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Why use Revit vs. AutoCAD / Building surveys in Revit format advantages?

8 REPLIES 8
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Message 1 of 9
SQuEallah
42707 Views, 8 Replies

Why use Revit vs. AutoCAD / Building surveys in Revit format advantages?

Hey guys. We run a surveying company and more and more frequently are being asked about delivering our building surveys in Revit format. We get confusing answers from some clients/architects when we ask what they are needing Revit format for exactly, some even just shrug their shoulders and tell us it isn't their idea but someone higher up who thinks they should be using it...

 

So, I thought I'd throw the question out to the Revit community and see what those who are actually using Revit have to say on the matter:

 

If you needed a building survey what would you be gaining from having the survey delivered to you as a Revit file?

 

What would our surveys need to do different to deliver you a building survey in a Revit friendly format - would the survey itself be that much different from a typical AutoCAD format delivered drawing file, generally 2D drawings? Or would you expect a 3D model of sorts... All a bit new to us Revit so be gentle with me - or even point me to some explanatory resources 😉

 

Thanks a lot!!!

8 REPLIES 8
Message 2 of 9
ccollins
in reply to: SQuEallah

Revit is a BIM ( Building Information Modeling ) program. The idea is to create a 3D model or "virtual" representation of the real physical building. Each 3D element has Information ( referred to as "metadata" ) input into it so that the data can be scheduled automatically, and shared downstream with other stakeholders and team members who may use Revit or other programs such as Navisworks to combine all models from the various design teams ( Arch., Struct., Civil, MEP/FP, etc. ) into a "Master Model" and perform 3D clash detection, 4D scheduling and 5D cost estimating.

 

The AEC industry is quickly advancing into a BIM delivery method and leaving 2D Cad behind as it is an antiquated way of designing and documenting projects. ( FWIW, Revit was released in 1999-2000, so it is not "brand new" as many will claim. It may be "brand new" to those who were slow to transition from Cad to BIM.)

 

For an existing building which is to be renovated, it has always been a challenge how to document the existing conditions.

Recent breakthroughs in Laser Scanning and Point Cloud technology have enabled the process to go "digital" and in 3D.

Revit 2012 now supports Point Cloud data, so it can be imported into Revit and used as a "3D background" to create a 3D model in Revit of the exiting facility. Revit also uses "Phases" to distinguish existing, demolished and new construction automatically. 

 

So--as BIM becomes the "norm" and 2D Cad drafting fades away, having a Laser Scan/Point Cloud survey will become the default. The Federal Government is now requiring BIM on all of their projects ( do a quick search about GSA and BIM ) and they have been at the forefront of the laser-scan/point cloud/BIM workflow.

 

Hope this helps.

Cliff B. Collins
Registered Architect/BIM Manager
Thalden Boyd Emery Architects
St. Louis, MO
Message 3 of 9
SQuEallah
in reply to: SQuEallah

Thank you very much for your input. We do have pointcloud experience actually using the rather clunky Leica Cloudworx plugin in AutoCAD which has severly been lacking any new functionality since we ever started using it a long time ago. Does Revit support the Leica formats and/or the more basic XYZ text based pointcloud files do you know?

 

Our current pointcloud-ers and AutoCAD 3d modellers - are they going to struggle in the new Revit environment and tools or do you think it's going to be very familiar to them, with little extra training requried?

 

Would you even bother modelling or drawing existing building detail if you have the subject laserscanned, or would you just use the pointcloud literally as a model and then use it asa canvas tod esign new features etc too?

 

thank you!

Message 4 of 9
edward_saota
in reply to: SQuEallah

Hi

 

What I've done is take a series of screenshots as I've brought a file into Revit 2010, with comments at each step.

 

Hope this clarifies things for you.

 

Edward Peinke

Message 5 of 9
SQuEallah
in reply to: SQuEallah

thanks edwardnoael!!! That is pretty cool stuff you show there and we do actually do topographic surveys too.

 

I can see this translating to our building surveys in a way - I'm not sure if it's madness what i'm thinking or if there's a tidier way to do it perhaps? Our building surveys are mainly captured by Total Stations measuring points capturing detail across a building facade. The captured point data is then imported in to AutoCAD at the mo with connecting linework creating a wireframe 3D reprsentation of the surveyed building. Usually we would flatten all this capture into a 2d drawing and tidy the linework up, but instead of flattening could we use a similiar process as your dxf to topo model guide shows? Or would perhaps the safer bet be to use the raw 3d point and linework be best serverd to guide production of a 3d solid modelled representation?

 

Am i right in thinking also though, that with revit a 3d model can viewed from any angle and a 2d drawing of sorts can be produced from the solid model? perhaps i dreamt this lol

 

Using pointclouds is also another option of course - do pointclouds get used to guide solid modelling or is the raw pointlcoud data able to be "skinned" into a 3d model. knowing poincloud data i can see this may lead to imperfections in dark/shadowed spots of course but would be a quick method of getting some kind of model up and running.

 

thanks guys again, this has been a very useful discussion so far! Smiley Happy

Message 6 of 9
jennyrpower
in reply to: SQuEallah

Ok so it''s 3 yrs later but hey..

Just got a college project to do a survey of a cottage using Revit. If I were to do it in CAD, I'd probably have it done by the end of this post. At the end of this project, we will be expected to demonstrate the thermal behaviour of the existing walls, floors and ceilings. given the survey info. From that, we should be able to suggest ways of improving thermal performance for the future.

 

There was a time when one would have railed against using CAD for a once off build as opposed to using the drawing board. Those days aren't too long gone, yet we use CAD for everything now. The same could be said for Revit.

 

Employers should be brave and ditch the CAD in house and switch over to BIM without a long drawn out process. Think of certain computers- we never thought we could live without a floppy.

 

So if I were to appoint a survey company who can deliver in Revit, I would judge them to be progressive, on trend and extra helpful. Good commercial sense.

Message 7 of 9
SQuEallah
in reply to: jennyrpower

Looks like our company is now "progressive, on trend and extra helpful. Good commercial sense." hee hee We've created a number of as-built surveys recreated in revit to date now. There's plenty room for streamlining the process though 😄
Message 8 of 9
jennyrpower
in reply to: SQuEallah

Great.

See what happened in 3 fast years? It sounds like it's second nature now and you've carved out a proper niche there. And things are only beginning to motor up.

You must link up a title free survey for us to gawk at.

I'm staring at the 1930s social housing project we have to draw up now..sigh

 

A Revit newbie of 4 Fridays (plenty of work between each- really liking it)

Message 9 of 9
JEREMIKEHNT
in reply to: jennyrpower

Gentlemen, I use AutoCAD MEP and have for years.  I model in 3D.  I coordinate in 3D.  Revit isn't the only BIM program.  It's how you're trained to use it.  I can model more with more detail in CAD than with Revit.  

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