Software – The Cost of Doing Business

ALERT!  Breaking News!  Computer software can be expensive!!

Okay, I realize that isn’t really breaking news and is something that people already know.  However, the fact that people are already aware of that is what can create issues.  While various software packages can be expensive, design software is one of those software categories that really is expensive.  I have previously written a blog article on architectural design software packages under $2500 entitled “Inexpensive Architectural Design Software“, but those packages are not the mainstream products being utilized.  For most companies to compete in the AEC design community, they are pretty much required to utilize a software package that will cost a minimum of $4,000.00 per user.  Most software packages also either require you to be on a subscription plan or make you pay a large upgrade fee to remain up-to-date with the software.

Regardless of the method that you use to pay for the software, it is a large expense for each user.  However, I must say that is the cost of legally doing business.  If a company (or individual) wants to participate in a market that requires design software, then the software costs must be considered part of the business expense.  I may not like the cost to play, but I still want to play, so I need to pay.

Converting AutoCAD Details to Revit

Details are a vital part of the documentation process for building design and construction projects.  CAD users who have used AutoCAD for years have typically developed a large detail library, or at least possess many details used on previous AutoCAD projects.  Those details are valuable as a lot of time and knowledge has gone into developing them.  It is important to be able to access those details for usage within Revit.

While there are various methods utilized for re-using AutoCAD details, not all of them are good solutions and some can add corruption to your Revit project file and create problems.