Autodesk 3ds Max vs. Revit

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk 3ds Max
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk offers 3ds Max, 3D modeling and rendering software for design visualization, games, and animation. The vendor states that users can produce professional-quality 3D animations, renders, and models with an efficient and flexible toolset to help create better 3D content in less time.
$235
per month per user
Revit
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk’s Revit is a Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool. It enables architectural, MEP, structural, and engineering design, and provides analysis to support iterative workflows
$350
per month
Pricing
Autodesk 3ds MaxRevit
Editions & Modules
Monthly Subscription
$235
per month per user
Yearly Subscription
$1875
per year per user
3-Year Subscription
$5625
3 years per user
Monthly
$350
per month
1-Year
$2805
per year
3-Year
$8415
per 3 years
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk 3ds MaxRevit
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFlex pricing available for limited usage. Minimum plan $300 for 100 tokens. 3ds Max costs 6 tokens per day.Pricing available for monthly, annual, or 3-year subscriptions. Longer subscriptions offer greater discounts.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk 3ds MaxRevit
Considered Both Products
Autodesk 3ds Max
Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
Best for rendering and geometry flexibility. Interphase is also superior. The stacking of modifiers is unique and allows for combining, and turning on and of which makes presenting options very agile, and clear without destroying the geometry. It's easily reversible. All others …
Revit
Chose Revit
Revit is hands on and easy to learn. Very accurate and great for construction documentation. One can create in 2D and have elevations, sections and 3D views ready. So it is very helpful to visualize. Drawback - It is comparatively harder to draw curves and spherical …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Autodesk 3ds MaxRevit
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk 3ds Max
-
Ratings
Revit
6.7
5 Ratings
13% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings6.74 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings6.74 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings6.34 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.44 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.54 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings6.95 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.13 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk 3ds Max
-
Ratings
Revit
7.2
4 Ratings
5% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings7.44 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings6.64 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.14 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings7.14 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.63 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk 3ds Max
-
Ratings
Revit
6.6
4 Ratings
7% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings6.64 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk 3ds Max
-
Ratings
Revit
8.6
8 Ratings
10% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings4.46 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Data exportability00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk 3ds Max
-
Ratings
Revit
7.3
47 Ratings
3% below category average
Plan distribution & viewing00 Ratings8.345 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing00 Ratings7.040 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists00 Ratings5.028 Ratings
Photo documentation00 Ratings8.019 Ratings
Jobsite reports00 Ratings6.015 Ratings
Document sharing00 Ratings10.040 Ratings
RFI tools00 Ratings7.021 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals00 Ratings7.039 Ratings
As-built drawings00 Ratings9.044 Ratings
Mobile app00 Ratings3.816 Ratings
Submittal design and management00 Ratings7.519 Ratings
Checklists00 Ratings7.26 Ratings
Meeting Minutes00 Ratings6.75 Ratings
Specifications00 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Change orders00 Ratings7.57 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
Autodesk 3ds Max
-
Ratings
Revit
8.2
34 Ratings
2% above category average
Takeoff tools00 Ratings7.734 Ratings
Job costing00 Ratings5.527 Ratings
Cost databases00 Ratings8.020 Ratings
Cost calculator00 Ratings10.021 Ratings
Bid creation00 Ratings10.015 Ratings
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Autodesk 3ds MaxRevit
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Onshape
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Score 9.5 out of 10
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro
Score 9.3 out of 10
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Score 8.8 out of 10
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User Ratings
Autodesk 3ds MaxRevit
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(11 ratings)
8.7
(49 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
7.7
(2 ratings)
6.0
(2 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.0
(8 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk 3ds MaxRevit
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk
For print media for marketing and for 3d animations for web spots and TV ads/movies/programs. It is less suited for quick 3d graphics or images that you get from AI image programs, but it is much more powerful than most AI image programs.
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Autodesk
Revit is well suited for creating collaborative projects that are fully integrated into the design and construction document process. We work a lot with engineering firms who also use Revit and the program allows us to fully integrate and coordinate our models together to make sure that everything is correct. I can see where my electrical engineer has placed lighting into the model and same with my mechanical engineer and their HVAC equipment
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Pros
Autodesk
  • 3ds Max includes some of the inbuild modifiers which can be very good in the case of beginners.
  • 3rd party Rendering support makes 3ds Max a powerful software for rendering out realistic images.
  • Autodesk 3ds max in comparison to its rivals is lightweight and fast, also the animation case also.
Read full review
Autodesk
  • 3D Models - It's kind of a no brainer, but the key benefit of Revit is its ability to model in 3D. It's a somewhat complex modeling environment, however, it's not impossible to learn and I have seen users from a range of abilities to effectively model content in Revit.
  • Schedules - 3D is great, but the ability to quantify your geometry is contains valuable data if modeled correctly. If you model how you will build it, Revit has the ability to give very accurate schedules which includes quantities, and any data you would like to incorporate into your model.
  • Industry Standard - Revit is the industry standard. With that being said, it really help to use software that is compatible with other agencies for collaborative model review.
