Blog Post #3 – Brandon Mengel

Current Problems with Revit/ BIM

In class we got started on the discussion of what we saw as problems including: the coding or processing of Revit on standard computers, compatibility with other modeling programs, and the learning curve it takes to develop all the skills.

Much of my experience with Revit has come from high school and the small assignments in college; so my personal experience is based on Revit Architecture.  Like I said earlier, the processing power of a normal school computer seems to struggle with Revit.  When you attempt to do too much or get to detailed in a design the program begins to lag, go unresponsive for a bit, and then if your unlucky will crash (hopefully you saved your work).  I’m not super techy but I feel there must be a better way if gaming systems seamlessly show more detailed and vibrant programs than Revit on a significantly larger scale.  I couldn’t imagine trying to build an entire skyscraper or other large building with Revit because you would need a super computer to just to rotate the building.  From building small-scale designs, I have noticed that there are many tools in Revit to use, but I have no clue how or what they are used for.  Upon hovering over them they do tell you what they are but when asking for help they send you to the Autodesk website and further tell what they do but don’t show how.  I feel they should easily show you with a quick video on how to use the tools to let the learning curve with Revit be somewhat easier.  I realize that there are many websites and youtube videos that show how to use them but the convenience of being able to ask for help directly from Revit would be ideal.  This learning curve for Revit could be seen as a large problem especially when training a newcomer on how to use the program.

Other current problems that I did not think of but found on at revitmodelingindia are: the client’s demand for the program, the suitability for BIM depends on the characteristics of each project, high cost of BIM implementation, and lack of BIM experts [1].  To relay further her ideas, BIM although older than me, and probably you as well, is still new to the construction world and many clients don’t even know about programs such as Revit so they don’t buy into the principle and don’t ask for it.  Jobs where these programs aren’t called for make the BIM integration into the construction world even slower because the contractors don’t feel the need for this expensive tool, when they were doing fine without it.  Without this integration BIM will be slow to improve and the benefits of using BIM programs heavily out weighing the nominal costs of the program will remain low.  Currently using BIM programs due to the high cost don’t justify its use for small projects just because of this idea.

I. (2015, June 24). 5 worst problems faced during BIM implementation. Retrieved

January 25, 2017, from http://www.revitmodelingindia.com/the-5-worst-problems-faced-during-bim-implementation/

Maria R

I think your points are very valid and totally agree.  The cost of running these BIM programs per person is enormous!  Over $400 for just a 1 year license of just Revit architecture.  Although they say they can save you time, help in visualization and coherency between the team, they are often too expensive to use with the diminishing fees.  Not only do you have to buy licenses to use the program, you must then buy expensive computers to be able to run the programs.  I know the market it not huge for BIM programs in comparison to other electronics but I feel Autodesk and other companies should offer special licenses to new or small firms to increase the use and possible increase the feedback to create a much better program.

Ronald P

You make some valid conclusions on the advantages of BIM programs.  Revit and other BIM programs are great tools for the future of construction.  First off it’s a great tool for presentations to wow the client.  Often times when you start to use construction lingo and try to present and idea in a meeting it doesn’t always look the same in everyone’s head.  With programs like Revit you can easily show large-scale concepts and get vital feedback from everyone.  Never knew Revit had a built in scheduling system, which sounds like a great tool for phasing out a job monthly or even weekly.  I haven’t got that deep into the program but I’m sure there are various other tools that could be used on the daily that would allow job sites to run smoother.

Drew H
Your statement about how Revit may become too advanced and lead to users to forgetting their education is something I would have never thought about.  I think that is a great point that you make and I believe that will be a probably with our generation as well as future generations.  New applications like Revit will most likely create this problem across many other job fields as well.  Hopefully Autodesk foresees this and maybe they will include some type of learning/ step by step work calculations on how it came up with its solutions so users can stay up on their engineering.  But also maybe this is a future goal.  That probably doesn't sound good for us, putting us out of jobs but it will make it immensely easier for the average person to come up with and design a building without the need for additional consulting.  Engineering could become a thing of the past similar to factory workers being replaced by robots.