Here is the never-fail process...
Some clarification on the heels of my previous entry. . .
· Revit is not a “Form of AutoCAD” it is a completely different program with a completely different purpose and underlying paradigm.
· Ryan is right, this is not your responsibility; however, it is your opportunity
· Bill Gates said “there is life and death in every email.” This is a huge opportunity for AZT to corner an emerging market
What’s the point?
· We're not really talking about lines and circles but actual floors here; both the physical STRUCTURE/MATERIAL of the floor and the PROPERTIES associated with that material and structure. This would allow AZT to provide real data to their customers. What is the lifetime of the tile? What is the heat exchange for the tile? What is the weight of the tile? And not just the tile either: what about the vapor barrier? The thickness of the mud that’s gluing the tile down? What about the grout?
· It’s going to take too much of my time ...
You already spend your time doing this. You're already talking to every one of your clients about the structure of the tile and how it's going to be put down. This takes up not only your time but also your clients time. Time is money and no one wants to waste their time.
· You can make this an additional service offering…
This won't change your current process of selling and talking to clients. This can, however, create another value point during or after your sale. “Oh, you’re using Revit? Well, we can create that floor for you at a reasonable charge."
· Its repeatable and scalable
You don’t lose any work you’ve completed, so the floor you created for client A, can be sold at the same price to client B and at no additoinal cost to you. Once you have a floor created making minor or major changes is fast and allows you to grow your Revit content quickly.
And in summary...
You won’t do this, you will just skim my blog and dismiss it as just another rant from just another industry professional. That’s ok. I’m sure business is fine and your current process works...for now.
Just a few thoughts in closing:
There is a huge paradigm shift taking place in the architectural industry. It is as big as the shift from pen and paper to CAD. As a consultant for a number of firms and instructor at two different colleges, I tell my students that the days of CAD are over. They don’t have a choice. If they only learn AutoCAD they will be trapped in a dead-end job working for a dying company. While this may not effect negatively effect your business in a negative way for a number of years, but it can have a positive impact on your business now.
Topics
• My Background
• What CVIS Has
• The Revit Process : Network/Hardware/Software/Training/Workflow/Design Process/Expectations
• Summary
My Background
I’m part of our Implementation Team – TEAM TITAN. Since Autodesk purchased the product we’ve been helping Architects all over the state move to Revit. I work out of our Newport Beach office, giving me that “personal touch” for all our clients in Southern California. While working with CVIS as one of our many Revit Experts, I also teach Revit at two colleges. As you’ve seen in my webinars, I enjoy presenting new tools in a straight forward manor with an emphasis on why to use them. This skill puts me in the diver seat for presentations to every type of architect out there, but enough about me.
What CVIS Has
I tell people moving from CAD to Revit the following “it’s the same as moving from hand drawings to CAD.” You have all the same issues; hardware, network, software, training, expectations and workflow/design process changes. Due diligence would have you find prices / value for all those aspects. I greatly encourage you to look at multiple sources for all the parts of your upgrade. I would like to follow that up with; you get what you pay for. Because we are a full service firm, everything from paper and ink to implementation, we tend to be slightly more that our competition. I use competition loosely there; they are competition only if you look at prices. We’ve seen it all and done it all.
The Revit Process
As I said in the above paragraph, Network, Hardware, Software, Training, Workflow, Design process and Expectations all have to be addressed when moving to Revit. Here is the breakdown
Network:
Cat 5 is ok, CAT 6 preferred; Gigabit switches will save you precious Man hours.
Hardware:
If you keep using old computers, you’re shooting yourself in the foot, upgrade, there are - some specs at www.CVIS.com or you can call Joe Duran @ 800-511-8020 - for tons of information on both the Network and Hardware.
Software:
Of course we have our sales staff who will find you the best price. Here is the little tidbit that no one else says. Take your software cost and double it. That will put you in the right ballpark for the actual cost for getting a person to use it. The nice thing about us: connections. Not only do we have close ties to Autodesk and find out information that helps you be better prepared for tomorrow. We have our fingers on a number of other key pieces of software that allow you pull even more value from your BIM model.
Training:
The big one! I’ve been training people on AD software for years, almost a decade. I’ve learned a thing or two. It doesn’t matter what I know, it matters if I can explain what I know to you! Teaching college classes (I’m not the only one at CVIS teaching college) gives you unique perspective on how words, demonstrations and follow-up effect understanding. Yes, you will learn the same basic tools with any course or instructor. The keys here: retention, understanding and moving past the basics. Our CPBC is immersion based training - using tools on a real project with a real time frame. Our instructors have real-world experience with the software and have been training for years. We are the leaders of online training - every tool, every angle, we cover it!
Workflow:
Notice that I separate workflow and design process. Revit should shift your workflow; you will be spending more time on DD than CD. We’ll help you develop a set of standards for workflow based on the project that your company does.
Design Process:
In our wonderful CAD world, we have a huge data disconnect between PD and DD phases. The designer uses some software, we hope, to convey their design intent, then DD starts. With the start of DD, comes a whole new set of data, CAD drawings and details. Revit allows you to move seamlessly from PD to DD! IF! You have proper training, and your designers have “seen the light!” Not all companies buy into this philosophy and so neither do their employs. This is just one example of Design process, there are many more.
Expectations:
Possibly the most ignored and most important issue of moving to Revit! Having been yelled at by projected managers and Owners about the “Drawing Set” a number of times, I understand just how important managing their expectations is. You have to manage the expectations of everyone from your client to the person signing your paycheck. Even with great management, there will be “moments.” As you’ve seen above Revit changes everything. Without a valid conversation about what will happen with Revit, why tempers will rise and project managers will be stressed. We’ll help you from A to B. Summary
So either you read all of this blog or you won’t. Ok. The short and sweet: you get what you pay for. Revit is not just a software issue. Get a “partner” to help you though the process or you will fail. We are qualified to be that partner. Call me! Will Harris ~ Revit Rockstar CVIS, Inc 800-511-8020
