AutoCAD to Revit – The Last Push
Craig Schonborn
AutoCAD has been a staple in the industry for as long as I can remember. I studied it at university and worked with it for the next ten years before inevitably starting using Revit.
What AutoCAD gave the industry was predictability; you knew what you were going to get because it has been used countless times before for the same thing. Most people knew how to use it, and it did the job.
Revit changed things, it brought dynamic workflows, which meant deliverables were not as straightforward as before, and programmes needed to be adjusted to suit the authoring tool. This was a disruption that many companies, if not most, avoided to some extent.
My first experience was with a long-standing client who wanted a Revit model from us for their next project. I was fortunate that they allowed a learning curve to happen and worked with us as it was being developed to understand what was needed. We delivered our first Revit project, and it was a success. Not the fastest, not the most cost-effective, but it was delivered with everyone happy.
Project two came along swiftly; with the lessons learnt, we dove straight in and started producing a large amount of information very quickly. Working with traditional project programmes was still tricky, but we got there. By the third project, we were confident and could predict time better, and the project flew by with great efficiency.
Our director at the time, who oversaw all the above projects, quantified that each of our production teams that was proficient in Revit was up to three times more productive overall than with AutoCAD. We never looked back.
Those project examples were large-scale, with efficiencies easier to see overall, but the key is that they were there. Revit gives so much to the design and delivery process that it can overwhelm people initially to resist its uptake. I have worked with traditional interior designers with only PDF deliverables, to infrastructure and high-rise projects with complex BIM deliverables from ISO 19650 to building performance analysis. All of them benefited from the holistic approach that Revit brings to the production process.
If you are still looking for that push to go from AutoCAD to Revit, speak with us to help you find the best way to take the leap whether that’s through training or our consultancy services.
