USING AR5 AUTOCAD MATERIALS WITH NXT FOR REVIT

[Eric B]

A long time ago our office tried testing out a full version of REVIT 9 and we attempted to install AR for it and it failed - it would install, just crash when run. We tried a few more times with a full license of REVIT 10 but with no luck. We even dug around the AR REVIT support site for some help and left some questions too.

 

Recently we acquired several seats of REVIT 11 as the office is starting to transition. The very first REVIT project I had required several rendered multiple views, which is typical for me. This was the first time I had worked with Autodesk REVIT and did not have time to learn the built-in rendering tools - although I hear they are good now. (I had 2 days starting from scratch)

 

So I exported the finished REVIT models to AutoCAD and assigned AR5 materials and rendered there. It actually worked surprisingly well. Essentially I was leveraging REVIT's superior modeling ability with my long established familiarity with AR5 under AutoCAD.

 

This experience made me wonder two things:

1) Can you use nXt AR5 Materials from AutoCAD in AR5 nXt for REVIT 11?

2) Does AR5 nXt work in REVIT 11 as the site appears to talk about REVIT 9 and REVIT 10?

 

I feel this is equally an AR5 AutoCAD and AR5 REVIT question. I post it here because so far I have been successfully working in AutoCAD with converted REVIT content and I have never received a reply to my questions in the REVIT forums in over a year. At the moment the results under AutoCAD + AR5 with a converted REVIT model are great.

 

Great job Roy and crew!

 

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

Same materials across all of the platforms. I know they're having some technical issues w/ Revit 2011-- post a (short) question over on the SketchUp forum-- that one's more active.

[Ros. Riha]

I would think of the issue differently... there is another thread here (if it was as easy as earlier, I would provide the link), confirming that nXt implmentation to Revit is much weaker than its implementation to ACAD or ACA. As Revit implementation is provided by 3rd party, there have to be delays. So, I would not bet for rendering out of Revit at the moment. Consequently, I would try to create some kind of workflow that would enable me to export models from Revit to AutoCAD smoothly - is it going to be by layer, material...I fo not mind knowing AutoLISP is powerful and you can translate plenty of things from there....

[Eric B]

That is all fine but is counter productive to helping reinforce each of the products; REVIT and Autodesk, while using AR5. Why worry about getting AR5 to work with REVIT when all you need do is export to AutoCAD and render with AR5 there? Also, why worry about compatibility of materials, trees and other elements of AR5 under AutoCAD for working within the REVIT environment since nobody can use it sufficiently there? (not working)

REVIT has a built-in rendering engine that turns out some decent stuff. Yes, it does it unlike AR5 but it is equivalent visually and it is supported by Autodesk. If there is no real reason to try AR5 under REVIT then why attempt to cobble something together that only ends up dissapointing.

This also simply runs counter to my workflow (since Ros brought it up) - I much prefer to do as much as I can in one application, within that one session, with as little post-production as possible, i.e. NO PHOTOSHOP if I can get away with it. Jumping from app to app, converting and testing and repeating cuts badly into efficiency. I commonly am not called on for a single glowing rendering, but several of the same item, with various finishes and in different context. All that jumping would just not work and I do not know AutoLISP - just how old is that 'language'?

(Been using AutoCAD since 1990, AR since 1997, and REVIT since last July, so you can tell where I am coming from on this)

[Ros. Riha]

AFAIK Revit uses MentalRay engine as its rendering default... we did try to use its (MR) ACA implementation and then we immediately bought nXt as soon as possible... Mental Ray did turn out to be slow, memory time and effort consumming etc. ...iwe even found there is older version of MR engine implemented to ACA or Revit.... so MR IS implemented both to Revit and to ACA, but it does not meet our needs.... as a matter of fact, we wait to start usng Revit (despite the fact we already own coupleof licenses and we already know it is superior to ACA) solely because of bad nXt support.

[Eric B]

Ros - it sounds like our office is tracking the same way. AR has always fit in with our workflow better. The ease of implementation, low price point, and decent tech support has always made the final decision. Unfortunately every time there is a new version, new application, new whatever the process happens all over again.

It is a perpetual mode of optimization. So far AR has just squeaked by and beaten the alternate methods of generating good visualizations for our projects.

If REVIT gets a better rendering engine, if Sketch-Up improves the model clarity, if 3D Studio drops a bit in cost, etc. are all changes that would make the office change. Like I have said, AR just keeps doing things a bit better, cheaper, or simpler - keep it up.