Questions about Revit...

[Tilt441]

Some background: I currently use AutoCad LT 2004 to draw (mostly) house plan projects. I'm looking to expand my work, and getting up with some more cutting edge software to increase productivity.

I saw a web-cast on Revit today and have a couple questions.

Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit? Once you learn the software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for construction)?

I'm very 'behind' with AutoCad - and Autodesk is almost too daunting to figure out what I could use to really increase productivity. As a single person business, I have a hard time getting much info out of Autodesk re-sellers (they only seem interested in the sales to larger corporations).

What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked all over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.

Thanks,
Lyle

[Anonymous]

Lyle-

revit costs about $4500- but don't worry about
that as a revit beginner.. you can download a
full function version of revit to learn with for free..
the only thing it doesn't do is print sheets for you
to sell- until you buy a license for it.. that's fair
enough don't you think? in other words it don't
want stuff you create going out to be sold unless
you have a license. and while you are
learning revit- you are not selling any
construction documents anyway.. when i
started learning revit i paid a couple of
hundred dollars for a student version
that allowed me to print with water marks-
but that was a waste of money- i already
know what something looks like when
it's printed.. i actually preferred to printscreen
things i made in revit as a student rather than
print with watermarks.. so just go get the
free download..

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=13133636

[Anonymous]

On 2/24/2010 11:52 PM, Tilt441 wrote:
> Some background: I currently use AutoCad LT 2004 to draw (mostly) house plan projects. I'm looking to expand my work, and getting up with some more cutting edge software to increase productivity.
>
> I saw a web-cast on Revit today and have a couple questions.
>
> Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit? Once you learn the software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for construction)?
>
> I'm very 'behind' with AutoCad - and Autodesk is almost too daunting to figure out what I could use to really increase productivity. As a single person business, I have a hard time getting much info out of Autodesk re-sellers (they only seem interested in the sales to larger corporations).
>
> What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked all over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.
>
> Thanks,
> Lyle

firstly, I'm a Revit noob, so this is only $0.005 worth...

IMO, if all that you are doing is house plans you don't *need* Revit.
Sure, it can make some cool models and the resultant models would be
maybe more accurate than Acad dwgs (or maybe not). Revit is *way*
different that AutoCAD and if you think Acad is difficult to learn, wait
until you jump into Revit. I am also a self employed drafter who has
used Acad for over 20 years. I'm taking 3 months off just to try to get
my feet on the ground with Revit. Not learn Revit mind you, get my feet
on the ground. Unless you have some serious free time and some serious
cash to spend, I'd stick with Acad LT.

I prepare to be flamed by those in the know 🙂
--
Dave - DDP
Acad and Revit 2010 64 bit
Win 7 Pro
Intel I7-860 @2.8GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX260

[Anonymous]

On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:52:03 -0800, Tilt441 <> wrote:

>Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit?
I don't know what you mean by this.

> Once you learn the software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for construction)?
Yes.

>What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked all over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.
$199 would not be a legitimate commercial license.

Something to consider...we have found content to be an issue with
Revit. Revit comes out of the box with families (the equivalent of
Autocad blocks), but you may not find those families to be useful. We
are creating a lot of content ourselves. Some manufacturers provide
content, but the quality is not always the best.

Revit is very different from Autocad LT. Download the trial and
either get some training or plan a lot of time working with it. The
more you use it, the better you get at it.

Regards,
Ken

Novell....it does a server good!

[Anonymous]

Dave Jones-

there might be something you missed..

they say they were "behind" with AutoCAD-
and looking to revit..

if someone was ahead and doing well
with AutoCAD and house plans- maybe
there would be no need to move too fast
with revit- but anyone who is not doing
well (or behind) with AutoCAD and looking
to revit should no be discouraged from
moving forward..

i say to this person- yes go ahead and
get started learning revit if you plan to
have a future in any kind of architecture..

[Anonymous]

I agree with DJ. Check out the other alternatives as well. Revit is
designed to design doc very large buildings and has lots of tools you may
pay for but not need.
You are going to have a lot of time off learning and not earning. Some of
the cheaper programs don't have the capabilities but have easier learning
curves because they don't have to do as much. Then again learning Revit may
open up other opportunities for you.


