ARCHICAD vs. Revit

Best suited with: 1) High quality RAM 2) First time users on architectural design 3) Quick layouts with customization Not suitable for: 1) [If] more flexibility in design is required 2) Less RAM 3) Transferring standard details into a project

Incentivized

Revit is well suited for creating collaborative projects that are fully integrated into the design and construction document process. We work a lot with engineering firms who also use Revit and the program allows us to fully integrate and coordinate our models together to make sure that everything is correct. I can see where my electrical engineer has placed lighting into the model and same with my mechanical engineer and their HVAC equipment

Incentivized

• Design modeling: the user interface allows for a pretty intuitive and integrated creative process. It's great for exploring and communicating ideas, and in cases where the process is not inhibited by the need to switch to different software for different stages of work, such as when moving to develop the design in detail. It also allows for a much more seamless process when changes are requested, so that all material from initial visualizations all the way through to detailed design information are all always in sync and up to date. No redundancy of effort is triggered through the logistics of needing to pass the design through multiple software platforms (eg Sketchup => Revit =>AutoCAD) as each design iteration evolves.
• Design documentation: it's reasonably clear that ArchiCAD has the best implementation of BIM in the architectural domain, compared with the nearest rival Revit, and is unmatched for design development and coordination between disciplines, supporting large multidisciplinary teams who can all work simultaneously via the cloud or a local server on the same integrated model.
• Somewhat responsive developers: unlike some others, if an issue is reported, there seems to be a fair chance of the developers engaging with the user and for the issue to be addressed in a subsequent update.

Incentivized

• Revit has the capability to design a wide range of unique details, which allows us to model exactly what is going to be built.
• This program is compatible with several BIM programs, allowing coordination with trades that may not be using the program.
• The sheets are easy to set up, and finding contract drawings in a list of sheets is simple.

Incentivized

• Increasing the size of the files in ArchiCAD to allow it to be used for more complex applications can be more comfortable and user-friendly.
• Improving it to support more tutorials, add-ons, resources, and e-books.
• Withholding releasing and developing new software and concentrating on improving the existing version can greatly help in the life of architecture and engineering.

• Revit is a very complex application with lots features. Autodesk the makers of Revit should simplify these tools to make it easier for the end user to learn & apply.
• Revit is missing some key functionality in the area of being able to duplicate drawings on the sheet level. Though there are macros offered by third parties, this should be really built-in to the product.
• Revit does not support the very popular PDF format. So currently there is no option to attach or link a PDF file into Revit.

Incentivized

We will almost certainly be renewing all of our current seats of Revit and will likely be adding seats as we look to get more and more of our staff trained and using Revit. The software is starting to become the standard for our projects as we move forward as more and more of our clients are requesting or accepting use of it

Incentivized

It is a professional environment, but far from easy and overly complex in many places. The system is often too deep in settings and overrides (see Visibility/Graphics in combination with linked files, filters, color overrides and view templates). I don't really like the dialog-in-dialog interface and its spartan looks. But it works well overall if you know what you are doing.

Incentivized

Revit seems to always be available when I need it. I have not experiences an outage. There are occasions where we need our internal IT department to trouble shoot a file on our Revit dedicated server and that sometimes causes a delay however that is not a software access issue

Incentivized

Revit is a fairly graphics heavy piece of software. It is powerful in its capabilities but as a result it takes a lot of the graphics card, the memory, etc. For all that it can do and the specs of my computer I find it pretty good from a performance standpoint

Incentivized

We have rapid responses from their support team, and they often go the extra mile to pinpoint the root cause of an issue and assist the team in resolving it. They are honest when a problem is down to user error, or a glitch on the version we are on.

Incentivized

Autodesk has always had a good support system in place. There is a massive user base for Revit, and there are thousands of forum threads and other discussions online about any and every problem that you could ever run into. For being such a large program with so many different options, there aren't many roadblocks or pitfalls that users can fall into.

Incentivized

The training was Revit Essentials and it was very beneficial. I would say that it is best to get the training right before you know you will be using Revit as learning the basis then applying what you learned immediately is the most effective and best value for your money.

Incentivized

The online training is hit or miss. I feel that its better to be live to be able to pace and ask questions to a live person as you are learning hwo to do things. Its not natural to learn Revit especially if you know AutoCAD so my suggestion is the live training

Incentivized

Implementing Revit as your main drafting software (i.e. moving to BIM from CAD) may be a tough decision if you have learned drafting. It is a different way to approach and think about developing a project. However, if you are able to adapt to a new way of thinking and get used to it by working through a few projects than it is as efficient as CAD in most areas in general and will also be both better/worse in some areas

Incentivized

AutoCAD uses line works in actual presentation whiles ARCHICAD uses real structural walls which are easy to use and present compared to line works. Revit largely and mainly focused on structural design and is more complex to use compared to ARCHICAD which helps one focus on different aspects of drawing and is easy to integrate with rendering software like Lumion 360 panorama.

Revit is specifically for the design and documentation of buildings. As Revit's predecessor, AutoCAD has similar functionality for creating construction documents but Revit has the advantage of speed and simultaneously creating a 3D model when drawing walls, rooms, and floors which allows for the creation of 3D views and sections later with less effort. SketchUp can also be used for designing buildings but Revit allows for more specificity earlier in the process as opposed to SketchUp's general massing

Incentivized

While I am not directly involved with the deployment of Revit, it seems that our internal IT department has appreciated the ability to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have never had an issue with the deployment if and when needed, especially regarding the availability of a set

Incentivized

• The low multi-year cost is a huge savings, compared to more popular competitors, the total cost of ownership is about 1/4 of an Autodesk design suite.
• An effective training program can be implemented in under 40 hours/employee to reach intermediate level, as the intuitive interface is easy to teach. This appears to be significantly less, perhaps 1/3 of competing software.
• The underdog element is still an obstacle, as converting ArchiCAD projects to Revit for our Consultants is a challenge. While ArchiCAD outputs perfectly good IFC (industry-standard BIM interchange format) files, Revit has yet to import them 100% correctly. Therefore, working with others takes a bit more overhead than when using Revit.

Incentivized

• Revit is included in our AEC Collection. I find the cost of my suite affordable for what I am getting. The true cost of Revit is not found in the license cost, but in the training, SOPs and content management. We get our ROI from flushing out design errors/omissions which can add up to a large number. One issue can easily cost the project 10-100k depending on the issue. I see no reason anyone would find it challenging to get ROI from integrating 3d modeling in your business development.
• Revit really is the foundation of content creation. If we didnt use Revit, it would be hard to claim we have a functioning BIM/VDC department. I would question any AEC professional that claims they can perform VDC and does not know how to use Revit.

Incentivized