The Role of Ideate Software Solutions in Improving Efficiency

Ideate Software is all about increasing the productivity, or the quality of work, plus the efficiency, or how well the resources available are used to produce that work, of architecture, engineering, construction, and owner-operator (AECO) professionals that work with Revit.

 As BIM tool adoption among AEC firms rises, and since Revit is the top BIM tool in the AEC community, the Ideate Software team has the opportunity to work with companies of all sizes and in all disciplines in multiple countries around the world. We learn about the workflows that create challenges, both in terms of model accuracy and time spent on model management, and we develop plugins for Revit that address those challenges. Visit our website for details about our solutions for Revit users, including product details, how-to videos, blog posts with step-by-step instructions, and information on free trials and subscription options. 

Confirming the Value of our Revit Solutions

There are many plugins for Revit on the market, and some of them are inexpensive or even free. At Ideate Software, we deliver value, and we charge appropriately (see blog post). So how do we get the message out about Ideate Software products and demonstrate that they deliver a strong return on investment? One way is by sharing the results of a survey in which we asked Ideate BIMLink and Ideate Explorer customers from around the world about the amount of time they save by using the products. 

Survey Results - Ideate BIMLink 

Our Ideate BIMLink plugin for Revit saves users time and increases the accuracy of the data in their models by enabling them to export data from Revit to Excel, where they can quickly verify, correct, and update massive amounts of data, and then import that data back from Excel to Revit in order to make changes in the Revit model.

Here are some of the most significant time savings reported by Ideate BIMLink users:

In the “Common Workflows for Any Discipline” category, our customers reported that they saved an average of:

• 40 hours per project preparing for COBie deliverables by editing and completing COBie-required data fields for the handover deliverables
   
• 25 hours per project developing project health checks by scheduling multiple Revit properties and categories, both visible and not readily visible within the model, to make informed decisions on what to include as part of a health check
   
• 25 hours per project managing overall schedule data by editing in Excel instead of Revit, insuring speed and accuracy of model data editing and management

Here are links to the detailed reports by discipline:

• Any Discipline
• Architects and Interior Designers
• Structural Engineers
• MEP Engineers
• Construction and Design/Build Professionals

Want to determine how much time and money you could save by using Ideate BIMLink plugin for Revit? 

Check out our Ideate BIMLink ROI Calculator. Simply select the tasks that your office performs from a list of common tasks and input:

• How often each task is performed on a project
• How long the task takes
• Your average number of projects a year
• The average billing rate of Revit users 

Survey Results - Ideate Explorer

Building information modeling (BIM) with this plugin for Revit is much faster because the tool reduces the time that Revit users spend searching for and editing elements in a Revit model. 

When surveying Ideate Explorer users, we asked them how they use Ideate Explorer and how often they use it. Here’s a link to the whole report. Below are three examples:

• Frequency: Daily
  Task: Select and Filter Instances
  Ideate Explorer is a great substitution for the Revit selection filter, because it allows users to select from a list of Revit elements down to the individual instances. Then they can use its built-in functionality and Revit commands to further review or make changes to the selection.
   
• Frequency: Weekly
  Task: Review Element Counts
  Ideate Explorer allows users to track the progress of Revit models over time by gathering total model element counts and total counts per category, such as under/over usage of certain categories and families, placed vs. unplaced views, etc. Users can drill down to element counts for each category and type used.
   
• Frequency: Varies
  Task: Refine Element Selection
  The Query function within Ideate Explorer allows users to refine a selection of elements by selecting from a large list of parameters, including some not accessible by Revit. The many additional parameters listed include Created By, Last Edited By, Is Pinned, Is In Place, Is Flipped, and Is Nested.

To help Ideate Explorer customers calculate the time savings and convert that time savings in cost savings, we developed the Ideate Explorer ROI calculator. Stakeholders simply enter information about the average time savings per week, average number of Revit users, and average number of work weeks per year to determine the approximate hours saved per week and per year. Then simply plug in the average hourly billing rate of Revit users to get the approximate cost savings. 

By taking the time to calculate the return on investment and truly understand how money is spent and how our Revit plugins can save money, stakeholders will be well-prepared to have a discussion with leadership about recommendations.

A Customer Example - Steinberg Hart

We were pleased to present a blog post by our customer Steinberg Hart in which they shared how they got their team and leadership to support subscribing to IdeateApps, a collection of tools that automates common Revit tasks. Gautam Shenoy said, “For team buy in, I show how the technology will streamline processes, save time, and improve quality. For leadership buy in, I justify the expense by demonstrating a positive ROI based on its inference on the fee, time invested, and time spent.”

To determine the value of the tools in the IdeateApps collection, Gautam noted the relevant tasks performed by each tool, how much time he and his team spent performing them manually, and how much time they would take using the tools. He used this information to understand the value of the tools and to justify the move to IdeateApps to both his team and company leadership.

In addition to presenting the details in a blog post, we welcomed Gautam to present his process on a webinar, Developing Efficient Processes with Ideate Software and Gautam Shenoy from Steinberg Hart. 

Read Customer Success Stories

We are proud to be associated with leading architecture, engineering, constructions, and owner-operator companies around the world. To read about how some of them use our Revit plugins to save time, improve data accuracy, and increase the health of their Revit models, see the success stories we have posted on our website. 

Learn More about how to Increase Productivity and Efficiency with Plugins for Revit by Ideate Software 

If you’re interested in BIM, you likely use Revit. Our plugins for Revit are worth a look. Browse our website to explore Ideate Software’s range of Revit tools and see how they can make your Revit projects faster, simpler, and more productive and efficient.

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If you have any questions, reach out to us. We are here to help you understand and use our Revit plugin solutions. 

Browse our website to learn more about how Ideate Software add-on products help Revit users save time, increase model accuracy, improve deliverables and elevate design. You can give them a try by downloading trial versions or purchasing the bundle for access to the Revit plugin solutions Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for six months.