Best way to continue learning Revit

[lwagner]

I'm a design professional who uses Revit on a daily basis, but as a consultant my work is pretty specific and limited in scope. I tend to do the same things and use the same processes over and over. They work, but I often wonder it there are better, more efficient ways to work especially since new software features and plugins continue to be added.

Basically, I think my Revit learning has plateaued and I'm looking for recommendations on how to keep getting better. I waste a lot of time trying different YouTube tutorials only to find they aren't really helpful or applicable to what I might need to do. And it always feels like I'm sort of hunting and pecking around for new strategies. Any recommendations for classes or ways to continue to learn Revit in a holistic way?

[mhiserZFHXS]

What areas do you think you're lacking in? And what area is your consulting work in? 

Along with YouTube and other digital tutorials, a good exercise would be to find a complete set of drawings and try to recreate it within Revit as accurately as possible. When you get to something you don't know how to do, you will have a more targeted search online, or a specific question to ask here. 

[HVAC-Novice]

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@lwagner wrote:

I'm a design professional who uses Revit on a daily basis, but as a consultant my work is pretty specific and limited in scope. I tend to do the same things and use the same processes over and over. They work, but I often wonder it there are better, more efficient ways to work especially since new software features and plugins continue to be added.

Basically, I think my Revit learning has plateaued and I'm looking for recommendations on how to keep getting better. I waste a lot of time trying different YouTube tutorials only to find they aren't really helpful or applicable to what I might need to do. And it always feels like I'm sort of hunting and pecking around for new strategies. Any recommendations for classes or ways to continue to learn Revit in a holistic way?

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Your creativity is the limiting factor. Think of ways to make your current workflow more efficient, make documents look better, move more tasks from other software to Revit.

Scanning this forum is a great way to learn new ideas. Even if they originally were about a topic outside your niche. 

[RSomppi]

Reach out to other design professionals in your field.

Taking classes not related to your specialization may teach you optional workflows. For example, someone specializing in plumbing design could take a class in architectural Revit and learn.

[mwilsonHME5S]

If you feel like you were once proficient, I would consider reading all of the updates with each version of Revit. Google "What's New in Revit 20##" and AutoDesk will list all the things they improved for each version, which could potentially show areas of Revit that have outdated your current skill level. Checking previous years updates will definitely explain some new Revit tricks that once weren't there.

Others in your field will probably give you the best solution overall. However, I would also consider making a scrap model and try clicking every button you haven't used before. For me specifically, exploring all of the tools under the "Modify" and "Architecture" panels has shown me many tips and tricks I wouldn't have otherwise known. I would also recommend exploring the "Model-In Place" options if you haven't already.

[Basam.Yousif]

Continue to work on projects (using the latest version) and learn the new features, so you can use the tools the way they were meant to be used, away from self-taught workarounds and googled hacks.

You should also consider taking a class taught by an Autodesk certified instructor. Modern software is complex, and you don't know what you don't know.

[RSomppi]

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@Basam.Yousif wrote:

Continue to work on projects (using the latest version) and learn the new features, so you can use the tools the way they were meant to be used, away from self-taught workarounds and googled hacks.

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I’m sorry but the question is about specialized workflows. The OP didn’t say anything about workarounds or hacks. I think it’s unfair for you to assume that they are not qualified enough for them to state that they are a professional. You might be right but still unfair to discount their statements as they seem to indicate proficiency in the program.

[Sleepingfish_Kuo]

Try using groups, assemblies, design options, or other tools that help you present different design alternatives.
Or display both in a single view while keeping it clear and readable.

[RDAOU]

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@lwagner wrote:

I tend to do the same things and use the same processes over and over. They work, but I often wonder it there are better, more efficient ways to work 

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No one can give you a definitive answer. You need to explore, experiment, and determine for yourself whether your approach is better and more efficient than what others suggest. This is the same question many clients ask about “best practices.” Experts, blogers, enthusiast and veteran users can only recommend workflows and concepts. They can’t dictate their own Ideas and Practices as the best there is and make bilbles out of them. Every workflow has its pros and cons. If a new method you come accross doesn’t bring any added value or benefit to your daily practices, then what you’re already doing remains the better practice FOR YOU.

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@lwagner wrote:

...I waste a lot of time trying different YouTube tutorials only to find they aren't really helpful or applicable to what I might need to do.

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Students often spend years studying things in school or college that they never end up using. The real goal is to learn. Watching a YouTube tutorial on Revit, even a bad one, isn’t a waste of time. It can still be valuable in showing you what not to do.

What you’re doing is building your knowledge, exploring how the software works, discovering the potential of each tool, and enriching your creativity with ideas from others.

• stay up to date, follow forums like this, learn from the issues of others,
• dont miss a chance of watching or attending a seminar even if the topic sound so familiar to you and you think you know everything about it.
• attend events like AU if any in your region. If there are none of its not affordable you can always grab the online classes for free and check out what many leading firms are doing and what solutions are out there that might be useful for you
• join local chapters or Revit Communities in your region where you can engage in discussions and workshops

Some employers encorage such engagement and give merits for it)...but even if they don't IT IS NEVER a waste...its self development

[SteveKStafford]

You can use this forum (and others) to learn too. Visit regularly to see how much you can lend a hand. You can learn a lot about the software just trying to figure out why it isn't happening for someone else. You'll also see how varied the problems people want to solve are. This business is a pretty wide niche and the way one company does their design work can be surprisingly different than another...let alone their use of software. In a way it's a chance to work for a lot of firms that you might never meet in real life.

[arq_42]

Mine is:

• Having this page pinned in chorme. (and this other to see what's coming)
• Check the forum from time to time and read the threads with questions you DON'T know the answer to.
• While working, you might notice a boring, repetitive task and ask yourself, "Can't Revit do this for me?" and Google it. Often the answer is yes, through Dynamo or a plugin, and many other times the answer is no, BUT you learn other ways to approach the problem.
• Working with colleagues, sometimes they have questions or problems that you had not considered, look for the answer and you manage to 1) solve their problem and 2) learn new tools for yourself.

• When you have less work (or less intense periods of work), take some time to look at buttons you've never touched, read the help (F1), and think about how that tool might be useful to you. I do this with both Revit tools and plugins like pyRevit.

All of this gradually expands your knowledge and gives you more experience with the program.