"Dave Jones" wrote in message
news:6344047@discussion.autodesk.com...
On 2/24/2010 11:52 PM, Tilt441 wrote:
> Some background: I currently use AutoCad LT 2004 to draw (mostly) house
> plan projects. I'm looking to expand my work, and getting up with some
> more cutting edge software to increase productivity.
>
> I saw a web-cast on Revit today and have a couple questions.
>
> Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit? Once you learn the
> software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D
> Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for
> construction)?
>
> I'm very 'behind' with AutoCad - and Autodesk is almost too daunting to
> figure out what I could use to really increase productivity. As a single
> person business, I have a hard time getting much info out of Autodesk
> re-sellers (they only seem interested in the sales to larger
> corporations).
>
> What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked
> all over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.
>
> Thanks,
> Lyle

firstly, I'm a Revit noob, so this is only $0.005 worth...

IMO, if all that you are doing is house plans you don't *need* Revit.
Sure, it can make some cool models and the resultant models would be
maybe more accurate than Acad dwgs (or maybe not). Revit is *way*
different that AutoCAD and if you think Acad is difficult to learn, wait
until you jump into Revit. I am also a self employed drafter who has
used Acad for over 20 years. I'm taking 3 months off just to try to get
my feet on the ground with Revit. Not learn Revit mind you, get my feet
on the ground. Unless you have some serious free time and some serious
cash to spend, I'd stick with Acad LT.

I prepare to be flamed by those in the know 🙂
--
Dave - DDP
Acad and Revit 2010 64 bit
Win 7 Pro
Intel I7-860 @2.8GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX260

[Anonymous]

On 2/25/2010 8:09 AM, Nathan wrote:
> Then again learning Revit may
> open up other opportunities for you.
>

one can only hope!
--
Dave - DDP
Acad and Revit 2010 64 bit
Win 7 Pro
Intel I7-860 @2.8GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX260

[Anonymous]

Nathan-

you said: "very large buildings"

no..

revit builds bird houses the same
way it builds large buildings..

i had some of those kinds of
thoughts when i started with
revit five years ago- but now i
know they were not correct..

[Anonymous]

There are many corrections that need to be made about this post:

"revit costs about $4500": There are many factors that go into cost. First
is what country are you in? Secondly are you planning on upgrading your
AutoCAD LT? Thirdly, you have options to buy Revit, or a Revit Suite that
contains AutoCAD if you'd like. Fourth, you need to consider subscripton.
There are more....but you need to contact a local reseller to find out more
about your options and cost. www.autodesk.com/reseller

"you can download a full function version of revit to learn with for free..
the only thing it doesn't do is print sheets for you to sell- until you buy
a license for it": Yes, you can download a fulling functioning 30-day trial
from www.autodesk.com/Revit . When we say fully functioning, that means
that you can do EVERYTHING, including printing. After 30 days has expired,
Revit will go into Demo Mode, where all output is disabled...no printing,
exporting, etc. A purchased license will re-activate a Demo copy of Revit.

"when i started learning revit i paid a couple of hundred dollars for a
student version that allowed me to print with water marks- but that was a
waste of money": Well that's the understatement of the year! As a student
or educator, (and Autodesk will verify that you are a student) you can go to
students.autodesk.com and sign up for the student portal where you can get
Revit and many other Autodesk applications for FREE. Anyone that pays for a
student version of Revit is getting ripped off. The student version is for
non-commercial work only. It will output prints that have been watermarked.
Any file opened with a student version will be permanently water marked. Do
not ever open a file with a student version that you do not want water
marked. Student versions cannot be used in the classroom by educators to
teach from, as this is considered commercial use.

"i actually preferred to printscreen things i made in revit as a student
rather than print with watermarks.. " Any effort made to use a student
version to produce drawings that do not include the watermark are a
violation of your EULA, and are punishable by law. Print Screen will
produce a 72dpi image of your screen reolution...so not really a viable
alternative. Broadcasting your efforts to bypass the watermark on a public
forum...well lets just say that isn't very smart.


