Software as a Component: A New Paradigm, Starting with Revit

In the age of digitalization and intelligence, businesses demand more from their software. Beyond mere functionality, they seek seamless collaboration, scalability, and deep integration. This is the philosophy behind Software as a Component (SaaC).

SaaC is about unshackling monolithic software from its traditional, closed-off application form. We treat it as a modular system that can be directly called, composed, and automated—allowing us to build complex business systems like stacking building blocks.

We chose Autodesk Revit as the starting point for this vision, transforming it with our DRvt technology stack. We turn Revit from a standalone BIM tool into a powerful, externally-driven component. This allows it to truly integrate into a company's digital production pipeline, fostering a symbiotic relationship of mutual growth.

1. Making Revit a Programmable Module

Traditionally, Revit’s immense power has been confined to its own application and plugin environment. While it boasts a rich, public .NET API, directly controlling Revit from external systems presents significant challenges, including cross-language calls, managing a vast interface, complex context handling, and inefficiency.

DRvt changes this landscape by providing a robust, consistent, and comprehensive Python interface. This allows developers to use Revit as easily as a native Python library. From simple scripts to complex business systems and automated production lines, you can directly operate Revit, including:

• Revit session management (with multi-session support)
• Project file management (create, open, edit, save)
• Family file management (create, open, edit, save)
• Multi-document support
• Bidirectional data access directly to Revit’s core database
• Seamless integration into the Python ecosystem

This doesn't just expand Revit's capabilities beyond its native application—it opens the door for its integration into a far broader range of business systems.

2. From Standalone Application to System Component

The SaaC approach fundamentally changes how we view Revit. It’s no longer an application you must manually open and operate; it’s a callable service, just like a database, a computing engine, or a message queue. This shift delivers three key benefits:

Deep Process Integration Revit's powerful modeling, analysis, and data management capabilities can be directly embedded into project management platforms, design collaboration systems, or production automation pipelines. This offers a low-cost, high-value path to system integration.

Bridging the Divide, Unlocking Capabilities Leveraging the vast Python ecosystem, Revit’s power, DRvt, and your creativity, we can build a powerful bridge across technological divides. This unlocks new possibilities for internal systems, AI, IoT, and cloud computing.

Elastic Scalability and Reusability With seamless technological fusion, information flows effortlessly. The rich capabilities of a traditional desktop application, once trapped within its boundaries, can now be a long-term, reusable asset.

3. Market Opportunities and Business Potential

For BIM platform developers, system integrators, and mid-sized BIM software firms, DRvt introduces a new competitive edge:

Faster Time to Market The component-based architecture accelerates system integration and iteration, reducing the need for high-risk, time-consuming development from scratch.

Stronger Customization Our approach is universal. Beyond Revit, we can componentize more large-scale software, enabling tailored solutions for specific industries or projects.

Enhanced Long-Term Value The powerful, once-isolated capabilities of desktop software can now be seamlessly integrated and collaborated upon for a longer, more valuable lifespan.

In markets where in-house BIM platforms are gaining traction but Revit still dominates, embracing its value and integrating its capabilities via a componentized approach is the optimal path for balancing competition and cooperation.

4. Beyond Revit: A Broader Component Ecosystem

Software as a Component is a pragmatic and flexible way to build systems. With DRvt, we've successfully transformed Revit into a programmable component. This same methodology can be applied to other major software, allowing them to be flexibly orchestrated within Python and other language environments.

By starting with Revit, we are not only enriching how one software is used but also pushing the entire industry toward a future of highly integrated and sustainably evolving systems. As more software is componentized, we'll be able to build digital systems that perfectly fit business needs—as easily as snapping LEGO bricks together.