The Complete Beginners Guide to Autodesk Revit Architecture (Udemy.com)
Learn Revit with an Autodesk Expert Elite
Created by: Ian Nichols
Last updated June 2021
Our take
Based on the ratings of 907 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in June 2021. No course pays to be reviewed.
Ian Nichols is a registered architect in the UK and an Autodesk Expert Elite, and this is his beginner walkthrough of Revit Architecture. It runs about 18 hours across 82 lectures in nine sections, moving from interface and navigation to 3D elements, views, graphics settings and annotation. It assumes no Revit experience, though students need their own copy of Revit or Revit LT. Around 8,700 students have taken it. It suits people who want the concepts behind the tools, not just a list of button clicks.
Reviewers praise the clear, patient teaching. One calls it close to a full university course, and an AutoCAD user says it covers the basics needed to get started. A couple of people say they landed a Revit-heavy job or finished a first development application after it. The complaints are about pace and order. One reviewer finds it verbose and says it could be shorter, another says the explanations are slow and experienced users can skip chapters, and one wished the drafting lessons came earlier. Of 907 ratings, 793 are four or five stars and only 24 are one or two.
The last update was June 2021, so some screens may look different from current Revit releases, though the sampled reviews, which run into 2023, do not flag it as a problem. There are no quizzes or exercises, so practice is up to the student. It is a paid course, and at this length it gives a lot of teaching time for the money. We would point true beginners here. Anyone with Revit experience should look at something shorter or more advanced.
Pros
- Covers interface, 3D elements, views, graphics and annotation in 82 lectures
- Explains the concepts behind the tools, not only where to click
- Includes a PDF guide that an AutoCAD user called a handy quick reference
- Reviewers report landing a Revit job and finishing a first project after it
Cons
- Slow and wordy in places; reviewers say it could be shorter for beginners
- Last updated June 2021, so newer Revit versions may look different
- No quizzes or exercises, and drafting lessons come later than some students want
As an AutoCAD user switching to Revit, this course was immensely helpful. It covers all the basics needed to get started and the PDF guide is a great quick reference to have if needed.
Truly beginner-friendly. It assumes no Revit knowledge, but students need their own copy of Revit or Revit LT to follow along.
What you will learn
- Have a working knowledge of all the fundamentals of the software
Course content
9 sections · 82 lectures · 18 hours of video 2 articles
- 1Introduction: Download your Ebook1 lecture
- 2Interface & Navigation 2 free previews7 lectures · 1.5 hours
- 3Key Concepts 1 free preview9 lectures · 1.6 hours
- 43D Model Element 1 free preview18 lectures · 4.8 hours
- 5Editing & Modifying Elements 1 free preview11 lectures · 1.2 hours
- 6Creating Views10 lectures · 2.1 hours
- 7Graphics & Visibility Settings11 lectures · 2.2 hours
- 8Annotation & Detailing9 lectures · 2.9 hours
- 9And Finally!6 lectures · 1.6 hours
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Suitable for anyone totally new to Autodesk Revit
What you need before you start
- No prior experience of Autodesk Revit is required. You will need access to a working copy of Autodesk Revit or Revit LT
How it compares
Against the other 545 rated Udemy courses in 3D Modeling on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 37% of them
- Reviews907#84 of 546 by number of reviews
- Length17.9 hourslonger than 84% of them
- Last updatedJune 2021earlier than 63% of them
Course Description
Over the course of 18 hours of narrated video tutorials, let Ian Nichols (an Autodesk Expert Elite) teach you all the fundamentals of Autodesk's BIM Software. Everything you need to know to be productive with Revit is covered step-by-step. Not only are all the main tools explained and demonstrated, the fundamental concepts behind them are discussed.
Instructor Details
- 4.5 Rating
907 Reviews
Ian Nichols
I am a registered Architect based in the United Kingdom I have a strong passion for all things Revit and BIM. I am also honoured to be an Autodesk Expert Elite. I have been using Autodesk Revit for over 13 years and have introduced many people to it during that time.
