Revit is a 4D building information modeling application that provides users with a range of tools and features to help them manage the different stages of a building project’s life cycle, from brainstorming to construction to demolition. Revit is a go-to tool for Architects and Engineers who are interested in creating annotated 3D project models and sharing updates in real-time with other project contributors. Watching video tutorials online is a popular method of learning Revit. These free resources can provide learners with an overview of how to work with this software’s basic features, as well as how to navigate its interface. Video content can also provide answers to specific Revit-related questions. This article will cover a range of videos, including what they teach and where to find them.
What is Revit?
Autodesk Revit is popular building information modeling (BIM) software that professionals like Contractors, Engineers, and Architects use to perform a range of essential building-related tasks. This tool can easily and accurately model structures, systems, and shapes in 3D. It also helps users create the structural elements of a building in 3D and then annotate them using 2D drafting tools. Revit users can make instant revisions to plans, visualizations, schedules, sheets, or elevations, which are updated in real time so that all team members are working with the most current information.
One of the main benefits of using Revit is that it can unite team members working on multidisciplinary projects, leading to better collaborative practices and higher overall efficiency.
This software provides users with tools for annotating, visualizing, sketching, scheduling, and sharing work. Revit offers users tools for integrated analysis and features for uniting multiple file types and datasets, which allows them to create designs with accuracy and confidence. It also has tools for fabrication, cost analysis, and quantity takeoffs.
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What Can You Do with Revit?
Revit training has applications for construction projects of all sizes and types. This commercial BIM software helps professionals like Structural Engineers, Designers, Mechanical Engineers, Architects, and Contractors design, edit, review, and share detailed 3D models. Revit users can place building elements like doors, walls, and windows into their drawings, which helps their drawings be precise and exact. It helps generate floor plans, sections, details, and schedules. Before the advent of this BIM software, the design process was much more tedious and time-consuming.
Revit offers advanced analysis engines and can access performance data. It can also run extremely accurate cost estimates and help professionals monitor a building or project’s performance throughout its lifecycle. This tool’s 3D visualization capabilities can be used to create construction project documentation that features stereo panoramas, 3D views, and cutaways. Those who work with Autodesk’s 3Ds Max software and Revit Interoperability can even view their building in virtual reality.
Revit is a multidisciplinary platform that allows different team members who are involved with a construction project to share their work in real time. Architects can share the models they create in Revit with Structural Engineers and other team members as they’re updated. This not only significantly expedites the design process but also helps create a more accurate and affordable final product.
Why Are Video Tutorials Helpful When Learning Revit?
Before you spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on live Revit training, you may want to gain a basic understanding of this software. Video tutorials are available from many top educators who teach students essential Revit content. Because no financial investment is involved, video tutorials provide students at all levels with a risk-free way to explore Revit without having to invest a cent.
One of the main incentives for exploring Revit through videos is that the student can dictate their own learning speed. When watching a long video that provides an overview of the Revit user interface and basic features, for example, students can pause or rewind as often as they want to take notes. Visual learners can also follow along in real-time with the video and immediately apply the information they’re receiving. There’s no limit on how often a video can be watched or how many videos a learner can watch to gain a well-rounded understanding of Revit.
It’s important for Revit learners to keep in mind that Revit is regularly updated to fix bugs, add new features, and incproprate performance improvements. This means that video content has the potential to become dated. Those interested in learning this software from online video tutorials should research the provider before trusting the content to ensure the material they posted reflects the most up-to-date Revit version and the current best practices in BIM. Additionally, since no instructor is available to answer questions in pre-recorded video tutorials, it’s up to the learner to find answers on their own to any questions that arise from viewing the content.
After watching a few free online Revit videos, learners can then decide their next educational step. For non-professional Revit users who simply want to learn this software for their own home renovation visualizations, free videos may suffice to provide the answers they need. Professionals who intend to use Revit at the workplace will typically have to transition into a more structured, live type of training at some point to fully master this software and its advanced capabilities.
Types of Revit Videos
The following are just a few examples of the many types of Revit training videos and tutorials available online:
- In addition to video content, some educators also post useful written tutorials on CAD software and tools. Those interested in learning about AutoCAD can do so with Noble Desktop’s hub of AutoCAD tutorials, resources, and articles. This resource has well-researched articles on topics like advanced dimension techniques, annotative scaling, file navigation tools, and layer freezing/unfreezing. In addition to providing answers to specific questions, Noble’s Learn Hub also provides an overview of what AutoCAD is and its basic professional uses.
