2D deliverables - Who's faster, AutoCAD or Revit?

[Marek Brandstatter]

At Cadplan, we are experiencing a lively debate amongst ourselves and our clients on certain projects where deadlines are extremely tight and 2D deliverables are *all* that is required. Essentially if you need to burn rubber, which software should be used - AutoCAD or Revit?

(1) Is it possible to use Revit as a *fast-track* 2D architectural solution?
(2) What are best practice fast-track 2D techniques in Revit?
(3) Is fast-track AutoCAD quicker than fast-track Revit?

On a broader level, check out New Procedures for some interesting opinions.

[beegee]

I always try to answer those sort of questions by looking at "real world" situations.

Here's one, - nearing a major deadline issue and the client decides to:-

a) Lift one of the floor levels of a multi storey building. ( Including stairs and ceiling )
b) Change the external wall material and structure from single skin concrete block to cavity face brick.
c)Change numerous window and door sizes.
d) Change one of the floors construction from steel and timber to concrete.

Deadline remains unchanged.

All deliverables ( drawings , schedules ) remain 2D.

Which will be faster Autocad or Revit ?

I think I know the answer to that question.

[Martin P]

Eh? there is something to debate about, is this genuine, Have you simply tried to do it?.

a floor plan cannot possibly be drawn quicker in Autocad - trim, trim, trim, fillet, fillet fillet, block etc etc etc... to insert a door or window..... to draw a wall, line, line line,line,hatch, pick etc etc etc. There is nothing to discuss here?

Elevations, well the same again - they have been pretty much drawn already when you did the floor plan - how on earth can autocad be any faster than that?

I was and am a big fan of Autocad, and very experienced user. But there is no way I would use it to quickly produce as set of drawings over Revit, to suggest ytou could is quite franky ludicrous, that is absolutely 100% Revits strength. Anyone who would suggest otherwise cannot be using Revit properly?

What is fast track Autocad? it has one way of producing drawings - laboriously. Revit has at least 2 ways to fast track a set of drawings aside from just using it correctly (coarse detail level - and massing tools) can you define how to fast track with Autocad?

[BomberAIA]

Revit is faster. You don't need to 3D everything. Be selective. After you input or block out the project into the the computer, you are furture along w/ Revit than Acad. If you have to adjust the design it's faster w/ Revit. Just face it.....Acad is a DOS Drafting program w/ a DOS 3rd party architectural program on top of it tryinging to be a windows and a 3D program. I don't think so.

[Marek Brandstatter]

To keep the thread simple - I didn't mention that at Cadplan we have developed an architectural add-on to AutoCAD that on a basic level (walls, doors, windows, dimensioning) is arguably quicker than Revit. So in my mind fast-track AutoCAD is AutoCAD on steroids (lisp, ARX, VB etc)

[Martin P]

To keep the thread simple - I didn't mention that at Cadplan we have developed an architectural add-on to AutoCAD that on a basic level (walls, doors, windows, dimensioning) is arguably quicker than Revit. So in my mind fast-track AutoCAD is AutoCAD on steroids (lisp, ARX, VB etc)

Ah, I see now what you are getting at. - it wont be quicker than Revit, I have used several add on products for autocad, many of which are excellent, I am sure yours is as good as some I have used. Sorry to be blunt, but they only try to make autocad do what Revit already does. You are trying convince the wrong people here I am afraid! - Autocad on steriods is that not ADT?

The opinions in the post you have linked, which do you find interesting? All I can see that that any of them say is dont do absolutely everything in 3D - and with time you will learn which tools are the best to use.

[barathd]

Mindless argument - depends totally on what you are trying to achieve. In some cases Revit and other ADT wins. If you had the best of both environments you might really have the chance to do something in real time. Notation in Revit remains IMHO very very poor.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Wall routines to clean up corners and insertions of doors, windows etc can be pretty quick in AutoCAD but unless you have a full blown 3rd party add on that handles revisions across plans and elevations as quickly as Revit then I think it's no contest.
I don't know a lot of 'only 2D required' sets of drawings that would not include scheduling of some sort. Schedules for doors, windows, room finish, areas etc. are all much quicker, and better coordinated, using Revit right out of the box.

[Scott D Davis]

To me, it's nearly impossible to compare Revit out of the box, with any other program with all the add-ons one can afford.

I think if you compared them dollar-for-dollar, Revit would win hands down. Install Revit, install AutoCAD OOTB, and then compare. Now while you are still buying and installing add-ons to AutoCAD to make it faster, I'm finishing my design in Revit.

[Marek Brandstatter]

Let me try and articulate the issue a little bit differently.

Some of our clients are experiencing situations with Revit projects where after 3 weeks the SD's are nowhere near where they would be if working in AutoCAD and there's some grumbling going on. We've identified things such as:

(1) Overmodeling. People seem to get sucked into a 3D problem solving vortex. Whereas in a 2D environment this would not exist.

(2) Failure to use Revit's various detailing tools.

(3) DWG overload. Too many large linked dwgs in the Revit project. We've suggested the creation of view templates where dwgs are turned off or even removed.

Any other suggestions?