AutoDesk Revit, as it is now known, is a building information modelling software used by architects both specialist and general, structural engineers, plumbing and electrical engineers, designers and contractors as part of their workflow. It was first developed by Charles River Software in 1997. It was renamed in 2000 and renamed again when it was purchased by AutoDesk in 2002. It is used to design and build a 3D structure and its components with the potential to add 2D annotations. It is possible to additionally access the building information specifics from a specified database. This includes the tools used to plan and track any anticipated lifestyle changes. Revit can be used to model from the point of construction through to its deconstruction if necessary. It is capable of modelling both geometric and non-geometric designs while also being used to create models based off both premades and imported models. All in all, it is a versatile program.
Why Study Online?
Studying online comes with many advantages. It allows you to set your schedule when you want, be it around childcare responsibilities or around another job. This is particularly true for self-paced learning. If you are looking to continually develop while in employment, it demonstrates the ability to manage and organize your time and to be self-driven which is always advantageous in an interview. Studying online is as diverse as the people that engage in it.
Covid-19 and Doing Courses Online
Covid-19 has meant that many businesses and similar institutions are moving their facilities increasingly online. A distinct advantage of this is that it gives you the chance to adapt your studying around your other responsibilities such as childcare and household chores. Developing your management skills at home for many people is also paired with an increase in accessibility which is an advantage for people who may not be able to study in formal institutions due to schedule and disability-based barriers. For as long as the restrictions and lockdowns in your respective country are in place, Covid-19 has forced trainers and companies to improvise and adapt their own management skills to provide training in order to remain relevant. It is also looking like many of the Covid-induced changes such as the increase in remote working will be here to stay given the increase in productivity, so online management courses done in this environment will put you in good stead!
If your business does decide that it is best to make a return to physical offices, these courses and tutorials will provide you with an advantage over everyone else, boosting your chance of a promotion by demonstrating your competence and hard work. Regardless of whether you are unemployed and looking for work or employed, these courses demonstrate a desire to learn and to improve oneself, which will always put you in good stead.
Top BEST Free Online Revit Courses and Classes
[1] Revit Architecture Conceptual Design Fundamentals
- Cost: Free 10-day trial.
- Course Type: Self-paced.
- Certificate: No.
This course is run by Pluralsight. It requires Revit 2017. As Revit updates the tools that it has available for every new version is released, this makes this tutorial quite specific but the principle fundamentals are still the same. The course is divided up into bite-sized videos that make the course as a whole easy to pick up and put down around your responsibilities. It covers the program itself and the interface. Some examples of what it covers include the Start Menu, the Project Browser and the Drawing Area Controls.
[2] AutoDesk Revit
- Cost: Free.
- Course Type: Self-paced.
- Certificate: Professional Revit certification.
This course is run by the AutoDesk Design Academy. Where better to go to learn about the program than the people who own it? The video classes are divided up into three categories, specifically Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Some of the subjects for each of them include Wall Properties, Project Files and Definitions (Beginner), Text, Tags and Rendering (Intermediate) and Grids and Columns (Advanced). This is by no means exhaustive by far! The modules are project-based and are authored by industry experts in order to meet both academic and industry standards.
[3] AutoDesk Revit Masterclass: Complete Guide for Beginners
- Cost: Free for 14 days.
- Course Type: Self-paced within the time limit.
- Certificate: No.
This course is hosted by Skillshare. There are no commitments required outside of bearing the time limit of the free trial in mind. Depending on how fast you learn, this may even be enough to learn the basics of Revit, allowing you to go forth and experiment afterwards. It takes you from start to finish of a project and is ideal for those with no previous experience. It covers three broad levels. In the first level, it will address the tools and terminology required and the details of the interface. At the next level, it will cover building the model itself, the elements involved in doing so, how to use levels and guides and the different components available. The last level concerns the ability to add 2D details, how to include schedules and how to program a virtual walkthrough of your model. Each class within each level includes a video.
[4] AutoDesk Revit from Beginner to Professional Part 1 (Creating a Project)
- Cost: Free for 14 days.
- Course Type: Self-paced within the time limit.
- Certificate: No.
