Is Autocad Architecture a BIM software?

[bozandilistan]

Hi, I never used autocad architecture with 3d tools. I am a revit user and wonder, Autocad Architecture is a BIM software or not. Coz it has also intelligent objects and paremeters. But im not sure about  collobortaion, central file etc. What is the difference Revit  & Autocad Architecture  within BIM context?

i read this article and get confused.

https://www.augi.com/articles/detail/when-bim-is-bim-comparing-autocad-bim-and-revit-bim

before that i thought autocad is not creating sections and elevations, and not include intelligent object. then i watched some videos and it is so similar with revit...

[ennujozlagam]

NO... some explanations HERE. thanks

[bozandilistan]

and autocad architecture is verified software for BIM.

https://www.buildingsmart.org/compliance/certified-software/

so, what is the revit vs autocad? same company, same tools. i just think maybe have differences about colloboration. waiting your opinions.

[ennujozlagam]

@bozandilistan hello, you can refer to this LINK. thanks

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> you can refer to this LINK

This link compares Revit with AutoCAD, not Revit with AutoCAD Architecture.

Also the statement "NO" (to the question if AutoCAD Architecture is a BIM Software" is a most to hard answer without knowing details about the whole project ... I would say you can use it as part of a BIM project.

- alfred -

[pkolarik]

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@ennujozlagam wrote:

@bozandilistan hello, you can refer to this LINK. thanks

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Your "evidence" leaves out quite a bit of the BIM capabilities of AutoCAD.

To answer the original question, yes. AutoCAD can be used as a full-service BIM alternative (minus the analytical stuff that Revit has)

[pendean · Accepted solution]

If you understand the software development terminology... think of AutoCAD ARCH as REVIT 1.0 (with all that it implies). BIM? yes. Sophisticated to be translated into building systems for the owner to use after you are done with the project? nope.

Are you thinking of switching or adding AutoCAD ARCH to your workflow? Don't do the latter, while the two software come from the same company, that's all they have in common: inter-operability leaves a lot to be desired.

FORGOT TO ADD: only one user at a time can be in a dwg file. No shareable model for all to tap into. No matter how many xrefs you create, you'll always need one opened by someone else.

[dbroad · Accepted solution]

AutoCAD Architecture organizes helps organize individual drawing files together into a project.  Changes to geometry occur in constructs. Documentation and detailing occurs in view files.  Plotting arrangement occurs in sheet files.  You cannot change anything in any view since it is a one way flow, semi-automated.  Users must refresh the project. To collaborate, individuals are responsible for individual files.

Revit is a single file structure (except with linked and shared projects). You can change things in most any view they show up in.  To that degree Revit is more BIMish than AutoCAD Architecture but they both work well on real projects.  The training curve on AutoCAD Architecture is steeper but most users already have AutoCAD experience and so only the extra features of AutoCAD Architecture need specialized training.  In my opinion, detailing is easier in AutoCAD Architecture and modeling and scheduling is easier in Revit.

It is possible to do a very bad job in Revit and a very good job in ACA and vice versa.

I strongly disagree that all parts of a project need to be on the same software.  It should just look like its on the same software.  I use AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, Revit, 3dsMax. , GIMP, Adobe Acrobat, Premier Pro, etc. sometimes on the same project.  The end result is what counts. Since I also prepare shop drawings, I see the end results of a lot of different A/E Offices, both small and large, and they almost always end up with PDF files of greatly varying quality, with some being very poor image scans even though you can tell they were done in BIM software.  In some cases, I've found it easier to work with with good sketches than with CAD and BIM produced documentation.

[robincapperw]

Autocad Architecture (ACA) is very different to AutoCAD, to the point where you can consider it almost an entirely different platform. It has it's own object model, display system that is not dependent on layers, object/style data model and file management approximating a BIM system. In some ways it is more sophisticated than Revit, precision at small scale, and in others way behind.

The real difference is the change engine in Revit replaces ACA's reliance on operators to update changes. In most cases ACA will manage that change but it is using an elaborate web of AutoCAD technologies (xrefs, sheet set manager etc) to fake BIM Management.

However in terms of delivering a coherent Building Information Model both are capable, Revit more reliable.

[epigramx]

AutoCAD is extremely powerful when it goes to high precision and high performance CAD work of any kind in the same multi-package. Combining AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD plain or even AutoCAD Civil3D a small business can quickly do extremely efficient work. The problem with Revit in small businesses is that it's extremely optimized for BUILDING INFORMATION without the maturity or capability of AutoCAD at efficiency of pure CAD so it can practically waste the time of a small business that does not need perfection in building information and they can usually be faster by using Architecture and plain CAD and avoid going with a package of higher BIM concepts since Architecture does some "BIMing" anyway and to be fair EVEN PLAIN AUTOCAD does in effect some "BIMing" if you only take full advantage of Fields let alone Blocks with dynamic coding.