Can Autodesk Revit Be Used for Quantity Estimating?

Yes, you can use Autodesk Revit for quantity estimating. This software, while primarily designed for Building Information Modeling (BIM), offers numerous features and capabilities that make it an effective tool for quantity takeoff and estimating.

Automated Quantity Takeoff

One of the most valuable features of Revit is its ability to automatically calculate quantities of materials based on the model elements. This includes measurements such as area, volume, and lengths, which can be extracted easily. This automated process saves time and minimizes errors, ensuring that your estimates are accurate and up-to-date.

Schedules for Detailed Quantities

Revit allows users to create schedules listing quantities of different components in the model. These schedules can be customized to include various parameters, making them highly flexible and adaptable to your specific needs. Moreover, these schedules can be exported to Excel for further analysis and integration with other software tools.

Integration with Estimating Software

Revit can integrate with various estimating software tools, allowing for more advanced quantity takeoff and cost estimation processes. This integration helps streamline the workflow from design to estimating, ensuring that the data remains consistent throughout the project. By using Revit's integration capabilities, you can enhance your estimating process, making it more efficient and effective.

Parametric Changes and Data Updates

Beyond the basic takeoff and scheduling features, Revit's parametric abilities ensure that any changes made to the model automatically update the quantities in schedules and takeoffs. This real-time updating is crucial for keeping your estimates current and accurate, regardless of the changes made to the design.

Visualization and Early Issue Identification

The 3D visualization capabilities of Revit help in understanding the project better, which can lead to more accurate estimating. By identifying potential issues early on, you can avoid costly changes later in the project. The 3D models allow you to visualize the project comprehensively and make informed decisions based on the modeled data.

Using Revit for Quantity Estimating: Practical Examples

Let's consider a few practical examples of how Revit can be used for quantity estimating:

Simple Commercial Office Layout Project

In a simpler project, such as a commercial office layout, the wall heights may not be accurate due to the minimal work by the architecture firm. However, you can still create a schedule of wall lengths and use that calculated total to estimate wall sheathing and framing. Furthermore, the room information can give you ceiling and floor areas, even without modeled ceilings.

Highly Developed Model for Accuracy

In a more developed model, you can get exact square footage and even volume calculations for materials such as walls, windows, ceilings, and floors. This detailed breakdown allows for precise estimations of materials like plywood, gypsum board, tile adhesive, and specific finishes. A complete spreadsheet broken out by specific specification section numbers can be generated using a Dynamo script or through scheduled views.

Advanced Uses and Workflows

Some general contractors (GCs) go to great lengths to model each project from scratch using their Revit standards. This ensures that their internal estimation tools can be used effectively on the project. Additionally, they use Revit for more intense phasing management, adding a Revit phase per week to reference progress and adjust site supplies as needed.

Design/build firms often create more granular Revit standards specifically to manage estimation and coordination work within the original architect team's model. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and that the estimating process is consistent and accurate.

While Revit offers these powerful features, it's important to note that the accuracy of the automated data depends on the accuracy of the model and the amount of information included. Even with advanced software and tools, some waste and estimation errors are inevitable, but using these resources wisely can significantly improve the accuracy of your estimates.

Conclusion

While Revit is primarily a design tool, its features make it an effective tool for quantity estimating in the construction industry. By leveraging automated takeoff, detailed schedules, integrations with estimating software, parametric changes, and detailed 3D visualization, you can streamline and improve your estimating process, ensuring that your project is both efficient and cost-effective.