Just last week we were doing a presentation to a general contractor and a group of subs about getting started with Virtual Construction.  Several folks from Team Vico went out for the workshop which included an overview on 2D drawing checking, 3D model coordination, 4D scheduling, 5D cost planning, and the benefits to preconstruction teams, field operations, and subcontractors.

 

Our team came back to the office later that afternoon and immediately received a phone call from one of the firms at the presentation.  The conversation went like this:

 

Contractor: You said at the workshop that Vico does NOT compete with Revit.  We told that to the team back in our office and they didn't believe us.  So which is it: do you or don't you compete with Revit?

 

Vico: Like we said in the presentation, we're an Autodesk development partner and we don't compete with Revit.

 

Contractor: That's what I told them.  Why would they think you compete with Revit?

 

Vico: It must be because they remember where our Virtual Construction solutions started about five years ago.  Before Vico was formed as an independent company it was a division of Graphisoft, the makers of ArchiCAD.   ArchiCAD and Revit do compete as both are 3D building information modeling systems.  Apparently your office doesn't know that we changed all that three years ago when we spun out as an independent company.  When Vico was formed our goal was to make our Virtual Construction solutions work with any 3D BIM.  That's why today's Vico Office suite supports models from ArchiCAD, Revit, and Tekla.  And we're adding support for more model formats in the future.

 

Contractor: Oh, so you used to compete, but now you don't.

 

Vico: That's right.  The Vico Office suite complements these 3D BIM applications in ways that allow builders to get their job done.  We focus on quality/constructability (3D), integrated sequencing and scheduling (4D), and integrated estimating and cost planning (5D).  And we do that in a way that allows you to mix and match models from the various 3D systems.

 

Contractor: So we can use Revit and our subs can use Tekla and ArchiCAD and we can all use Vico Office?

 

Vico: That's exactly right.  You can combine models, derive quantities, connect model elements to scheduling and costing information, etc.  We don't compete with Revit.  We are an Autodesk ADN Partner, and we have a lot of successful experience working with Revit.

 

Contractor: I can't wait to tell the rest of the team - we can use Revit AND Vico together.

 

(end of conversation)

________________________

 

So.....True or False:  Vico competes with Autodesk Revit?

 

If you answered True then you're seriously misinformed.  The two most important things to remember about our Vico Office suite are (1) it offers the most integrated Virtual Construction solution on the planet saving you from stitching together disparate technologies yourself, and (2) our BIM-neutral approach means you can work with your modeling system of choice; Revit, ArchiCAD, or Tekla (and soon to add IFC's and CADDuct to our list of compatible formats).

 

Learn more about Vico Partnerships with other industry-leading BIM applications.   

Together with our partners, Vico strives to respond to customers' expectations for an integrated BIM solution, expanding the 5D BIM from the preconstruction department to other areas who can also benefit from the information contained within it.

 

To read more about Vico's work with Autodesk Revit, please see the Virtual Construction Inside Out blog.