AutoCAD And Revit For Field Engineers (Practical BIM Skills For Construction)

AutoCAD and Revit for Field Engineers (Practical BIM Skills for Construction)

I’m going to talk to you about the key applications that a field engineer, at least as of the recording, meaning today, are the best. And then, obviously, if this video lasts for 20, 30 years, it might change. But for now, we must have this as the base.

Field engineers are amazing, and I want you to know how does Jason have any credibility here? I should probably say formerly, but in 2010, 2012, I am AutoCAD and Revit certified. They did not offer, I don’t know if they do now, they do not offer certifications in Navisworks Manage or Synchro. And I know Tekla, I know Google SketchUp, and I know AutoCAD. I know Revit Civil 3D in parts, not the design portion of it, and I even dabbled a little bit in Autodesk Inventor. I love these applications, and I got to record training videos for Hensel Phelps when I was doing training for them.

Let me explain what these applications are for and why field engineers need both.

The Pain of Field Engineers Who Skip AutoCAD and Revit

Here’s what happens when field engineers skip AutoCAD and Revit. They rely on drafting departments. They rely on surveyors. They never learn coordinate geometry systems. They can’t think in 3D. They can’t visualize how components fit together. And they don’t program their brain to be a builder.

And here’s the deeper problem. If you’re like, “Hey, we have a drafting department. Hey, we have our own surveyors. I’m not going to do it.” Warning, warning, red flag. That is not a good idea. If you skip this, you are going to skip programming your brain that will turn you into a builder. With AutoCAD and Civil 3D, you’re going to get the 3D coordinate geometry system. With Revit, you’re going to be able to visualize and think in 3D. Do not skip this.

What AutoCAD and Civil 3D Are For (Primary Control and COGO)

When you’re doing a lift drawing, we already talked about the concept that in the field, if you’re going to go build this wall, this is such a good way to visualize this. You get to go help the trade partners in laying out and building this wall. If you want to go build this wall, what do you need? You need layout, and you need the drawings or the information to go do this so that you can build a 3D component. So you got the layout and the lift drawings. And this is a great way to piece it apart.

So people that say that AutoCAD is obsolete, it really confuses me. I don’t know what in the world they’re talking about. In construction, we use AutoCAD, and a lot of times Civil 3D is quite a bit easier all the time. But let me explain to you what it’s for. When you have a wall that you need to get to, and this is all put into an application, meaning it’s all put into context, you’ll likely have two basis-of-bearing points for the building. And what you’ll do is you’ll go ahead and traverse around the building wherever you’re doing the work. And then what happens is for this building, hopefully or preferably, you used a baseline to go ahead and lay out that wall line. So you have a baseline.

And so from this overall primary control, you are going to lay out that secondary control. And then when you’re doing your secondary, and this is building-specific, you will then set up and turn a 90 and get your layout for that wall. This coordinate system, this secondary control, this working control, the inclusion of the grid lines and the coordinate geometry calculations, computations, and points are all done in AutoCAD or Civil 3D. The best companies do this. And if I’m a field engineer, I will learn this at least at its base because I’m not going to be doing that in Revit.

Yes, you can create your grid system and anchor it to, I don’t know what they call it now, but there used to be a project base point, and then there was a civil base point, and you had to align them to make sure it’s in the right coordinate system. I don’t know if Revit has changed, but you can do that. But the utility of AutoCAD and Civil 3D is massive when it comes to the civil aspect of it. Once you’re down to secondary, it’s all Revit from there.

So AutoCAD and Civil 3D, you’re using that for your primary control file. And the primary control will be plus secondary and plus what’s called working control. And it will allow you to do your what we call COGO, your coordinate geometry calculations. Oh, by the way, this can be 2D or 3D. And these are both by Autodesk, by the way. There’s lots of horrible, phony softwares out there, but I tell you what, Autodesk products are not one of them. Autodesk products, from the beginning, have been remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. And I love these programs. Even the little bugs that I used to find, they’re inconsequential. These programs are amazing.

What Revit Is For (Building Components in 3D Parametric Modeling)

Revit will allow you in your application to, in 2D, like let’s say, for instance, go build a footing, and it looks like in 2D, and you have your grid lines. But then in the application, you can switch to your 3D view, and you can see the 3D of that. And then parametric means that it is tied to all other components in the application, and it’s live information.

So if I do a cut here and change this from a 2-foot wide footing to a 1-foot wide footing, it will change here, and it will also change in the 2D cut section view. That might be a cut or an elevation view. It’s all parametric. Once you update it here, it updates everywhere.

