Revit is a software widely used for the modeling and documentation of civil construction projects. Today it is a prerequisite for any professional who wishes to work in architecture, engineering, and interior design.

Aligned with the BIM (Building Information Modeling) concept and with its fully parameterized resources, Revit offers agility, precision, and organization to your project in a way that CAD software cannot provide.

In this post you will understand the concept of Revit, BIM, parametrization, and everything else about BIM. Follow us!

WHAT IS REVIT?

Revit is specialized software for developing civil construction projects, created by Revit Technology Corporation (formerly Charles River Software) and acquired by Autodesk in 2002.

Revit offers a 3D modeling environment, but it also provides resources to generate all the traditional 2D documentation (plans, sections, views, elevations, etc.), essential items for documenting any type of project.

In addition, it dramatically reduces the time spent on revisions since any changes are reflected throughout the project, so there is no need to make corrections manually.

Revit also makes it possible to obtain the number of materials specified in the project, making your project a construction database fully aligned with the BIM concept.

WHAT IS THE SIGNATURE VALUE?

Autodesk, the company that develops Revit, works with a subscription system in order to use the software. It is available monthly or on an annual contract which reduces the subscription price a little.

Revit also has two versions to meet your needs better:

• STANDARD - It offers all the tools and features available for use but at a higher cost.
• LT -It has a significantly lower cost, albeit with limited resources.

As a product quoted in dollars, the subscription price may vary on account of the currency. Find below the direct link to the two versions available.

VERSION STANDARD

VERSION LT

Students can use the educational version for one year free of charge. Simply register on the Autodesk website, where you will be asked to prove that you are a student.

WHAT CAN I DO IN REVIT?

Revit offers resources for developing architectural, structural, and systems projects (electrical, hydraulic, air-conditioning, etc.), even allowing you to view and work in each of these disciplines separately.

In addition, it offers an infrastructure for collaborative work, that is, multiple professionals working on the same project.

The most exciting thing here is that everyone has access to the whole project but can only make changes to their files individually.

All documentation is created quickly, with sections, views, and details generated automatically, all from the 3D model, allowing the extraction of quantitative materials or even renderings.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF REVIT?

The civil construction market undergoes constant updates, which implies more complex projects, making any project increasingly challenging.

Revit is a reflection of this scenario. Being a robust and multifunctional software, it offers a range of features that we do not find in traditionally used softwares, for example, AutoCAD.

Here is an overview of the benefits of switching to Revit:

• Quantitative extraction - a creation of tables of quantities and materials, which are updated automatically after any change in the project;
• Cost estimation - the ability to enter the values of the elements of the project, which later can generate a cost estimate through tables;
• Project coordination - different disciplines can be coordinated in a central file, allowing you to view interferences;
• 3D visualization - much more than a 3D model, in Revit, we have a consistent simulation of how the project will look when it is executed;
• Rapid changes - because it is parametric software, changes to the project have a low impact, significantly reducing rework.
• Rendering - if a more elaborate presentation is needed for the client, Revit has rendering capabilities.
• Documentation - project sheets are generated very quickly, with any changes to the 3D model immediately reflected in all the sheets;
• Dynamo - Didn't find the tool you need? You can program the source code and customize Revit features.

It’s just a small overview of the possibilities that we find when using Revit in project development.

HOW DOES REVIT WORK?

Revit uses the BIM (Building Information Modeling) concept, which proposes that its 3D model is not a mere electronic model, but a simulation of the construction. It means that each object contains accurate information about the represented object.

As a result your project becomes an accurate 3D simulation of the work, offering support to the project throughout its phases. Being a tool for the analysis and control of your work allows you to monitor the entire construction life cycle.

To organize this information, we have families, which according to Revit, are: “a group of elements with a standard set of parameter properties and a related graphical representation. “

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AUTOCAD AND REVIT?

AutoCAD is an excellent software if you want  to create a simple graphic representation. That is, you change the regular paper for a  digital one..

For example, to represent a 20 cm thick wall, just draw two parallel lines spaced 20 cm apart.

However, if you “ask” AutoCAD about what it is on the screen, the answer would be “two parallel lines.”

With Revit, which is software aimed at civil construction, we have a tool to create walls, offering us the possibility to configure the number of layers, type of material, function, thickness, and various other information.

In addition, it allows us to extract this same information in a table.

While AutoCAD is a CAD software (computer-aided design), Revit is a BIM software geared towards civil construction, allowing in addition to an accurate 3D simulation of the work, the coordination of different design disciplines, in addition to work in a team.

REVIT TIPS

Revit offers a considerable amount of tools so I’ve put together a few tips for you to start migrating to R.

• Work with templates - these are template files previously configured to meet specific needs. For example, templates for electrical, plumbing, structures, etc.;
• Quality families - always use quality families, which are light and well-configured files, so you avoid having your file become heavy or start to experience crashes and errors;
• Create tables - you can create quantitative and material tables, where you can enter values, allowing a very refined control of your project;
• View styles - create customized presentations of your project's views, which allows you to create both technical and humanized styles;
• Solar study - you can do a simulation of the solar incidence of your project, allowing better use of the natural light of the building;
• Work by discipline - separating your project into disciplines allows for better organization and visualization of information;
• Collaborative work - more than one professional can work on the same project simultaneously, optimizing the time spent on a project.

With these tips, you can already see the benefits of working with Revit on civil construction projects.

FOR STUDENTS

Revit is an excellent learning tool since it is possible to do a series of project simulations, offering the student the possibility to visualize the results through the 3D model.

Another advantage is that the sooner the student becomes familiar with one of the main tools on the market, the better. After all, many of the available places have Revit as a prerequisite.

Autodesk also offers the student version, where you will have access to all software tools for a year at no cost. Just register on the site with proof that you are a student.

INSERT PARAMETRIC FAMILIES

Revit offers a very high degree of customization of your content, where we can create and configure families according to the needs of your project.

These families must be parametric to streamline your work process and at the same time allow the extraction of relevant information that makes the execution of the work feasible.

However creating quality families takes significant time which could be better spent in other activities. One solution is to turn to companies specializing in the development of family libraries for Revit.

At Blocks Revit you have access to a vast library of families for Revit at an affordable price, plus every week new collections are added to the catalog.

Subscribe to Blocks now to guarantee the best collections of Revit parametric families.

FOR PROFESSIONALS

If you are already a professional working in the market and would like to migrate to Revit, don't worry, I will list some tips on how you can get started:

• Redo an old project - using Revit to redo a project that you have developed in other software is an excellent exercise to get used to the program;
• Get ready-made projects - getting ready pre-made projects for the study is also an excellent way to get acquainted and understand how to solve some project situations within Revit;
• One discipline at a time - do one discipline at a time, so you learn to organize your project;
• Forums and groups - participating in forums or groups allow you to get answers to questions and follow up with other professionals' questions (which may be the same as yours).

You can be sure that you won’t want to go back to other software!

CONCLUSION

Revit is not just software but an indispensable tool for professionals who develop projects for civil construction, offering quality, precision, and control of their projects.

For those who want to join or stay in the architecture, engineering, and interior design sector, Revit is an indispensable requirement for any professional.

Are you interested in working with Revit? Then get ahead using the Blocks Revit family library to make your projects unique!

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Be part of the Blocks Revit Family!