Considering Revit MEP

[Anonymous]

Can I get some in put from those of you that have used AutoCAD MEP and now have switched to Revit. Which do you prefer and what do you recomend.

[Anonymous]

If you are one of the lucky ones that didn't spend money on Revit yet, than stay away from it, once purchased Revit you have to have the annual subscription for a product that doesn’t do what you need. What I’m telling you is from a drafting point of view, not that the design part of it is much better. Check these 2 threads where Autodesk doesn’t give an answer, to my questions.

http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?threadID=655087 drafting
http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?threadID=661666 designing/drafting

These 2 are only 2 flaws that are affecting me right now, but there are many others.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the in put we are a large company and decisions get made by people that don't know what they are talking about. I can only voice opinion. This will help my case.

[Anonymous]

I would read those threads before you make a decision. Sounds like whoever the original poster was didn't read the answers that were given.

[Anonymous]

I purchased the Autocad MEP / Revit MEP suite back in Nov 07. I started to learn Autocad MEP mostly because I'm fluent in autocad. I spent 2 months on and off (I also have lots of projects to get out the door so it wasn't solid 2 months). Then after doing more research it seemed to me that Revit MEP would be better. 1) it seems that is where the industry is headed. 2) I didn't want to spend time learning 2 programs so if I am going to eventually go to Revit MEP I chose to do it now.
I just put my first RMEP project out the door. It took a little help from autocad, but probably mostly because I'm still learning and you have to do what you have to do to get things done.
Overall I think I'm going to like Revit. The folks I gave this project to certainly like the output.
I wouldn't make a decision based solely on dracri experiences. Check out some of the success stories in the forums.
A couple weeks ago I attended a large conference of engineers & architects. While there I talked to many and always asked what tools they used to turn out projects. The majority of those I spoke with were either heavily into RMEP or just transitioning into it like me. The HVAC manufacturers there were somewhat in the wait and see mode.

Just my newbie 2 cents worth.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all this has been very helpfull

[KyleB_Autodesk]

Dracri,
I'm sorry that you feel that way about your experience thus far. It does sound like you have gone into your Revit MEP implementation with unrealistic expectations for a product early in its product lifecycle.

We on the product team have talked at length about this subject, I have even blogged about it. Would we like to have a product that does all design and documentation needs for MEP projects of all types and sizes for all countries? Of course. Are we there yet? No. If you think about it, that is a pretty tall order.

Revit MEP is not a drafting product, it is a design and modeling product that assembles a BIM, from which documentation is issued.

Autodesk has a product that does drafting, it's called AutoCAD and it's been on the market for 25 years being the best, most flexible drafting platform available. We also have an MEP-specific product that's focused on drafting and documentation for MEP, AutoCAD MEP. It sounds like that is the focus you are seeking in your software.

From a value perspective, Revit MEP is not sold on its own, only with AutoCAD MEP, so you have a purpose-built drafting solution available to you, should you choose to use it.

I'll take a look at your linked posts. I'm sorry we weren't able to get to both. I spend a great deal of time on the Autodesk and AUGI forums, as well as my blog addressing product capabilities, both good and bad. It's never a situation where we avoid the "painful" stuff, just a matter of time, nothing personal.

Cheers,
Kyle B
Revit MEP Product Manager
http://inside-the-system.typepad.com/

[KyleB_Autodesk]

Terry,
I'd recommend that you do some searches on this forum as well as the AUGI forums, you are by no means the first person to ask this question.

Cheers,
Kyle B
Revit MEP Product Manager

[Anonymous]

Hi Kyle B,
Thank you for your response, but surely you can see the obvious reasons I’m trying to use Revit (is parametric, and all sections, elevations are updating in real time), I don’t need to take another and another like in AutoCAD MEP. And yes AutoCAD is the best for drafting.
The company I’m working for is a small company, and I’m the one to use the only seat with Revit, I was the first to use Revit MEP in our city, and had to build all the content library myself, like rectangular bend transition, GMS round bends, you call them now gore, Angle based transitions and others and all the Holyoake air terminals, we use, silencers… I can tell you we have a very extensive library with all this elements. With release 2 or 3 Autodesk came with more family content, some better some worst than mine, but I didn’t mind building all that, yes we don’t use the software to the capacity, mainly for coordination with the architect and structural model, but still want to generate good quality drawing as we did before using AutoCAD, this is what I mind for. Content … I can do it my self, the biggest impediment related to content was the lack of a swept bend that was addressed with Revit 2009 release. Building content was a challenge for me as I needed to learn about families and all real fast and had to develop extensive and complicated formulas to control so many parameters, I did enjoy this and is something I like about Revit.

Here is an example of a family a combination of similar construction Holyoake diffusers, here in New Zealand we need a cushion box.

Cheers,
Dragos R

[Anonymous]

"...early in its product lifecycle."

Unacceptable.

These are not acceptable words when applied to a program that is released on the market for the price it is. Take the time to complete and test it before releasing it on the street. There are many design professionals that do not like to be used as the test forum for Autodesk.

Let us know when 'late' in its product lifecycle will be - perhaps you won't be entirely eclipsed by IES before then.