This course, also on Skillshare like the last one, uses Revit 2020. As stated previously, aside from the addition of new tools for every version, the core components of Revit remain very much the same, making it possible to learn on just about every version. The knowledge in this tutorial applies to every Revit version. The basic tools come with more advanced options, so once you have familiarised yourself with how to do the fundamental modelling involved in this class, it is always worth tinkering around and experimenting – it is one of the best ways to learn! Just remember to save a finished version of your project first so then you don’t accidentally break it in the process.
[5] RevitOnline
- Cost: Free.
- Course Type: Self-paced.
- Certificate: No.
This is hosted on Googlesite, Google’s website hosting sub-platform. It is module-based. It is important to remember that Revit works a lot like a construction site does in real life in terms of what is involved. This means that learning how to use the program from the ground up is necessary. Each module contains a variety of classes. There are 19 modules total, in addition to a section on tips and tricks. Some example classes include elevations, sections and plans (Managing Views) and the interface, project setting up and Revit elements (Getting Started).
[6] Revit Training and Tutorials
- Cost: Free for a month.
- Course Type: Self-paced within the time limit.
- Certificate: No.
This section is hosted by Lynda, which is now a part of LinkedIn Learning. It covers not only more general tutorials but also the relevant details as well. This is not a course by itself. Rather, it is a selection of courses that people have uploaded. As with all of the courses here, it may take trying a few to find one that covers what you want to cover in a style that you are happy to listen to for as long as it takes to learn. Some of the class examples include Essential Training for Architects (Imperial and Metric), Parametric Furniture Modelling, Generative Design and AR and VR Workflows.
[7] How To Learn Revit Quickly And Easily
- Cost: Free.
- Course Type: Self-paced.
- Certificate: No.
This course is hosted on Youtube by Balkan Architect. His channel includes the addition of new tutorials every day. In his introductory video to Revit, he emphasizes the importance of deciding on a strategy for learning that best suits you. For example, he writes down all of the commands required to do something and how to execute a process step-by-step, essentially writing the tutorials down in full to serve as a reference later on. Some of the tutorials covered by his channel include how to make a 3D landscape diagram, 10 20201 beginner tips, base and crown modelling and 5 pro tips for using Revit.
[8] Revit For Beginners
- Cost: Free.
- Course Type: Self-paced.
- Certificate: Certificate of completion.
This course is hosted by Infratech. It is a slimmed down version of the course ‘Revit Essentials’ and can be completed in an estimated 2 – 5 hours. That is if you do it in one stretch. There is nothing preventing you from stopping and starting the course in a manner that is more productive for you. The course is also available in the form of a digital PDF book. As an example, the introduction covers the Course Materials, Course Objectives and Revit and BIM.
Are Free Courses Good For Inclusion On A Resume?
It depends on the subject of the course in relation to your career. For example, if you are in the architectural or construction field, adding this courses to your resume as a demonstration of self-driven learning is going to give you an advantage. If you don’t wish to include them on your resume, you can always mention them if asked about your hobbies or when giving a summary of yourself in an interview. The fact that you have gone out of your way to learn something new or taken the time at home to learn something specific to your job is sure to put you in good like with employers both present and potential.
Do Online Courses Come With A Qualification?
Some do, some don’t. If qualifications are important, this should be something that you look out for when browsing courses. It is also important to remember that there is a distinction between qualifications and certificates. All qualifications are certificates but not all certificates are qualifications! That said, even a statement or certificate of completion is important as it shows that you’ve seen something through to the end and have been ‘signed off’ in terms of your knowledge.
Types of Courses
For every learning style and preference out there, there is bound to be a course that suits. For those who have a visual learning style where a lot of text isn’t ideal, there are videos and step-by-step photographs. For those who prefer articles, there are ebooks available to download and similar guides in other formats.
The courses themselves generally come in one of two main forms, for the most part. Courses that are self-paced allow you to dip in and out of the prepared material around your schedule and responsibilities. Scheduled courses tend to have a completion deadline. The material may be either published on a weekly basis or released all in one go but with an end day for assessment of some description to be completed. The latter resemble formal learning the most and may also come with assignments and examinations. Some may even have a minimum pass mark that you must meet or exceed to get the qualification at the end of it.
Conclusion
Revit is a program that looks complicated for someone entirely new it. That’s why we’ve chosen these classes and tutorials as they take a very step-by-step approach to learning, breaking Revit down into its components so then you can learn the program one bit at a time before bringing it all in together. Whether you prefer reading or watching videos, there are a range of course formats out there to suit your preferences.