"vector2" wrote in message news:6343881@discussion.autodesk.com..
Lyle-

revit costs about $4500- but don't worry about
that as a revit beginner.. you can download a
full function version of revit to learn with for free..
the only thing it doesn't do is print sheets for you
to sell- until you buy a license for it.. that's fair
enough don't you think? in other words it don't
want stuff you create going out to be sold unless
you have a license. and while you are
learning revit- you are not selling any
construction documents anyway.. when i
started learning revit i paid a couple of
hundred dollars for a student version
that allowed me to print with water marks-
but that was a waste of money- i already
know what something looks like when
it's printed.. i actually preferred to printscreen
things i made in revit as a student rather than
print with watermarks.. so just go get the
free download..

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=13133636

[Tilt441]

I appreciate all the responses. It's hard to say if Revit is right for me. I've been using (legitimate) versions of AutoCad and AutoCad LT since around 1992. However in 2001 I went to work fully for myself - and was no longer in an office atmosphere. From that time forward, I considered my Cad training "on hold" (because you never truly stop learning AutoCad). It's very difficult to stay current when you work for yourself, and have little time to upgrade and re-train - and no co-workers to bounce stuff off. So my Cad abilities sort of got locked in time at the LT 2004 level. I see all these amazing looking products from Autodesk, and can't help thinking I'm completely missing the boat on dramatically increasing my productivity.

Revit 'looked' interesting in that instead of drawing a house 10 times in each drawing (each Elevation, each Floor Plan, each Section Plan), you create one model...and peel all those drawings from that one thing. As well, one of my main client expressed interest in getting some 3D computer models going at some point. It's an area that does interest me for sure. And I can see expanding my business to other areas because of it. Maybe Autodesk still has a program that better suits my needs - I just wish there was an expert on all of them that I could take to lunch, and get real info I can use.

Lyle

[Anonymous]

On 2/25/2010 11:32 AM, Tilt441 wrote:
> I appreciate all the responses. It's hard to say if Revit is right for me. I've been using (legitimate) versions of AutoCad and AutoCad LT since around 1992. However in 2001 I went to work fully for myself - and was no longer in an office atmosphere. From that time forward, I considered my Cad training "on hold" (because you never truly stop learning AutoCad). It's very difficult to stay current when you work for yourself, and have little time to upgrade and re-train - and no co-workers to bounce stuff off. So my Cad abilities sort of got locked in time at the LT 2004 level. I see all these amazing looking products from Autodesk, and can't help thinking I'm completely missing the boat on dramatically increasing my productivity.
>
> Revit 'looked' interesting in that instead of drawing a house 10 times in each drawing (each Elevation, each Floor Plan, each Section Plan), you create one model...and peel all those drawings from that one thing. As well, one of my main client expressed interest in getting some 3D computer models going at some point. It's an area that does interest me for sure. And I can see expanding my business to other areas because of it. Maybe Autodesk still has a program that better suits my needs - I just wish there was an expert on all of them that I could take to lunch, and get real info I can use.
>
> Lyle

My best friend does what I do (curtain wall detailing) and I got him
started with AutoCAD and in this business in '92, 2 years after I
started my own business and he worked for me for 2 years more before he
ventured out on his own. I am on subscription and upgrade Acad every
year, spend a lot of time on the Acad forums, take online training to
keep up with the latest features, and consider myself fairly Acad
knowledgeable. My friend still uses Acad 2000, isn't on subscription,
and doesn't even know what a forum is. We both make pretty much the same
amount of money each year. As long as you're doing OK, and are happy
doing what you do, don't worry about what's over the fence 🙂
--
Dave - DDP
Acad and Revit 2010 64 bit
Win 7 Pro
Intel I7-860 @2.8GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX260

[Tilt441]

You make a lot of sense Dave. That's a fact that has stuck with me for years - "if it ain't broke....don't fix it!!"

Lyle

[Anonymous]

Well, on the productivity question, I can offer this:

If you know and love LT, you can surely be productive with it. But heck, you can
be "productive" with a napkin and crayons if those are your favorite tools.

