If you work around structural steel, sooner or later someone asks you whether they should use Advance Steel or Revit. I get it a lot, because I detail steel for a living, and from the outside the two programs look like they do the same thing: you model beams and columns in 3D and get drawings out.
The short answer: Revit is for designing and coordinating the whole building; Advance Steel is for detailing the steel so a shop can fabricate it. On most steel jobs you don’t pick one. The engineer models the structure in Revit, and the detailer brings that model into Advance Steel to add connections and make shop drawings and CNC files.
That’s the one-paragraph version. Below I’ll go through what each program is actually good at, where Revit stops and Advance Steel takes over, how the model moves between them (step by step), what tends to go wrong in that handoff, and which one you should learn if you’re thinking about a career in steel.
What’s the difference between Advance Steel and Revit?
The difference is the job each program was built for.
Revit is a BIM platform for the entire building. Architects, structural engineers and MEP engineers all model in it. Its output is design documents: plans, elevations, sections, schedules, and a coordinated 3D model that everybody can check against.
Advance Steel is a steel detailing program. Its output is what a fabricator needs to actually build the steel: assembly drawings, single-part drawings, erection drawings, bills of material, bolt lists, and NC/DSTV and DXF files for the shop’s machines.
Put another way, Revit answers “what size beam goes here and how does it fit with the rest of the building?” Advance Steel answers “exactly how is this beam cut, coped, drilled, welded and bolted, and what piece mark does it get?”
Both are Autodesk products, and they’re designed to pass the steel model back and forth. That’s why the real question usually isn’t “which one” but “who uses which one, and when.”
What is Advance Steel used for?
Advance Steel is used to turn a steel design into fabrication information. It runs on the AutoCAD platform, so if you’ve used AutoCAD, the command line, object snaps and a lot of the basic commands will feel familiar. (I wrote a cheat sheet of the basic AutoCAD commands I use in Advance Steel.)
Here’s what it does on a typical job:
- 3D steel modeling. Beams, columns, bracing, plates, stairs, railings, ladders and gratings, with the AISC shapes built into the section library.
- Parametric connections. The Connection Vault has ready-made connections like shear plates, clip angles and base plates. When a beam moves or changes size, the connection updates with it.
- Bolts and welds. Bolt patterns, hole types, slotted holes, and weld information that carries through to the drawings. See bolted connections and bolt patterns.
- Numbering. Identical parts and assemblies get the same piece mark, which is the backbone of a shop drawing set.
- Drawings. Drawing styles and drawing processes create general arrangement, assembly and single-part drawings from the model in one run.
- Lists and CNC files. Bills of material, bolt lists, and NC/DSTV or DXF files for saws, drill lines and plate cutters.
- Model checks. Clash checks between steel parts, bolts and other objects before anything goes to the shop.
If you want the bigger picture, I wrote an overview of what Advance Steel is and who uses it, and a step-by-step look at the Advance Steel workflow.
What is Revit used for in structural steel?
On the structural side, Revit is usually where the engineer of record builds the design model. That model has the grids and levels, the framing layout, the member sizes, and often the loads and analytical model. From it, the engineer produces the structural drawings that go out for permit and bid.
Revit’s strength is coordination. The structural model sits in the same environment as the architectural and MEP models, so clashes between a beam and a duct, or a column and a wall, show up early. Schedules of beams, columns and quantities come out of the model automatically.
If you’re new to Revit, my Revit structural tutorial series walks through setting up a small steel building: the grid, levels, footings and columns.
How do Revit and Advance Steel fit together on a real project?
It helps to see where each program sits in the life of a typical steel job in the US. The details vary from job to job, but the order is usually the same:
- Design. The structural engineer models the building in Revit and issues structural drawings. Sometimes the Revit model is shared with the fabricator too, sometimes only the PDFs.
- Bid and award. Fabricators estimate the steel from the drawings, and one of them gets the job.
- Detailing. The fabricator’s detailer (in-house or an outside detailer) builds the steel model in Advance Steel, either from scratch off the drawings or by importing the engineer’s Revit model.
- RFIs. Anything missing or conflicting in the design goes back to the engineer or architect as a question. Connections, elevations and member sizes that don’t add up get sorted out here, not in the shop.
