Revit vs AutoCAD or AutoCAD MEP

[DLD PE]

I've been working in design/consulting industry for 15 years.  In North Carolina we did all our design work in AutoCAD (2D).  8 years ago we were told everyone was moving to Revit so I took the course along with some co-workers but we never ended up using it.  Then I moved to Tennessee (Nashville area) and started using AutoCAD MEP with the firm I'm working for now.  I'm still getting told from job recruiters and other engineering firms that Revit is becoming more dominant.  So, which is it?  

For those of you who use Revit, do you find it a better design tool?  Personally I always thought it was a better design tool and wonder if I should take a good Revit MEP course in case something happens down the road and I need to be familiar with it.

 

[ashmur90]

We are using a lot of Revit in our firm. Honestly I prefer it much more than autocad because I can easily see clashes in lighting, mechanical, plumbing, etc. 

 

[ruggercsc]

I've been working in design/consulting industry for 15 years.  In North Carolina we did all our design work in AutoCAD (2D).  8 years ago we were told everyone was moving to Revit so I took the course along with some co-workers but we never ended up using it.  Then I moved to Tennessee (Nashville area) and started using AutoCAD MEP with the firm I'm working for now.  I'm still getting told from job recruiters and other engineering firms that Revit is becoming more dominant.  So, which is it?  

For those of you who use Revit, do you find it a better design tool?  Personally I always thought it was a better design tool and wonder if I should take a good Revit MEP course in case something happens down the road and I need to be familiar with it.

 We are now requiring all of our consultants/subconsultants to use REVIT.  The electric guys seem to be the last to make the switch.

 

[JeremyWI]

We are using a Revit and it`s plugins in our company. Because of possibilities add ons provide. One of my favourites is Metal Framing Suite which is i think most powerful and flexible BIM software in market for constructions with single or multi-layer metal-frame walls, floors and roofs: http://www.aga-cad.com/products/bim-solutions/metal-framing-professional-suite

 

[Dothracki PE]

I think it depends on how in-depth you go through in the design on paper and how well of a model you are working off of. If you are designing a brand new building designed by an architect and structural engineer and need to model some big conduit or bus runs to coordinate with others, than it is a helpful tool. Plus it is easier to create detailed electrical room 3D layouts and elevations if you have the proper families from switchboard companies, generator manufacturers, etc.

I find it funny that often the sub-contractors and their distributors will ask for CAD layouts anyway regardless of us using Revit or CAD. But at least Revit should eliminate a good amount of the clashes that arise in the field (not all of them though). Maybe distributors are behind on the software trend?

I do mostly tenant interior fitouts where we do not run many feeder conduits outside electrical closets, if at all, so Revit winds up taking a little time to do the design that traditional projects in AutoCAD with schedules created in Excel. There is one benefit of Revit for fitouts is being able to create the circuits and schedule them automatically within the same program. I have seen an upward trend of Revit project in the 5 year I have been working. A majority of architecture firms we work with work solely in Revit for every project.

I don't know much about AutoCAD MEP. We have both but we don't use it on the electrical side of design.

 

[munyua44]

REVIT is becoming popular because of its adaptability. It is easy to use of mastered when compared to autocad. With revit you can highlight clashes between the electrical and plumbing sections and resolve the problems easily as compared to autocad