CalqWorkflows / A Revit alternative in the browser
A Revit alternative in the browser
Calq is a BIM modeller that runs in the browser and is free to model with: plans, sections, schedules and sheets from one model, and IFC out. It exchanges with Revit through IFC, not RVT.
- Available
- Free account
Calq next to Revit
Revit is Autodesk's desktop BIM application: it is installed on a Windows computer and licensed by subscription. Calq is a BIM modeller that opens in a browser tab on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, with a free account and nothing to install.
Both hold one model of the building and draw its views from it. Calq is built on the open standards, so what leaves it is IFC, and it is meant for architectural modelling and drawings.
What you get in Calq
- Walls, floors, roofs, stairs, rooms, openings, curtain walls, structure and services as BIM elements, each with its IFC class
- Plans, sections, elevations, schedules and sheets to scale, all from the one model
- Parametric components you make yourself, with parameters, formulas and types
- IFC4, IFC 4.3 and IFC2X3 export, with COBie, gbXML, BCF, IDS, DXF and PDF sheet sets, on the free account
- People editing one model live, with comments, on the paid plans
- The interface and the printed drawings in English, French, Arabic or Brazilian Portuguese
Moving work between Calq and Revit
A Calq model goes to Revit as IFC: export it from Calq and open or link it in Revit. Work from Revit comes the other way as an IFC file, which Calq reads into elements you can edit (Beta), or as DWG and DXF.
Calq does not read or write RVT files or Revit families.
When Revit is the better choice
Calq is not the right tool for every job. Choose Revit when:
- A contract or a client asks for RVT files or Revit families
- The work includes the engineering design of structure or building services, with their calculations
- Your office already runs on its own Revit templates, families and add-ins
About the name
Revit is a trademark of Autodesk, Inc. Calq is not affiliated with or endorsed by Autodesk.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Revit?
Calq Build is a free BIM modeller in the browser: a free account models a building, draws its plans, sections and sheets to scale and exports IFC. It does not open or save RVT files.
Can Calq open a Revit file?
Not an RVT file. Export IFC from Revit and Calq reads it into elements you can edit (Beta); DWG and DXF come in too.
Is there a Revit alternative for Mac?
Calq runs in the browser on macOS, as on Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, with nothing to install.