In this lesson I will explain the basic differences between AutoCAD and Revit. I would not like to go into details, because it could take too much time, but I will try to draw your attention to the most important features of both programs.
AutoCAD can first of all be described as a “digital drawing board” because its use is based on the principles that apply to traditional work techniques. In other words, before you start a new drawing, you will have to distinguish whether it will represent plan, section, facade or some other part of the technical documentation. In doing so, you will have to use all your technical knowledge so that the elements that make up your drawing (straight and curved lines, circles, arcs, etc.) can be interpreted as part of an architectural project. You will have to repeat the same process for each attachment, which means that they are completely independent drawings. Granted, there are elements that can be copied, but since they are not linked to each other, you will have to enter each change manually.
On the other hand, working in Revit implies a completely different approach. Instead of separate drawings, you will have the opportunity to create a spatial representation of the complete object in one place. model. You can use pre-prepared elements such as walls, doors, columns and even roofs and at the same time have full control over their dimensions. After that, you will be able to place the entire object in the appropriate position and automatically create all the necessary plans, sections and other technical documentation. The biggest advantage of this way of working is the possibility of automatic updating, which means that the change you made to one of the existing elements will be displayed simultaneously on all attachments. In this way, the possibility of any error is excluded, because all the data comes from the same source, that is, the spatial model.
If it is taken into account that individual elements can contain different data, it is no wonder that the term “Building Information Modeling” (BIM) is often used for this type of design. It is the application of this technology that represents the biggest difference between AutoCAD and Revit, which is why an increasing number of companies decide to switch to the new platform.
On the other hand, although Revit allows a completely new approach to design, it does not mean that AutoCAD will lose its place. There are many situations in which these two programs can be combined, and this is confirmed by everyday practice. After all, many bureaus have a large number of projects in DWG format in their archives, which means that AutoCAD was most likely used for their creation. This data can easily be transferred to Revit and in one of the next lessons I will show you how to do it.