By Vince Miller
There has been a lot of talk among my colleagues about using fabrication parts over Revit content now that Revit gives us this ability. As a designer who worked for both the design side and the construction side, I thought I would share my experiences. Let’s dig in.
Before you decide to start running with fabrication parts decide what kind of design you do. Are you contracted for design, but hand over the construction and fabrication? Do you develop true fabrication drawings, or are you a design/build contractor?
If you are primarily responsible for design, then I would not recommend using fabrication content. Honestly, Revit content can do many of the things ITMs can do without all the restrictions. I would also mention that editing custom Revit content is easier and less restrictive. In a typical Revit scenario, it is also faster to draw with native Revit content. The only draw back is that fabrication content will be much more accurate for estimating cost and space requirements.
If you are the contractor, then fabrication parts are great. It basically bridges the divide between designers and detailers. It allows detailers to use design models in their native format to route fabrication level content. It also lets you get fabrication level estimates. Using Revit extensions for fabrication it Is easy to export an MAJ file that can use your default templates and standards for spooling in Fabrication.
If you are a design/build contractor, you have the option to design in native Revit content and then convert the design to fabrication when it’s time for construction. This gives you the flexibility to work with outside teams and convert their designs saving rework later. It is important to note that during the conversion process is that there are times that there will not be a Fabrication Part that accurately replaces the Revit content.
Yes, to model accurately with fabrication parts or convert to them, you need a fabrication database optimized to your environment and standards but that’s where the consulting team at IMAGINiT Technologies could help bridge the gap!
No matter what you choose, I hope you found this informative. I often find the best resource is the experience of others. If you have any questions or opinions, please leave a comment below!
