sdjordison
2005-01-31, 07:39 PM
First of all, I hope I'm posting this message in the correct location of this site.
I've been a member of AUGI for quite a while but haven't shared many opinions until now. There seems to be an ongoing battle of which is better: ADT or Revit. I would like to express my opinion, but let me back up first and tell you about my history of using AutoCad products.
I began using and teaching standard AutoCad when version 14 was out. It was great for it's time, however it was frustrating to complete a good set of plans without views being linked. Then ADT came out. It seemed to be a great improvement over standard AutoCad. I enjoyed the fact that 3D modeling was now a part of CAD drawing. However I was frustrated using ADT for any modeling beyond walls, doors and windows. Yes, I understand that ADT can do more than walls, doors and windows, however it was not user friendly. I continued to teach and use ADT. As a teacher, I do not make enough money to pay the monthly bills, so I have my own business designing custom homes after hours. This also keeps me up on the latest AutoCad products. A little over 2 years ago, heard the rumblings of a new kid on the block called Revit. And I must confess, initially I thought it might be an add on package to ADT. Sorry. During my research, I stumbled across an article about a firm in Ft. Collins CO. using Revit. The article mentioned about a particular Architect, Scott Brown who was using it. I teach at the Career Development Center, located in Longmont, CO., about 30 miles away from Ft. Collins. So I called Scott and made arrangements to come up and visit him. I could not believe my eyes. There really is a software that was both user friendly and made directly for the Architectural world. Within a week I bought the software for my own business and convinced the school that this was the way of the future.
I'm currently writing this letter from school. I have just finished another lesson in Revit, and watch my students as they stay focused on their assignments. Revit is so interactive and intuitive that I never have a problem getting my students to buy into it.
And there lies the key. My students have never been told that they must give up what they have been using for years, and learn something new called Revit. We use Revit for the Architectural part of the class and nothing else. Yes, at first I was worried that Revit may come and go, and I would have been the fool that lead them down the wrong path. However I'm now convinced that Revit is here to stay, and will be the software of choice.
As my students go off to college and further their education in Architecture, Revit will be with them to use as their primary tool for designing and drawing. In fact, I have already experienced some previous students coming back to visit me from college and tell me that their professors are interested in this "new thing" called Revit. And they too are beginning to use it. And many have been given the opportunity to test out of some of their Cad classes. I believe its all in education. And I'm only one of many that are teaching our future Architects to use this wonderful software.
So give the users of other applications some time to appreciate Revit. It's not easy to throw away something that you have used for years. Three days into Revit, I almost gave up and went back to ADT, glad I didn't.
I've been a member of AUGI for quite a while but haven't shared many opinions until now. There seems to be an ongoing battle of which is better: ADT or Revit. I would like to express my opinion, but let me back up first and tell you about my history of using AutoCad products.
I began using and teaching standard AutoCad when version 14 was out. It was great for it's time, however it was frustrating to complete a good set of plans without views being linked. Then ADT came out. It seemed to be a great improvement over standard AutoCad. I enjoyed the fact that 3D modeling was now a part of CAD drawing. However I was frustrated using ADT for any modeling beyond walls, doors and windows. Yes, I understand that ADT can do more than walls, doors and windows, however it was not user friendly. I continued to teach and use ADT. As a teacher, I do not make enough money to pay the monthly bills, so I have my own business designing custom homes after hours. This also keeps me up on the latest AutoCad products. A little over 2 years ago, heard the rumblings of a new kid on the block called Revit. And I must confess, initially I thought it might be an add on package to ADT. Sorry. During my research, I stumbled across an article about a firm in Ft. Collins CO. using Revit. The article mentioned about a particular Architect, Scott Brown who was using it. I teach at the Career Development Center, located in Longmont, CO., about 30 miles away from Ft. Collins. So I called Scott and made arrangements to come up and visit him. I could not believe my eyes. There really is a software that was both user friendly and made directly for the Architectural world. Within a week I bought the software for my own business and convinced the school that this was the way of the future.
I'm currently writing this letter from school. I have just finished another lesson in Revit, and watch my students as they stay focused on their assignments. Revit is so interactive and intuitive that I never have a problem getting my students to buy into it.
And there lies the key. My students have never been told that they must give up what they have been using for years, and learn something new called Revit. We use Revit for the Architectural part of the class and nothing else. Yes, at first I was worried that Revit may come and go, and I would have been the fool that lead them down the wrong path. However I'm now convinced that Revit is here to stay, and will be the software of choice.
As my students go off to college and further their education in Architecture, Revit will be with them to use as their primary tool for designing and drawing. In fact, I have already experienced some previous students coming back to visit me from college and tell me that their professors are interested in this "new thing" called Revit. And they too are beginning to use it. And many have been given the opportunity to test out of some of their Cad classes. I believe its all in education. And I'm only one of many that are teaching our future Architects to use this wonderful software.
So give the users of other applications some time to appreciate Revit. It's not easy to throw away something that you have used for years. Three days into Revit, I almost gave up and went back to ADT, glad I didn't.