|
Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> Revit vs. Archicad
|
|
|
active
Joined: Mon, Oct 10, 2005
11 Posts
No Rating |
I work in ACAD and only recently have discovered Revit; a coleague in the office is constantly braging how Archicad is the best software around and we should use it instead of ACAD and I agree that it is far more advanced and functional. I have tried learning Archicad but it has been a struggle...and then I came accross Revit, tried it and thought "that's it!". It is very similar to Archicad but I think it is much easier to use. I understand Archicad has a lot of plugins and add-ons that are great... but I think I'll stick to Revit.
Can any of you people give me more comparisons between the two so I could get a better picture from someone who has had more experience?
I imagine this topic has been discussed before, I just could not find any in the search....
thanx!
|
This user is offline |
|
 |
|
|
|
active
Joined: Sun, Apr 25, 2004
1207 Posts
 |
It has been discussed ad-nauseum on www.augi.com forums.
Of course any opionion you get on a Revit forum will likely be in favaor of using Revit.
My own personal experience is that prior to Revit 5.0 I would have choosen Archicad. Now of course I'm 100% in favor of using Revit. I have used Revit for 2.5 years now and I wouldn't even think about using any other architectural software. Revit is one amazing program and it only continues to get better with each release.
Tom
|
This user is offline |
View Website
|
|
|
active
Joined: Sun, Feb 1, 2004
4 Posts
No Rating |
I completely agree with tomdinmn.
Revit is relatively 'new' in terms of it's effective lifetime. I jumped on board with 5.1, and at that stage of development it was easy to see how Archi-sad was a better package...Now however with 8.1 there is no argument in my mind that Revit is the best architectural software available.
Revit supports an intuitive design process that can return excellent results in a very quick time period, as well as being highly capable in technical end of documentation. The major deciding factor for our office to adopt Revit as our primary software package is the level of compatibility with other commonly used software, which is especially important for liaison with large consultant teams.
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
active
Joined: Mon, Oct 10, 2005
11 Posts
No Rating |
Yes, I agree with you...I do not know well enough any of the two programs but I feel Revit is more friendly and intuitive and the compatibility issue is definitely important since most of our cooperants run ACAD.
What experiences do you have as far as the process of switching to Revit is concerned, and I mean on the scale of the whole office? It is impossible to just say - from today we are working in another program - what would you suggest is the best way to achieve the transition?
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
site moderator|||
Joined: Mon, Jan 12, 2004
2889 Posts
|
I recommend the:
From this day forward all new projects will be done fully in revit method...
Existing projects are then finishes in whatever program they were started in to simplify things...
|
This user is offline |
View Website
|
|
|
active
Joined: Mon, Oct 10, 2005
11 Posts
No Rating |
I agree, but people must know how to use the software first....if they don't know how to work in it, then the productivity will be low and the boss will see no reason why to change.
And since we work all day on current projects the only time left for learning would be at night and weekends...so basically you are on your own.
I was just wandering if anyone could share thier experience on how an office changes to Revit (or any software different form the one they currently use) from the moment the change is decided to the actual implementation of the software in the office.
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
active
Joined: Tue, Sep 20, 2005
4 Posts
No Rating |
I agree, but people must know how to use the software first....if they don't know how to work in it, then the productivity will be low and the boss will see no reason why to change.
-any changes would require time...and the transition would certainly affect your productivity...true---based from our experience, our company bought the revit 5.1 version and as much as i hate to admit it we never got to use the software for almost a year after a 3-day training period...it's because being accustomed to use the autocad, the shift to use revit is quite hard. even if we have manual, without somebody to guide you it's still useless. fortunately, after a year somebody asked if we would like to renew our subscription --our boss were having second thought then since the initial investment (5.1) was quite unsatisfactory since we were not able to use it. but then they promised to give us technical support once we renew our subscription. true to their word they help us get the hang of the software 'til we can use it alone. at first they helped us create blocks for our project until we were able to do them alone. right now, revit's use in our company is primarily for presentation purposes...
what we used to do for 2 weeks then we can accomplish for 2-3 days fully rendered.btw...we've been using revit for almost 3 months...and we're still in the process of learning...but you be the judge of what kind of presentation we can do in that 3 months...
And since we work all day on current projects the only time left for learning would be at night and weekends...so basically you are on your own.
-true.but it wouldn't hurt to set aside at least 2 days for proper training...self study wouldn't do you good.believe me.if you are in the philippines i would recommend you to get your training at cim technologies 'coz they were very generous in providing their clients w/ technical support.
I was just wandering if anyone could share thier experience on how an office changes to Revit (or any software different form the one they currently use) from the moment the change is decided to the actual implementation of the software in the office.
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
active
Joined: Sun, Apr 25, 2004
1207 Posts
|
My 2 cents again is that people need to step up to the plate and learn on their own time. I firmly believe this no matter what subject we are talking about.