- Approval drawings. The detailer sends erection and shop drawings out for review. The engineer and architect mark them up and return them.
- Revisions. Comments and design changes get picked up in the Advance Steel model. If the engineer keeps updating the Revit model, this is where synchronization pays off.
- Fabrication. Released shop drawings, bills of material and NC/DXF files go to the shop.
- Erection. The erector works from the erection drawings and anchor bolt plans that also came out of Advance Steel.
Revit lives mostly in step 1. Advance Steel lives in steps 3 through 8. That’s the clearest way I know to explain why they aren’t really competing with each other.
Can Revit do steel detailing and shop drawings?
Partly. Revit has steel tools: it can model steel connections, and it has fabrication elements like plates, bolts, anchors, welds and cuts. For an engineer who wants to show connection intent, or for coordination, that’s often enough.
But a full shop drawing package is a different animal. A fabricator needs every part numbered, every assembly drawn and dimensioned the way the shop expects, bolt and material lists that match the drawings, and CNC files for the machines. That’s exactly what Advance Steel (or another detailing program) is built to produce, and it’s not what Revit is built to produce.
So in practice, steel fabrication drawings are usually made in a dedicated detailing program, not in Revit.
Advance Steel vs Revit: side-by-side comparison
| Advance Steel | Revit | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Steel detailing and fabrication | Building design and multi-discipline coordination |
| Typical users | Steel detailers, fabricators | Architects, structural and MEP engineers |
| Platform | AutoCAD-based | Standalone BIM platform |
| Connections | Large library of parametric steel connections | Steel connection and fabrication elements, less shop-focused |
| Drawings | Shop drawings: assembly, single-part, erection, anchor bolt plans | Design drawings: plans, elevations, sections, schedules |
| Fabrication output | BOMs, bolt lists, NC/DSTV and DXF files | Schedules and quantities |
| Part numbering | Built in, for parts and assemblies | Not built for piece marks |
| Other disciplines | Steel (and some concrete) | Architecture, structure, MEP in one model |
| Exchange with the other | Imports and exports SMLX via the Advance Steel Extension for Revit | Exports and synchronizes SMLX via the same extension |
How do you get a Revit model into Advance Steel?
You use the Advance Steel Extension for Revit. It’s a free Autodesk add-in for Revit that exports the structural model to an SMLX file (Steel Markup Language), which Advance Steel imports. According to Autodesk’s documentation, the extension can also work with CIS/2, PSS and SDNF files, but SMLX is the main format and the only one that supports synchronization later.
Here’s the basic workflow:
- Install the extension that matches your Revit version. The extension is released per Revit year (for example, the 2026 extension is for Revit 2026). Download it from your Autodesk account or the Autodesk App Store.
- Open the structural model in Revit and check what’s in it. The extension transfers structural elements: levels, grids, steel framing and columns, concrete elements, and steel connections and fabrication elements.
- Export to SMLX with the extension’s export command in Revit. Save the file somewhere you’ll find it again; you’ll need it if the design changes.
- In Advance Steel, open the Export & Import tab and use the Revit import.
- Pick the SMLX file and import. If a section name doesn’t match between the two programs, you’ll be asked to map it.
- Check the import before you start detailing (more on that below).
From there you detail as usual: add connections, plates, bolts and welds, number the model, and make drawings.
How do you send changes between Revit and Advance Steel?
Through synchronization, again with SMLX files. You don’t re-import the whole model every time something changes. Autodesk’s documented workflow goes like this:
- The engineer changes the Revit model.
- The modified model is exported from Revit to a new SMLX file (not over the old one).
- In Advance Steel, you open the Synchronization dialog and load the new file.
- Advance Steel compares it to what’s in your model and lists every element that was added, deleted or modified (section size, position, rotation and so on).
- You filter the list, review the changes, and apply them all or only the ones you choose.
It works in the other direction too. Detailed steel can be synchronized back into Revit, so the design model reflects what’s being fabricated. Autodesk’s help lists plate position, shape, thickness and material among the things that can sync into Revit.
The important part is the review step. Don’t just click “apply all.” A changed beam size can break a connection you already detailed, and you want to know about that before it ends up on a shop drawing.
What doesn’t transfer between Revit and Advance Steel?
