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CHAPTER 1 Understanding BiM: FroM the Basics to advanced realities
Revit Is Relatively New Technology
Revit is the latest and most technologically advanced BIM application, and it’s under highly
dynamic development. What began as a single tool for architects has expanded into a platform
that is the base for the structural and mechanical disciplines as well. The evolution of the Revit
software platform will continue. As with any new technology, you’ll run into problems, get flus-
tered, and no doubt pull out some hair. That said, no other application on the market delivers
the advantages of BIM as well as Revit does. Consider this for a moment: most other architectur-
al products in today’s market are based on technology that is 20-plus years old, whereas Revit
is a new technology that was designed from the ground up as a BIM tool to specifically address
the AEC industry. From its inception, Revit has had the goal of improving design communica-
tion, coordination, and change management. It has a patented parametric change engine that is
unmatched in sophistication. It’s also the leading software package in the international market.
Revit is not the only BIM package out there, but we feel it offers the most holistic approach.
As you complete more projects with Revit, you’ll begin to understand some of its advanced
functionality. In this book, we’ll delve into advanced concepts and guide you through some
really cool features. We’ll touch on the fact that Revit is now a technological platform that sup-
ports architectural, structural, and mechanical disciplines. The fact that you can share a model
with your structural and mechanical, engineering, and plumbing (MEP) engineers without any
intermediate translation methods or change to the base environment is an exciting prospect,
and one that will continue to drive changes in process.
Where Can You Go from Here?
Building information modeling is a revolutionary approach to the design, analysis, and docu-
mentation of buildings that takes full advantage of modern-day computational technology. At
its core, BIM manages the flow of information throughout the lifecycle of a building-design pro-
cess, allowing you to experience the building before it is built. Using BIM from early conceptual
design through construction documentation and into construction administration and beyond,
it’s possible to better predict, plan, and execute the complex task of creating architecture to meet
today’s demanding requirements.
The flow of information in this new world consists of virtually all imagined inputs that go
into a building design: the gross area of the building; its impact on the environment; the num-
ber of windows, doors, and plumbing fixtures; the cost of materials; the size of heating and
cooling equipment—you name it. All this information is stored in a digital model—a virtual 3D
database chockfull of information primed for extraction, analysis, and representation. The input
turns into output in the form of coordinated document sets that can be shared across multiple
disciplines and that serve as a centralized design-management tool for an entire project.
The AEC industry is at the cusp of a major shift in technology and the resulting impact on
building—and by extension the greater environment—will be revolutionary. We can no longer
build without considering the impact of the building, without considering the building as part
of a larger network of interconnected flows. The promise of BIM lies in the ability to visualize
and understand how a building participates in these complex networks: how it performs, how it
will age, and how it will accommodate and adapt to dynamic economic and spatial requirements.
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