Revit Wasn’t Autodesk’s First Foray Into BIM

My last post looked at the change in process brought on by CAD.  At that point in my life, I personally focused on better understanding CAD, and particularly AutoCAD.  Professionally, I took a leap of faith (as I had been working in landscape architecture), applied for and landed a job at an architecture firm named RNL Design (it has since been absorbed by Stantec).  RNL was using an AutoCAD vertical called Autodesk Architectural Desktop.  

AutoCAD Architecture outlined in red (the software formerly known as Autodesk Architectural Desktop) listed on my product page. Notice the related products outlined in blue.

It leveraged all the digital and computer related advantages outside “architectural practice” but available due to context.  This software is still available today as part of the Architectural Engineering & Construction Collection and is now called AutoCAD Architecture.  Today Autodesk describes it as “an architectural drafting tool designed to improve efficiency. AutoCAD Architecture enhances both design and documentation processes, promoting better organization and productivity.”  Only a few years after I started at RNL (that was in the early 2000’s), a new acronym/term started circulating; BIM.  At the same time, architects started talking about Revit.  Also coincident, Autodesk described Autodesk Architectural Desktop as it’s BIM solution.

AutoCAD Architecture allows you to create in and think in terms of items like walls, doors, windows and roofs.  It also has levels and can create views based on those levels.  When I used it, there were even some features that I appreciated and would like to see in Revit.  For instance, you could associate a door to a room and the door would be labeled based on the room number (that is a pretty common practice).  If you had more than one door in a room, you could easily add a sub-label.  You could generate schedules from items, but because data was already built into the items, you didn’t have to do the same amount of work as you did using basic AutoCAD blocks. I think it did (and still does) meet the basic requirements for BIM. In the end however, I agree with the description above that AutoCAD Architecture (ADT) is a “drafting tool”.  Why?  For the same reason that many lectures, tutorials and blog posts have been dedicated to this subject; there is a shift in paradigms from CAD based applications to BIM based applications; the first is structured around “drafting” and the second is structured around “modeling”.

At RNL we began testing Revit and within a year it had been revealed that Autodesk had purchased it.  Within that same time period, RNL had transitioned from Autodesk Architectural Desktop to Revit Architecture. Obviously, Autodesk stopped advertising  Autodesk Architectural Desktop as it's BIM solution and rebranded it. This change in marketing also reveals a simple and sometimes forgotten truth; BIM is more than Revit.

My Understanding of Building Information Modeling (BIM); An Invitation to Mull It Over

Information Modeling in software engineering provides for the development of complex parametric datasets governed by rules and constraints.  Information models allow users to create, maintain and observe complex relationships between the various aspects of the data sets.  Building Information Modeling takes advantage of these developments in software by overlaying a graphic rich environment onto the information model.  Inside this environment, virtual models are created and many valuable exercises can be performed including experimental changes to design, clash detection, cost analysis, energy analysis (energy modeling) and asset allocation. The building model can be used to render images, simulate construction and evaluate aesthetics.  All of this knowledge can be captured prior to & during construction saving time and money.  In addition, the model life can be transferred to the owner/operator and utilized to manage facilities and spaces after completion.