This is where people get surprised. Per Autodesk’s documentation, bolts, anchors, holes, shear studs and steel modifiers can’t be synchronized. Synchronization is for the members, not the small fabrication details.
A few other things to keep in mind:
- Section names. The two programs don’t always call the same shape by the same name. Autodesk’s example is the European HEA400, which is HE400A in Revit. A mapping database (GTCMapping) links the names. When you map a section manually during an import, it’s saved for next time.
- Non-structural stuff. Architectural walls, ducts and furniture aren’t the point of the extension. You’re moving the structure.
- Connections designed in Revit. Connections can transfer, but treat anything that comes across as a starting point and check it against the engineer’s connection design.
Common problems with the Revit to Advance Steel workflow (and how to fix them)
The extension isn’t in Revit, or the export fails. Make sure the extension year matches your Revit year. A 2025 extension won’t load in Revit 2026.
Members come in with the wrong section, or don’t come in at all. That’s almost always a section mapping problem. Check the mapping when Advance Steel asks, and if you transfer a lot of jobs from the same engineer, fix the mapping once so it sticks.
Everything is in the wrong place or at the wrong elevation. Check units and the project base point in Revit, and the UCS and project settings in Advance Steel. If you’re not comfortable with the UCS yet, read UCS in Advance Steel.
The synchronization list is huge. Small position differences can show up as modifications. Autodesk notes that the tolerance used in the Revit-side sync dialog comes from Revit’s project units, so a sensible tolerance cuts the noise.
Bolts or holes are missing after a sync. They’re not supposed to sync. Plan on handling bolts, holes and studs in Advance Steel.
Things I check after every import
Before I start detailing an imported model, I go through a short list:
- Section sizes match the structural drawings, especially anything that had to be mapped.
- Top of steel elevations match the drawings at a few spots.
- Beam ends: members modeled to grid lines or centerlines will need setbacks, cut-backs and copes once real connections go in. See everything about copes in Advance Steel.
- Column bases and splices are where the drawings say they are.
- Duplicate members (they happen) and a clash check.
- Which model is current. Agree with the engineer on whether the Revit model or the drawings govern if they don’t match.
Do you need both Advance Steel and Revit?
It depends on what you do.
- You’re a steel detailer or work for a fabricator: Advance Steel is the tool you need. You’ll receive Revit models, but the extension handles the import. Knowing your way around Revit helps, but you don’t need to model in it.
- You’re a structural engineer or architect: Revit is your main tool. You probably don’t need Advance Steel unless your firm also does detailing.
- Your company does design and fabrication (design-build): you’ll likely use both, with SMLX moving the model between teams.
On pricing, both are subscription products from Autodesk and they’re also bundled in Autodesk’s AEC Collection.
Which is easier to learn, Advance Steel or Revit?
For someone who already knows AutoCAD and steel, Advance Steel usually feels more natural. The commands, the command line and the way you snap to things are AutoCAD habits, and the concepts (connections, piece marks, shop drawings) are things a detailer already understands.
Revit is a bigger program because it covers the whole building, and it thinks differently: families, types, views and parameters instead of drawing objects. People coming from AutoCAD often need some time to stop “drawing” and start “modeling.”
Either way, the hard part isn’t the buttons. It’s knowing steel: how connections work, what a fabricator needs on a drawing, and how members fit up in the field. The software is the easy part.
Should I learn Advance Steel or Revit for a career in steel detailing?
If you want to be a steel detailer, learn Advance Steel (or another detailing program like Tekla Structures). Shop drawings are what detailers get paid for, and that’s what these programs are built to produce.
Learn enough Revit to open a model, look around, and export what you need. That alone makes you more useful, because more and more of the design models you receive will come from Revit.
If you want to go the engineering or architecture route, it’s the other way around: Revit first.
A good place to start in Advance Steel is my Advance Steel mini tutorial series, which goes from an empty project to a small framed structure in short lessons.
My take
Revit is where the building gets designed. Advance Steel is where the steel gets detailed so it can be built. They’re not really competitors; they’re two stations on the same line, and the SMLX exchange is the conveyor between them.
If your work ends at design drawings, Revit is your tool. If your work ends at a truck full of fabricated steel, you need Advance Steel.
