In
today’s construction design process, there are many different CAD and BIM
software technologies being utilized. Two of the most commonly used programs
include AutoCAD and Revit, both of which are programmed and designed by a
company called Autodesk. By initially releasing AutoCAD in December of 1982,
Autodesk provided its users with the capability of creating, saving, and
editing two-dimensional and three-dimensional CAD drawings which were drawn
using a single line tool. Autodesk took it one step further when in 2000, they
released their first version of REVIT software. The REVIT software allowed
users to create a new type of file that consisted of a digital, 3-dimensional
model that implemented the design of a building’s infrastructure, architectural
plans, and utility design. New advances in REVIT software has allowed for the
integration of construction schedules and budgets into its BIM modeling
software to allow for more efficient building planning and budgeting.
As
technology has advanced over the last decade, the ways which it is applied and
the amount of different professionals that use it has grown tremendously. In
the past, architects and engineers were the main professions which utilized
software such as AutoCAD. Since then, professionals in trades such as Fire
Protection or HVAC, and even Construction Managers, have begun utilizing
AutoCAD software as well as BIM modeling technologies, like REVIT, to creating
and analyze highly integrated and organized construction projects. The advancements
in the development of REVIT software has even allowed for users to plan and
track various stages in the building’s life-cycle, from the planning of the
design to the post-life demolition of the structure.
Unlike
AutoCAD, which limits it’s users capabilities to drawing extensively detailed
two-dimensional plans using a single “line” tool, REVIT allows its users to simply
create floor plans using “Wall”, “Door”, and “Window” tools. The program allows
the user to specify material types, thicknesses, and other material properties,
which are preloaded into the program, much more simply than AutoCAD, in order
to create a highly integrated 3-D model of a building.
In
addition to these programs, Autodesk has created a number of drafting programs
to assist professionals in drawing of discipline-specific plans or drawings. AutoCAD
Architecture, formerly known as Architectural Desktop, was initially released
by Autodesk in 1998. Similarly to REVIT, the program allowed for architects to
create 2-D and 3-D CAD drawings using architectural tools such as “Wall” and “Window”
tools. Unlike REVIT, the AutoCAD Architecture software does not allow for the
life-cycle analysis of a building, but it does allow for simpler drawing
capabilities than AutoCAD.
I
believe that REVIT software is one of the most valuable BIM technologies
available on the market today. It is capable of creating simple 2-D and 3-D
drawings while also being capable of much more. I feel that in order to create
a fully functional and efficient REVIT model for a building project, it is up
to all parties, including the construction managers, structural, mechanical, and
electrical engineers to be highly collaborative throughout the entire planning
and construction process.
Comments:
Danielle
Schroeder
Danielle,
I
strongly agree with you when you say that for a civil engineering firm to adopt
REVIT software, it would be very time consuming and costly. During one of my
co-ops, although I had already known how to draft using AutoCAD and REVIT, I
had to learn how to use Microstation well. It took me nearly 4 straight,
8-hour-days of watching online tutorial videos to simply get the basics down. Consider
this: if it took me, who is fairly good with computers, that long to learn the basics
of Microstation, imagine the time and money it would take an entire firm to be
trained to become proficient with the program.
Allison
Lock
Allison,
I
like that you chose to write about Google’s Sketchup software as another form
of drawing software. I have had limited experience with the program but I found
it quite challenging to try to accurately model a building’s systems. I found
it fairly useless for practical uses, unless one is trying to present a rendering
of a proposed building. Although it is fairly simple to use, the capabilities
of Sketchup are far inferior to those of AutoCAD, and especially those of
REVIT.
Sources:
Adrian,
ReplyDeleteI found your history of the different Autodesk products educational. When I compare Autodesk products, I find the future implications of the program Revit most interesting. Such a program is, in my mind, the next step of streamlining the design process. Revit allows for intelligent building design as it provides information on individual components, creates models, plans, elevations, sections, and renderings, saves all individualized component types, and displays all major building systems in a single three dimensional composition. Despite the technology existing for the past 16 years I have found that it is not commonly used in practice, at least in the fields (site design and forensic engineering) that I have participated in. I think this is likely due to AutoCAD having a total of 34 years refinement and integration into the work place. I also do not think it is realistic to expect firms to immediately begin using a new program as it is much easier to stick to the standardized and familiar AutoCAD. I do think that Revit will be more frequently used in the future because it expedites and simplifies the design process.