Don’t Let Revit Put You in a Box!

We all know Revit. The amazing miracle software that allows you to model in three dimensions inherently. There are so many things you can do with Revit software - it literally amazes me. I use Revit everyday at work. And it seems like everyday I need to model something “custom.” And if the manufacturer doesn’t produce their own Revit families, that doesn’t mean I can’t use their product.

We are currently in a different age of design. The methods of production are changing and with it, the methods of design itself. Beginning college in the year 2010, I was never taught to draft by hand. And surprising to most of my coworkers now, I was never taught AutoCAD either. Directly after my first computer class in the College of Architecture, I was expected to produce my projects in Revit. I’ve been thinking of design in terms of Revit for nearly a decade and my entire design career. And I can do a lot of cool things with the software. But there’s a lot of things I don’t know how to do yet... a lot of things that can exist in the realm of design and just aren‘t easy to produce with a computer program.

I actually still have a Revit textbook from college! I've read it many times and still reference it now and then. It teaches the fundamental building components as they relate to the Revit Architecture. You can look up how to draw a wall, a floor, or a ceiling. There are step-by-step instructions on how to draw each of these items and so much more. Outside of the basics, I frequently search forums and youtube for obscure modeling requests. No matter how crazy the idea or unique the task, if I'm stuck I check to see if it's been done before (and usually it has!)

My advice is to use Revit. Use the heck out of it. There are so many ideas out there that simply can't originate in a computer program easily, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Don't let Revit put you in a box. Bend the tools to make them work for you. Learn how to make your own families and custom forms and shapes and continue to think in three dimensions! Never stop practicing. There's always more to learn and new tips to try and new challenges to face... Hand me your trace paper, because I can probably model your sketch. -C