ACAD Architecture vs. Revit

[BillAllenSE]

I'm making the switch from Revit to ACAD Architecture. Revit is a good 3d modeling tool, but not so much as a precise drafting tool for construction documents. That's my opinion and I'm not here to debate that.

What I would like to know is what sort of roadblocks, shortcomings, etc. should I be aware of?

Thank you.

[David_W_Koch]

That will be a hard question to answer, given that one person's roadblock or shortcoming is another person's feature.

I will throw out this as a potential roadblock/shortcoming:  Autodesk effectively stopped the development of AutoCAD Architecture after the 2017 release, other than a few bug fixes and to maintain compatibility with changes to the underlying AutoCAD.  If AutoCAD Architecture does everything you need in an AEC software, that may not be a problem.  Just expect any sore spots you may encounter to remain sore spots.

Five or six years ago, this thread would have had a boatload of responses already, even if it was posted on a Saturday evening (as it was for me, in the US Eastern time zone).  It will be interesting to see how the community reacts to it now.

[BillAllenSE]

Thank you for your response.

That's disappointing to read. When I first decided to go to BIM (in 2008) and was trying to decide between ACA and Revit, my vendor said ACA was on it's way out and basically would be a waste of time to learn because I would have to switch to Revit eventually. I worked in Revit for 8 years before I gave up. Most of my work then was structural (residential) and it was difficult to hit budgets and deadlines.

Last year, I started doing more architectural work, so I dusted off Revit. Over the past year, I remembered why I got so frustrated. I know 3D is harder than 2D. It's easy to get a basic 3D model (80%), but getting it detailed takes 3X the effort. For example, I use sweeps in the walls to show the top and bottom plates and now base and crown moldings. Unfortunately, even though I can uncheck sweeps in VV, they still don't turn off in plan view making the plan view much too complicated with extraneous linework. In AutoCAD, I'm a lot more confident I can turn off layers in a view. That's just one example of many.

That being said, I don't want to go down another rabbit hole with a dead end. Bare 3D AutoCAD seems like a LOT of work.

[pendean]

REVIT has a future and is being developed to add more and better tools. It is what employers and employees want to use, it's what developers and property owners want.

ACA is is maintenance mode: it inherits plain AutoCAD's overall new tools every year but nothing unique to ACA is being added or developed. Plus way fewer firms are hiring ACA talent, and if they are, many are stuck in the "legacy" pay scales.

HTH

[dbroad]

I use both Revit and ACA, even on the same project due to limitations in each product.  ACA is stable and manufacturer's have a wealth of detailed product support in DWG and DWF format. Quite often, only the newest products are available in BIM models and they are often heavily overdone and bloated.  In some cases, though, there are no CAD details for new projects, only BIM details.  I continue to develop libraries for both.

I agree with your frustrations about modeling in Revit.  For a small office, it requires expertise on so many things that productivity drops. Quirks in how each type of Revit family behave and their idiotic limitations are frustrating.  Limitations and idiosyncrasies of dynamic blocks are still problematic. ACA displaymanager, projectnavigator, and stylemanager are very complex and also difficult to learn and master.

Even though Revit is supposedly still under development, the pace of that development is woefully slow.  Few suggestions for improvements are accomplished each year while expensive annual subscription is required.

[BillAllenSE]

Thank you for your reply.

So, based on your experience, which one would you advise? I can't afford both subscriptions.

Thank you

[dbroad]

The cost of a suite for me isn't much more than the cost of either product.  That said, if you have to choose, it depends on how long you're career will be, how much time you can spare to master either product, and the type of work you do.  Only you can decide.  As others have said, the only one currently being improved is Revit, albeit at a glacial pace.  The main advantages are that it is possible to affect the model in any view and that everything stays updated as you change without refreshing.

[BillAllenSE]

Right. The cost is about the same for either package. I just can't afford both. When you say "The main advantages are that it is possible to affect the model in any view and that everything stays updated as you change without refreshing", doesn't that work in either software since you are working in 3D?

[dbroad]

No.  You can edit in any view in Revit. You can't do the same with ACA.

[BillAllenSE]

I'm confused. Aren't you building a 3D model in ACA?

[dbroad · Accepted solution]

Yes but elevation views are not live models. They are projections done automatically. Schedules are views. Data flow is from the model to the views and sheets. Nothing of value can be accomplished in sheet views wrt changing the model.  Any changes to constructs and elements must be refreshed.

In Revit, almost everything is in a single project file.  ACA's workflow is well thought out but the drafter must coordinate, come up with names for all the files, think about how to divide the project in to levels and divisions, etc.  There are lots of files in a typical ACA project.  Both products work.  They each have different strengths.

[BillAllenSE]

That's sad to read. It sounds like I should stick with Revit, although I have 28 days of free trial and LinkedIn/Learning tutorial to do.

Thank you for your response.

[abunchofnumbers]

Not a fan of A.C.A. Been using it for the last 2 years and at best I can say it works. Haven't used Revit but have used another BIM/3D modeling program and it's head and shoulders better than A.C.A.

[BillAllenSE]

What is the other program you are using?

[jtm2020hyo]

maybe you should try interoperation between AutoCAD and Revit using PyFlow, is similar to Grasshoper or Dynamo but this connect all python API, I mean you can connect AutoCAD, Revit, Excel, FreeCAD, Blender, BricsCAD, Rhino, etc, or all Python API at same time if you want.

I mean, the best of both worlds.

[BillAllenSE]

Sounds complicated for residential remodels. I'm just trying to produce clear and concise construction documents efficiently. This shouldn't be difficult.

[jtm2020hyo]

yes, is a pain, but is the future and worth it. in theory, after the first time interconnecting all APIs, should be possible automatize all process for all next projects, in theory.

... and with this should end the "which program is the better" for all specialties.

[jtm2020hyo]

Autodesk is testing interconnection between AutoCAD and Revit in their beta channel, maybe you are interested.

[melissacohen]

My work around is do plans in autoCAD and then render in SketchUp.  A lot of people do this.  Cheaper than purchasing AutoCAD and Revit, too.

[BillAllenSE]

That doesn't make any sense to me. Revit (or Sketchup or ArchiCAD or any other 3D modeling tool) is better for design since you can design in 3D. AutoCAD is better (IMO) for CDs since there are more tools (and a text editor!!). In design, I'm not so worried about wall cleanup and visibility in plan views as much as I'm interested in how the entire structure works together.

Am I missing your point?

Thank you.