Facing a BIM software decision? Content is king.

From the perspective a small studio doing design build architecture, the availability of ready-made BIM components was a major factor in the choice of software. It was soon apparent that the parametric parts of existing AutoCAD Architecture libraries would not translate into either Revit or ArchiCAD. We even looked at Chief Architect for its excellent cabinet layout integration and other features possibly suitable for light commercial construction. But Revit families have become the standard format for (USA) manufacturers, and that fact won out over differences in features or workflow. In fact, the quantity and variety of Revit families is amazing compared to the limited availability of items for AutoCAD Architecture.

Places to get Revit families:
Reed Construction Data SmartBIM - Professionally made families of consistent quality. The highly-detailed space layouts are great examples. Also check out their SmartBIM Library product for organization of Revit objects.

RevitCity - Huge variety of varying quality user-uploaded content, available with registration. A good place to start when looking for specialty items.

Autodesk Seek - This is the search site built-in to Revit, a growing library of manufacturer objects.

ARCAT Free BIM Library - A large number of generic objects. Does not include manufacturer BIM objects, which may be found with product search.