FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

Environment for Revit® is BIM software in the form of a landscape and site design plugin that supports and streamlines outdoor design in Autodesk’s Revit®. Environment provides intuitive workflows for designing topographies and retaining walls, planning planting and outdoor element placement, integrating CAD files, and more. These are made possible by a powerful suite of tools and automations seamlessly integrated into the Revit® work environment.

The plugin features tools such as slope and topography creation, manipulation, and analysis, an automated wall design process including generation of drawings and construction documentation, elevation color analyses, and many others, that not only speedup repetitive, time-intensive tasks and improve cross-application collaboration but transform our design thinking and improve design decision-making.

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) are both digital design tools but have differences in their scope and approach. CAD is a 2D drafting tool used for technical drawings, while BIM is a 3D modeling approach with a rich database of information about the building, enabling collaboration and coordination between design and construction professionals.
Please see this answer for more information about BIM technology.

BIM, or Building Information Modeling, is a digital design process that uses 3D models to store and provide information about the building or other designed elements. BIM models can include information about materials, quantities, properties, design phases, performance analysis, and more, depending on the local standards and the purpose of the model (documentation, quantities, clash detection, fabrication, etc.).
The benefits of using BIM are numerous. By allowing real-time collaboration between disciplines such as architecture, construction, plumbing, and site., BIM provides a more comprehensive and well-coordinated approach to architectural design, construction, and operation. This has made it widely adopted amongst professionals of various disciplines around the world.
BIM models can be useful not only for the design phase but also for construction coordination (and for maintenance purposes, and as a result this method is used by other professionals such as project managers, or any other project stakeholder.
Landscape architects, site designers, and surveyors can also enjoy the benefits of BIM, and use it to create a better, more accurate, and data-driven design. Today, the most commonly used BIM software is Autodesk Revit® which provides strong modeling and collaboration capabilities for the AEC industry. With the help of Environment for Revit®, landscape architects can enjoy a flexible design and modeling process while achieving a highly accurate result. The plugin streamlines site design by providing features for terrain analysis, grading and slope design, wall design, and CAD collaboration, making it easier to implement Revit for site design.

Environment for Revit® is designed for landscape architects and other professionals involved in site design and construction. It provides an easier and more efficient way to model and analyze site elements such as topography, slopes, retaining walls, hardscapes, and more. The plugin also facilitates collaboration between design and construction teams by allowing the integration of CAD data into a Revit model. In short, anyone who wants to streamline the site design process, improve the accuracy of site models, and communicate designs more effectively within Revit may find Environment for Revit® to be a valuable toolset.

Yes, Revit is a Building Information Modeling (BIM) software.

The Environment for Revit® plugin provides a comprehensive set of tools that transforms Revit into the best software for landscape architecture and site design. It streamlines workflow for landscape architects by integrating into the BIM work environment and making it easier to design and analyze site features such as topography, walls, and slopes. The plugin also enables CAD collaboration and helps landscape architects effectively communicate their designs to clients and stakeholders.

Working with Revit provides many benefits for landscape architects, including improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness. By using Revit, landscape architects can spend less time on drawings, renderings, and analysis, and instead focus on creating smart models that address critical issues such as climate change, sustainability, and diversity. Revit’s advanced tools and capabilities allow landscape architects to streamline their workflow and focus on creating innovative and impactful designs. With Revit, landscape architects can also collaborate with other design and construction professionals, using the software’s powerful BIM capabilities to create coordinated and comprehensive site designs.

No. Unfortunately, Revit LT does not support the use of plugins. Revit LT is a limited version of Revit and does not have the full functionality and capabilities of the full version of Revit. The ability to use plugins is only available in the full version of Revit.

These are the current system requirements:
-A computer running Microsoft Windows 7 or later
-Autodesk Revit software version 2019 or later with a valid Autodesk account
-An internet connection for downloading and installing the plugin

Please make sure to check Revit 2019’s current requirements here

No, the Environment plugin for Revit is not an Autodesk product. It is a third-party product developed by Arch-Intelligence Ltd., a company specializing in landscape architecture and site design software solutions.

Once installed, the tools in “Environment” for Revit® will be available in a click as part of your Revit workspace.

The Environment plugin for Revit® supports the latest versions of Revit, and the earliest supported version is Revit 2019.