ericame

My firm is looking to switch to a BIM software platform. We're currently looking at Revit and ArchiCAD. I'm looking for input from users who were using basic single line autocad (no features) and then switched to a BIM software program. What issues did you encounter? I've noticed that many of the previous comments from other posts come from highly trained individuals, or those who knew the software coming into the switch. I'd really like to hear from people who started it with no former knowledge of BIM.

Thanks!

JamesTaylor

erica,

1st off welcome to the forums!

i've also been looking at moving over to a BIM type appplication and have been looking at Revit and completing a few tutorials... i have to say it looks really powerful in terms of its efficiency and the interface is quite pleasurable to use, in relation to the morte traditional methods of AutoCAD.

the main problem i can see is getting to the point of being able to use the software in a real world situation and delivering results to match your dealines etc... my suggestion would be to assign a member of staff to mirror a current project working it up in Revit (or what ever you decide on) purely as a learning exercise.

In the short term this may be counter productive in terms of profits etc, but i think over the long term it would be extremely benifical. If you can train one person well in the software it'll make switching over much easier if you have someone that can guide the newer users thro the initial learning curve.

Another point would be that depending upon the typical work your firm carries out is going to effect how much ground work needs putting in before it can be fully fledged production tool. If you are producing standard house drawings etc the levelof knowledge you need is going to be less than the knowledge needed to work up the design of larger comerical building with curtain walling sections and such like.

finally check out the revit specific forum here, there are some interesting threads worth reading.

Maxer

My firm has been using ArchiCAD for at least the last 7 years, and we have had tremendous success with it. For me the biggest benefit is being able to receive a completely finished model from a designer without having to do any modeling work of my own. This cuts back on how long it takes us to produce a typical rendering and makes my life much easier. In the office it usually takes a new employee with no previous BIM knowledge about 1 or 2 months before they are fully able to use the program but it's a learning experience. We went with ArchiCAD because it was the first of the BIM programs that offered a full range of tools and also because the cost per license was much less than any other package out there. Now their prices are beginning to rise to where Revit is but there still a little cheaper.

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joseph alexander

What scale architecture does your firm work on? For projects over 100,000 SF I would avoid using Revit until it really adapts (probably about three years).



-Joe

Maxer

We routinely work on projects over 200,000 Sq. Ft. but we're using ArchiCAD which has been around for much longer than Revit.

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ericame

The firm I'm working at works with a variety of projects, on occasion small residential projects to a 2 phase 250,000 sq ft project i'm working on now. I am concerned about finding a program that is a versitle as it says it is and has a strong library component "out of the box."

Also..how many officies find themselves pairing their BIM software with other programs and why...at what stages...I'm trying to figure out how the software is used, not how the companies say its being used, if that makes any sense. Where is the disconnect in each program that causes another piece of software to become introduced? (i understand laziness and refusals to changed can sometimes be the cause)

Thanks to those who've commented thus far, it's been very helpful!!

Maxer

We use ArchiCAD to do everything so we don't have to use any secondary software to support it. We do have a full time ArchiCAD guy who maintains our libraries and creates new scripts for the software but most places have a CAD manager so it's the same thing.

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del82

Allplan Architecture and Allplan Engineering packages

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Beeeee!

Cesar R

why is that?

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crazy homeless guy

revit can be a dog on large scale projects. the autodesk people like to promote that revit is being used on the freedom tower, and i know HOK has used it on many large scale projects, but the truth is, it bogs done on projects a lot smaller than 100,000 sq ft.

once you start complaining to autdesk about this, they will come in and explain to you that you need to divide your project in smaller section when it is that large. it can still work as a BIM model when it is divide, but is a little more tedious, and can bve a headache.

that said. i have never done a full project in revit. i took a series of classes, and sat through a handful of presentations on it.

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