ArchiCAD vs. Revit

Its the ultimate question that many designers and architects get asked;

What's the better software to use? ArchiCAD or Revit?

Its the question that I try and refuse to answer and that I think maybe doesn't have an answer. Everyone has there prefered software to use, but switching between both as I regularly do I don't necessarly have a prefered program. As a proficient user of both softwares I will try and answer the forbinen question by the end of this blog, but can't promise anything. Of course these are only two programs which designers and architects can use.

I began to learn Revit during high school. We got taught very simple commands with instructions that were printed out for us to follow. My very first project was a small cabin project which I enjoyed modelling very much. I then moved to designing and modelling a small 3 bedroom house. I remember picking the skills up pretty quickly. I also remember having several files of the same project which had different views in each file, I did this until I relised that all of the views could be in the one file - silly to think that I actually did that! After graduating year 12 I continued using Revit at TAFE where all sorts of documenting and design assignments challenged me to use Revit more effiently. This is where I grew my knowlodge of modelling and documenting.

I began to use ArchiCAD at the end of 2013 where we were introduced to it at TAFE. I then picked it up again during 2014 where I needed to learn it as apart of my first job. I picked it up quite quickly and learnt commands and the interface pretty easily. I am still learning so much about the software as I think we are all doing every single day. Throughout my time working in the office with real projects and using ArchiCAD everyday I have soon picked up many keybboard shortcuts which has made the documentation process easier. Working on a range of projects from small residential to large industrial buildings to multi-residential apartments I have been able to learn new tools and which makes the documentation process of these projects more enjoyable.

As an experienced Revit user for many years and a ArchiCAD user for a bit over a year I began to make comparisons between both programs. A brief summary is below;

Documentation/Presentation: ArchiCAD I believe has a very architectural style to its documentation which looks great with very little work at all. Where with Revit you may need to work a little harder to get the same results. However, I do find Revit's settings in regards to views easier to set if you would like to change them at all. In terms of presentation, ArchiCAD's BIMx models are a great way to show you designs off easily in a 3D world with very little work. If you were to achieve the same result in Revit you would be using multiple programs (eg. Lumion) to get the sense of the entire design in the 3D work.

Modelling: Modelling...one topic which can win a program over another. Depending how good a program is at modelling will determine if someone will use it or not. Both ArchiCAD and Revit have great modelling functions. Revit gains points when it comes to custom made families with its mass modelling tools and model in-place (see example below). To do the same thing in ArchiCAD who you have to model something in another piece of software then import it into ArchiCAD. Depending on what type of modelling you are looking at achieveing, ArchiCAD or Revit may not be your best choice. Other programs make modelling easier depening on your level of experience.

Rendering: Ever since the release of ArchiCAD 18 the rendering of ArchiCAD has improved out of sight. ArchiCAD 18/19 uses built-in CineRender, the CINEMA 4D render engine by MAXON Computer. This makes renders look so much better and more realistic than before. Rendering in Revit itself gives a decent result, but not as good as rendering in the cloud with Revit. This is an online service where you upload your camera view and Autodesk will render using different settings which makes it look even better. What ever program I use to render, ArchiCAD or Revit I would still be using a photo editing suite, such as Adobe Photoshop to enhance the render even more. To take your renders to the next level I would be suggesting to use programs such as 3DS Max or Blender which I would like to learn in the near future.

Each piece of software has its pros and cons. I am not going to say which is better. I will continue to learn both softwares and make myself open minded to both as I begin my career. So I guess the question still remains; What's the better software to use? ArchiCAD or Revit.

Until next time...