Introduction
Architects widely use Revit for a number of reasons, but nowadays, it is gaining traction among civil engineers too. Civil Engineers widely adopt AUTOCAD to make plans for buildings, design for water tanks, and many more. Nowadays, this software is getting replaced by Revit as it offers 3D rendering quite quickly compared to AUTOCAD. Some additional blocks are also there in Revit that can be imported as plugins which are quite beneficial to place on the drawings without consuming much time.
Both AUTOCAD and Revit are the products of Autodesk, and they share many similarities despite having many differences. One of the main reasons Revit has become so popular is that it was built with the BIM process in mind, and it also works with cloud computing. This allows everyone participating in the project to get their hands on any information they need.
A number of AEC companies request employers with a Revit certification course in order to help users learn about the BIM process to improve their Revit knowledge. Because Revit allows for the production of 3D models, it aids sales and marketing teams in explaining a project’s potential to buyers. Analyzing these models, which give architectural sketches and blueprints, may assist in maintenance planning. Customers can study a virtual design of these models, which works as a sales pitch. Like this, they can have a rough idea of what the structure is going to be.
Fig 1: Revit user interface
Courtesy: Archdaily
Some of the benefits of Revit are-
- Labor-saving – All of the data used to create a Revit model is stored in a single database. This means that whenever a person modifies the model, the database is updated. The changes occur throughout the entire model, enabling automation and making the building design more efficient. It eliminates some of the rework that comes with changing the different project files.
- Cooperation – Revit provides a number of valuable tools for cooperation between file types, disciplines, models, and industries. It combines models as part of the architecture design process or gathers reviews from the users. Revit tools permit users to monitor changes in a linked model, review reporting of those changes, copy items from a coupled model into their basic model, and communicate them to other teams working on the same project requiring resolution.
- Alliance –The ability of several applicants to work simultaneously in the same Revit model is one of the differences between Revit and AutoCAD compared to AUTOCAD, where only one user can change a .dwg file at a time. Using Revit’s ‘Sync with Central’ tool, users can switch their model changes to a model ‘Central’ while at the same time drawing any changes made by their peer in their local copy of the model from that same ‘Central’ model. The project team will be able to collaborate fully due to this approach, and hence a work balance will be maintained.
- 3D Rendering – In the design industry, using various pieces of software for rendering and presenting materials is a traditional practice. Even so, Revit delivers all of the tools needed to produce these materials in one place. 3D modeling packages like 3ds Max are helpful for specific industries, such as animation. Creating 3D drawings and renders immediately in Revit, rather than importing a model into another piece of software, saves a lot of time. Revit’s rich material libraries and rendering plug-ins can create 2D presentations and 3D visualization outputs.
- Cloud-dependent access – Due to Covid, the remote work style is increasing day by day. Revit has enabled model storage in the cloud that can be accessed at any time and from any location. Revit is compatible with a number of cloud-based platforms. Still, the most obvious is Autodesk’s BIM 360 platform, which acts as a “cloud server” where users can save their models, push changes to said models, mark up models and sheets, communicate with team members, and even assist with facility management after construction is completed – all through a web browser. This cloud connection enhances Revit’s power and collaborative capabilities, making it the favorite software among civil engineers.
- Parametric Modelling – In the Revit BIM software, each component that a civil engineer constructs have parametric properties. This implies that the drawing parts are 3D, but we may change the 3D model by modifying the accompanying 2D planes. The key is that all of the data required to create the model comes from a single source. That database is updated whenever we modify it. It also doesn’t matter where we alter the model, as whatever new data we add is incorporated into the model. This dynamic alteration saves civil engineers a lot of time, and this won’t have any conflicts when trying to match the information across multiple designs.
Fig 2: 2D house plan in Revit
Courtesy: Revit drawing
Conclusion
In order to work in Revit, it is recommended to take up a short-term professional course as the user interface of Revit is a bit complex. It takes up more space in a drive, and so to work with such software, it is highly recommended to use a graphics card on a laptop or desktop. Like Revit, another software that is gaining traction is Sketch Up due to its ability to build up blocks in the drawings without creating them. Moreover, Revit is shadowing AUTOCAD, but it can never follow it entirely as Revit lacks the ease of 2D drawings simplifications. The structural details like reinforcements are easier to depict and draw in AUTOCAD than in Revit. However, advancements are being made to ease the design of the structural elements process in Revit.
References
Grey Edge, “How Learning Revit Is Useful For Architects And Civil Engineers?”- https://www.grey-edge.com/blog/how-learning-revit-is-useful-for-architects-and-civil-engineers/
Grey Edge, “Revit Software Uses in Civil Engineering”- https://www.grey-edge.com/blog/revit-software-uses-in-civil-engineering/
Microsol Resources, “Top 10 Benefits of Revit”- https://microsolresources.com/tech-resources/article/10-benefits-of-revit
Archistar Academy, “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Revit”- https://academy.archistar.ai/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-revit
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