Dan Peticila
With the recent release of Revit 2026, we unveiled a new graphics platform in development to transform Revit so that it continues to delight AEC professionals authoring and reviewing their models. The Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview is built so you can benefit from the latest software and hardware improvements, and we can constantly adapt to new technologies that will appear on the horizon.
In the Revit 2026 release, you can experience a significant navigation performance improvement in 3D and 2D views, helping you review your designs faster. Once you get to the area of interest in these accelerated views, you can further create new items or make changes.
Moreover, we are optimizing how your hardware is used, currently with a focus on the graphics card (GPU). More specifically, we have been implementing new techniques to use the GPU as efficiently as possible. All algorithms responsible for displaying graphics in the Revit canvas are processed by the GPU when using the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview. For example, while many calculations are made by the CPU, silhouettes (the outlines of objects) are now calculated by the GPU. And the new algorithms help Revit scale how the GPU is used based on the model size.
Completely overhauling Revit’s graphics system is quite a complex task, considering that almost all workflows have to do with the representation of the model, in various forms, on the screen. To better understand this and why we refer to graphics as a “system” or a “platform”, take a look at the image below, showing what Revit views consist of.
Each of the items described in it are components of a view. The new foundation supporting these components is built based on USD and Hydra. USD, or Universal Scene Description, is an open-source project created by Pixar, designed to facilitate the interchange of 3D computer graphics data between different tools and platforms. Hydra is a high-performance rendering architecture within the USD (Universal Scene Description) framework, also developed by Pixar. It is designed to facilitate interactive rendering of complex scenes, allowing for scalable and efficient visualization of 3D content.
Now that the framework is in a robust state, with many important components completed, we believe this tech preview is the natural way to move forward as an incremental delivery and validation process. We introduced an in-canvas toggle to allow you to quickly turn on the accelerated graphics and explore and test out its functionality and provide valuable feedback to the Revit product team. Here you can see the detailed steps of using the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview. And, as a reminder, at this stage this feature is under development and is still missing certain functionalities, as listed here, but rest assured that this list will gradually shorten over time as we continue to develop the feature.
Of course, the more feedback you provide to us, the better we can determine the most valuable next components of the graphics system to focus on. In the end, Revit’s entire graphics system will be transformed, but we would really like to take the next steps by balancing your priorities with the optimal technical strategy of implementing these components.
To better clarify what has not been captured in other communications on this topic, we have compiled an FAQ section for this article below. We’re looking forward to bringing clarity around this major technological upgrade we are making for Revit.
If you want to learn more about the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview in Revit 2026 and have your questions answered by Autodesk’s product experts, make sure to join the upcoming live webinar on YouTube, scheduled on May 13, 2025 from 11 AM EDT / 5 PM CEST.
FAQ
What is the future of the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview?
We are making incremental refactorizations or improvements to each component comprising the in-canvas Revit graphics. Whenever an entire workflow could be entirely captured in the accelerated state, then we would remove the tech preview umbrella. In the end, the accelerated state will become the new standard, and Revit would look just as normal, only much faster, crisper in some cases, using better and better your hardware resources. We do not plan to create a separate type of view or visual style that is accelerated.
What does it mean that the Accelerated Graphics is based on USD? Does it mean I would be able to export the Revit model to other applications?
No, this does not mean that Revit will be able to export to the USD file format as part of this work. The Universal Scene Description is not only a file format itself, but a method to draw scenes. The USD file format is an XML-like format that describes the geometry, annotations, title block, and all other graphical elements that may be displayed in the canvas. However, to make Revit as performant as possible, we are refining how Revit handles its data and not using the file format directly. Due to these additional optimizations, a direct export of the Revit model to the USD file format is not currently on our roadmap.
Can you please clarify what is Hydra and how it relates to USD?
