

 

It looks like Autodesk has 70% discount when you get a 3yr subscription and trade in your old perpetual license product. It ends April 22, 2016.

It caught the bosses eye. Finally

 

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Randy

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Get the BIM Suite. It's way more value. You'd rather have the full version of Revit that includes the comprehensive disciplines rather than one of the three. Plus you get AutoCAD and other nifty software.

 

You're in kind of a specialty field so it's less easy to justify your company using Revit. However, my comment to this is: you most certainly can do handrails in Revit, AND the BIM world will greatly appreciate native Revit models. I'd say Inventor would be a great contender for your specialized field, and you have minimal ability to export to a good BIM format type. There may be a better package for you, either a stand alone CAD package, or a 3rd party that sits on top of AutoCAD or Revit that would greatly increase efficiency. I'd actually advise on not completely diving into Revit just yet and exhaust all handrail design and shop drawing options first. It may take six to twelve months to do so. Revit is specifically for buildings and with the inherent intricacy of handrail design, Revit may not be a best fit.

 

Side note: My favorite Revit blogger has covered this topic extensively in terms of the basics. See here: http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2014/01/summary-of-railing-posts.html

 

But yes, 3D views is the way to go. We may be in different fields, but attached is an example sheet of my latest HVAC shop drawing for a client of mine:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4989089/RevitExample.pdf

 

If you refer to the two 3D views on the page, this is actually just a rotated view of the plan view. My shop drawings may have a 2D linework appeal, but they're very detailed under the hood. The information shown in the 3D views are not manually inputted. They are actually populating the size, elevation, name/label, etc. You too could incorporate such bidirectional association with handrails, but it'll take effort to build your specialized content and the information that supports it.

 

I'd do some more research first. BIM doesn't have to exist as Revit. BIM usually exists in other platforms such as Navisworks. Revit is an authoring tool, but many people who's hands are in on a project usually use Navisworks or even web based viewers of 3D models. You'll have to find a balance. You have to balance what software is going to maximize your efficiency AND give the client (GC, architect, etc) a good model that can be used in Revit through native or exported geometry.

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thanks for all of the info tzframpton. I have checked out the blog and will go through more of the info in the near future.

Do you have any feedback about which suite to subscribe too?

The 2 packages I am trying to decide on is the Collaboration Suite (AutoCAD and Revit) or the Premium Building Design Suite which includes (AutoCAD, Architecture & MEP, 3ds Max, Showcase, AutoCAD Raster, ReCap and Navisworks Simulate) I am not sure at this time what the benefit for us would be to have the other included software. I have used AutoCAD Mechanical in the past and liked it and possibly 3ds Max would be nice. It would be nice to put some presentations together for shows.

It is a $230 annual upgrade for the Premium Suite over the other Collaboration Suite. To me it's a no brainer but I'm not paying for it.

Thanks again

Randy

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