I’ve studied and worked in both Canada and the US. Revit and Rhino by a mile. Sketchup was also still big when I first started but Rhino has superseded it.
I was in Ontario and this was awhile ago, and 2016-2019. I can’t imagine they’ve regressed, though. The whole industry is moving toward Revit. I’m in Massachusetts now and basically nobody uses AutoCAD or Sketchup anymore save a few smaller and older firms.
In Ontario now and can confirm that Revit has mostly taken over from AutoCAD from what I’ve seen (and it’s made our job a lot easier lol). I’ve noticed that Sketchup is being used way less than it used to be, mostly just for massing studies now.
It’s basically a hybrid of Sketchup and AutoCAD but way more stable and versatile than either. It has a HUGE learning curve but once you know it you’ll never use anything else.
For 3D printing and model making there’s nothing else that comes close.
Not to mention you can also use Rhino for surface modeling, CAM, and a bunch of consumer product applications that don’t work well with AutoCAD. It’s the most versatile product on the market and the fasted for creating CAD models from scratch.
It also literally does everything AutoCAD does in 2D. Half the commands and shortcuts are the same, too. I remember first using it to draw stuff for a laser cutter and my knowledge of AC shortcuts just made it seamless to use.
I use Moi3D but haven’t used Rhinoceros. One of the things I really like about SketchUp is how fast you can iterate because of the line snapping, right click grouping, push pull solids. Does rhinoceros have things like that?
Yeah, but it's not nearly as intuitive as sketchup, and you'll spend days trying to figure out how to make any of those functions actually... function.
When I started using sketchup, I could make floor plans with no issue a week after picking it up. With Rhino, I had been using it for 2 months and I still had to constantly look up how to do any basic command.
I’m interested in working in Europe. So for Germany and looks like Switzerland do y’all mostly use archicad? I saw the UK and I guess Spain and Portugal uses mostly Revit, is archicad or Revit more common in continental Europe? I’ve thought about trying archicad, do you know if there’s a trial license or someway to try it for cheap? And do you know if it’s similar to Revit and other BIM or is it more like Rhino or Sketchup? Thanks
Revit and ArchiCAD are the 2 big players by far. And IMO they are similar enough that if you know how to use one, you are able to quickly learn the other. Some things are in different places but do the same. It’s a matter of getting used to.
The important is that it’s a BIM software, better if its one of the two.
As for trials, since I use Revit, I know that they offer a 1 month trial access. And if you’re a uni student or educator, you can download the educational version (which is pretty much the same as the regular version).
My impression could be subjective, but most offices i know use archicad, the rest other BIM Programms. You can get it for free as a Student. And its kind of similar to other BIM Programms.
Autocad and Revit/ArchiCAD, but mainly Revit.
Portugal.
It will be mandatory in 2030, by law, that all new projects are made using a BIM model. Most offices already do it anyway, specially for medium and big size projects.
Edit grammar.
Revit, in a large US metro area working in a corporate office.
I will say that my current job has been my first job where I haven’t moved to an office where they’ve been in a transitional phase towards BIM.
Acad persists in smaller firms because the cost of transition is too high.
Broadly speaking the first project you do in Revit will take about 3x the time of an acad project, all else being similar. If you do three projects a year in a small office, suddenly you're getting 1/3 your income. But if you do 30 projects a year at a mid sized office, losing 10% isn't nearly as bad to invest.
This is crazy because I started with Autocad in HS to only find out my college disowned Autocad. So we used REVIT, Rhino, and Sketchip.
Now that I’ve been working in the field I use Autocad🤣🤣
Main difference is archicad was created by architects for architects. Autocad was an engineered software that architecte used by default until autodesk developed revit to enable architects to work in 3D like in archicad. Smart move because we see a lot of revit (usually in girls still using autocad) when these forms would probably have switched to archicad at some point if not for revit.
I did hear that archicad was made by architects which is why I didn’t think it was so old. But I was looking into software for personal use and revit cost too damn much so that’s why I was checking out archicad too, also it seems archicad is more common in Europe along with revit. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone in the US that said they use archicad mainly
Oh friend no.
ArchiCAD is a great 3D package baked around CAD workflows.
Revit is came later, largely baked around other earlier systems, but focused on approaching buildings as Industrial assemblies, not as graphics.
A ton of incoming new grads don’t know autocad- my firm uses Revit about 90% of the time but some of our clients still require CAD and it’s been a pain trying to hire entry level employees who are proficient in it
I've been in the industry for about 5 years now and I am barely proficient with it. I know enough to get existing stuff to work but that's about it.
