The Advantages and Disadvantages of Revit

Everything You Need to Know About the Revit BIM Software

In recent years, more architects and engineers have made the switch to building information modelling (BIM). The reasons are quite clear. BIM encourages a more collaborative environment. It also has a high focus on sustainability in building design. Firms can use BIM to create more environmentally-friendly buildings. Furthermore, they cut down on much of the manual work. Your teams become more productive, and the BIM method saves money for your firm.

While BIM is a methodology, you also need the right software to implement it. The Revit BIM software is among the most popular. One of the few digital design software packages created with BIM specifically in mind, Revit has helped many firms to make the difficult transition. It allows you to design singular models, and uses cloud computing to ensure every member of your team has access to the information they need.

You may be thinking about making the switch to Revit yourself. If you’ve used AutoCAD before, you may also feel encouraged by the fact that Revit is an Autodesk product. This article aims to give you more information about the Revit BIM software. It will cover the pros and cons of the software, in addition to providing more general information.

 

What is the Revit BIM Software?

As mentioned, the Revit BIM software is a digital design software package. It allows you to create models and drawings, with a focus on the core tenets of building information modelling.

As such, Revit is a design software package. Most architects and engineers have used such packages before, which means the basics of the Revit software should feel familiar to you. The real difference is that Revit places more of a focus on the architectural sector. Where packages like Maya and 3DS Max offer general model design functionality, Revit caters to the specific needs of architects and engineers. Of course, the software also incorporates BIM. You can enter data, which will affect how your models look.

The relationship between your 2D and 3D drawings is a key element in Revit. Other digital design software packages require you to create these drawings separately. In many cases, you’ll use the information in your 2D drawings as the basis for your 3D models. It’s a time-tested process, but it’s one that wastes a lot of time. You have to concern yourself with issues like consistency. If you fail to transfer something from your 2D drawings to your 3D drawings, the quality of the 3D model gets compromised.

The Revit BIM software resolves this issue through the relationship it creates between your 2D and 3D drawings. You essentially have one model, from which you can extract other drawings. For example, you could make a change in the 3D model, and the 2D drawings you extract will reflect that change. The same is true if you change one of the 2D drawings.

This automation lies at the core of the Revit software. It retains the data, and adapts to your changes. As a result, your team saves a lot of time that would have been spent on going through drawings to ensure everything matches up. The Revit BIM software does that for you.

 

Revit BIM Software Advantages

As you can see from the description, Revit offers several advantages to architects and engineers. Many of these benefits come from how closely it integrates with the BIM concept.

However, the software itself also has a few advantages you should keep in mind. Let’s take a look at some of them.

 

Benefit #1 – Parametric Components

Each component you create in the Revit BIM software has parametric qualities. This means your elements are 3D, but you can also modify the associated 2D planes to change the 3D model.

The key here is that the information used to build the model all comes from a single database. Whenever you make a change, that database gets updated. It doesn’t matter where on the model you made the change either. Whatever new information you upload gets used throughout the model. This dynamic modification saves lots of time, plus you won’t run into the conflicts that arise when you try to match the information you have across lots of different drawings.

 

Benefit #2 – No Repetition

The singular database offers several other benefits. One of the most important of these is that it cuts down on the amount of repetition you have to go through when designing your model.

Think about the last model you designed. You probably had floor plans and a general building model. During the design stage, you’d constantly have to go over these designs to make little changes. As soon as you made a change, you’d have to make the same change across all the other drawings.

This is a complex and time-consuming process. Furthermore, it leads to mistakes. If you miss one drawing, you create inconsistencies. Constant repetition lowers your productivity, and creates redundant documentation. The project gets bogged down in paperwork, designs, and models. The Revit BIM software allows you to centralise all that information, eliminating this repetitive work entirely.

 

Benefit #3 – Landscape Design

The Revit BIM software excels when it comes to creating realistic visualisations. Primarily, you’ll place your focus on all the data you enter into the model. This results in the creation of models that incorporate all the data you need to create real-life structures.

However, Revit also allows you to do a lot of the little things that can make your models more appealing to your clients. For example, you can use it to build landscapes around your models.

Think of this in relation to the real-world applications. Your clients will have a location picked out for their buildings. If you can simulate that location in your model, you can give your client a much more realistic visualisation. The Revit BIM software allows you to do that.

 

Benefit #4 – Energy Efficient Design

Sustainable building design is crucial in the modern world. People are much more aware of the effects of their buildings on the environment. As a result, many of your clients will want you to prove that your designs are sustainable. If you can’t, you may find you lose out on their business, even if the design itself is attractive.

