What is Revit?
Revit is a computer-aided design application, published by Autodesk, that is used in a wide variety of mechanical engineering and architectural projects. Owing to the complexity and scale of most design and construction work, it is vital that the planning and preliminary phases are handled with care and attention to detail. Revit becomes an important tool in these stages since it is important for drafting blueprints, schematics, and other design documents that are designed in 2D and 3D design applications before entering the prototyping phase. Learning how to work with Revit offers you a unique chance to blend technical engineering skills with creative and innovative design skills.
Top Industries for Revit Professionals
Revit is used in a wide range of industries, since almost every field that has to produce physical goods of some kind or another will want to start with a carefully detailed set of drafted blueprints and prototypes. These are usually produced using applications like Revit and are vital for the completion of large-scale production, manufacturing, and construction jobs. Here are a few of the industries that benefit the most from hiring Revit professionals:
- Construction: Every aspect of the construction process demands detailed and precise blueprints to continue effectively, safely, and legally. Revit is used on projects of all sizes, so professionals can find work on everything from housing remodeling projects to full-on real-estate development work.
- Manufacturing: Finished products almost all depend on mechanical tools and robots that handle some element of the manufacturing process. These machines are built by designers and engineers who use Revit and similar programs to create schematics both for the finished goods and for the machines that are used to turn raw materials into finished goods.
- Product Design: Product designers working in all fields (from making iPhones to headphones) will need to design schematics and prototypes as proof of concept well in advance of the manufacturing phase. This work will ensure that the mass production of these products goes off without a hitch.
- Aerospace: If you are interested in working on more elaborate projects, consider the field of aerospace, which focuses on the design and tech required to get planes working at peak efficiency. These projects require incredibly precise design documents and an understanding of complex physics, making them ideal for anyone who is detail-oriented and comes from a science background.
- Shipping: On the terrestrial side of things, water and land-based shipping solutions rely heavily on manufacturing and design professionals who can help contribute to the logistical side of loading, unloading, and transporting goods. These professionals will help streamline supply chains and ensure that the massive amount of freight moved every day is safe and arrives on time.
- Defense: Defense contractors handle everything from infrastructure projects to collaborations with aerospace and shipping firms to work on new solutions to defense problems. These professionals are in high demand, and if you are interested in working on cutting-edge projects, you can look towards defense contractors as a potential employment option.
An Overview of Revit Careers
- Designer: A somewhat general term, designers are responsible for the preplanning and prototyping phase on design projects, including everything from new product development to architectural and construction projects. They will use Revit as a tool for building the early-stage designs that will be taken up by various other professionals along the manufacturing and construction pipeline and transformed from an early set of design documents into a real physical object that can serve a variety of different purposes. On average, a designer working in an industrial context, in the US earns about $78,000 annually.
- Drafter: Drafters pick up where designers leave off and begin focusing on how the design can become a working prototype, with a focus on creating real-world plans and blueprints that include all of the necessary information and measurements for the engineers and manufacturers to work with. They will use Revit to help design the detailed 3D models that will be used in the prototyping, testing, and production phases of the process. On average, a drafter will earn approximately $65,000 annually.
- Mechanical Engineer: Mechanical Engineers are professionals who handle all of the major design, drafting, and production aspects of the engineering process. This will vary greatly depending on what kind of project they are working on, but they tend to focus on the practical aspects of making sure that the finished product (be it a car, a machine that assembles cars, or a single part of a car, to focus on one case study) functions on a mechanical level (they often work on projects that require multiple moving parts and frequently work with or are trained as electrical engineers). In the US, a mechanical engineer earns an average annual salary of $102,000.
- Architect: Architects work on commercial and residential construction projects, as well as building projects related to public works and infrastructure. They will work alongside drafters and designers on individual aspects of the project, and they are likely to oversee the entire design phase of the construction work. They will use Revit to create blueprints and models that can be used to execute the plans at a real-world construction site. Architects in the US earn an average annual salary of $97,000.
- Civil Engineer: Civil Engineers are architects who work on infrastructure and public works projects that fall outside of the traditional scope of residential and commercial construction. They may work on things like building and repairing bridges, modifying sewage infrastructure, or simply working on planning road construction to minimize immediate impact and maximize long-term benefits. The work of civil engineers is vital to the continued, regular day-to-day work of any town or city. In the US, the average annual salary for Civil Engineers sits at around $100,000.
Best Cities for Revit Professionals
There are two major kinds of cities that are ideal for Revit professionals. The first kind of city, which includes virtually every major American city, is one that is expanding to meet the needs of its residents and is a prime place for residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. Cities like NYC, Los Angeles, and Miami have major construction industries that are looking for professional drafters, architects, and designers who can help develop the local real estate. Many smaller cities are also looking to expand outward, thus making them ideal places to find work using Revit.
The other major kind of city to look into is cities with specific manufacturing, shipping, or logistical employers who are looking for engineers and designers to help streamline the various processes that are involved in their workflow. These will vary to a greater degree, since individual cities tend to have somewhat specialized industries when it comes to manufacturing. For example, Los Angeles is going to have work for engineers who specialize in things like shipping, set design, or theme park attractions, while Seattle is going to have more job openings for aerospace engineers who find work at Boeing.