Revit compatible with ACAD?

[Maverick91]

The question Revit has come up in our office again. I'd be one of the top users, but I don't know much about it. How compatible is Revit with other Autodesk progams? How easy is it to import or reference Revit models into a dwg, and vice versa?

[Dimitri Harvalias]

What kind of compatibility are you looking for?
Revit can be exported to DWG file formats easily and consistently but a great deal of the intelligence associated with Revit objects is lost in translation.
Revit can easily import/link 2D DWG information but it won't provide any real benefits in a 3D modeling process. The CAD geometry can be referenced and dimensioned to but doesn't have any underlying intelligence.
3D models can be moved between both applications but with losses of metadata in both directions.

[Maverick91]

What kind of compatibility are you looking for?
Revit can be exported to DWG file formats easily and consistently but a great deal of the intelligence associated with Revit objects is lost in translation.
Revit can easily import/link 2D DWG information but it won't provide any real benefits in a 3D modeling process. The CAD geometry can be referenced and dimensioned to but doesn't have any underlying intelligence.
3D models can be moved between both applications but with losses of metadata in both directions.

My tool of choice is Civil-3D. But we do a little conceptual architectural work as well. Can I reference a Revit model into a Civil-3D plan & profile drawing?

How easy is it for me to send something created in Revit to less experienced ACAD user in another office, for example?

[Brian Myers]

My tool of choice is Civil-3D. But we do a little conceptual architectural work as well. Can I reference a Revit model into a Civil-3D plan & profile drawing?

How easy is it for me to send something created in Revit to less experienced ACAD user in another office, for example?

Sure Mav, you can export it out as a DWG and then bring it in either in a 2D or 3D form depending on your needs. Exporting is fairly straight forward, just a few button clicks unless you want to assign everything to match up with their layering standards (which can be done, but takes quite a bit more time the first time you do it...after that it can be saved and simply exported without the hassle). Any changes they make won't be reflected in the 3D model back in Revit, but that might not be an issue if the sharing of architecture is only going one way. If it is an issue, then you can link their DWG back into Revit and use it as a reference as you make changes... then simply unlink it again.