10 Reasons to Use Revit Architecture for Homebuilding Design

We know that BIM is becoming mandatory for large scale projects, but it's easily arguable that Revit is also a great choice for homebuilding design and here are 10 reasons why:

1. Iteration

This is perhaps the most important reason you should opt for Revit as opposed to 2D alternatives such as AutoCAD. Design without iteration is engineering. If you're building your home you'll want to design it and personalise it by choosing the right lighting and colours to match your lifestyle. These are however complex matters to assemble into one architectural project. You can of course iterate with a pen and pencil, but with Revit you can iterate y faster and smarter. Changes propagate from model plans to facades to sections to the final output drawings. This way you can share and review the entire project once you have made a change. Slowly but surely you can evaluate options and make the best design choices with a permanent holistic view of the project.

2. Components

Revit has a vast array of manufacturers freely publishing their products as family components to be used in your project. This includes furniture, lighting, glazing, partitions and just about any equipment imaginable. This way it's very easy to assemble your house using real products and avoid using generically sized drawings that might not fit your space. Manufacturers also embed significant metadata to their Revit components, from sizing and finishes available to product codes to assist in purchasing or requiring an offer.

3. Scheduling

Homebuilding architecture may be about small scale projects but it's also about tight budgets. With Revit you can set up scheduling early in the design phase and make sure you don't go over budget on any area. See how this complements the iterative nature of Revit as schedules update automatically, so you can compare how much surface area, wall covering, windows etc. you have in one version and in the other. This allows you to make relevant, measurable and ultimately, realistic e evaluations of different design options.

4. Standards

Revit is the industry standard across nations when it comes to BIM. This makes contracting a Homebuilder Drafting Service veryeasy. In this case popular is good as you can sample a wider market of service providers and find the professionals with the relevant experience you're interested in.

5. Cross

Discipline Integration Revit handles not only the architectural design phase but also structural and MEP. This means you can outsource CAD services that you can't handle in house and not worry about the various disciplines not connecting together. With Revit you have all the design and engineering elements in one master Revit file. Of course with outsourcing it's best if you go for a Residential Drafting Service provider that can handle the entire workflow to reduce any friction. Revit is great at producing output drawings fast and of maximum clarity. You model once and cut sections as many times as you want, so you make sure that there are no plumbing intersections and you can understand how it all fits together.

6. 3D Output

Revit works at its core directly in 3D, so you don't have to spend money on producing renders of your house. As you iterate you don't need high end renders and here Revit shines with a plethora of visualization options. You can cut a 3D model with a section box and peer inside that bedroom while you see how it relates to the staircase, or cut through that second floor and reveal the ground plan in 3D. When it comes to finishes and final details Revit can produce high end renders but it also plays extremely well with industry leader arch viz software from Autodesk suite, such as 3dsMax. Getting a Revit model in Max is straightforward and enables photorealistic renders from any angle. Most importantly, unlike using AutoCAD, or other drafting packages, you are sure that the 3D model the visualization artist is using is the correct model and not a close approximation of 2D plans and elevations.

7. Phasing

Construction and phasing are also often a very useful feature to have with homebuilding. With Revit, you can control phasing projects where you restore an older house, add an extension or anothersegment to it. This is crucial in making sure the existing building and the final building match up properly. It can also help youphase the actual construction development. By keeping the entire project together, old and new in the stages they'll be built, youcan ensure a smooth construction execution. This way you can commission a survey from a local contractor and have any Revit specialist, even from abroad be in full understanding of the project and work as if present on site.

8. Flexible Modeling Options

Not all houses have to be typical designs, with straight lines and generic features. You may want to push the limits a bit, make a statement, or maybe you just want to make sure you get an optimal use of space. Revit, with its massing tools allows for organic modeling with almost no constraints. Of course you'll need to find a Residential Revit BIM Modellingspecialist, but any shape is possible with Revit, and you'll also be able to document it andproduce construction ready drawings for that shape. Moreover, Revit works well with other software such as Grasshopper for Rhino and with its own new Dynamo functionality so getting that parametric paneling on the main facade is no longer an issue.

9. Parametric Approach

Parametric doesn't necessarily mean fancy, or cutting edge contemporary architecture.Sometimes parametric architecture is all about finding the right parameters to optimize for maximum solar gain and other environmental factors, such as accounting for wind distribution and thermal load. Revit is no stranger to such analysis if it's important for you that your future home is sustainable. With easy integration with tools such as Vasari, a spinoff from the main Revit software and with Dynamo again, a professional Revit modeler can help you make the statement you're after when it comes to caring about the planet.

10. Quality

Quality is of course in the detail. Revit can scale down to 1:5 drawings and even 1:1 if needed. At the end of the day you'll needto make sure important details that cover wall-ground, wall-roof and other junctions are treated to great attention. Also it's very likely that you'll need some custom furniture to be detailed for manufacturing and assembly. Handling these final touches in Revit or leaving them to a contractor's opinion can make the difference between a properly insulated house and one that's chilly and noisy at places and times. With Revit you can use all the BIM information and push it further with 2D details by relying on suppliers information who often supply them. A specialized Residential Drafting provider will most likely already have all the typical details at hand and easily adapt them to the needed configuration.

These are many reasons as to why you should choose Revit for homebuilding design. Sure, you might argue that licensing and expertise comes at a steep price. In most cases you may find it difficult to find a reliable service provider that uses Revit however, it's made a lot easier when you widen your reach across international borders and it is very easy to outsource such tasks to offices with years of experience in using Revit, usually with Autodesk certification and broad portfolios. Also by expanding your search the odds are that you'll find the quality you're looking for at a very affordable price.

Kuldeep Bwail, Director at XS CAD, providing 3D Architectural Modelling,3D BIM Modeling to Homebuilder, Architect