Forums >> General Discussion >> Revit Project Management >> Revit and Construction Documents understand and questions for the pros

j0ker007

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Joined: Sat, Apr 23, 2011
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Hello 

  The Healthcare Architecture firm I am working for has been using Revit 2010 for over a year now.  Also we have been using AutoCAD for over 10 years also.   We mostly do Large projects that include Hospitals and Nursing homes and small little renovations within the buildings. 

So my QUESTION is should the firm I work for to invest $30k+ on buying new seats for Revit and New workstations for Construction Documents and phase out AutoCAD?  

NO

 UNDERSTANDING & WHERE we are coming from.   In the past year we have done over 6 Revit “CD” Renovated sets.   The look like crap and the process of existing/demo/new phases is not productive.  We have create a Custom Font (using PDFs and importing them into Photoshop and using a font program) since Revit can not import *shx font files.   The more annotations we either have on a detail or a floor plan looks horriable.  Details in Revit is a joke.   The best way we have found is to do them into AutoCAD and import them into Revit and add poches and notes there.   On a large project have 30”x 42” sheets of millwork details and for each detail has up to 30 notes and dims.   If I change the AutoCAD file for that one millwork detail and update it in Revit all the dims disappear.  We have constructed 3D millwork units and tried cutting a section into those objects for details but its taking hours for one detail or I can draw up 2-3 details in autocad during the time I spent on one revit 2D/ 3D millwork.  Now what If I move the wall and the millwork.  The notes don’t stay connected. 

 I could go on and on.   I am not trying to bad mouth Revit.  We love the renderings it does and the Schematic Design floor plans look OK but not great.   We havent used the BIM part of it since the clients havent requested us for that imfomation yet.  We have yet to see a example of a correctly drawn Construction Documents set from this office or any other office around the area.   The question I ask before can we get a highly detail construction set  either for a renovation or new construction out of only Revit.  I believe the answer is

NO

 I read that which I agree that Autocad does “Stupid” geometry  but AutoCAD is the "King of Drafting" and Revit will probably be the “King of BIM”.    The 2 words “ Drafting” and “BIM”  those are two different things.  I don’t want the firm I work for to waste time, money and make promises about “CD”s  with Revit that we might not be able to keep.   Do we do the “CD”s in AutoCAD and at the end when the client wants a “asbuilt” of the building we give them a Revit Model with Data.   This process can also happen before the CD go into affect?   Do we make the Revit Model a different Phase before or after “CD”s???  Do we bill the client differently if we have to do the building in Revit. ETC

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coreed

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Joined: Fri, Feb 10, 2006
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i understand your situation and feel for you. But in the end due to the type work that your firms does, you will have to find answers to all questions in a BIM tool solution. if not, i don't think your firm will be able to compete with other Health Care Firms in the future. Due to the new Enery Code requirement coming there is a whole a new market of Building Simulation software on the horizon that requires BIM. More of your concerns as you stated are "Drafting" related.

" Do we do the "CD"s in AutoCAD and at the end when the client wants a "asbuilt" of the building we give them a Revit Model with Data." This may very well be posibility. But i think it would have to be done concurrently and not at the end. There are blogs that are totally dedicated to detailing in Revit. These may be of help.

The CD's are going to be just one part of this whole BIM process. Simulated Building Performace is coming, is here, and is real. There will be no way to play in this game without BIM. Good Luck with your endeavor and please post back on your final decesion.

-----------------------------------

best regards,

coreed,aia

bmpArchitects,Inc.

"Revit has to be implemented, Not installed." 

Long Live Revit

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j0ker007

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Joined: Sat, Apr 23, 2011
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Very good points.   We havent given hope up yet.  We heard that one large firm has dropped Revit for doing CDs.  Do you have maybe one or two blogs to you can point to for me to look at?

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coreed

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Joined: Fri, Feb 10, 2006
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Have a look at this one:

http://revit-detail.blogspot.com/

-----------------------------------

best regards,

coreed,aia

bmpArchitects,Inc.

"Revit has to be implemented, Not installed." 

Long Live Revit

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WWHub

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Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
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It does take awhile to set up Revit to get the results you want and sometimes, you have to modify those "wants" just like you did when you moved to CAD from hand drafting.  But, it can be done and after you get it right, you will not want to return to CAD.  Details are so much easier in Revit than CAD ever was but hard core CAD users are hard to convert.

Do give up your SHX look alike fonts and find a TTF that is acceptable. 

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