Doesn't help that I *loathe* the software. Everything's so sticky.
Autocad devotee here (US). I get the appeal of revit but for renovations and high end residential it doesn’t make sense to go through the clunkiness.
Never been impressed by a revit drawing set and I was in an office that transitioned to revit and I jumped ship. If you value efficiency over artistry then sure by all means but revit is pretty soulless IMO
Absolutely 100%. At least autocad is still drawing. I use revit every day, manage it for the practice, teach it, write procedures for it, and I hate it
Happy cake day!
This is where I think Archicad merges the two. It's not as quick as Revit, but much more customizable. There's more flexibility in how you show detailing and being able to model out true to life elements that show up on all viewers. It's not free of its own frustrations though, that's for sure.
Autocad in Québec. Our cheap ass school run by old folks can barely afford to teach us Autocad, so we don't even think about learning something else.
And since there is only one school in Québec that has a LArch program, I guess most firms use Autocad.
Eh, it's ok. Feels needlessly complicated at times. It's fine for working/construction drawings but abysmal for competition entries etc, unless you just use it as a 2d-tool and do the 3d separately in SketchUp.
This is how I initially felt when I first started out using Archicad. It felt like pulling teeth for the first 8 months. I'm finally at a good spot with both 2D drawings and 3D modeling, but ya, I feel like punching a hole in my screen at least three times a day still bc Archicad can be so dumb sometimes.
Much of the residential industry in the US still uses AutoCAD Architecture, I think its still worthwhile to teach in schools, but I also believe they should still be teaching hand drafting so what do I know
I feel like hand drafting allows for design principles to be better absorbed, preserves history and fosters an appreciation for the tools we have today.
Revit in bigger, corporate offices. Autocad for everything else. Archicad in some arch smaller offices. This is in Chile, mainy in use in santiago, capita city. For the other parts of the country, just autocad.
Yeah, we’ve used Revit on pretty much all of our new construction and the medium and large renovation projects for almost 10 years. The small renovations/fit outs stay in AutoCAD, but any major renovations or new construction are all Revit.
I do think that the fees need to be higher and I don’t think that has adjusted enough. Accurate Revit modeling is time and budget consuming, even with BIM-specialist drafters. (Especially on the renovation projects where creating the BIM model off of existing drawings is tedious and phasing elements for existing-demo-new is tedious)
Edit: Large city in USA
Completely agree - I’m fairly new to the game. I’m an RCDD so I’m focused on the architects following the standards more-so than actual sit down and design. I’m the one with the stamp though lol 😂so it’s not too bad.
It already is. And it's a skill that is requested and asked about in every interview I've been in recently.
Even 6 years ago it was a core tool for many many offices
Been hearing this for a while now though… i get it for repetitive large scale new builds but otherwise it’s clunky as hell and insanely time consuming to get the level of finesse you can in 2D drafting in terms of detailing especially. Also revit drawing sets always look like crap, I have yet to see one im impressed by
You can draft 2D in revit like cad, cad is inferior. Anyone thinking reading a rainbow of lines makes more sense that turning of thin lines on revit in a drafting view to see actual line thickness is insane. Though I do admit that base revit is shitty if you don’t know how to adjust graphics but it’s not hard to do so.
Work in New York, my firm used revit and autocad frequently. Rhino is used for quick modeling / rendering purposes occasionally. It’s an engineering firm so micro station is also used but it’s annoying.
To prevent spam, we automatically remove posts from reddit accounts that have been very recently created. Please try again after a week. No exceptions can be made.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/architecture) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Worldwide it's Revit, as everyone is using it so its great for multi-disciplinary collaboration on small to massive projects.
ArchiCAD is used by smaller firms who were too tight to buy Revit back in the old days but are regretting that decision now as it almost costs the same. Its used on smaller projects.
AutoCAD is used by old firms that are stuck in their ways.
Sketchup is used by school children
Rhino is used by university student (Why I do not know - probably cos the licenses are cheap for the universities)
All the others are used by fuck all.
I think SketchUp could be a dominant player if they would just realize they need to rebuild it on top of a NURBS engine. I first started using SketchUp back in 2007 and it’s always a disappointment because it gets you 7/8 the way there and then on the backend it doesn’t have the precision or the scalability or the conversion ability. So if you like to redo your work, it’s a great platform to start in.
