The secret to successfully implementing Revit is choosing Revit process features; that offer the best initial financial benefits early in the CAD-to-Revit transition process.
If Revit can substantially outperform your CAD software for creating documentation; why not start using Revit to draw faster and improve your documentation integrity and quality?
Here's my list of the ten best process features in Revit; that can offer the biggest Return On Investment (ROI) in the initial phase of Revit implementation.
Automatic Sheet set Management and Tag Coordination
Automated Floor Planning Tools
All Model & Sheet Views Update When the Revit Model is Edited
Annotation Graphics Resize Based on View Scale
Power of Parametric Dimensioning
Pre-built Building Product Manufacturer Model Libraries
Building Schedules Synchronize\Auto-Update With Model Changes
Multiple people can simultaneously Access and Edit the Project File
Link DWG Files Into Revit Project
I established this list more than ten years ago; to help my Revit clients maximize their Return-On-Investment (ROI) on their "Revit Pilot-Project" implementations.
Many of these Revit process features and associated functionality -- do not exist in other CAD or object-based software programs. Clients immediately reaped the financial rewards (faster drawing, reduced labor) from using these processes on their first pilot projects.
The article outlines at least 2 reasons that Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes; are determining the winners and leaders in both the plumbing design and contracting markets.
The Autodesk Seek - Building Product Manufacturer Revit Library can be accessed directly from within your Revit software; while you are working on a Revit project.
BIM Level-Of-Development (LOD) was highlighted within several presentations. Those presentations providing LOD are bold-faced in the list below. I admit, I haven't listened to all the presentations on this list --as they were released 2 weeks ago. I'll update the boldfaced list of LOD presentations once I review them all.
2015 Fall BIMForum Class Presentation Topics | Videos and PDFs
BIM/VDC for Precon at Ledcor
Optimizing Project Decision Making with VDC
Designers Taking Back Control of BIM Design Coordination
How BIM Impacts the Structural Steel Fabrication Business
A PDF Does Not Equal Paper How the PDF Revolution is Advancing BIM Workflows
BIM before BIM’s
Owner Actions to Define Transparency in the Model-based Design Process
BIM Utilization Effectiveness – How We Became Effective BIM Producers While Driving Innovation Forward
Organizational Modules: Studying the Effects of Organizational Repetitions Using QCA
Taking Control of the Game – An Exploration of Virtual Reality and Gaming Workflows
Building Blocks in your BXP: BIM-M Initiative
Pre-engineered Metal Building Systems
Precast and BIM
Laser focus on accuracy in BXP: USIBD LOA & LOD
BIM Legal and Insurance Issues
Raising the Roof with your BXP: Steel Joist and Deck
Building Quality in your BXP: NISD CM-BIM by David Merrifield (NISD)
AEC Supply Chain Optimization – Building Information Modeling for Improved Productivity and Content Management for Off-Site Prefabrication in a Semi-Conductor Manufacturing Facility Retrofit Environment
4D > 3D Model + Schedule
Preconstruction in Construction: Managing Change in a Billion Dollar Hospital
LOD Update
Live Cost Modeling & Production Analytics with BIM
Constructible Design: Merging Design, Detailing and Coordination to Mitigate Risk and Create Predictable Outcomes
The CSI BIM Practice Group published this Revit | e-SPECS learning-video (below) defining a Small Firm's Perspective | Implementing e-SPECS Specifications authoring software. e-SPECS automates the creation of the specifications by linking directly to a project's Revit model.
e-SPECS for Revitautomates the process of creating specification manuals integrated with all Autodesk Revit-based applications. e-SPECS for Revit includes the e-SPECS Binding Manager to link Revit families to your master guide specs automatically including and filtering the sections based on the families and parameters in the BIM Model.
Similar to Henry Ford's revolutionary assembly line processes; BIM processes are reshaping the MEP design and construction (manufacturing) processes for facility projects.
Ford's automated automobile assembly-line process; reduced labor time & costs, while reducing material waste with modular, standardized parts.
Sheer production of the Model T dramatically increased. The production time for a single car dropped from over twelve hours to just 93 minutes due to the introduction of the assembly line.
Skanska Construction's BIM MEP Prefabrication construction processes are highlighted online via Tradeline with an insightful, visual article;
Our thanks to Bentley for using the Bradley Revit Family Library (1,000 families) as part of their larger data set --to test Revit family import stability \ integrity in the new AECOsim Building Designer V8i (SELECTseries 5) software.
Bentley's Technical Manager (a former Revit Manager) for this project, focused on
maintaining the Revit family geometry's dimensional integrity,
retaining the Revit family parametric & visibility control behavior,
retaining the embedded parameter data type values,
retaining the Revit family types (embedded or family catalogs)
This new feature immediately provides Bentley users access to 10's of thousands of Building Product Manufacturers' (BPM) Revit families in their native RFA file format.
Bentley will supports Revit family file formats for Revit 2009 through Revit 2014. When Autodesk Revit 2015 is released; Bentley will begin testing the Revit 2015 new features of the family file format (RFA).
It demonstrates Bentley's commitment to both interoperability between different BIM software tools --and the value of providing their users with pre-built BPM BIM content for their Bentley design projects.
The Bradley BIM Initiative (founded in 2009) achieved five (5) new milestones for serving architects, engineers, contractors and facility owners using BIM processes and Revit. In 2014, Bradley BIM expanded its roles into these five (5) processes:
1) BIM for MEP General Contractor (GC) Prefabrication
2) Revit Content Interoperability (Bentley)
3) Revit Model Data Standards
4) Design-Build | Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) with an Expanded Digital Toolset
5) Revit As-built Model | General Contractor Collaboration
1) BIM for MEP General Contractor (GC) Prefabrication
In late 2013, I visited several BIM-based MEP GC fabricators; that were using Bradley TMV and re-circulation stations models in their CADmep plumbing fabrications. One firm was constructing one of the nation's largest corporate facility projects. Throughout 2014, we confirmed national MEP GC\Fabricators using Bradley Revit models.
I was facilitating a group discussion on "BIM-Automated Specification Processes" for about 30 specification writers.
Specifiers shared "the good, the bad and the ugly" recommendations for successfully implementing e-SPECS, SpecLink or MasterSpec within their offices' BIM processes.
Throughout the discussion; Brian shared several successful processes that he developed to connect his firm's BIM and specification processes --using e-SPECS.
Fast forward to August 2013 -->> and we find Brian Payne touring Bradley's Corporate Headquarters & Fixture Manufacturing Facility in Menomonee Falls.
Brian mentioned that he created an "Implementing Auto-Specification Software With Revit" Presentation for RTC 2013 in Vancouver Canada. He emailed the links and I have the opportunity to share his docs with you.
RSS Feed
