What do you think the future holds?

[Steve_Bennett]

I was curious to see what people think about ADT vs Revit. Do you think one is superior to the other? Do you think one is the way of the future & the other is headed the way of the dodo bird? I'm curious to see what everybody thinks.

Personally, I'm torn between the two platforms. While ADT is built on AutoCAD & is a vertical product - it's going to be ultimately limited by what can be programmed into AutoCAD. Revit on the other hand is a relatively new software engine that is a lot more open to revisions for code, but being a totally different platform from AutoCAD, it will take some getting used to. I don't know what to think anymore so I was hoping to get some input from all you out there.

[arcadia_x27]

I prefer ADT mainly because im used to an ACAD enviroment and i found the transition easy from learning ACAD then Revit. Revit is definetly a superior platform for architects as it works better with the design process than ADT. But from what little I've used Revit I find that construction docs are eaiser to do in ADt than Revit. I guess its just really personal preference. Since i mostly deal with residential construction, neither one of them lends itself to that aspect very easily. but ADT was the one that was more easily adapted to the purposes at my company. just my 2 cents

[hand471037]

Steve,

Autodesk offers, on the Mechanical Engineering side, three different products: AutoCAD (plain ol' 2D & with add-ons like AutoCAD Electrical), Mechancial Desktop (2D/3D AutoCAD-based Vertical with Objects), and Inventor (fully 3D parametrics). All are supported, all still sell, all are still used. Sure, Inventor is easier to use for certain kinds of work, and is developing faster and can do more than MDT or AutoCAD, but that's besides the point. All three aren't going anywhere, and all three are still being made better day after day.

Now it's the same on the Architectural Side. AutoCAD, ADT, and Revit. Autodesk needs all three for Architecture, all three are still going to be used, all three are still being developed.

It's never really been ADT vs. Revit. But I don't think most people see that. When Phil B. said 'Revit is the future' he didn't say 'and ADT is Dead as of now'. I think in time, just like with Inventor, most of the market will move towards Revit. However that doesn't mean that ADT will go away, and as you've seen in ADT 2006 there's more and more Revit-like things trickling down into it.

However, many ADT folks feel very threatened by Revit, for it directly impacts their livelyhood in some cases, but most of the time I feel it's the same issue you've got: They are actually worried about having to change to something they don't know. They won't be 'on top' anymore. So you'll see all kinds of wild speculation, and an attidue that wishes Revit would simply go away, or that if Autodesk doesn't sell enough copies it will drop the product tomorrow, or other totally silly things.

Neither are going anywhere, and it's all about which tool meets your needs best. The Best thing you can do is to get a copy of both, 2006 & Revit 8, and try both, and think hard about how they fit into your business...

[DoTheBIM]

I was curious to see what people think about ADT vs Revit. Do you think one is superior to the other? Do you think one is the way of the future & the other is headed the way of the dodo bird? I'm curious to see what everybody thinks.

Personally, I'm torn between the two platforms. While ADT is built on AutoCAD & is a vertical product - it's going to be ultimately limited by what can be programmed into AutoCAD. Revit on the other hand is a relatively new software engine that is a lot more open to revisions for code, but being a totally different platform from AutoCAD, it will take some getting used to. I don't know what to think anymore so I was hoping to get some input from all you out there.

What is superior is completely dependent on specifically what you're trying to acomplish. There is no answer to your question the way it is worded now. Try to give more detail on what your torn over.

[hand471037]

What is superior is completely dependent on specifically what you're trying to acomplish. There is no answer to your question the way it is worded now. Try to give more detail on what your torn over.

This is true. For example, I live in the Bay Area, and so most of the work I tend to do is renovate. Revit has an excellent set of Phasing tools that allow me to do complex multi-phased projects pretty easily. ADT doesn't have these tools. Also, in Revit, I find it very easy to generate custom content (Families) which is vital for matching existing conditions and doing very custom work. I've found this to be a lot harder or limited in ADT, taking too much time that negates some of the benefits that I would get from ADT. Those two alone is enough of a 'dealbreaker' for me that I'll probably never use ADT.

However, if you didn't do much renovation, and if you didn't do much where every project is custom, different, and sometimes historic, then these two things I find very useful within Revit wouldn't mean much to you.

Or another example, I can model very quickly in Revit, and with the Shadows turned on every drawing, even basic models, look great. When I model live in front of a client, they love it, it's an amazing sales tool. Also, when presenting the project using Revit to the client, and they ask a question about the entry, being able to cut a live 3D section on the spot (and only have it take a few seconds to generate) with shadows and colors and all really impresses them. It creates a dialog with the client that they just love, they feel like they are part of the design process, and they leave all excited about the project. I don't feel like I'd be able to work that way with ADT. But if you never present like that to the client, or have other people in your office generating the presentations or something, then again these features wouldn't mean anything to you.

So, like I've said before, I feel it's more about which way you want to work- not about which one 'wins'. But that's just me.

[KelseyL]

ha...im the only one that votes autocad (so far)

i just think its basic and everyone knows the basics of it

if it is changed, i dont think it will be for quite a long long time, but then again, i havent been in the industry that long, so what do i know

[Steve_Bennett]

I guess what I wanted to see was what other people thought about the two software platforms when comparing them to each other. So far, all of you have given very valid reasons as to why you would choose one over the other. That was basically what I was after. I can sit here and mess with both all day long, but I wanted to see some opinions from the rest of the world - not just the office I'm sitting in.

Thanks for the input so far.

[ita]

Like many Revit users, I have a long background in AutoCAD andADT as well as Archicad (a long time ago). When I go back to these platforms from Revit . . . no way! Revit is simpler, easier, efficient and caters for both ends of the spectrum. Designers and presenters are fully accommodated as are documentders and project managers. That may sound generalised but it is not - Revit is a very powerful and flexible tool.

[Chuckyd67]

When Revit was first introduced, Autodesk told us that Revit is the future of Autodesk. However, Revit has been slow in coming up to speed. There is still no Revit for any discipline other than architecture. For me, that is a huge failing. Yes, I know I can export to ACAD, and that the transition is "seamless", but that defeats the advantages of the software.

Because the other disciplines are so slow in making it to the market in Revit, I am given reason to wonder if they ever will. If not, then Revit seems doomed to me.

I must say that when Revit was introduced in San Francisco, I was underwhelmed. However, an AutoCAD programmer gave a presentation at a LUG meeting, and I was most definitely OVERwhelmed. Mind you, this was before Project Navigator, so I was most impressed with the automation within Revit. In my mind, Revit still has the advantage there.

[ita]

Underwehlmed, overwehlmed - we all make our choices according to where we are at the time. Compared to Revit, for me, the other apps are from another era!

When you are ready - take another (good hard) look!