You Create a Full Range of Documents with BIM, Not Just a 3D Model

Other software packages, like SketchUp, Rhino, and 3ds Max, are excellent modeling applications.
However, these modeling applications don’t have the ability to document your design for con-
struction, nor can they be leveraged downstream. While these tools are not BIM, they can still play
a role in a BIM workflow; many architects use them to generate concept models, which can then be
brought into a BIM application and progress through design, analysis, and documentation. If you
prefer to work with other tools for concept modeling, doing so isn’t a problem. When the design
starts to gel, import the geometry into Revit and start taking advantage of BIM.
Not everything is modeled in 3D in Revit. You can create 2D details in Revit, import CAD details,
and reuse details from other Revit projects. The tools may be a bit different than AutoCAD, but
there is nothing you can draw in CAD that can’t be drawn in Revit. By using the intelligence of
Revit families, you can build your details into individual components, thereby embedding drafting
into the object. Figure 1.6 shows an example of a detail drawn entirely in Revit.