Revit-Up

Well finishing up this year and preparing for the new year.
I have spent some time building some application, creating content and starting our Revit Standards Manual. The key to creating the content and standards this year has been; keeping notes, documenting what the standards are and following some sort of guidelines.

To do this, I simple started with our old CAD Manual and the National CAD Standards. This gave me the basis of how the final drawings should look. I then proceeded to look for some Revit based standards for my content. I found that at on the Autodesk seek website http://seek.autodesk.com/revit.htm.

Finally, listen to your users. The guys using the software on the job everyday will tell you the issues. Some will ripe Revit apart others will tell you about the difficulties and success.

Plenum Spaces Revit MEP 2011

I found a some new features in Revit MEP 2011 that is very useful for dealing with Plenum Spaces. First, you can set a type property of a level to tell the use of the level is for plenum space. This helps by creating a specific views for plenums, and all spaces added in these views will be assigned as plenums (instances property). Second item is the new instance property in spaces that assign it has a plenum space. This new property will allow for better calculation

Why are these plenum spaces relevant? Without plenum spaces the energy model for Heating Cooling Loads will be in accurate. Also you find that your gbXML exports not to work very well.

If statements in Revit.

I have a storage rack family that I would like to have lower shelf height be the same as all the other shelves above. I also want to make the lower shelf another height if it is considered a bridge (drive through area below it). I used an if statement along with a yes/no parameter. So how this works;

Parameter Type       Parameter
Yes/No                   Bridge (B)
Length                     Shelf to Shelf Ht (SSH)
Length                     Bridge Ht (BH)
Length                     Lower Shelf Ht (LSH)

LSH = if(B,BH,SSH)

Simple terms if (B)Bridge is checked then it uses parameter or info after first comma (BH) or Bridge Ht, else it will use the info after the last comma (SSH) or Shelf to Shelf Ht. “IF(condition, what happens if true, what happens if false)”

Phasing - Demolition

Often the biggest problem with phases is that users have created a Demolition phase. Demolition is actually a phase state within Revit and should not be used as an actual phase.

Revit 2011 Certified Professional

The Beta Testing results for 2011 Autodesk Certification are in. I am happy to say I am still a certified professional per Autodesk testing.

Completed My Fist Revit App

Created my first Revit App. Learning the API is a little bit of a challenge. The most challenging thing was learning VB.net, I have managed a little VBA, a decent amount of LISP and some scripting. Well VB.net is none of those.

The overall goal was to mimic a custom LISP routine that we use in AutoCAD.
1. Print a to DWF and or PDF to a Current Plot Folder
2. Copy the file or files to a archive record issue for the issue letter or number
3. The file name to Project Number-Sheet Number-Revision Number
4. Search the Plot folder for previous versions of that sheet and delete them
5. Seamless process without allot of user in put

The app requires you to print one view at a time, but it does read the sheet and file for all the information needed, no user input except to click OK if it finds an error (with reason) or OK that is complete.

Some Little Keyboard Helpers

Press [Tab] key to select objects in line with the object you pick.

When object is selected [Alt] + [Enter] keys takes you to instant properties.

When object is selected [Ctrl] + [Enter] keys takes you to type properties.

[Ctrl] + [Left Arrow] will select previous objects.

Revit Pen Settings

I have been working through our company pen settings over the past couple of weeks. I had plenty of feedback from co works about the pen weights. In the process of trying to tweak the different settings, I found through research (AUGI and Discussion Groups) that pens 1 and 2 (model) and pen 1 (drafting) effect majority of the hatching or fill patterns.

Model Pen 1 drives the model hatch pen weight. Model Pen 2 drives the ceiling grid pattern pen weight. All fill regions are assigned to Annotation Pen 1 by default.

To give myself more flexibility in our pens I have decided to move all objects off of pens 1 and 2. Seems a little bold, but I believe it will give us more flexibility in the long run.

Revit 2011 Release

Just in case you did not see it yet. Revit 2011 (all flavors) have been released.

Second I just saw the posting on the subscription center that the Revit Extensions are available. They are very limited at this time, unless you are using Revit Structures (seems to be allot of Robot integration directly into Revit). Main one is the Shared Parameter Converter it provides the ability to change family parameters to Revit shared parameters. A second functionality is to add or replace shared parameters to one or multiple Revit families file in one process.

Finally several of the main stay tools are out for Revit 2011 products; Globe Link, Batch Print, Space Naming Utility, Autodesk Revit DB Link 2011, Worksharing Monitor and Autodesk Revit Model Review 2011.

Improved UI

Many needed improvements have been made to the Revit UI.

Quick Access Toolbar Modifications
1. Single QAT in both project and family editor.
2. Increase number of default commands out of the box, not only that, but they are sensible.
3. Customization of the QAT, including moving items and adding separators.

Side Browsers (Project Browser, Systems)
1. You can now stack Browsers, like Project and System Browsers.
2. New Properties Browser has been added, this allows users to level their property dialog box up when working in a project, verses opening and closing.