But if you take the time to learn Revit, you can become AT LEAST as productive
with LT on the first house project.

After that, you are going to be pumping out houses like you won't believe. Why?
Because residential documentation is extemely repetitive. After the first house,
you've built pretty much all of your your common project standards, title
block(s), sheets, wall types, levels, view templates, component families like
doors, windows, and cabinetry, roof types, stairs and railings, annotation
tags, schedules, detail components and drafting views.

You have your project template all set to go. Your next project now starts with
all of that content and formatting complete. That's a huge amount of work done.

Matt
matt@stachoni.com




On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:52:03 -0800, Tilt441 <> wrote:

>Some background: I currently use AutoCad LT 2004 to draw (mostly) house plan projects. I'm looking to expand my work, and getting up with some more cutting edge software to increase productivity.
>
>I saw a web-cast on Revit today and have a couple questions.
>
>Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit? Once you learn the software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for construction)?
>
>I'm very 'behind' with AutoCad - and Autodesk is almost too daunting to figure out what I could use to really increase productivity. As a single person business, I have a hard time getting much info out of Autodesk re-sellers (they only seem interested in the sales to larger corporations).
>
>What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked all over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.
>
>Thanks,
>Lyle

[Anonymous]

Sorry Matt but you must have been pretty unproductive with Lt!
Unless OOTB provides you with what you need, just learning how to build your
own families etc is going to take lots of extra time that it would take to
draw a project in lite.
I'm sure he has details, title blocks etc all ready set up in Lt. Not to
discourage him from diving into Revit but as an outsider looking in there
seems to be a lot of work getting everything set up as you need to. I
understand Revit can be very productive but like all complex software it
will take a fair investment to learn. $ & time.

"Matt Stachoni" wrote in message
news:6344702@discussion.autodesk.com...
Well, on the productivity question, I can offer this:

If you know and love LT, you can surely be productive with it. But heck, you
can
be "productive" with a napkin and crayons if those are your favorite tools.

But if you take the time to learn Revit, you can become AT LEAST as
productive
with LT on the first house project.

After that, you are going to be pumping out houses like you won't believe.
Why?
Because residential documentation is extemely repetitive. After the first
house,
you've built pretty much all of your your common project standards, title
block(s), sheets, wall types, levels, view templates, component families
like
doors, windows, and cabinetry, roof types, stairs and railings, annotation
tags, schedules, detail components and drafting views.

You have your project template all set to go. Your next project now starts
with
all of that content and formatting complete. That's a huge amount of work
done.

Matt
matt@stachoni.com




On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:52:03 -0800, Tilt441 <> wrote:

>Some background: I currently use AutoCad LT 2004 to draw (mostly) house
>plan projects. I'm looking to expand my work, and getting up with some more
>cutting edge software to increase productivity.
>
>I saw a web-cast on Revit today and have a couple questions.
>
>Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit? Once you learn the
>software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D
>Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for
>construction)?
>
>I'm very 'behind' with AutoCad - and Autodesk is almost too daunting to
>figure out what I could use to really increase productivity. As a single
>person business, I have a hard time getting much info out of Autodesk
>re-sellers (they only seem interested in the sales to larger corporations).
>
>What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked all
>over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.
>
>Thanks,
>Lyle

[Anonymous]

Scott-

what does this mean:

"There are many factors that go into cost"

i don't remember the exact price to the penny-
but it's about $4500..

what are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

So you are comparing the time it takes to get the first Revit project off
the ground to the time it take to do a project in LT when you have years of
project set up already done in LT. That first project in LT took a long time
too since all those details, titleblocks etc had to be created for the first
time then too.

--
Lance W.
______________________________
my advice is congruent and factual..

