Revit extends its parametric reach. (product spotlight).(Product Announcement)

In a move that echoes the "supply chain strategies" of mechanical CAD vendors, Revit Technology Corp. has updated its parametric building modeler so that the software can be used by all members of a building team--architects, engineers, and construction workers--at every stage of a project. Version 4.0 of Revit makes use of what the company terms Concurrent Building Assets (CBAs) to maintain all project information in a variety of formats, including graphical and tabular, that are designed to be accessible to people from the various disciplines.

For example, an architect can view a section of a building as a floor plan, while a structural engineer can see the same section as an outline of its steel framing--in other words, only the information that he or she is interested in. Because the software is parametric, changes made by the engineer to the framing drawing will show up in the architect's floor plan, as well as in alternate displays of the information, such as a database that shows costs of materials or a 3D rendered model with surrounding terrain and vegetation.

"Before Revit added the structural component," ...