So in Revit, you’re able to draw these components, and you’re able to see them in 3D and do parametric, linked, and fully updated and automated section cuts and elevations. Just so you know, designers trick us, and you think it’s parametric, but they’re just pulling in old garbage 2D details. That’s not a good practice. I hate it when designers do that. But for us with lift drawings, you can then take this and, in whatever format you want, pull it on a lift drawing, first into a view and then into a sheet, to where you have your title block and you have all of your information here and then all of your dimensions, and literally print this out and be ready to go.

Now, what’s great about this, the reason I love Revit, is because you can work with other models. You can use them in coordination. You can keep them up to date. There isn’t the risk of the 2D misalignment, and it’s a very easy program to use and to train, actually. So Revit, we’re going to be using for the building components.

How to Use AutoCAD and Revit Together on Construction Projects

Here’s how these work together:

• AutoCAD or Civil 3D for primary control – Two basis-of-bearing points, traverse around the building, lay out secondary control and working control, do coordinate geometry calculations in 2D or 3D
• Revit for building components – Anchor to the right base point (project base point and civil base point in the right geometry system), create lift drawings with title blocks and dimensions, work with other models in coordination
• Both together for layout – Print from AutoCAD or Civil 3D primary control drawings at any time or call coordinates, then when doing Revit model if it’s anchored to the right base point you can create any kind of drawings for this component and use it in building information modeling efforts

And I can then, since it’s in the right coordinate system, get points from these as well in a 3D manner. In fact, one of the best things that we do is we used to use Trimble for this, but connect the 3D points to our robotic total station and literally just check the structure as we go. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

How to Learn AutoCAD and Revit (And Two Critical Cautions)

If you want to know how to do it, I learned with online videos. You can do it on LinkedIn Learning as well. But I would go learn the basics of these applications and dive right in because this is a skill. Don’t be afraid of them, and dive right in and get good. It’s quite remarkable.

The only thing that I would say, that if, when you learn how to use these programs, the only two cautions that I’ll give you is in Revit, don’t start dimensioning from a designer’s model. If it’s not on the drawings, don’t use the dimension. And for AutoCAD, I still believe in using your left hand for the commands, typing in the commands, and using your thumb for the space bar. Even with the ribbons, the ribbons are slower, and the command way of using AutoCAD or Civil 3D is still faster.

Here’s the two cautions. In Revit, if it’s not on the drawings, don’t dimension from the model. Designers pull in old garbage 2D details that aren’t parametric. If it’s not on the construction drawings, don’t use it. And for AutoCAD, learn the command-line method with your left hand typing commands and your thumb on the space bar. The ribbons are slower. The command way is faster. That’s how the best field engineers work.

A Challenge for Field Engineers

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Go learn the basics of AutoCAD or Civil 3D. Go learn the basics of Revit. Don’t rely on drafting departments. Don’t rely on surveyors. Learn it yourself. Program your brain to think in coordinate geometry systems. Program your brain to think in 3D. That’s how you become a builder.

These are the two main applications that I would recommend us using, and this is the why. AutoCAD and Civil 3D for primary control, secondary control, working control, and coordinate geometry calculations. Revit for building components in 3D parametric modeling with lift drawings. Together, they create layout and information. That’s what you need to build the wall.

As we say at Elevate, AutoCAD and Civil 3D for primary control and coordinate geometry. Revit for building components in 3D parametric modeling. Field engineers need both to program their brains to be builders.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do field engineers need AutoCAD and Civil 3D?

For primary control, secondary control, working control, and coordinate geometry calculations. You’ll traverse around the building, lay out baselines, and do COGO in 2D or 3D. This programs your brain to think in coordinate geometry systems.

Why do field engineers need Revit?

For building components in 3D parametric modeling. You can see components in 3D, do automated section cuts and elevations, work with other models in coordination, and create lift drawings. This programs your brain to think in 3D.

Can’t field engineers just rely on drafting departments and surveyors?

No. Warning, red flag. If you skip this, you skip programming your brain to be a builder. AutoCAD and Civil 3D teach coordinate geometry systems. Revit teaches 3D thinking. You need both.

What are the two critical cautions for using AutoCAD and Revit?

In Revit, don’t dimension from a designer’s model if it’s not on the drawings. Designers pull in old 2D details. In AutoCAD, use your left hand for commands and thumb for space bar. The command way is faster than ribbons.

How do AutoCAD and Revit work together?

AutoCAD or Civil 3D for primary control and coordinate geometry. Revit for building components anchored to the right base point in the right coordinate system. Together they create layout and information to build the wall.