Almost 20 years ago, the design world was introduced to Sketchup, a 3D modeling computer program for architectural, interior, landscape and other design professions. I distinctly remember, as an architectural intern, learning the program and being excited with the design possibilities at my fingertips. Many great designs came from those early years. Sketchup still performs it’s intended task but is showing its age. The latest construction software is based typically on BIM and 3D modeling. Several years ago, Autodesk introduced FormIt, a competitor to Sketchup.

There are many advantages to using FormIt over Sketchup. Too many to ignore. FormIt provides Real-time Collaboration, Energy Analysis, Solar Analysis, Autodesk materials and it can also utilize Dynamo to aid in design decisions. Here are the best features of that should make you consider why you should make the switch.

Real-Time Collaboration

Design with your team in the same model, in real-time.

With a FormIt Pro subscription, you have access to Realtime Collaboration, which allows you to:

• Start a collaboration session and invite colleagues, or clients who do not need to be Pro to join
• Join a collaboration session from the Windows, web, or mobile apps
• Charette with colleagues to explore designs in a shared sandbox environment
• Follow another collaborator’s camera to see the model from their viewpoint
• Let a client follow your camera as you drive them through the design
• Chat with collaborators in the session

Energy Analysis

Insight helps you optimize building and glazing performance.

With a FormIt Pro subscription, you have access to Energy Analysis with Insight:

• Analyze early stage design models with Green Building Studio’s analysis engine
• Connect to a dashboard view of your results of your design, and compare options
• Adjust the Energy Analysis factor widgets like Window to Wall Ration, Building Orientation, and others
• Summarize your building’s energy impact with a single number calculated as a bottom line cost per area
• Save your Energy Analysis results for future review with clients and other stakeholders

Solar Analysis

Visualize the solar impact of heat gain on the surfaces of your model.

With a FormIt Pro subscription, you have can visualize the sun’s impact on your building:

• Specify relevant faces to be analyzed for solar impact
• Visualize results in seconds within the app canvas
• Hover your mouse or input point to see specific calculated values of solar impact
• Choose to view results as a monthly glazing study, or as a yearly solar panel feasibility study

Autodesk Materials

Create beautiful visualizations with the Autodesk Material Library.

With a FormIt Pro subscription, you have access to a cloud-hosted version of the Autodesk Material Library:

• Choose from hundreds of materials
• Filter materials by category, or search for materials by name, and preview the materials in a 3D scene
• Import a material and apply it to your model for realistic visualizations
• View transparency as well as background reflections with advanced material parameters
• Access the material library from the Windows, web or iPad app

Dynamo Generate Design

With a FormIt Pro subscription, you can connect and execute Dynamo graphs inside FormIt for Windows.

In addition to those features, FormIt 2021 also has Native Revit integration. With that integration comes the ability to have smart objects that can be manipulated between Revit and FormIt. You can also save your design in the cloud, for work-sharing, or to your PC. With all those features, how can you afford not to update to FormIt 2021?

Watch this Tech Talk on Real-Time Collaboration in FormIt 2021