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Thread: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

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    Question Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    I am not trying to create a rant session in this post. We know ALL to well how stressful Revit can be. What I would like to do is open a discussion with all of you in regards to ideas and procedures to help improve the profitability of using Revit in a structural design firm and still remain competitive in your pricing structure.

    Our firm has been using Revit for the last 3 years now and our engineering technicians have improved a great deal on their proficiency through training but our turn around time is suffering and our profit margin is almost a fourth of our Acad projects. As time passes more and more of our clients are migrating to Revit and in turn forces us to shift to Revit to meet their needs.

    We have found some methods that help us be more proficient but I am sure there is a great deal more that we could learn. I would like to hear from some of you in regards to the steps and methods that you have found that help to improve the profitability of Revit for your companies. Please take a little time to share or maybe point me to possible existing information or posts that might answer my questions.

    Thank you very much for taking the time and I look forward to hearing from you all.

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    Quote Originally Posted by doug.gentry753108 View Post
    I am not trying to create a rant session in this post. We know ALL to well how stressful Revit can be. What I would like to do is open a discussion with all of you in regards to ideas and procedures to help improve the profitability of using Revit in a structural design firm and still remain competitive in your pricing structure.

    Our firm has been using Revit for the last 3 years now and our engineering technicians have improved a great deal on their proficiency through training but our turn around time is suffering and our profit margin is almost a fourth of our Acad projects. As time passes more and more of our clients are migrating to Revit and in turn forces us to shift to Revit to meet their needs.

    We have found some methods that help us be more proficient but I am sure there is a great deal more that we could learn. I would like to hear from some of you in regards to the steps and methods that you have found that help to improve the profitability of Revit for your companies. Please take a little time to share or maybe point me to possible existing information or posts that might answer my questions.

    Thank you very much for taking the time and I look forward to hearing from you all.
    Hi there!
    I've moved your question from the Local Users Group forum to the Revit - In Practice forum, as I believe it will be better served here.

    Please feel free, while you await answers, to scroll down to examine the 'Similar Threads' feature below this post. Some content may prove applicable.
    Thank you!
    Melanie Stone
    @MistresDorkness

    Archibus, FMS/FMInteract and AutoCAD Expert (I use BricsCAD, Revit, Tandem, and Planon, too)
    Technical Editor
    not all those who wander are lost

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    Thank you, I will do that.

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    Are you producing 3D models in AutoCAD? Have you set up standards for everything you produce? A view template for every type of sheet you have? Tags for all your elements? Standard notes? If you have it as a standard in AutoCAD you should have it in Revit. Are different engineers wanting to show the same thing in a different way? There needs to be a consensus across your company.

    Is it just the production of drawings that are reducing your profit margin? Are you putting extra "design" into your drawings? Are extra meetings occurring? Are you delivering extras you are not charging for? Just because you are producing something in Revit it shouldn't change your overall project process. Normally the exchange of models cannot replace the exchange of pdf files, RFIs etc.

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    Our deliverables are mostly 2D Revit work, problem being our clients want structural modeled. We have set up standards and actually built some of our own families as well along with view templates, tags, and compiled it into a master template file. Fortunately for us our engineer firm is small and the engineers have a uniform method of how the want the final work completed.

    The production of the drawings is our weak spot. We have found that if we work in our own model and have architectural link it in it goes a great deal smoother but unfortunately not very many of them like that method.

    We recently struck up a meeting with our best clients expressing our concerns and our bidding structure and the changes we will have to make to allow for the additional time required to produce the structural models and it was actually well received and honestly the architect firms are feeling the same pain and having to me the same changes.

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    Quote Originally Posted by doug.gentry753108 View Post

    The production of the drawings is our weak spot. We have found that if we work in our own model and have architectural link it in it goes a great deal smoother but unfortunately not very many of them like that method.
    Who doesn't like the method of you modelling in your own file and how do they make you do it?

    I've not worked for a structural engineers for many years and never really got on with it, but I have had to model steelwork frames for a few projects. I can't really advise why you are taking 4 times longer to produce drawings. Once set up Revit should be as quick if not quicker to produce drawings. (except for printing to pdf....)

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    I did structural Revit work for many large complex facilities for many years. Never was I forced to work in an Architectural model. We did it once since we were getting paid just to model the existing structure so we didn't care.
    I would never go into a consultants model and I wouldn't allow them into mine.
    It took us a few years to get templates set up for everything and to get all of our existing CAD details drawn up in Revit and now I can tell you there's no way any of our technicians would go back. And some of them have been around for 30+ years and had to switch from Pencil to Cad back in the day.
    I think you might be failing in part due to process.
    Just my thoughts.

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    Quote Originally Posted by doug.gentry753108 View Post
    Our deliverables are mostly 2D Revit work, problem being our clients want structural modeled. We have set up standards and actually built some of our own families as well along with view templates, tags, and compiled it into a master template file. Fortunately for us our engineer firm is small and the engineers have a uniform method of how the want the final work completed.

    The production of the drawings is our weak spot. We have found that if we work in our own model and have architectural link it in it goes a great deal smoother but unfortunately not very many of them like that method.

    We recently struck up a meeting with our best clients expressing our concerns and our bidding structure and the changes we will have to make to allow for the additional time required to produce the structural models and it was actually well received and honestly the architect firms are feeling the same pain and having to me the same changes.


    So your firm is drawing in 2d and sending in CD's with no structure model elements, did I read that correct?

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    Great discussion to start, Doug.

    VisiRevit is a Revit Add-in that improves profitability coordinating the construction specs with the BIM model. Link the required specs to your elements/materials (NO CHANGES required in the BIM Model) and you can verify the coordination throughout design and construction phases. Even automatically have your required specs inserted based on the BIM model elements and materials.

    Keynotes are coordinated as well with a better sync technology through the cloud server and user roles and permissions versus managing TXT files.

    Delivering an integrated BIM model and Specs/Docs is higher value and can help you firm differentiate the value of your services.

    You only get this level of construction model and spec integration with Revit BIM models and VisiSpecs - sorry, not available currently with ACAD. However, ACAD users can still write specs faster with VisiWord.

    Seamus
    chalklineinc.com

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    Default Re: Ideas and procedures on using Revit to become more profitable

    I work in an arch firm...we never want other disciplines to build within our model.
    You should be creating your own structural model with the Arch model as link for coordination.
    Then we link your model into ours.

    Also you should be defining LOD (level of development) in your contract and project scope.
    As well as who is responsible for modeling what elements.
    Check out Bimforum for awesome info on LOD

    https://bimforum.org/lod/

    Frequently clients will ask for a more detailed model than they are willing to pay for or than budget allows.
    From the architectural end of things we often need to see structural elements in order for elevations / sections etc to view accurately.
    And early in design we may have to generate presentation drawings that show structural element too.
    So often we will model some structural items and then as project develops we remove them from our arch model and
    structural eng provide in their model. All about collaboration.

    Standard sheets, details, templates etc will save you a huge amount of time.
    I'm a long time Revit user (since 2002)...Over time the joys of Revit seriously outweigh the woes!

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