Architectural vs Structural Columns

[Chad Smith]

Just a poll to gauge which type of column object you use the most, Architectural or Structural?

[Mike Sealander]

What the hell is an architectural column, anyway? Is that where you write about architecture for a newspaper, or a blog? Or is it where you stick in a column because it looks good in elevation, even though there is no existential reason for it?

[aaronrumple]

What the hell is an architectural column, anyway? Is that where you write about architecture for a newspaper, or a blog? Or is it where you stick in a column because it looks good in elevation, even though there is no existential reason for it?

This is nomenclature that Revit really never got quite right. While Autodesk will wank over scale and resize, they still have yet to clarify this item that continues to confuse users.

Architectural columns fit one of two categories. The can serve as pilasters or column covers. As a pilaster, architectural columns have the ability to join with walls and even wrap materials picked up automatically from the wall. As a column cover, this object type can serve as any decorative column. The pilaster function is the one that is least understood by Revit users.

The pilaster function needs further develpment by Autodesk as there are still issues with how the materials wrap and display in section.

[sbrown]

This is a very clear issue to me. Structural columns are just that, they hold up the building and are only the actual structure, ie steel wide flange, concrete, wood. Architectural columns are what hide structural columns or are decorative. So I use both on every project. I like to overide the cut pattern of struct col to be solid red so I can always see what is structure and what isn'.

[Chad Smith]

I just want to add that the point of this poll was in reaction to an Autodesk comment that the Architectural Column is default because apparently their user usage data showed that it was used more than Structural Columns.
I personally think this is because they may have interviewed far more beginners who didn't understand the difference which swayed the output. It's as though Autodesk relied too heavily on data rather than thinking through the negative effects that presenting the user with Architectural could have on their project, when in the long run the user should have used Structural. This is not to say Architectural doesn't have a place in a project.

I didn't list the above in my OP so I didn't sway the voting.