Bentley Navigator is a BIM model review and collaboration software for managing the project lifecycle of construction/design projects. In addition to accessing drawings, documents, and 3D models, Navigator allows users to create visual reports, query model information, resolve issues and conduct coordination reviews. It connects to ProjectWise (also from Bentley systems) and other document repositories. A mobile app version of Navigator is also available.
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Revit
Score 8.9 out of 10
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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
Bentley Navigator
Revit
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Monthly
$350
per month
1-Year
$2805
per year
3-Year
$8415
per 3 years
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Bentley Navigator
Revit
Free Trial
No
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
—
Pricing available for monthly, annual, or 3-year subscriptions. Longer subscriptions offer greater discounts.
I think the complexity and cost of the program make it particularly useful, in situations where: the project is relatively large, with a wide variety of specialties that interact and depend on one another, and with specialists who are not physically together and whose communication and understanding is vital for the proper development of the project. If the project does not meet these characteristics, it is preferable to use less complex tools, cheaper, and that require less effort training the staff to use the software in question.
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
It allows the different specialists or users, to make virtual and quick analyzes that have been translated into the rapid resolution of problems.
Bentley Navigator allowed me to incorporate and manage important amounts of information that were key in the design phase, and that being inputs for different areas could be a source of conflict. The conflicts that have been generated are much smaller than those seen in similar projects previously carried out without the help of this tool.
Allowing the visualization of the information in 3D models, added to its capacity to export 3D models as PD files, has allowed to increase the fluidity and communication of information with the client, which has translated into a reduction of the hours invested by the technical manager in that activity.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
The tools and functionalities that have been used previously, are not commercial software, they have been software developed internally, of course much simpler and less functional than commercial software such as Bentley and its competition. This fact clearly obeyed a guideline of the organization that aimed to minimize the costs associated with the acquisition of software such as the Bentley.
As you learn from the experience and mistakes, once you lost a lot of time and money because you did not have the necessary tools to guarantee the timely flow of information, between personnel who were physically distant from each other but who needed of a very high technical interaction. As a result of this fact, the use of tools such as this was proposed as a test, in order to evaluate its real usefulness over time.
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.
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
The frequency and quality of information flow between field and office staff has improved.
The costs for cellular use concepts associated with the sharing of information associated with the projects where the software has been used have been reduced compared to projects where more traditional control tools have been used.
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.
