Engineers using revit?
Engineers using revit?
(OP)
Hi all,
Is anyone out there using revit for construction phase engineering? ie fan calcs, pump calcs etc? Seems to have a lot of promise. I am and engineer working for a contractor and our drafting is all outsourced (Revit) and then we do the calcs based on the 2d pdfs of the project. Seems like if we could model and engineer at the same time we would be better off? How does Revit fit into your engineering workflow?
I was thinking if you could get the basic design modelled and then hand it over to engineers to check details, perform the calculations, make all the final painful changes to drawings. thoughts?
thanks, looking forward to any discussion!
Is anyone out there using revit for construction phase engineering? ie fan calcs, pump calcs etc? Seems to have a lot of promise. I am and engineer working for a contractor and our drafting is all outsourced (Revit) and then we do the calcs based on the 2d pdfs of the project. Seems like if we could model and engineer at the same time we would be better off? How does Revit fit into your engineering workflow?
I was thinking if you could get the basic design modelled and then hand it over to engineers to check details, perform the calculations, make all the final painful changes to drawings. thoughts?
thanks, looking forward to any discussion!





RE: Engineers using revit?
Our firm uses it for all aspects of design, with maybe the exception of plumbing. It has issues with calculating flows based on statistical uses and code sizing.
It is very good for determining fit issues above ceilings and in chases.
Also, remember: garbage in - garbage out. It is only as good as the information imputed.
RE: Engineers using revit?
RE: Engineers using revit?
In CAD, you had to look at the printed drawings/sections for A, M, E, S to coordinate. In Revit, it is mostly all in the model, so as you are inserting your pipe, you see the structural beam that is just inches too low, you see the electrical switch gear that you have to be at least 6' away from, you see the large duct that is in your way, you see just how high the architect put the ceiling so you know you have to reroute your drainage pipe.
You can put insulation on the pipe so you know how far it needs to be from an adjacent pipe.
The valves you insert can be real size so you can see if it will fit.
You can put slope on your pipe so you know exactly what invert to coordinate with the civil engineer.
You will not have the issue of trying to get a 6" pipe down in a 4" stud wall because it just wont look right. In CAD, a 2" pipe drop looks the same as a 6" pipe drop.
Yes, it is harder to input than lines in CAD, but I like it and prefer it to CAD any day.
RE: Engineers using revit?
Building load calcs still have a way to go. Very limited on the system and plant level vs HAP or Trace. However, very usefull when exporting / importing gbXML files back and forth between the model and load programs.
Couple these workflows with the capabilities of Dynamo, and then you will start to see how far superior Revit is as a platform.
RE: Engineers using revit?
the problem i see with people using Revit is that they try to use it as a drafting tool, which makes it cumbersome and doesn't take advantage.
I have used Revit since 2012 i believe, now on 2017. It isn't that expensive. Back then a regular CAD version was about $5K, the package inc. CAD and Revit was "only" $1K more.
RE: Engineers using revit?
RE: Engineers using revit?
RE: Engineers using revit?
The building heating and cooling loads seem to be relatively accurate for space loads. However, when setting up systems and plants, Revit is still very lacking compared to HAP and Trace. Use the gbXML feature to send this data back and forth between Revit and the load programs still seems like the best workflow.
RE: Engineers using revit?
RE: Engineers using revit?
I rate it 8/10.