Master thesis

[rickard_hasslinger2]

Hello everyone!

I'm Rickard Hasslinger, a student at Nackademins Vocational College, specializing in civil engineering focusing on BIM. Currently, my classmate and I are delving into the impact of Revit on the building industry for our master's thesis and exploring avenues for future enhancements.

We would greatly appreciate your participation in our public research by answering a few questions. You can either respond here or send your answers to my email at [email protected].

1. Influence of Revit on BIM Development:

• How has your perception of BIM planning evolved over the years due to the influence of Revit?
• Which specific features or tools in Revit do you find most instrumental in BIM design?

1. Challenges and Areas for Improvement:

• Have you encountered any challenges or difficulties while utilizing Revit for BIM design?
• In what areas do you believe Revit could undergo improvement to better facilitate the BIM process?

1. Future Perspectives:

• How do you foresee the development of Revit and BIM planning in the future?
• Are there any emerging trends or innovations that you anticipate will impact the utilization of Revit in BIM processes?

We sincerely hope you're willing to provide responses to some or all of the questions. If you are, we would greatly appreciate it if you could also share details regarding your experience with Revit, including how long you've been using it and where you work.

Than you in advance.

Rickard Hasslinger

[HVAC-Novice]

1. IMHO, for buildings Revit is the only software. So the influence is big. I know there is Archicad etc... but that doesn't have MEP and isn't widely used (I know no single company using it, it is 100% Revit here or some last AutoCAD holdouts). So for the better or worse, Revit development will drive the industry for now. 

2.

a)The quasi-monopoly of Revit seems to prevent bigger improvements (Look at the ideas forum with many no-brainer and likely easy ideas that never got implemented)

b) There isn't a seamless integration between Revit and the other Autodesk products. Like a Civil Designer using Civil 3D doesn't automatically create top solids in Revit.

c) many laggards still refuse to use Revit, or use it like a 3D drawing program and don't properly use the "I" in BIM

d) This may be impossible to solve, but there is a lot of manual work required when different companies or persons in different disciplines collaborate. Maybe this is inherent due to the flexibility and each designer can do their own ideas, this prevents better collaboration. 

e) I'm concerned Revit tries to be everything and that dilutes the little improvement we see every year. As a designer I prefer they fix design tools and not add fabrication etc.. Some tools (like their lighting) aren't working well and you need a proper plugin anyway. Either provide a fully useful feature, or none at all. Some new features seem experimental and maybe a few years after introduction they work well. Look at the attempts to integrate with ACC, it is just a waste of time to even try these features at this experimental stage. 

3.

a) I foresee (or hope) a lot of standalone software will become a Revit plugin. I've used elumtool for some years (and now Ripple HVAC). I'm blown away by the potential to simplify design. I'm really surprised this isn't a big trend yet. I recently attended an online design review meeting. I couldn't believe the consultants there still use a standalone lighting software and the data weren't updated in real time. They still have to manually update the fixtures in Revit after they did that in their lighting software. It was like watching someone using a hand drill instead of a power tool. If a normal person who knows how to use Revit uses such plugin the first time, they must become an immediate convert. Or at least subscribe to the idea that this is the future. 

b) There probably will be more ACC integration. But honestly, they have to make it work well and go beyond the beta phase before releasing it to the public. It has a lot of potential once it works. 

[rickard_hasslinger2]

Thank you

[Washingtonn]

Revit is a tool and only a tool, just like other software packages. Knowing how to use a tool is important, but knowing when or even if a tool should be used is just as important.  Revit requires spending thousands of dollars on training, software and possibly custom add-ins. It may be the answer for large companies with  large projects and budgets, but for small companies and for types of projects , it makes little sense.

Many projects do not need the “I” in BIM because, among other reasons:

1. The information provided is unnecessary.
2. It isn’t used once the building is completed – one and done.
3. Owners do not have funds to maintain the software (and expensive add-ins) or employ people who are competent in the software (and add-ins) to keep the BIM files up to date.

I will board a jet and fly to places where it makes sense to do so, but I still use a bicycle (or walk) to get from point A to point B as it is simply ridiculous to use a jet to traverse 2 blocks. Revit is NOT the ONLY software (if it was, why would you need expensive add-ins?)

[rickard_hasslinger2]

First if all, this was not answers for my questions. So therefore invalid and a waste of my time.
Second, why are you here if you dont like Revit?

[Washingtonn]

Firstly, I’m sorry you feel my response to HVAC-Novice was a waste of your time.   

Secondly, you made an assumption – I did not say I didn’t like Revit, only that it is a tool and knowing how and when to use it is important.  

...oops, wasting your time again....