B3 - Current Problems With Revit/BIM

There are many benefits to using Revit, including the ability for all trades to work and collaborate on a central model. The engineers and architects can work on separate models then sync their work to the central model for the rest of the team to see. Although this is a useful feature, it comes with many problems.

One problem with Revit is that if the central model is created in one version of the software, the rest of the team is advised to open the project and only work in that version. Neglecting to work in the same Revit version can affect the central model when syncing. Furthermore, companies would have to regularly update their machines, which can be a tedious process. Another current problem with Revit is that some engineers and architects are still in the process of learning and mastering the software. Not everyone on the team may have the same level of experience using Revit, so a more inexperienced user may slow down the design process. However, this should not be seen as an issue since we all had to take some time to learn it, and we should be helping each other become more adept at it. An issue I encountered at engineering firms I have worked at was figuring out a syncing schedule. One firm was still relatively new to Revit so everyone synced their work whenever they felt the need to. The downside to this process was that it often slowed down the model to the point where no one was able to work on it. A different firm I worked for had a more organized way of syncing their work. An added feature on Revit allowed each member of the project team to see if anyone was currently syncing. This prevented multiple people from simultaneously syncing and slowing down the model. They recommended that each trade synced every thirty minutes in an alternating pattern, and this process proved to work well for the team. 

Many people are aware of these current problems, so I am sure that software engineers for Revit are working hard to solve these issues. For now, using Revit just takes patience, practice and good communication skills. 

Comments:

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Jake,

An important advantage that you mentioned was the fact that information can easily be shared between Autodesk applications. For example, you can build a model in Revit then use another Autodesk application called FormIt to analyze how heat from the Sun is absorbed by the building. This allows engineers to perform many different analyses without having to manually transfer information from one application to another. Like you said, these analyses help the engineers prove to the owner that they are choosing the best options for the building.

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Spencer,
Data waste is a term I was not fully aware of, so I am glad you discussed this point in your post. BIM software, just like our brains, can be very powerful when used at its full potential, but this is a rare case. This may be because new features are regularly being added and engineers do not always have the time to learn them. The firms I worked for regularly had BIM experts come in to give us lessons on new features that could make our jobs easier, and I believe this is something that all firms should do.

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Abdul,

The ability of BIM to basically centralize collaboration speeds up the design process and produces higher quality results, as you mentioned in you post. Instead of having regular in person team meetings to present work from different trades, BIM software can easily compile the work from every member of the project team for everyone to see. This keeps everyone on the same page during every step of the design process. As collaboration through BIM improves, the faster projects will reach completion.