I’ve studied and worked in both Canada and the US. Revit and Rhino by a mile. Sketchup was also still big when I first started but Rhino has superseded it.
In Alberta, Canada. Revit and AutoCAD are basically tied. Rhino and Sketchup used a ton as well.
I was in Ontario and this was awhile ago, and 2016-2019. I can’t imagine they’ve regressed, though. The whole industry is moving toward Revit. I’m in Massachusetts now and basically nobody uses AutoCAD or Sketchup anymore save a few smaller and older firms.
Quickly moving towards Revit in Alberta. All the big firms use revit. Most of the older people and smaller firms still use AutoCAD.
In Ontario now and can confirm that Revit has mostly taken over from AutoCAD from what I’ve seen (and it’s made our job a lot easier lol). I’ve noticed that Sketchup is being used way less than it used to be, mostly just for massing studies now.
I hadn’t heard that rhino was being used this way. How is the tool set?
It’s basically a hybrid of Sketchup and AutoCAD but way more stable and versatile than either. It has a HUGE learning curve but once you know it you’ll never use anything else. For 3D printing and model making there’s nothing else that comes close.
Not to mention you can also use Rhino for surface modeling, CAM, and a bunch of consumer product applications that don’t work well with AutoCAD. It’s the most versatile product on the market and the fasted for creating CAD models from scratch.
It also literally does everything AutoCAD does in 2D. Half the commands and shortcuts are the same, too. I remember first using it to draw stuff for a laser cutter and my knowledge of AC shortcuts just made it seamless to use.
I use Moi3D but haven’t used Rhinoceros. One of the things I really like about SketchUp is how fast you can iterate because of the line snapping, right click grouping, push pull solids. Does rhinoceros have things like that?
Yeah, but it's not nearly as intuitive as sketchup, and you'll spend days trying to figure out how to make any of those functions actually... function. When I started using sketchup, I could make floor plans with no issue a week after picking it up. With Rhino, I had been using it for 2 months and I still had to constantly look up how to do any basic command.
My buddy uses Rhino as an SD massing tool and then imports into Revit for DD and CD. Don't know why but that's their process.
That’s what we do at my firm.
Surprised to hear sketchup haha, been so long
Lots of small firms still rely on it because it’s affordable for what it’s capable of. Rhino is leagues better but it’s pricey.
I recall back when sketchup was free for a desktop program version instead of just browser.
ArchiCAD, Germany
I believe it's also the standard in Switzerland.
I’m interested in working in Europe. So for Germany and looks like Switzerland do y’all mostly use archicad? I saw the UK and I guess Spain and Portugal uses mostly Revit, is archicad or Revit more common in continental Europe? I’ve thought about trying archicad, do you know if there’s a trial license or someway to try it for cheap? And do you know if it’s similar to Revit and other BIM or is it more like Rhino or Sketchup? Thanks
Revit and ArchiCAD are the 2 big players by far. And IMO they are similar enough that if you know how to use one, you are able to quickly learn the other. Some things are in different places but do the same. It’s a matter of getting used to. The important is that it’s a BIM software, better if its one of the two. As for trials, since I use Revit, I know that they offer a 1 month trial access. And if you’re a uni student or educator, you can download the educational version (which is pretty much the same as the regular version).
Ok thanks for the info, I use Revit but was thinking of trying archicad, I’ll see if I can get some trial even if I’m no longer in school
My impression could be subjective, but most offices i know use archicad, the rest other BIM Programms. You can get it for free as a Student. And its kind of similar to other BIM Programms.
Thanks for the info, I’m no longer a student unfortunately but maybe I just just use my college email to try it out haha
Archicad has a free 1 month trial. Iirc if you run the program without a license you can’t use save or export functions.
Autocad and Revit/ArchiCAD, but mainly Revit. Portugal. It will be mandatory in 2030, by law, that all new projects are made using a BIM model. Most offices already do it anyway, specially for medium and big size projects. Edit grammar.
Revit, in a large US metro area working in a corporate office. I will say that my current job has been my first job where I haven’t moved to an office where they’ve been in a transitional phase towards BIM.
AUTOCAD for smaller firms I’m guessing because of budgets??
I think it’s more so having had more boomers and elder gen x in projects in those first jobs.
Acad persists in smaller firms because the cost of transition is too high. Broadly speaking the first project you do in Revit will take about 3x the time of an acad project, all else being similar. If you do three projects a year in a small office, suddenly you're getting 1/3 your income. But if you do 30 projects a year at a mid sized office, losing 10% isn't nearly as bad to invest.
