Sprinkler designers who work in a 3D building model use add-ins that install on top of Revit. They place sprinklers and pipe in the same model as the architecture and structure, rather than in a separate 2D drawing.
Typical functions
A published overview of six major Revit sprinkler add-ins describes these groups of functions:
- Sprinkler layout: placing sprinklers and selecting the system type.
- Pipe connections: connecting pipe and fittings, including the difference between taps (welded outlets) and tees (fittings), plus moving and rotating pipe.
- Hydraulic calculations: calculating the system inside the model, offered by some tools but not all.
- Fabrication data: stock lists and material data for prefabrication, offered by some tools.
- Labeling and estimating: legends, labels and sprinkler counts.
Not every tool does everything
The same overview notes that one tool has no hydraulic calculations, that a free option focuses on connection tools and a sprinkler estimator, and that fabrication features were still in development in at least one product. Features change quickly, and screenshots or comparisons can be out of date within months.
Questions to ask before choosing
- Does it calculate hydraulics in the model, or must you export to separate software?
- Does it produce the fabrication and stock data your shop or installer needs?
- Does it match the manufacturer components you will specify?
- What does it cost, and does the return justify it? The overview advises assessing this regularly.
How this supports a project
Designing in the shared 3D model lets the sprinkler layout be checked against the rest of the building in one place. Once the layout is settled, the same model feeds hydraulic results, which in turn size the water supply and fire pump. See our fire pump rating note for how that demand is read against the pump curve.
Related pages
See our AutoSPRINK and simulation services, the fire pumps page and the Pumpsense selector.