This is where the Revit BIM software can help you. It features several analytical tools, which you can use to measure the environmental impact of your models. In particular, the GreenBuild engine will ensure that sustainability is a core component of your design process from the moment you start working on the model.

Now, imagine presenting all this information to your clients. As well as showcasing your design, you can highlight its environmental benefits. Your firm will impress any clients with a sustainability policy.

 

Benefit #5 – No Paper Documentation

The Revit BIM software doesn’t just aid you in creating environmentally-friendly buildings. It also helps you to make your own processes more sustainable.

Remember how Revit cuts down on the amount of drawings you need for your models. That means far fewer printouts. In fact, you don’t need any manual documentation at all. The Revit BIM software automatically records all the information the project needs. You can even use tags and keynotes to access the most relevant information easily.

This makes accessing information child’s play. As importantly, you no longer need to use reams of paper to document the progress of the project. A lot of firms are looking to go paper-free in the modern era, and Revit is a software package designed around that concept.

 

Benefit #6 – The Huge Library

If you’ve used digital design software before, you’ll know that most packages offer access to a library of components that you can pull from when creating your designs. Many architects and engineers will use these libraries for base components, which they’ll then edit so that they suit the specific design.

The Revit BIM software has a library of parametric components. But there’s a nice little twist. It will also store any new components, or edits to its existing components, in its library. This means you can access pretty much anything that you design instantly.

For example, let’s say you’ve built a small chair component. The Revit library allows you to store that chair for future use, as well as to duplicate it in your current model. As a result, you get access to a huge component library, which only grows as you design and edit more components.

 

Revit BIM Software Disadvantages

As you can see, there are a lot of benefits to using the Revit BIM software. However, it’s not perfect.

As with all digital design software packages, you have to consider the needs of your business before you invest. For example, Revit may not suit your purposes if you don’t adopt the BIM methodology.

With that in mind, let’s look at a few of the disadvantages of the software.

 

Disadvantage #1 – The Heavy Focus on Structural Design

While Revit’s focus on accuracy is one of its biggest highlights, it does take away from some other areas of the software. For example, other digital design software packages tend to create more fleshed out models. This is because they have access to more general design tools, such as commands and meshes, that aren’t built into the Revit package.

This means Revit is primarily a tool for providing insight into a project, and getting the prototyping completed accurate. Alternatively, you may be able to use rendering software to make your Revit models stand out.

 

Disadvantage #2 – Difficult Perspective Editing

While the Revit BIM software will prove useful for architects and engineers, interior designers may find themselves feeling frustrated. This is because Revit isn’t the easiest software to use if you want to work on building interiors from a different perspective.

Revit has a default isometric perspective, which can make it hard to see the planes that it doesn’t show. Yes, you can rely on the software to make changes automatically. However, many people prefer to have more flexibility in their digital design software packages. You may find it difficult to edit from the perspective you want.

 

Disadvantage #3 – Its Popularity Level

Revit has gained a lot of steam since it was first introduced. However, it’s still not as popular as the biggest CAD and digital design tools.

This lack of familiarity means that it doesn’t yet have the same support community built around it that some other software packages have. Furthermore, many firms shy away from Revit because of the BIM component.

Of course, this will change in time. As more firms switch to building information modelling, Revit will become even more popular. Just don’t expect to find the same size community as the one that AutoCAD enjoys.

 

Conclusion

So you can see that the Revit BIM software isn’t absolutely perfect. Your firm will have to adapt to the BIM methodology, plus there is a learning curve.

However, no digital design software is perfect. You will always have to go through an adjustment period when making the switch to new software, and Revit is no different. The key here is that you stand to benefit greatly if you make the switch successfully.

Revit will ensure you waste less time dealing with the little manual tasks that so often delay projects. You cut down on paperwork, which makes your projects more sustainable and cost-effective. There’s also no repetition, plus Revit provides you with all the tools you need to create sustainable structures. Support for the software grows constantly as well. As BIM becomes more popular, so too will Revit. If you start using it now, you’ll be ahead of the curve.

So how do you get started? That’s where ArchiStar Academy can help you. ArchiStar Academy offers an in-depth Revit BIM course that will take you through everything you need to know. From the basics, right through to the more complex tools, the course will help you to become a Revit expert.

If you want to find out more, all you have to do is contact ArchiStar Academy today. We’ll help you to discover exactly how Revit can benefit your firm.

ArchiStar Academy offers several courses across the spectrum of digital design software. You’ll develop your skills, allowing you to create more accurate and functional models.

Get a free learning account now by simply clicking here https://academy.archistar.ai

Posted on 20 Jan 2020