Can PlusSpec Model convert to Revit?

[kevino]

Dear Support Team,

My name is Kevino Tsang, and I am working in a Hong Kong company that using sketchup as primary modeling tool in conceptual design stage and using Layout and AutoCAD as documentation. But our San Francisco office is a little bit different than our office in Hong Kong. What they do is design in sketchup and documentation in Revit. But when they import the sketchup model into Revit, the model is just became a mass that cannot be edit which lead them to redraw the whole model again in Revit. My question is that if I use PlusSpec plugin in Sketchup at the beginning stage to build my model, does it help to save time not to redraw the model again in Revit later on when they import the model into Revit?

Thank you
Kevino

[Andrew]

Hi Kevino, PlusSpec automates the input of IFC classification to the model which does help in Revit as you have items classified in Revit, yet if your crew is trying to edit the geometry you may find a similar issue to the one you explain. I am not sure why anyone would use Revit to do a bill of quantities? I could suggest that the team move over to Layout as you will have a direct correlation between your 3D model and the 2D documentation.
Have you tried using Layout in your workflow? Revit has its place in the market, however, most of our users, who used to use Revit say that Revit is overkill for residential design and construction, you get very limited output for the builder and structural lightweight framing is non-existent? PlusSpec and Revit are two vastly different animals, I used it briefly way back when, but the truth was I did not have the patience or time to be good at it. I am told that it takes 9 months full time to be considered an intermediate Revit user, creating families for Revit is something that many simply do not master and this is where Sketchup with Plusspec excels. I hope it helps.

There are workarounds yet I would need to know more about the type of work you are doing.

[kevino]

Hi Andrew,

Thank you so much for your information. I am totally agree with you about Revit is too much for doing interior project. And I know that it takes time to become a Revit expert. But somehow our SF office is trying to fade out SketchUp and use Revit for all project. Our SF colleagues were saying that their contractors could not understand 3D section and elevation so that they use Revit instead. I know that SketchUp can also create 2D section and elevation but they rather use Revit instead because they think the line weight is better and easier to control that layout.

Our headquarter in Hong Kong have been changing to use SketchUp for the pass few years, previously mainly using AutoCAD for floor plan, section, elevation and documentation and sketchup is mainly for rendering use. But our chairman want to change the culture from 2D to 3D documentation so that we can found out more problem before the site is construct which he did it in Hong Kong office and other office. But now he wants to change SF culture too. So I am here to help him find out solution for it.

Our company mostly do corporate design but sometime we have architecture project too.

Thank you
Kevino