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Reviews
By Ty Tonus-Burman on 3/12/2021
------- An EXCELLENT course.... with a few catches. ------ I bought this course after having already completed an 8-hour Revit course from another creator on Udemy, as I was wanting more information that what was provided in that smaller course.... and BOY did I get it. This course, by Ian, is an extremely valuable asset to the digital community. It acts as a full undergraduate-level university course on Revit. Ian covers essentially every topic you need to know, and will leave you with zero questions by the end. Unlike many of the other courses offered on Udemy for Revit, Ian is clearly a very experienced teacher and communicator. His English is articulate and crystal-clear, his accent is pleasing to the ear, and the way he explains concepts is straightforward and easy to understand. Considering the low price of the course, I'd recommend absolutely ALL Revit learners purchase it. HOWEVER..... there are a few catches: The most important thing here to know is that THIS COURSE DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY TESTING OR PRACTICE FOR YOU TO DO. You will NOT be following along in what Ian is doing on-screen, you will NOT be building your own property at the same time as him, you will NOT have any guided opportunities to practice what you're being taught. This course is equivalent to university LECTURES, where you sit in class, and just listen. It's just video content, there is no work to do. This was okay for me, because I had already accumulated 8-hours of hands-on practice from the other course I did... but if you have never used Revit before, you will NEED to purchase another course to get an opportunity to actually practice any of the stuff Ian is covering. This is the major shortfall of this course, but given its low price, and the sheer volume of information it contains, I won't deduct any stars from my review for it. Additionally, as another reviewer above/below me here has written, Ian includes SO. MUCH. DETAIL. on absolutely every topic, that it becomes a nuisance. Many sentences and concepts are repeated again... and again... and again... WELL beyond what I would call reasonable, and into the realm of annoyance. Please understand that, without even the SLIGHTEST exaggeration, I watched the ENTIRE 19 hours of this course at either 1.75x or 2x speed, simply to make it bearable. Ian also describes absolutely EVERYTHING he does on screen, whether or not it's painfully obvious: if he has filled out a window, and is going to close it, he will say "alright, now let's close out of this" as he goes and clicks on the "X". It might sound like a nothing complaint, but please understand that there's 19 HOURS of this. Of the total 19-hour runtime, I would estimate that there is approximately 14 hours of actual content, with the rest being filler sentences and repeated concepts. This course is detailed as all hell, but it is NOT concise. Again though, I can't take stars off for this, as having too much information is always better than having too little, since you can simply skip ahead if you already know what's being described, and since you can change the speed the video is played at. I personally found it too slow, but if you're a first-time learner with no CAD experience (I had about 130 hours), then you might LIKE how slowly and comprehensively Ian explains things. Overall, this course is excellently prepared, comprehensive as all hell, and pleasingly delivered by an articulate presenter. Just... don't expect it to go by too quickly, and be SURE to buy another course that will actually have you walk through and build your own property, so that you can practice all that you learn here. Please also note that this course does NOT cover walkthroughs, renders, or site/terrain creation.
By Opeyemi Lamidi on 10/17/2020
It well explanatory
By Gnanaraj Veerasamy on 10/2/2020
Revit explained in this course very clearly. It is really useful for people those who want to learn it from the basic.
By Udayanga Samarasinghe on 9/26/2020
GOOD EXPERIANCE
By Mr Oliver Kvam on 9/25/2020
An excellent, in depth course explaining the basics of Revit. Every concept is covered in enough detail that there is no danger of things being glossed over or overlooked, or not understood by the viewer. Sometimes the detail is meticulous to a fault, so for viewers who already have a basic understanding of Revit or just want an overview/refresher, setting the playback speed to 1.5x or even 2x is still comprehensible. Suggestion: the 'Putting it all together' article at the end is actually extremely useful for understanding the general Revit workflow, to the point where it would actually have been useful to see a full video of a simple but complete project set out, modelled and presented in its entirety.
By William C. Hicks on 9/12/2020
This course is a great match for me. I previewed a couple beginner courses for Revit. The instruction method is easy to comprehend and follow along. I thought that understanding and learning the Revit software would be much more difficult.
By Vlad Edmond Gradin on 8/27/2020
Excellent course. Very well structured and perfectly explained!!
Everything was easy to understand even for a non native English speaker like me. The course is a real bargain. I fully recommend it. Conclusion: Revit is an amazing tool. Many thanks!
By Alina Mihaela Neagoe on 8/24/2020
amazing attention to detail!!!
By Bohdanna McNabb on 8/19/2020
So far so good!!
By Derek Thielman on 7/28/2020
You do not have to be an architect or engineer to learn about this software from Ian Nichols. This course was about the tools available in Autodesk REVIT to create an architectural structure. As an introduction to the software, I personally enjoyed Ian Nichols approach to explaining the basic tools available in Autodesk REVIT. He doesn’t confuse students with step-by-step instruction only using specific or common tools to achieve a final product that will meet building codes and engineering requirements. He articulates the description of the tools, the function of the tools, where and when you may use a tool, how to use the tool, and how that tool works with the other tools in the REVIT tool inventory. I would recommend this course from Ian Nichols to anyone interested in learning about Autodesk REVIT and didn’t know where to start.
By Keith Tompsett on 7/21/2020
I do sub-contracting plumbing but needed the basics. I do love the comment about changing dimension values and was really concerned because there is an Engineer locally that has done just that, a lot! Thank goodness you were joking. Loved the presentation and it made perfect sense to me. Good overview of the software.
By Kat Sim on 7/16/2020
I started learning Revit when covid started, so just a few months ago, for my employer. Some of the jobs we are bidding require Revit. This is my 3rd person's full tutorial. Second one for beginners. There are always nuggets to gain from each instructor. Compared to other tutorials it is a little slow and choppy, but if i were in a class it is just right. Once i actually start to implement the directions then i will not have to stop and restart segments so much due to speed of speaking. This is perfect for a classroom setting. I am using it for repetition and those wonderful nuggets that are left out of faster tutorials.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 90 / 100






