Standard Workflow

Revit commands over 80% of the U.S. BIM market, which makes this workflow, with small variations, the cornerstone of architectural design. Structural and mechanical engineers build their offices around file exchange with architecture offices using Revit. Construction management tools are built around Revit files.

Documenting designs and design changes is the most common activity in an architecture office. The documentation system, therefore, dominates all other choices for tools. Since Autodesk includes 3DS Max for a small additional fee, its already leading position as the architectural visualization software for serious rendering is solidified. Plugins build around this ecosystem, with industry-leading V-Ray render releasing new features for 3DS Max before other platforms.

Other tools are more interchangeable, but clear industry trends point the way to a few choices. Microsoft productivity tools are nearly required for any functioning office. Specifications are passed in Word .doc format, and Excel is the only way to interact with Revit through a spreadsheet. Since you’re locked into those two applications, using Outlook for email and calendars makes sense, and then add on Exchange-hosted email and you’re set. Microsoft Project remains a go-to for its relatively reasonable cost compared to Oracle’s Primavera P6 (you’ll know if you should be using P6, and if you don’t know, you shouldn’t be using it). Web-based scheduling tools may emerge here as a better choice, but sharing schedules with other stakeholders will still likely require using MS Project.

Adobe has cornered the graphic design and photo editing part of the market, and again they include other software in their bundle ($636/user/year) so you’ll end up using Premiere Pro if you want to cut together an animation and Lightroom to organize project photos. Since there’s less sharing of working files for these tasks, there is a bit more flexibility to replace these components. Competitors are emerging in this space, for instance Affinity for photo editing, page layout, and vector illustration. Davinci Resolve is an excellent alternative editor for putting together animations. Capture One and Dark Table can replace Lightroom. However, the quantity of learning materials, tutorials, and new employee familiarity still provide extensive reasons to pay the price.

Other Workflows

There are other programs that can slot into the parts of the standard workflow above. This section will cover those alternatives.

The most robust alternative is a cross platform PC and Mac workflow centered around Archicad.