switching to revit

[dsalmon]

I currently work with Architectural Desktop 3.3 and the company I work for is leaning toward switching to Revit. Can anyone give me some tips or pointers on the difficulty in crossing over?

[gregcashen]

I would suggest, rather than asking an open-ended question like this, that you download the trial version, run through the tutorials and read through the forums here for any problems you may have. I can understand the impulse to ask this kind of question...probably feeling a bit overwhelmed at the propsect of having to learn a whole new software program...but I can assure you most of your questions have been asked and answered here before. As you run into problems, try searching on the particular function or feature you're having difficulty with. There are probably dozens of posts related to your issue and you will be back on track in no time. If you run across a problem you don't think has been addressed before, by all means, bring it up. You will probably get an answer within an hour, if not less.

Keep in mind...
1. Specific questions tend to get more responses here than open-ended ones.
2. The only way to get comfortable with this software is to play with it...and I do mean "play". you will find that it is much more fun than the "other" software. ;)
3. The sooner you do the tutorials, the sooner you will be proficient. Get in front of the ball and you will soon be the office guru. And I can guarantee you will sooner be clamoring for your higher-ups to make the switch ASAP!

Happy Revit-ing. :)

[SkiSouth]

Switch.
do the tutorials.
Do NOT start a "drop dead" project immediately.
Be SURE a Prinicipal is exposed (trained) to Revit
Depending on the office size, Worksets and getting an understanding could be an issue.
Stay active at AUGI and ask questions.
You're really gonna love it, Revit is ADT 3.3 on steroids plus brains!!

[BillyGrey]

The difficulties you run into are dependent on your office's main area of practice, and how large your firm is. But the main issues are typically integration of legacy data, office standards, thinking in 3d most of the time (really good, less interference errors), etc. Also, the issue of interfacing with struct./civil engineers, etc.

Our very own J. Balding and his co-author CL Fox recently published a book
"Introducing and Implementing Autodesk Revit" which speaks directly to many of the issue you will face within a firm when transitioning from the dwg world to the world of Revit.


Fortunately, Revit is an Autodesk product, so these issues (in my area of practice anyway) are no
problem, I move freely between .dwg/dxf, and Revit's native file format. (Revit 7, due out at the end of this month will also have .dgn capabilities.) But I must admit I am a small firm.

Finally, if you are proficient in ADT, I feel you will really be able to get up to speed (intermediate level)
in a very rapid amount of time. I am an ex-ADT guy, and once I worked through the tutorials, and got into a real project, this program was a revelation to me. All the things I couldn't do, or needed to train heavily in, to take ADT to a decent level, were practically intuitive in Revit.

Good luck, there really is no comparison (imo) between the two proggies :)

[Scott D Davis]

(Revit 7, due out at the end of this month will also have .dgn capabilities.)Just to clarify, Revit has had DGN capabilties since r1.0.

[MikeJarosz]

Skisouth recommends not to attempt a "drop dead" project. You mean like we did?

And we're still plugging away at it.... six months later.

[SkiSouth]

And we're still plugging away at it.... six months later.

Do you think your delay is due to the switch to Revit, or was there other factors?

My biggest problem on the switch was twofold - The biggest was getting my head around how to draw with Revit (throwing away that Acad mentality), then working with the family concept and trying to model everything, or what to model and what not to model.

[J. Grouchy]

Skisouth recommends not to attempt a "drop dead" project. You mean like we did?

And we're still plugging away at it.... six months later.
My first project on Revit took oodles of time and caused all sorts of frustration.
My second took half that time and I knew many 'tricks' that made CDs somewhat entertaining.
My third took less time than the AutoCAD equivalent and allowed me time to model it and model components and play with materials and such.
It's a steep learning curve because it is a completely different animal with an unfamiliar interface (to an ACAD user)...but now going back to work in AutoCAD, when I sometimes have to, is a drag...

[Tom Dorner]

What I tell people thinking about switching to Revit that come to our Revit Users Group meeting is: " I think you're crazy to not be using Revit, but as my competitor I'm really glad that you don't "

Tom

[ajayholland]

And we're still plugging away at it.... six months later.
Mike,

It IS, after all, a really BIG project!

~AJH

[tatlin]

Do you think your delay is due to the switch to Revit, or was there other factors?

Mike was not talking about a delay. He is talking about jumping into one of the biggest, most significant architectural design projects in recent history and, oh yeah, learning Revit at the same time.

He's a key player on the World Trade Center team at SOM. They started using Revit around 6 months ago and were able to hit their first 'drop dead' deadline last month.

[SkiSouth]

Mike was not talking about a delay. He is talking about jumping into one of the biggest, most significant architectural design projects in recent history and, oh yeah, learning Revit at the same time.

He's a key player on the World Trade Center team at SOM. They started using Revit around 6 months ago and were able to hit their first 'drop dead' deadline last month.

Yeah, guess I should've put a smiley face on the question - Huh :-D

[dsalmon]

Thanks for the input.........I have loaded the trial version and will give it a whirl. Your thoughts and ideas have been helpful.

[MikeJarosz]

Another way of thinking about the "drop dead project" issue:

Doing a pilot project to test the waters implies that it you fail, nothing much is lost. ---Everyone back to A**D.

By doing a project that CANNOT fail, the stakes are higher, but the motivation to succeed that much greater. And the penalty for failure will be much more painful.

Neither we nor Revit want that to happen, do we?

[Steve_Stafford]

Another way of thinking about the "drop dead project" issue:

Doing a pilot project to test the waters implies that it you fail, nothing much is lost. ---Everyone back to A**D.

By doing a project that CANNOT fail, the stakes are higher, but the motivation to succeed that much greater. And the penalty for failure will be much more painful.

Neither we nor Revit want that to happen, do we?
Was it Cortez who said, "Burn the ships"!! (after coming ashore)

[Cathy Hadley]

Another way of thinking about the "drop dead project" issue:

Doing a pilot project to test the waters implies that it you fail, nothing much is lost. ---Everyone back to A**D.

This is definitely an issue, It just happened with one of my clients... OMG, we *might* not be able to meet the deadline, so lets bail... just in case... (without even giving me the chance to come in throw them a life preserver) .. my point I think is about commitment. There is a learning curve, make no mistake, as with anything, but the benefits are well worth the effort.

CZH

[SkiSouth]

but the benefits are well worth the effort.

CZH

For tho$e who aren't reading between the line$, Revit make$ you money... :smile:

For those long time ACAD users, the switch from ADT to Revit was like getting the Release 9 Acad upgrade - what break through (at that time,,, ;-) )