AutoCAD or Revit – both are Equally Important for the AEC Professionals

All the design and construction professionals from architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry are familiar with AutoCAD and Revit. AutoCAD has been in the AEC industry since 1980 and this software has a significant role in the evolution of the AEC industry. AutoCAD has notably become an integral part of day to day activities if the 2D and 3D design process.

Revit is a building modeling program and it has entered in the AEC industry after almost 20 years of the inception of AutoCAD. The adoption of Revit has increased sharply in recent years. Revit has many advantageous features that attract the design and construction professionals to use it in their construction projects. This blog will helps the professionals where to draw lines – AutoCAD, Revit or both?

Similarities

Both AutoCAD and Revit software helps its users to produce 2D drawings such as sections, floor plan drawings, elevations, detail drawings, construction drawings, etc. effectively. There may be little differences in the graphical presentations of the AutoCAD 2D drawings and Revit 2D drawings, but essentially the end outcome is same.

Thought AutoCAD and Revit both are also used for developing 3D models but Using Revit, users can only develop 3D models for buildings while using AutoCAD, users can develop 3D models for their architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, aeronautical, and other types of engineering projects.

Both of these software’s help users to make a 2D flat image or 3D model photorealistic by adding color, shade, texture, lighting effect, shadow effect, fixture, etc.

Differences

Though both AutoCAD and Revit helps the design and construction professionals to do similar types of works effectively, but Revit is specially Building Information Modeling (BIM) software that only helps in carrying out different types of BIM modeling process. Using AutoCAD, users only can create lines to develop basic geometry that represents the projected object.

Within a 3D Revit model, users can include real life information while AutoCAD does not allow users to add any type of information. In Revit, while users work on one particular view such as floor plan, other views such as elevation are also automatically generated at that time. If users make any change within the Revit design, the design automatically adjusts itself according to the change but AutoCAD does not have such facilities.

AutoCAD is very useful for creating 2D drawings where only accurate work in needed, for example elevation detail drawing. Revit is very useful for Architectural 3D Modeling that also helps its users to prepare construction schedule, generate cost schedule, perform collaboration and manage all types of changes efficiently.

In the AEC industry, AutoCAD and Revit both are significantly used for developing 2D and 3D designs for AEC projects. Both of these software’s have become right and left hand of the AEC industry professionals.