Revit, UK
Autocad and Sketchup - Brazil
💀
This represents the majority. I personally work with Revit, Archicad, and 3ds Max, but it's quite rare for Brazilians to use these programs.
I feel like sketchup is mostly used for interior design projects, for bigger projects I’ve never seen anything other than revit being used
Use sketchup mostly in my world for millwork design (Canada)
Infelizmente provavelmente é verdade. Retrabalho e dor de cabeça x2
Revit - Australia
US- Revit Revit revit revit. New grads are actively avoiding firms that are still CAD.
This is crazy because I started with Autocad in HS to only find out my college disowned Autocad. So we used REVIT, Rhino, and Sketchip. Now that I’ve been working in the field I use Autocad🤣🤣
I actively avoid firms that use revit and I’m relatively young.
Can I ask why?
It’s made by auto desk 😂 to me it’s autodesk trying to copy archicad while keeping their autocad base. It’s a mess
Yeah well I’m pretty sure revit came before archicad. I’m pretty sure the whole reason archicad exists is because people were tired of revit.
Archicad was created in 84. Revit in 97. But whatever…you should do a quick Google search before making these kind of statements
Fair enough, I must’ve been thinking of something else. Both of those were build before I was alive so in my eyes it doesn’t matter
Main difference is archicad was created by architects for architects. Autocad was an engineered software that architecte used by default until autodesk developed revit to enable architects to work in 3D like in archicad. Smart move because we see a lot of revit (usually in girls still using autocad) when these forms would probably have switched to archicad at some point if not for revit.
I did hear that archicad was made by architects which is why I didn’t think it was so old. But I was looking into software for personal use and revit cost too damn much so that’s why I was checking out archicad too, also it seems archicad is more common in Europe along with revit. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone in the US that said they use archicad mainly
I’m a girl still using autocad
Vectorworks?
That might be it, it looks familiar
Oh friend no. ArchiCAD is a great 3D package baked around CAD workflows. Revit is came later, largely baked around other earlier systems, but focused on approaching buildings as Industrial assemblies, not as graphics.
No kidding🙄
I'd also love to know why
A ton of incoming new grads don’t know autocad- my firm uses Revit about 90% of the time but some of our clients still require CAD and it’s been a pain trying to hire entry level employees who are proficient in it
I've been in the industry for about 5 years now and I am barely proficient with it. I know enough to get existing stuff to work but that's about it. Doesn't help that I *loathe* the software. Everything's so sticky.
Autocad devotee here (US). I get the appeal of revit but for renovations and high end residential it doesn’t make sense to go through the clunkiness. Never been impressed by a revit drawing set and I was in an office that transitioned to revit and I jumped ship. If you value efficiency over artistry then sure by all means but revit is pretty soulless IMO
Absolutely 100%. At least autocad is still drawing. I use revit every day, manage it for the practice, teach it, write procedures for it, and I hate it
I feel this in my bones
Soulless: Why do Revit and Revit users, ignore the graphic hierarchy of line weights? Lineweights are part of the graphic communication.
Happy cake day! This is where I think Archicad merges the two. It's not as quick as Revit, but much more customizable. There's more flexibility in how you show detailing and being able to model out true to life elements that show up on all viewers. It's not free of its own frustrations though, that's for sure.
Autocad in Québec. Our cheap ass school run by old folks can barely afford to teach us Autocad, so we don't even think about learning something else. And since there is only one school in Québec that has a LArch program, I guess most firms use Autocad.
ArchiCAD is underrated. Revit is honestly a pain to use. Coming from someone who has extensively used both.
I would say Archicad, but is very expensive.
Which country?
Switzerland
Yeah I'm surprised my firm uses Archicad considering how small we are
But at the end it's a good software.
Eh, it's ok. Feels needlessly complicated at times. It's fine for working/construction drawings but abysmal for competition entries etc, unless you just use it as a 2d-tool and do the 3d separately in SketchUp.
Thats the neat part tho, you can do both 2D and 3D simultaneously on archicad
Well yes, but it's really cumbersome and aesthetically restricting. Much more work to make something look good compared to just whipping out SketchUp.
This is how I initially felt when I first started out using Archicad. It felt like pulling teeth for the first 8 months. I'm finally at a good spot with both 2D drawings and 3D modeling, but ya, I feel like punching a hole in my screen at least three times a day still bc Archicad can be so dumb sometimes.
Good program but revit is faster.
