(In February, Revit Technology introduced version 3.0 of its pioneering architectural CAD package, which features an efficient parametric modeling engine for generating data-driven design drawings, an intuitive interface, and rendering, collaboration, customization, and edit tracking capabilities. On April 19, 2001, following this interview, Revit announced the release of version 3.1, the eighth release of the one-year-old CAD program.)

Alexander Neihaus is Vice President, Marketing, Revit Technology Corporation.

Richard L. Rundell is Director, Product Marketing, Revit Technology Corporation.

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Alex: Revit was formed almost 3½ years ago by two of the technological geniuses that worked at Parametric Technology Corporation. Their "problem statement" was that the mechanical CADD world had long since transitioned to a parametric phase, and by implication a 3D phase. The car you drove to work, your cell phone, mouse–those things were designed using a 3D parametric building modeler–and yet it's a virtual certainty that the building you are sitting in today was drafted in two dimensions using software that's probably 20 years old. The problem Revit set out to solve was the transitioning of the building industry to follow this example set by the mechanical CAD industry.

We released Revit 1.0 in April of 2000 and the product has just been an enormous success: in the first year we've logged over 500 different customers; 13 or 14 of the top 20 US firms are using Revit. We've expanded into the UK, Scandinavia, and the Middle East. Right now we've got a Director setting up a sales organization in southern Europe, and Rick and I are off to Asia Pacific to meet with some business partners there. And the reason for all of this success is the power and ease of use of the product.