"Nathan" wrote in message
news:6344880@discussion.autodesk.com...
> Sorry Matt but you must have been pretty unproductive with Lt!
> Unless OOTB provides you with what you need, just learning how to build
> your own families etc is going to take lots of extra time that it would
> take to draw a project in lite.
> I'm sure he has details, title blocks etc all ready set up in Lt. Not to
> discourage him from diving into Revit but as an outsider looking in there
> seems to be a lot of work getting everything set up as you need to. I
> understand Revit can be very productive but like all complex software it
> will take a fair investment to learn. $ & time.
>
> "Matt Stachoni" wrote in message
> news:6344702@discussion.autodesk.com...
> Well, on the productivity question, I can offer this:
>
> If you know and love LT, you can surely be productive with it. But heck,
> you can
> be "productive" with a napkin and crayons if those are your favorite
> tools.
>
> But if you take the time to learn Revit, you can become AT LEAST as
> productive
> with LT on the first house project.
>
> After that, you are going to be pumping out houses like you won't believe.
> Why?
> Because residential documentation is extemely repetitive. After the first
> house,
> you've built pretty much all of your your common project standards, title
> block(s), sheets, wall types, levels, view templates, component families
> like
> doors, windows, and cabinetry, roof types, stairs and railings,
> annotation
> tags, schedules, detail components and drafting views.
>
> You have your project template all set to go. Your next project now starts
> with
> all of that content and formatting complete. That's a huge amount of work
> done.
>
> Matt
> matt@stachoni.com
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:52:03 -0800, Tilt441 <> wrote:
>
>>Some background: I currently use AutoCad LT 2004 to draw (mostly) house
>>plan projects. I'm looking to expand my work, and getting up with some
>>more cutting edge software to increase productivity.
>>
>>I saw a web-cast on Revit today and have a couple questions.
>>
>>Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit? Once you learn the
>>software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D
>>Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for
>>construction)?
>>
>>I'm very 'behind' with AutoCad - and Autodesk is almost too daunting to
>>figure out what I could use to really increase productivity. As a single
>>person business, I have a hard time getting much info out of Autodesk
>>re-sellers (they only seem interested in the sales to larger
>>corporations).
>>
>>What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked
>>all over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Lyle

[Anonymous]

Well that's my point. Mat said "AT LEAST as productive
with LT on the first house project." Matt is a "Tech head" and well able
beyond the average user able to get into the program whereas the average
user is going to take longer to 'get it' and get it done. I agree that
there can be savings there but it takes a lot of work to get there.


"Lance W." wrote in message
news:6344874@discussion.autodesk.com...
So you are comparing the time it takes to get the first Revit project off
the ground to the time it take to do a project in LT when you have years of
project set up already done in LT. That first project in LT took a long time
too since all those details, titleblocks etc had to be created for the first
time then too.

--
Lance W.
______________________________
my advice is congruent and factual..

"Nathan" wrote in message
news:6344880@discussion.autodesk.com...
> Sorry Matt but you must have been pretty unproductive with Lt!
> Unless OOTB provides you with what you need, just learning how to build
> your own families etc is going to take lots of extra time that it would
> take to draw a project in lite.
> I'm sure he has details, title blocks etc all ready set up in Lt. Not to
> discourage him from diving into Revit but as an outsider looking in there
> seems to be a lot of work getting everything set up as you need to. I
> understand Revit can be very productive but like all complex software it
> will take a fair investment to learn. $ & time.
>
> "Matt Stachoni" wrote in message
> news:6344702@discussion.autodesk.com...
> Well, on the productivity question, I can offer this:
>
> If you know and love LT, you can surely be productive with it. But heck,
> you can
> be "productive" with a napkin and crayons if those are your favorite
> tools.
>
> But if you take the time to learn Revit, you can become AT LEAST as
> productive
> with LT on the first house project.
>
> After that, you are going to be pumping out houses like you won't believe.
> Why?
> Because residential documentation is extemely repetitive. After the first
> house,
> you've built pretty much all of your your common project standards, title
> block(s), sheets, wall types, levels, view templates, component families
> like
> doors, windows, and cabinetry, roof types, stairs and railings,
> annotation
> tags, schedules, detail components and drafting views.
>
> You have your project template all set to go. Your next project now starts
> with
> all of that content and formatting complete. That's a huge amount of work
> done.
>
> Matt
> matt@stachoni.com
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:52:03 -0800, Tilt441 <> wrote:
>
>>Some background: I currently use AutoCad LT 2004 to draw (mostly) house
>>plan projects. I'm looking to expand my work, and getting up with some
>>more cutting edge software to increase productivity.
>>
>>I saw a web-cast on Revit today and have a couple questions.
>>
>>Is there a 'built-in' AutoCad ability in Revit? Once you learn the
>>software, can you use it to model a house VERY accurately - and take 2D
>>Elevations, Floor Plans, and Sections from the model (accurate for
>>construction)?
>>
>>I'm very 'behind' with AutoCad - and Autodesk is almost too daunting to
>>figure out what I could use to really increase productivity. As a single
>>person business, I have a hard time getting much info out of Autodesk
>>re-sellers (they only seem interested in the sales to larger
>>corporations).
>>
>>What does Revit Architecture 2010 cost (in Canadian or US)? I've looked
>>all over the internet, and have found everything from $199 to $4000.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Lyle