OpenUSD is a system designed for creating, organizing, and reading detailed descriptions of 3D scenes. It includes both Hydra and USD schemas. Hydra is an open-source, high-performance rendering architecture that efficiently renders USD scenes. The USD schema organize the information about a 3D scene, including details about objects, properties, and arrangement. Hydra can use a USD file as input, but it can also interpret other types of input.
This means USD describes and manages the scene, and Hydra transforms that description into a high-quality visual image. Put in less technical terms, it is a kind of language used by Revit to “speak” to the renderer, which then translates these instructions for the graphics card that is ultimately responsible for making all the calculations and displaying them on the screen. The renderer is a component that takes the Revit model data and other in-canvas graphics and generates a visual image from it, essentially translating the mathematical description of a scene into a picture you can see on the screen, accounting for textures, lighting, or any other visual elements you have added.
Is Autodesk contributing to the USD and Hydra open-source projects?
Yes, Autodesk is a contributor to Pixar’s OpenUSD project, particularly in the areas of the Hydra rendering framework and the Storm renderer. See this link for a summary of the most significant contributions, as well as this blog post on the Vulkan contribution to Storm.
Do I need an expensive graphics card for the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview to work well?
No, the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview follows the system requirements of Revit.
It is worth noting though that having a graphics card with more RAM memory would allow you to work more efficiently with larger models. For an optimal experience using the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview, we recommend you use at least 64 GB of system RAM and a graphics card with 8 GB of RAM. Using a graphics card with less than 4 GB RAM will likely lower the benefits of this tech preview.
If I have a computer with a good gaming configuration, will the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview work well for me?
Any graphics card that meets the system requirements will work. Starting with Revit 2023.1, the certification status has been replaced by a direct report of the DirectX version, the Shader Model version, and the GPU memory available on the system meet the hardware acceleration requirements. You can read more about hardware certification here.
Does the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview make Revit run faster when using an integrated graphics card?
We don’t recommend this experience because an integrated graphics card is only suitable for displaying basic graphics. This covers simple tasks such as: 2D drafting and annotations, basic 3D modeling with minimal complexity, and viewing and editing small to medium-sized models without extensive graphical demands.
Still, when relying on an integrated graphics card, make sure it is configured to use as much system RAM as possible. Please consider that this RAM is also used by other software and processes running on your machine in the same time with Revit.
You can refer to this Microsoft forum thread for additional details.
If your computer has both integrated and dedicated graphics cards, then please check out this article about optimizing your hardware to run Autodesk software. Additionally, you can further look into optimizing your virtual memory, especially the swap file and ensuring it is stored on a fast SSD or hard drive.
One more piece of advice here is to make sure that when running Revit on a laptop, whenever you are performing tasks that are more graphics-intensive, make sure it is plugged in, so that all hardware components run at the optimal level of performance.
Does my system RAM size matter for taking advantage of the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview?
As for any hardware component, in the case of system memory, the basic system requirements should also be met and the best practices should be followed to ensure there is adequate available RAM on the machine that is running Revit so that the amount needed does not exceed what is available.
Enabling the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview in multiple views may increase memory utilization, so additional capacity is recommended. When working on complex models with the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview, we recommend using 64 GB of system RAM, or more.
What other hardware is relevant to know more about when using the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview?
Besides the graphics card and the system RAM, there is the central processing unit (CPU). One important benefit of the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview is that it reduces the load on the CPU by moving operations on the GPU. This allows your computer to run more efficiently other processes.
Please refer to this page offering more guidance about hardware components.
I use Revit on a Mac. Will I feel the benefits of the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview?
We currently don’t recommend using the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview on Parallels Desktop® for Mac or other virtualization solutions.
Is there something I need to know about the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview and DirectX 11 or 12?
The minimum required version of DirectX 11 applies. Higher versions will also work as designed. The current tech preview does not leverage additional features of DirectX 12.
Do you support software rendering with the Accelerated Graphics Tech Preview?
Currently not, so this feature will not be available if Revit does not detect a graphics card, but providing software rendering is something on our roadmap.