Get your design process updated and ready to take on the toughest challenges with speed and accuracy by investing in Revit architecture. Learn more about what Revit software is and why you should be using it, along with some of Revit's top advantages for architects looking to improve their interior design ability.
Produced and sold by Autodesk, Revit is a comprehensive workflow and software product that helps a variety of professionals work together, such as designers, construction professionals, architects, and builders. The software provides sophisticated ways to create models of real-world structures and buildings. Revit is mainly utilized in building information modeling (BIM).
In BIM, construction professionals can enter the real-world characteristics of objects, and simulate how they interact with one another without actually building them. Similar to computer-aided draft and design (CADD), BIM attaches attributes to the objects, such as weight, or complex interactives like the ability of doors to open and close in the simulation.
If you are a building or construction professional, or anyone interested in modeling construction, Revit architecture software is a tool that can assist with conceptualizing and understanding the project you are working on.
If you're interested in architecture, there's a good chance that you've already heard of Revit. However, you may not know all of its benefits. To give you a sense of how much Revit can help with interior design, check out some of its top advantages:
With Revit, you create a basic layout of the project you are building using a quick selection of items from families of virtual objects. These virtual object families assist users with interior design, as they quickly show the user how an object will look inside the space and allow the user to cycle through multiple options to find the best selection.
For instance, want to put a door in the room? Just select the type of door you want, and the software can put it into the project, complete with all the features of a door. The same goes for placing load-bearing walls, floors, and roofs in a room.
Since the software knows what a door is, you don't have to design the doorknob or the fact that it swings out from a fixed position — that information is already in there. You can layout floor plans with great speed, and the software will render a three-dimensional model that can connect to virtual reality software to provide an immersive visual experience of the project, as it's being designed.
Revit's libraries are called families, and there are many of them. They contain all the information necessary to simulate real-world construction elements in the simulation.
Need a chair? There's a family for that. Need concrete paving? There's a library for that. How about load-bearing walls made of different materials? There's a family for that too. With Revit, there is no need to re-invent the wheel since you have it all at your fingertips.
Part and parcel with Revit are the BIM workflows that come with the system and the centralized database that keeps everyone on the same page. Revit provides a single source of data for all the various people working on the project to access. Since interior design often involves multiple people in different disciplines, they need to all be on the same page. Revit does just that by offering many features in one location.
Unlike AutoCAD, Revit puts all the information in the project in a single file. You don't have to go looking for information since it's all contained here. This centralized area helps to consolidate costs and make everyone aware of what everyone else is doing. Additionally, Revit can produce automated bills of quantities (BOQs). If one team member orders 10 nails, and another team member orders 10 nails, the software will produce a manifest requesting 20 nails. This is accomplished through the use of add-on plugins.
There are plugins for scheduling, IFC4 importers, an add-on for plumbers, and an add-on for fabrication and structural engineering — virtually every aspect of the construction project. If there is a specialty involved with construction or interior design, there is probably a Revit add-on designed specifically for that application.
Due to Revit being a 3D software, there's greater accuracy in the documentation and design of structures. In 2D software, users can often overwrite a structure's dimensions, leading to errors in the final documentation and construction. The 3D software won't let users overwrite the numbers, as the 3D models will prevent incorrect numbers and dimensions that would lead to an unstable structure.
Companies tend to enjoy the greater accuracy Revit gives since it prevents users from putting incorrect numbers into projects. Incorrect modeling is caught much faster when using 3D modeling since it's much easier for users to see their mistakes. Architecture and interior design, can save users from placing objects that won't fit or will look off in the space.
Before you decide to invest in Revit, you may still have some questions about it. Make sure you're fully informed:
The difference between Revit and AutoCAD is simple. AutoCAD is a type of general software that's used for drafting and design. Instead of being a generalized software, Revit is a specialized software designed for BIM that comes with many tools to assist with creating intelligent 3D models. In short, Revit is a software solution focused on the design and documentation of buildings throughout all their projects, and AutoCAD is a drawing tool meant for broad uses.
Both of the programs are interoperable, meaning you can use them together to complete projects. Sometimes, a company will use Revit to assist with BIM deliverable generation and design discipline collaboration, while also using AutoCAD to conduct component or project design.
Revit refers to an overall software collection that aims to fulfill the requirements of a successful BIM. Within Revit, you can find other more specialized programs, such as Revit Structure, Revit MEP, and Revit Architecture.
As a program within Revit, basic Revit Architecture focuses on providing modeling and estimation tools for any civil structure, such as for schools, hospitals, residential buildings, shopping malls, and towers.
While Revit is commonly associated with BIM, it's not the same thing. BIM is a process, while Revit is a tool that assists with that process. BIM is not software but a methodology that focuses on the creation and management of information during a construction project's lifecycle.
Since BIM covers so much ground, no single application handles it all, with Revit specializing in assisting users with the creation of 3D BIM models in digital forms. Revit also helps with construction documentation, quantity and cost estimation, and coordination — all important tools for a smooth BIM process.