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Cons
Autodesk
  • working in 2d is very frustrating and unreliable. It just lacks the precision
  • How scaling affects units (or doesn't) There needs to be a way for modifiers to address a change of scale in the object.
  • Booleans are not intuitive. Especially for architecture, creating an opening and putting a door or a window is an incredibly cumbersome process.
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Autodesk
  • There are often several ways to draw certain things, but the object will have different capabilities based on the way it is drawn. This can be confusing when trying to use the object.
  • The way objects are drawn is not always user-friendly. This program would be difficult for someone to figure out on their own without having any Autodesk background.
  • There should be a better way to track changes in the model. Often times the architect will not share a model during construction to avoid sending changes that aren't finalized or complete.
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Likelihood to Renew
Autodesk
It satisfies 95% of my 3d visualization need. The left over 5% is handled by a few other programs. If Max just can't perform a specific task I can do that elsewhere and then bring it back to Max to finish up. But, it's rare that this occurs in my work
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Autodesk
We will almost certainly be renewing all of our current seats of Revit and will likely be adding seats as we look to get more and more of our staff trained and using Revit. The software is starting to become the standard for our projects as we move forward as more and more of our clients are requesting or accepting use of it
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Usability
Autodesk
It is a very difficult program to learn to use and even harder to use well. But once you get to using it it is a great software package to know how to use. Getting to be good at using it takes lots of use.
Read full review
Autodesk
It is a professional environment, but far from easy and overly complex in many places. The system is often too deep in settings and overrides (see Visibility/Graphics in combination with linked files, filters, color overrides and view templates). I don't really like the dialog-in-dialog interface and its spartan looks. But it works well overall if you know what you are doing.
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Reliability and Availability
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
Revit seems to always be available when I need it. I have not experiences an outage. There are occasions where we need our internal IT department to trouble shoot a file on our Revit dedicated server and that sometimes causes a delay however that is not a software access issue
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Performance
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
Revit is a fairly graphics heavy piece of software. It is powerful in its capabilities but as a result it takes a lot of the graphics card, the memory, etc. For all that it can do and the specs of my computer I find it pretty good from a performance standpoint
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Support Rating
Autodesk
I have contacted support many times and have had a good experience. They have always been helpful
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Autodesk
Autodesk has always had a good support system in place. There is a massive user base for Revit, and there are thousands of forum threads and other discussions online about any and every problem that you could ever run into. For being such a large program with so many different options, there aren't many roadblocks or pitfalls that users can fall into.
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In-Person Training
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
The training was Revit Essentials and it was very beneficial. I would say that it is best to get the training right before you know you will be using Revit as learning the basis then applying what you learned immediately is the most effective and best value for your money.
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Online Training
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
The online training is hit or miss. I feel that its better to be live to be able to pace and ask questions to a live person as you are learning hwo to do things. Its not natural to learn Revit especially if you know AutoCAD so my suggestion is the live training
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Implementation Rating
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
Implementing Revit as your main drafting software (i.e. moving to BIM from CAD) may be a tough decision if you have learned drafting. It is a different way to approach and think about developing a project. However, if you are able to adapt to a new way of thinking and get used to it by working through a few projects than it is as efficient as CAD in most areas in general and will also be both better/worse in some areas
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Alternatives Considered
Autodesk
In Autodesk 3ds Max you can do camera animation with ease, its complex in Cinema 4D. Even I think same with light setup. Setting up light is quite easy in Autodesk 3ds Max as compare to Cinema 4D. Overall Autodesk 3ds Max is less complex in compare to other 3D softwares.
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Autodesk
Revit like AutoCAD can produce both a 3d model & 2 dimensional drawings such as plans, elevations & sections which are required for any design project to be communicated on paper for construction. But unlike AutoCAD, Revit's focus is to build a 3d model that contain smart information for construction. So for Revit the 2 dimensional drawings becomes a byproduct. In addition to the required drawings needed on paper to communicate the design, Revit offers so much more information in the model for all engineering disciplines.
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Scalability
Autodesk
No answers on this topic
Autodesk
While I am not directly involved with the deployment of Revit, it seems that our internal IT department has appreciated the ability to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have never had an issue with the deployment if and when needed, especially regarding the availability of a set
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Return on Investment
Autodesk
  • 3ds Max has one of the best control tools that can help someone to sculpt almost anything. With the vertex tool and polyline edit function we can create almost any complex geometry.
  • Default rendering is equipped with almost everything that is needed for process, V-Ray for 3ds Max is the best 3rd party plugin for getting crisp renders.
  • The four view port tools for viewing the model helps from each and every angle. The moment and selection tools in the 3ds Max are quit easy to operate.
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Autodesk
  • It's positive. It saves quite a bit of field time when used correctly, and lets us make sure we have proper room for all equipment and ductwork.
  • Helping minimize field 'thinking' time is an immediate add to the bottom line. 1 guy designing on the front side saves down time of 5-10 guys waiting in the field. Cost savings on labor is apparent.
  • Coordination time is also cut down, saving on office time. It's easy to spell out what your plan of attack is. All these savings directly add to bottom line profit by not expending labor.
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ScreenShots