B3 - GROUP E - EDUARDO BORJA

            Revit and AutoCAD have some differences as well as various key similarities. In regards to the similarities, Revit and AutoCAD share 2D drawing, 3D drawing, and rendering. The interface and tools differ but the essence and the end result of the design is the same. Overall, AutoCAD is excellent for 2D drawing while Revit is excellent for modeling, and generating cost schedules. Relating Revit and AutoCAD it is essential to point out the differences between those two programs. The main difference can be summed up through Building Information Modeling. Revit uses drawing armed with real life information. This information is key for example for the generation of cost schedules. Also, Revit modifies the drawings in different views, so if you make a change in a certain view all views will get changed as well.

            Revit and ArchiCAD also have various similarities and differences. ArchiCAD was classified as an easier program to deal with once the structure gets complicated. ArchiCAD also runs with OSX, and is primarily designed for architects. Revit on the other hand is widely supported and there are extensive books and tutorials to follow from. Also, Revit is meant for architecture, but it can also be used by the structural and MEP trades.

            Something interesting that has to be taken into consideration is the fact that some people have been working with AutoCAD for over 20 years. Revit is a relatively new program compared to AutoCAD. The transition must be hard to get used to. I can only imagine using AutoCAD for 20 years and then being introduced into a new program with different tools and different drawing formats. I would be reluctant to switch programs, and this I assume is a dilemma that a lot of professionals face when discussing about new technologies. Fortunately now since there are extensive tutorials and books teaching how to use the program the learning curve is not that bad. Definitely each modeling and drawing program has its own benefits. Familiarizing with the different programs is just a matter of playing around with different tutorials and with the different commands on the program itself.

Comments:

Adrian Kuzniarowicz: Your post gives a concise comparison of AutoCAD and Revit. Revit certainly makes it easier to draw quickly floors, walls, roofs, and sections as well as provide material properties for each element stated previously. I agree with your last comment. Now a day, for BIM to fully work as intended all trades have to communicate effectively. If all parties fail to communicate or to participate, this can diminish the power of BIM.

Laura Hill: I enjoyed reading your post. I especially enjoyed how you described one aspect of a program and then used a different aspect to transition cleanly with your comparison. From your post it is easy to understand what were the key aspects of each program. Also, you clearly describe what aspects of a program stand out making one program more desirable than the other.

B3: Group B - Schroeder

BIM And Revit - Disadvantages

In the interdisciplinary world that we live in today, various programs are used by Civil Engineering firms depending on their respective design work. Revit is a software application created by Autodesk for architects and building professionals alike designed to support building information modeling (BIM) workflows [1]. Because of the nature of Revit, it is also able to leverage dynamic information into intelligent models which allows for a complex building structure to be stored in a single database file. As already mentioned in a previous post, because of the one file system, complex buildings can be massive files to keep on your hard drive.  Although Revit is a superb and common design tool, there are several disadvantages.  

From an engineering firm’s perspective, Revit requires an investment in both time and money [2]. Time, as it will require hours of training for the current architects to get accustomed to switching to a new program. The monetary effort would be the purchase of all the licenses for the Revit software (which isn’t cheap when compared to other similar programs on the market). Both investments may be combined if there are additional costs associated with training. As most of my fellow groupmates have already posted about the main current problems of Revit, I chose to redirect my focus and compare it to a similar program called ArchiCAD.

ArchiCAD, created by Graphisoft, is an architectural CAD software that can be used on both Macintosh and Windows. When comparing the two programs, ArchiCAD has much more intuitive user interface than Revit, unless you are familiar with other Autodesk products. Graphisoft also created the first real-time BIM collaboration environment so that workflow between members of the design team can work on the project simultaneously [3]. A fellow blogspot user who works for Stantec chimed in on this discussion and how ArchiCAD is superior to Revit when it comes to 2D/3D Modification and Image Management. 

Using the Modify tools in Revit is no simple task, as you can only split one element at a time and cannot select the item first before invoking the command [4]. Using the Trim/Extend tool requires separate multiple cursor clicks while in ArchiCAD, you can extend multiple items at the same time. Revit also has a huge disadvantage when it comes to Non-CAD/BIM File Image management. Although insertion is approximately the same in both programs, the image in Revit is now embedded and static where you cannot change the linked path. ArchiCAD had handle a plethora of File Formats of inserted images; however, Revit is only able to handle BMP, JPG, JPEG, PNG, and TIF. 

In conclusion, when compared to Revit, ArchiCAD is superior in terms of modifications of elements. Despite all of this, Revit is widely used in engineering firms across the nation.

References:
[1] http://www.edulearn.com/article/what_is_revit_architecture.html [2] http://www.trustitllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Trust_Autodesk-Revit1.pdf [3] http://www.graphisoft.com/archicad/archicad/overview/ [4] http://scotthmackenzie.blogspot.com/2013/03/archicad-vs-revit-2d-3d-modification.html

EDIT: Comments left on Mark's and  Cathlene's original posts.