I have invested countless hours of my own time learning Revit, Photoshop, Viz, MS Access, SQL Server and a few more. There are very few places on this planet that will pay you to learn something. We are struggling with the "training" issue in our office and when I give my training theory that it is on your own I get met with "well I can't (read won't) do that!. The solution might be a personel change. I have someone starting next week that has learned Revit on his own and he will replace a current employee. Sounds cruel, but eventually the dead weight will be weeded out of hte office.
My advice....join the Revit revolution or get left in its dust!
Tom
|
This user is offline |
View Website
|
|
|
active
Joined: Mon, Oct 10, 2005
11 Posts
No Rating |
I have the same philosophy as far as learning is concerned and I am learning Revit every night after work, and I guess in the near future I'll be able to manage a whole project in it....but the problem is other people in the office are not too eager on learning something new - specially on their own. So this makes the task almost impossible; I am, however, pretty confident that my employer will think differently once I will be able to demonstrate the possibilities of Revit.
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
active
Joined: Sun, Mar 27, 2005
208 Posts
 |
fascinating reading.
i am the boss of a small building design firm in sunny brisbane (me plus 3). short story - we bought revit 4.5 i think it was, some time ago, and like others it sat on the shelf for an embarrasing long time. as a firm we decided to switch it on in jan, as mr spot says - "from now on everything is revit". very glad we did, as our abilities have expanded hugely.
i would suggest that a whole of office approach is best, based on mine and other's experience. the boss/employer should ideally be the driver of change to revit. if everyone switches, all learn at the same time, and teach each other. we got basic training together, and next day switched. sink or swim. obviously we are swimming.
i gather from the other comments that most users are employees, but as the employer i will say "go revit!". its power is obvious to anybody, but only if they are wiling to embrace change. if you are the employee and cannot convince others, move on! if you are the boss, switch now before your competitors pinch your market!
i love revit.
|
This user is offline |
View Website
|
|
|
|
|
active
Joined: Mon, Oct 10, 2005
11 Posts
No Rating |
thanx latemore!
I appreciate your input, since your experience is from the employer's side...every day revit amazes me more and more and I hope to switch completely soon.
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
active
Joined: Fri, Dec 12, 2003
31 Posts
No Rating |
I’m employee in one small office (15 people), and I finally manage to convince my boss to switch from ADT 3.3 to Revit (AutoCAD Revit series). This transition wasn’t possible before Autodesk started to ship AutoCAD Revit series and make Revit 30 days trial which was enough time for me to learn it and to transfer two of our projects in Revit.
We had Archicad 8 which was ownership of one of my ex-colleagues, but eventually nobody was impressed with it. I personally used Archicad 5-6 years ago and it is perfect for fast production of cd of simple buildings, everything which is little bit different was very difficult to achieve.
Revit is good and more or less not-complicated but in stage of production is still behind ArchiCad, existing families are to rigid to be easy implemented in project, very few parameters. I was trying to make some let say universal window or door which can be similar to Archicad gdl window but all the time something is missing.
I think Autodesk should make better family and more extensive Revit libraries.
Anyway we bought it and we hope that Revit will be better in near future!
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
site moderator|||
Joined: Mon, Jan 12, 2004
2889 Posts
|
Just with regards to window and door creations in revit...
The simplistic nature of family creation in revit makes it possible for every office to create elements exactly how they want to show them (without the need to learn a scripting language) rather than forcing certain standards on the masses.
I don't believe the libraries that come with revit were ever really meant to be anything more than a starting point (examples) for companies to build from... This ease enables offices individuality of documentation with small overhead. (exceptions of course are the elevation markers).
My 2 cents.
|
This user is offline |
View Website
|
|
|
active
Joined: Fri, Dec 12, 2003
31 Posts
No Rating |
Elevation markers are problem too, in our building code (Greece) we use more than one elevation value ( on the same label above and below line we write relative coordinate (above) and absolute below. Some offices use only relative values but one is elevation of finnished floor and other is elevation of concrete slab.
I want structural families (beams) to snap to everything not only to other structural family.
Family generation is simple comparing to gdl, but you have to understand that our drawings ar in scale 1:50 and we dont need complicated detailed windows or door. It is waste of time (nobody pays it) that for every project I need to make new family even for simple window or door which I can make in ADT or Archicad in few second and so on and on. We dont make prefab building where we can use one family hundred of times.
THX
|
This user is offline |
|
|
|
site moderator|||
Joined: Mon, Mar 14, 2005
777 Posts
|
Not the same old argument again... 
it's all up to the indevidual, some Archicad users can create an amazing model and produce excellent drawings. It's what you get used to...
I used Archicad 5 a few years ago but found it to be harder to learn. the first week on Revit for me was like using something I used for years, much easier to learn and quicker to get results.
GDL is not something I'd like to get into!
personally I would love to see Archicad doing very well!! which means we are going to have a healthy competition and better product both ends
I did try Archicad 9.1 and some features I would love to see in Revit. but still harder to use...
-----------------------------------
Integrator Architectural Engineering Construction KarelCAD |
This user is offline |
View Website
|
|
|
Search