Currently, even when a Revit project is set up with metric templates and units, the underlying database operates in decimal feet. This results in constant conversions between metric and imperial units, leading to inefficiencies in data processing and potential rounding errors. Storing data natively in metric when a project is configured as such would streamline operations, improve accuracy, and reduce unnecessary computational overhead.
Key Points and Arguments
Elimination of Constant Unit Conversions
- Current Challenge: Revit’s internal use of decimal feet forces the software to perform numerous conversions between metric and imperial measurements.
- Proposed Improvement: When a project is set to metric units, the database should store all data natively in metric. This would eliminate redundant conversion steps, saving time and reducing processing complexity.
Improved Computational Efficiency
- Energy Savings: By removing the need for continuous unit conversions, Revit would use less computational power, which could lead to energy savings, especially in large-scale projects.
- Performance Gains: Projects would experience faster data retrieval and manipulation, as computations would be more straightforward without conversion overhead.
Enhanced Accuracy and Consistency
- Precision: Directly storing data in metric reduces the risk of rounding errors that can occur during unit conversions, leading to higher precision in measurements and calculations.
- Data Integrity: This approach ensures that the stored values remain consistent with the user’s chosen unit system, improving overall data integrity across the project.
Alignment with Global Standards
- Market Needs: Many countries and industries predominantly use the metric system. Aligning the internal database with the metric system when appropriate would cater directly to the needs of a significant portion of Revit users worldwide.
- User Experience: A native metric approach simplifies workflows for users, reducing confusion and enhancing the software's intuitiveness in regions where metric is the standard.
Environmental and Economic Impact
- Resource Efficiency: Reducing unnecessary computational steps can lower energy consumption, contributing to more sustainable software practices.
- Cost Savings: Over time, improved efficiency can translate to cost savings for both Autodesk in terms of server and maintenance resources and for users through faster project turnaround times.
Conclusion
Transitioning to native metric data storage for projects set in metric units is a logical evolution for Revit. This change would enhance performance, improve accuracy, simplify the user experience, and align the software more closely with global industry standards. By addressing the inefficiencies associated with continuous unit conversions, Autodesk can offer a more streamlined, precise, and environmentally sustainable product for its metric users.