Modify Tools
1. Yes, the modification tools have been moved to the left end of the Ribbon to maintain consistent tool locations.
2. The modify Tab now includes object specific commands (move, copy, array, etc.)
3. Modify commands are now available prior to selection or after, like AutoCAD.
4. Type Selector has been moved to Property Browser.
5. When placing objects, the contextual tab (like Place Wall) has been merged with the Modify tab. This will greatly reduce the need to bounce from one tab to another.
6. Several tool icons have been updated for easier access and readability.

Revit 2011 Text Updates

Leader Enhancements

Something we have all been asking for, the ability to specify the location of the leader from our text. Many of us have CAD standards that specify 1st line, center or last line of text. Revit only gave us the ability for the top line of text. Revit now has the ability to specify four new locations (Middle Left and Right and Bottom Left and Right).

Text Borders

New option in the text type properties allow you to show the text border. In type properties lock for a check box parameter called show border. This will box out the notes.
Also you can now control the margins of the text box (which we can also consider the masking region for Opaque option). This setting is found in the text type properties also, called Leader/Border Offset.

AUGI World March/April

ATTENTION
My boy, Felix, was publish this month in AUGI World. Please skip past all the other pages and go to page 26. Felix Gonzalez, with Hunton Brady, has a great article about schedules in Revit. If anyone knows something about schedules it is Felix. He has created some of the most integrated schedules in Revit Architecture I have seen. Great job Felix.

AUGI is pleased to announce that the latest issue of AUGIWorld is now available for download.

Click Here to download the AUGIWorld March/April 2010 issue

PS. After you read Felix’s article, feel free to flip back and catch another couple of articles on Revit.

Bentley / Revit Integration

There are several new plugins by Bentley that attempt to address interoperability with Revit.

First is the iModel Plugin that translates a Revit model to Microstation V8i. You can read more about it and download here http://communities.bentley.com/UserGroups/GroupDetail.aspx?GroupID=80

Seciond is a Revit plugin for the Bentley Integrated Structural Model (ISM). You can read more about it and download here http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Promo/ISM/downloads.htm#revit

I hope this provides a better means to work between Revit and Bentley products without using IFC or Navisworks and I'd like to know if anybody is having any success with this workflow.

Revit Structure 2010 and RAM Steel Link

If you have been looking for the RAM Steel/Revit Link for the 2010 products, you have probably been getting the same story. "It is being test it will be ready soon", "Within the next month" and so on. Well, they still have not released one "the latest word is March of 2010". Just in time for the Revit 2011 releases.

Well I have found out that RAM does have a prerelease version of the Revit 2010 link. You must contact RAM "Bentley" directly. It is a little tricky, 1st the basic install then replacing some files. Also, there is still no 64bit option for RAM or its Link.

Temporary Dimensions

I have seen this idea posted or mentioned in various areas. I thought I might throw it out there again, mainly because I just reset it on my new machine.

Temporary dimensions have a standard text size that you cannot change in the program. You can however modify the Revit.ini file to change the size. Browse to the file under C:\Program Files\Your Version/Flavor\Program and open it in Notepad or something. Search for the [Graphics] section of the file and add just the second line below or at the very end of the file add all of the following:

[Graphics]
TempDimFontSizeInPoints = X

X represents the size the text. The default size of temporary dimensions is 8.

Adding Symbols in Text Box

I am working with our group to start creating details in Revit. We came across the issue of adding symbols in our text. We started by just typing abbreviations, this added to our normal note size. I did some research and found Revit supports Windows Character Mapping.
Here are the simple steps to do this;
1. Ensure Number Lock is on
2. Hold the [ALT] Key
3. While Holding [ALT] type in code suing Number Key Pad (Number pad on right side of keyboard
4. Release [ALT] Key
If I would like to add the degree symbol in a note all I have to do is Hold the ALT key and type in character map code "0176".

*You must use the number pad, traditional numbers above the letters will not work.

Some of the Standard Codes:
0176 Degree
0248 Diameter
0178 Squared
0179 Cubed
0177 Plus-Minus
0174 Registered
0169 Copy Right

**Laptop users can not use the numbers on the traditional keyboard above the letters. Majority of laptops have a number pad overlaid into the keyboard area that you can utilize with the number lock key and the same method.
***You can also utilize this same method in AutoCAD and other Windows Programs.

Converting AutoCAD Details to Revit

I have been working on a process to quickly and efficiently convert our detail libraries to Revit. I have come across several ideas and methods. This concept is based on bring AutoCAD entities into Revit to become Revit based line work and text.


1. Clean up AutoCAD files
2. Get rid of hatch patterns, hatches bring allot of extra junk into Revit
3. Explode everything, blocks from AutoCAD become junk in Revit.
4. Ensure all your multiple lines of text are MText (use Express Tools to convert)
5. Create Line Styles in Revit for Company Standards (pen weights, line tpyes, colors)
6. Use AutoCAD's Layer Translator command to convert Layers (If the AutoCAD layer is an "Exact" match to a line style in Revit it will not create an extra Line Style)
7. Purge file, till clean. Also try -PU, and option R to purge Registered Apps.
8. Import file to Revit (Not your project, a junk file), explode (full) the import.
9. Use Window Select and Filter to clean up miscellaneous objects
10. Add Regions (Hatches) and Leaders to Text as needed.
11. Copy Detail from the Junk Project to your project or to a detail library (this will leave behind all the extra AutoCAD junk in the Junk file.)