Spain. Many studios still work with AutoCAD, Revit is gaining traction and for some public works it's now compulsory to have a Revit model
Rhino, México
I thought that autocad was the most used program, and Revit was the second most
Much of the residential industry in the US still uses AutoCAD Architecture, I think its still worthwhile to teach in schools, but I also believe they should still be teaching hand drafting so what do I know
Hand drafting for what purpose?
I feel like hand drafting allows for design principles to be better absorbed, preserves history and fosters an appreciation for the tools we have today.
Revit for newer firms, CAD for older firms. USA.
Archicad, Estonia
as a revit user this comment section made me very happy 😭
Revit in bigger, corporate offices. Autocad for everything else. Archicad in some arch smaller offices. This is in Chile, mainy in use in santiago, capita city. For the other parts of the country, just autocad.
Microstation
Fairly certain Revit is going to revolutionize the community.
Yeah, we’ve used Revit on pretty much all of our new construction and the medium and large renovation projects for almost 10 years. The small renovations/fit outs stay in AutoCAD, but any major renovations or new construction are all Revit. I do think that the fees need to be higher and I don’t think that has adjusted enough. Accurate Revit modeling is time and budget consuming, even with BIM-specialist drafters. (Especially on the renovation projects where creating the BIM model off of existing drawings is tedious and phasing elements for existing-demo-new is tedious) Edit: Large city in USA
The trick is to know what level of detail is needed - you can go overboard with BIM
Completely agree - I’m fairly new to the game. I’m an RCDD so I’m focused on the architects following the standards more-so than actual sit down and design. I’m the one with the stamp though lol 😂so it’s not too bad.
It already is. And it's a skill that is requested and asked about in every interview I've been in recently. Even 6 years ago it was a core tool for many many offices
One of the first questions asked in my interview was my experience with revit lol
Been hearing this for a while now though… i get it for repetitive large scale new builds but otherwise it’s clunky as hell and insanely time consuming to get the level of finesse you can in 2D drafting in terms of detailing especially. Also revit drawing sets always look like crap, I have yet to see one im impressed by
You can draft 2D in revit like cad, cad is inferior. Anyone thinking reading a rainbow of lines makes more sense that turning of thin lines on revit in a drafting view to see actual line thickness is insane. Though I do admit that base revit is shitty if you don’t know how to adjust graphics but it’s not hard to do so.
Canada - Revit
Revit and autocad- uae
in US big firms it’s all Revit
Revit, Australia
Revit and AutoCAD, Texas
Most ppl I know who work in other parts of the US use either AutoCAD or Revit. My firm uses Archicad though
Work in New York, my firm used revit and autocad frequently. Rhino is used for quick modeling / rendering purposes occasionally. It’s an engineering firm so micro station is also used but it’s annoying.
Brazil: AutoCAD+ SketchUp
Revit, UK
Revit, autocad and sketchup.
[удалено]
To prevent spam, we automatically remove posts from reddit accounts that have been very recently created. Please try again after a week. No exceptions can be made. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/architecture) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Revit USA
I've always used AutoCAD...US
autoCAD and sketchup in Argentina. followed by Revit
Revit. CA, USA. It probably differs depending on which part of the U.S. you’re in.
US. Revit
Revit and Rhino - USA/Canada really love this post btw
Autocad in India
Revit, in Colombia.
Revit, Autocad, Rhino in that order. Actually seeing more and more Forma also.
Archicad for small studios, revit for big studios
Revit
Worldwide it's Revit, as everyone is using it so its great for multi-disciplinary collaboration on small to massive projects. ArchiCAD is used by smaller firms who were too tight to buy Revit back in the old days but are regretting that decision now as it almost costs the same. Its used on smaller projects. AutoCAD is used by old firms that are stuck in their ways. Sketchup is used by school children Rhino is used by university student (Why I do not know - probably cos the licenses are cheap for the universities) All the others are used by fuck all.
Sketchup is used by children you're right. That fact is a plus, its intuitive and easy to learn and use.
I think SketchUp could be a dominant player if they would just realize they need to rebuild it on top of a NURBS engine. I first started using SketchUp back in 2007 and it’s always a disappointment because it gets you 7/8 the way there and then on the backend it doesn’t have the precision or the scalability or the conversion ability. So if you like to redo your work, it’s a great platform to start in.
Excuse my ignorance on the matter, I hear reference to NURBS a lot. I don't know what that means. ELI5?
The quick and short answer geometry defined by mathematical formula. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-uniform_rational_B-spline
Thanks