Should RAC2008 export to structural programs?

[steve922542]

Last week I attended a webinar entitled 'Revit Inter-Discipline Collaboration.' They demonstrated all the verticals and showed what it looks like when bringing in info from one to the other.

Also demonstrated was Revit's ability to export to structrual analysis tools like STAAD and RAM and reimport the changes made in these programs post analysis. Does it make to prevent exporting/importing this data straight from/into RA? In my work, I do not know any engineers using RS. So by using Revit architecture I offer no competitive advantage for these firms. There is no synergy for such a work flow. If, on the other hand, I could export my model to a format that could round trip after my structural engineer's work in whatever software they use, then I would have a useful tool regardless of the software choices of my engineer.

There is probably a way to work around it right? But why should we have to when the link is available?

While we all know that Adesk's strategy is to price maximize by hobbling each version of Revit, I wonder what the effect of such a strategy will ultimately have upon the adoption rate and ultimate market leader in BIM. Even if these value-added features were offered a-la-carte, it would be better than nothing.

What are your thoughts? Would you use this feature if it were available to architects?

[arqt49]

The structure (and MEP, etc )engeneer firm I work with have an old text type structure software.
I showed the the RA with a simple demonstration of its principles and some pdf of MEP.
Of course they got exited with the advantages of interoperability, but their investment is too great.
I live and work in Portugal. The most used structure software used here is spanish from a company called cype, and cype as no plans to implement a import plugin from revit, for comercial reasons.
Very few offices use revit. They are still attached to autocad and other drafting like software. The transition to BIM is not considered in most of the offices I know.
A medium (big for portugal) architecture office I know uses Archicad, but as a drafting tool. Sounds very much like a joke, but the way of working haven't evolved much (from my univerity days). Sadly.
After purchasing my license, I enquired the Autodesk dealer about engeneering clients of Revit structure. The answer was nil. In that same phone call, I asked the dealer about their experience (and of their clients) about the implementation of masterformat and uniformat, or some european counterparts. The answer was the same. I beleive I am now the only one in my country using masterformat. Spanish allready have their own classification standard implemented for some time, but it is very weak compared to the US versions.
Like everything else, I have some great expectations, but only for the medium/far future.