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Essential features missing in Revit LT

I do understand why there are many differences between the lite and the full version of Revit, but I never understood why the LT version as to limit the end users to be able to create the concept that they want to build!

 

Please add the features listed here to Revit LT so that small business or self-employed designers or architects can use Revit LT for their projects...

 

I just took a survey of the reasons I'm not willing to renew my Revit LT license and I consider that it would be nice to share it to others :

 

I used "full" Revit for many years in big architecture companies and I have always been frustrated with Revit LT by the fact that it's not because I now have a small business (less than 5 employees), that I have to be limited by some ESSENTIALS functions like creating stairs by sketches, creating conceptual masses, be able to use the design options features or at least be able to COLLABORATE in a central model with some teammates. IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE'RE SMALL BUSINESS THAT WE DON'T CREATE OR COLLABORATE AND THAT WE ARE ALONE IN OUR BASEMENT!!

 

Maybe it's too far away from the Autodesk reality but when you are in a small business, the profit margin and the working capital are not as big as it could be when you have more than 10 employees. You have to be really careful with your expenses... More and more freelancers would like to work for different companies but just to be able to collaborate with them, they have to pay more than 4 times the price of a RevitLT license and that JUST FOR ONE FEATURE THAT THEY REALLY NEED...

 

I know many self-employed interior designers that WOULD LOVE to switch from AutoCad to Revit, but when you're an interior designer you NEED to be able to create different shapes of stairs or different shapes of masses in a project for many reasons. They are all working with AutoCad LT, because, first of all they don't have the money to pay more and second it's not because they can't work in 3D or use some specific features of the full AutoCad that they are limited in what they can create for their clients.

 

The biggest disappointment with REVIT LT, is that we're limited by the tool to be able to create nice project or just the project that our client needs OR EVEN JUST TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT THE EXISTING PARTS OF A PROJECT!!

 

Normally, a design or a concept should not have to be limited by the tools the designer or the architect is working with. Sometimes, I have to modify or transform small houses, but I can't do them in Revit  LT just because the existing project have some components that I can't do in Revit LT. Because I need the full version of Revit just to be able to create stairs that have been built 50 years ago and that I have to keep in my project I would need a license that cost me more than 4 times the price of the Lite version!!

 

It's completely irrational!!

 

Architecture and interior design startups can't afford a 3000$/user/year tools in their 5 to 10 first years of operation and when you consider that they can do anything they want to create with AutoCad LT at 500$/user/year plus a free license of SketchUp (or a one time 700$ fees if they need a pro license), I sincerely think that Autodesk is one of the major issue in North America of the fact that it's really hard to survive in those kinds of business when you're trying to introduce that kind of software technologies.

Comentarios
Advisor
Advisor

@info: I really don't understand your discontent. You mentioned stairs build like 50 years ago. Those stairs couldn't be possible drawn in any software 50 years ago. It must have been drawn by hand. In 2D sketches. Are you telling me you can't replicate some 2D drawings created some 50 years ago, by just using Autocad LT?

You mentioned Autocad LT. That's 2D only. No 3D possible in Autocad LT. Revit LT is 3D. And that's a huge improvement by itself (from 2D to 3D).

If you believe Revit is expensive, just let me tell you a few examples of expensive software: Tekla Structures starting at 10000€ or CATIA starting at 20000€. There is a profitability threshold in any software. There is no reason in hunting small targets by using big guns. You could rather use more precise (specialized) tools in your designs. There are specialized software (just) for stairs (circular, elliptical, etc). They are used by professionals in the "stairs" industry. All you have to do is to google: stairs software.

Please keep in mind that no other software (than Revit) covers so many building specialties and no other software interconnects all building professionals at such extensive level. That's why Revit offers APIs, so that 3rd parties can create specialized tools for whatever reason (Graitec, Sofistik, etc).

Anonymous

I really agree with @info, I've been working on Revit full version in my previous work, and now I'm using handicapped LT.
I have no complaints about not including in LT: teamwork, MEP, Construction, Electric, some Analytics, Point clouds etc.

But for me disabling tools as:

- modeling concept forms
- forming floors and roofs by points
- reducing solar study - which is essential and mandatory (in many countries) for any architectural project even small houses.
- import export SAT files
- and last but not least, inability to implement plugins in LT

is a nightmare...

@ipselute you wrote to check more specialized software as an example for stairs etc and I agree to the point that you want to make it procedural (or some kind of production of it) but not if you just want to have tools to model it in 3d manually (it is basic or should be basic tool).
The overall question is - what is Revit LT for?- if it won't even let you make house architecture if it's a bit unconventional with "normal" means, is closed software so you even cannot implement features you're missing with plugins?

This really pains me because even for a single freelancing designer it is really tricky to make a formal project with this light version and without any additional CAD software it's sometimes impossible to complete an assignment.

Also, AutoCad LT is open to plugins - then why Revit LT is not?

This year is ending LT license in my work, and I don't think it'll be prolonged.

Explorer
Explorer

As @Anonymous said: “What is Revit LT for?”

 

My point is exactly that I’m oftenly talking about all the advantages of Revit for single freelance  interior designers or modest residential architecture design.

 

But there’s too many design limitations in Revit LT to be able to design and coordinate in 3D some really simple concepts...

Yes it’s always possible to draw them in 2D... but what’s the point?!?!? 

The main advantage of BIM process and Revit, is to be more efficient in drawing and coordinating projects...

 

So considering those aspect, it’s hard for business of one to three persons to switch form Autocad LT (CAD $500/yr/user) to Revit (CAD $2935/yr/user) if you’re not even able to use the software for custom design objects, stairs, or even for small group collaborations that are all possible with Autocad LT...

 

My point is not that Revit LT is not accessible at CAD $550/yr/user. My point is that for a single freelance interior or house designer or a small architecture business (1 to 3 full time employees), the cost issue for each user vs the fonctionnalities that limit your design process so you have to deal with at least 2 or 3 different softwares to achieve the same work. (RevitLT for modeling, Autocad LT, for 2D custom concept or 2D detail (or mode) drawing into RevitLT depending what you need, and SketchUP for 3D presentations) is a big concern that stop many professionals to switch from CAD to Revit...

Explorer
Explorer

I agree totally with Info and Razgel. As a single practitioner, I can't afford $2500/year for full blown Revit. I've used Revit since before AutoDesk bought it, and I used to have the standalone license with an $800/yr. subscription fee, until they took that away. Now I'm left with paying triple that amount, or trying to figure out if Revit LT is a viable alternative. So far it's not, without the ability to model in-place families, and limited stair design (don't get me started on how they have never gone back and FIXED the stair and railing module so it actually does what you want it to do without hours of trial and error...). Revit is probably great for large firms, and they probably do need all the bells and whistles to be competitive, but as a residential architect, I don't. Neither do a lot of other small firms without "draftsmen". Revit LT needs to be more than a "drafting" tool, so that we small firms can survive. Small firms were the guinea pigs for Revit, and helped keep Revit alive until larger firms finally agreed they needed to get on board. We deserve to be heard about what should be in a lighter version, which we can afford.