[Anonymous]

because you have different options when you buy revit architecture, revit
architecture suite, revit architecture visualization suite. You can purchase
it without a subscription, with a subscription, cross grade a current
subscription to one of the revit products above. With each revit product
above and the path you take be it without a subscription, with a
subscription, cross grade a current subscription cost a different amount.
Then if you buy it from a reseller it may cost more then buying it online
from Autodesk. Because the reseller might include training, support or other
things that make the price higher. Also depending on what country you are
in, it will cost a different amount. You can not just say $xxx US dollars,
because for someone in Australia it will most likely cost more then just
doing a exchange ratio for currency.

wrote in message news:6344899@discussion.autodesk.com...
Scott-

what does this mean:

"There are many factors that go into cost"

i don't remember the exact price to the penny-
but it's about $4500..

what are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

On 2/26/2010 6:07 AM, Lance W. wrote:
> So you are comparing the time it takes to get the first Revit project off
> the ground to the time it take to do a project in LT when you have years of
> project set up already done in LT. That first project in LT took a long time
> too since all those details, titleblocks etc had to be created for the first
> time then too.
>

I think that a key point here is that the OP is a self employed drafter.
He doesn't have someone elses dime to get training on. I'm in the same
boat and I'm anticipating my yearly income in '10 to be 1/2 of normal
due to the learning curve of Revit. Most people can't afford that hit
--
Dave - DDP
Acad and Revit 2010 64 bit
Win 7 Pro
Intel I7-860 @2.8GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX260

[Anonymous]

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:40:49 -0800, Nathan wrote:

>Sorry Matt but you must have been pretty unproductive with Lt!

You bet! As are, I would imagine, most people who have to use LT 🙂

>Unless OOTB provides you with what you need, just learning how to build your
>own families etc is going to take lots of extra time that it would take to
>draw a project in lite.

Well, as we are all aware, OOTB content may leave a little to be desired. But
Revit comes with a ton of at-least-usable-stuff which can be easily used
effectively. But that's only a small part of what's involved. Obviously, you
need to create your own System Families (walls, roofs, floors, etc) but for the
most part, that's simple.

And using them is a heck of a lot easier than plowing through with dumb ol'
linework.

>I'm sure he has details, title blocks etc all ready set up in Lt.

Which can be re-purposed in LT in short order. In the beginning, it's simple
enough to create Drafting Views and link them in. Then you re-create the details
with real Revit elements. Particularly for residential - even high end stuff -
it's pretty much child's play.

>Not to discourage him from diving into Revit but as an outsider looking in there
>seems to be a lot of work getting everything set up as you need to.

It's not a horrible amount of time. My suggestion is to learn the basics of
Revit in an "out of process" way - work in LT on your stuff and learn Revit in
paralell, going through the tutorials, learning families, etc. The learning
resources out there are fantastic, from books to AUGI to this place to blogs to
online videos.

The point is, migrating to Revit is a game changer for everyone. No one starts
off in Revit at a point which equates where they were with AutoCAD. That takes a
lot of time and effort, but the results are well worth it and - which reiterates
my original point - you will end up MUCH more efficient with Revit as you ever
could be with AutoCAD.

Matt
matt@stachoni.com