- Many YouTube playlists are devoted entirely to Revit. Learners can select content from CAD in Black, which provides several hours of beginner-level video content, as well as Skills Factory’s shorter Revit tutorials for beginners, which require ten minutes or less to watch in their entirety.
- Autodesk offers students more than a dozen videos on its website that focus on Revit. Learners can learn how to create a building pad and terrain, walls, floors, and roofs, as well as place curtain walls, doors, stairs, and railings.
- Udemy offers a free Revit tutorial, How-To-Revit (Beginner Course), that provides students with a full hour of instruction on this software’s basic tools, how to improve drafting skills, how to transform 2D drawings into 3D designs and models, and how to add cosmetic elements to models.
- Pluralsight has a range of Revit video tutorials on specific Revit topics. Learners can learn about worksharing in its Collaboration in Revit class. This video includes content on what worksets are, how they’re set up, and the management utilities available for effective and efficient team collaboration. This platform is free to use for ten days and then requires a monthly subscription.
Why Learn Revit?
Those who know how to work with Revit can put their skills to use in creating 3D models for small and large construction or design projects. This industry-standard BIM tool provides users with the tools needed to create integrated, unified design models in which the plumbing, mechanical, and engineering elements seamlessly work together. The detailed, annotated models created in Revit can be shared with other project stakeholders in the form of 3D visualizations. This provides a way for professionals like Architects to identify possible design issues as early on in the process as possible, which can save significant time and money down the line.
Those who work with Revit receive automatically generated drawings and schedules based on the 3D models they create. These are helpful for documenting project work throughout the building lifecycle. Working with Revit not only promotes real-time project collaboration but can also improve work accuracy, communication, and cost-effectiveness across disciplines. Because Revit has become widely used in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, knowledge of this software is a great addition to a resume and can make individuals more competitive job candidates.
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How Difficult is It to Learn Revit?
For most learners, studying Revit is a relatively straightforward and easy process when approached in phases. Those who have prior tech training or knowledge of BIM tools or AutoCAD will usually find the process easier and faster than novices. After learning the software’s layout and basic tools, most individuals can start working on small projects. These will be much easier for the average learner than larger, more complex endeavors. The main struggle most encounter when studying Revit is pivoting from working with traditional drafting methods to using 3D parameters.
There are no formal prerequisites for learning Revit. Learners don’t even have to have prior experience with BIM software to get started with this tool. However, knowledge of basic architectural design principles and concepts like elevations and floor plans can help most students effectively apply their Revit skills. Basic computer literacy and access to this software are also a must.
In terms of cost, Revit is available through subscription as well as through flex plans. Subscriptions to Revit are available for one person for $365 a month, $2,910 a year, or $8,730 for three years. Autodesk also offers flex plans, which are pay-as-you-go options in which the user pre-purchases tokens for an Autodesk product like Revit and then can access that product on a daily basis. The flex option requires a minimum $300 purchase. This option is a good alternative for individuals or team members interested in trying the product or who only require periodic access. Additionally, a free Revit trial is also available from Autodesk.
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Learn Revit with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
VDCI's BIM Certificate program offers comprehensive training in Building Information Modeling through intensive, small-group classes led by industry expert instructors. Students master essential skills through hands-on experience with real-world commercial construction projects, learning everything from 3D modeling in Revit Architecture to creating detailed construction documentation and specializing in MEP or structural design. The program stands out for its practical approach and student-friendly policies, including free course retake options to ensure mastery of the material.
Noble Desktop offers several hands-on classes for those interested in learning how to work with AutoCAD. The AutoCAD Bootcamp provides learners with comprehensive training on basic techniques for drawing and modifying technical drawings, as well as how to use this software to make 2D drawings. During this program, students design and edit a basic drawing to practice with AutoCAD tools. This bootcamp is designed for PC users, though Mac users can attend this program live online.
Noble also has an AutoCAD Masterclass. This rigorous program provides small class instruction and is a great opportunity for learners to acquire in-depth AutoCAD skills. Coursework begins with an introduction to AutoCAD basics, such as how to navigate its interface, create basic drawings, and use core editing commands. Training then progresses into intermediate-level AutoCAD training that focuses on accurate positioning and effective working methods, such as how to use templates, layouts, and styles. In the final portion of this program, learners explore advanced topics like how to work with attributes, dynamic blocks, and tables. Those interested in sitting for the Autodesk Certified Professional in AutoCAD for Design & Drafting exam can enroll in Noble’s AutoCAD Certification. This rigorous class provides students with a combination of private tutoring and live AutoCAD training.
All Noble courses are taught by expert instructors and include a free retake option for up to one year. Students can complete their training live online or attend classes in New York City.