Revit

References

• Autodesk Revit Wikipedia

Related

• Building Information Modeling
• • Building information modeling (BIM) is an approach involving the generation of digital representations of the physical and functional characteristics of building or other physical assets and facilities. Building information models are computer files (often but not always in proprietary formats and containing proprietary data) which can be extracted, exchanged, or networked to support decision-making regarding a built asset.
  • BIM software is used by individuals, businesses and government agencies who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain buildings and diverse physical infrastructures, such as water, refuse, electricity, gas, communication utilities, roads, railways, bridges, ports and tunnels.
  • The concept of BIM has been in development since the 1970s but it only became an agreed term in the early 2000s.
• Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP)
• • Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) refers to the installation of services which provide a functional and comfortable space for the building occupants. In residential and commercial buildings, these elements are often designed by specialized MEP engineers. MEP's design is important for planning, decision-making, accurate documentation, performance- and cost-elimination, construction, and operating/maintaining the resulting facilities.
• Parametric Design
• • Parametric design is a design method in which features, such as building elements and engineering components, are shaped based on algorithmic processes rather than direct manipulation. In this approach, parameters and rules establish the relationship between design intent and design response. The term parametric refers to the input parameters that are fed into the algorithms.

Notes

Autodesk Revit is a building information modeling software for architects, structural engineers, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineers, and contractors. The original software was developed by Charles River Software, founded in 1997, renamed Revit Technology Corporation in 2000 and acquired by Autodesk in 2002.

The software allows users to design a building and structure and its components in 3D, annotate the model with 2D drafting elements and access building information from the building model's database. Revit is 4D building information modeling (BIM) application capable with tools to plan and track various stages in the building's lifecycle from concept to construction and later maintenance and/or demolition.

From the outset, Revit was intended to allow architects and other building professionals to design and document a building by creating a parametric three-dimensional model that included both the geometry and non-geometric design and construction information, which is also known as building information modeling. At the heart of Revit is a parametric change or propagation engine that relied on a new technology, context-driven parametric, that was more scalable than the variational and history-driven parametrics used in mechanical CAD software. The term parametric building model was adopted to reflect the fact that changes to parameters drove the whole building model and associated documentation, not just individual components.

The Revit work environment allows users to manipulate whole buildings or assemblies (in the project environment) or individual 3D shapes (in the family editor environment). Modeling tools can be used with pre-made solid objects or imported geometric models.

Revit includes categories of objects (families in Revit terminology). These fall into three groups:

• System families, such as walls, floors, ceilings, major finishes, and even furniture built inside a project
• Loadable families/components, which are built with primitives (extrusions, sweeps, etc.) separately from the project and loaded into a project for use
• In-place families, which are built in-situ within a project with the same toolset as loadable components

An experienced user can create realistic and accurate families ranging from furniture to lighting fixtures, as well as import existing models from other programs. Revit families can be created as parametric models with dimensions and properties.

Revit enables multiple users to work on the same building model. The workflow is similar to the use of version control system in software engineering, that allows multiple developers to reliably collaborate on a common code base. Each Revit user works on a local copy of the design, periodically checking in the work into the central repository. New user starts with creating a local copy of this repository. When a user starts modifying some building elements, these elements get automatically locked, preventing others from modifying them. The locks are maintained in the central repository. The elements stay locked until the "borrower" checks in her work and releases the locks.

When a user creates a building, model or any other kind of object in Revit, they may use Revit's rendering engineer to make a more realistic image of what is otherwise a very diagrammatic model.