Lumion 9 Review - Real Skies, Real Grass, Real Problems...?

A couple of things to note before you read my review of Lumion 9 to provide a little context and history.

First, I have been an avid Lumion user and fan for over five years now. It has been, and continues to be, my main software for renderings and videos.

Second, I have reviewed previous version of Lumion and you should read those before reading this review. They provide my commentary on features that still exist in Lumion and give you a sense of how the software has grown:

Lumion Reviews Over the Years:

Lumion 5.0 - From Revit to Lumion: The Ultimate Review

Lumion 7.0 - From Revit to Lumion: The Ultimate Review (Revisited)

Lumion 8.0 - From Revit to Lumion: The Ultimate Review #3

Finally, be sure to read/view this entire review (especially the conclusion). When I review a software on the blog I have two rules: It must be a software that I have used to a significant capacity (ie. completed actual projects on it and had a chance to really “dig in”), and it must be an honest review (no holding back, even if the company offers me a “review copy”, etc…).

So, here we go...

2018... A Year in Review...

"The Revit Dad" + FREE Dynamo Workshop

Over the last nine years, I’ve always made it a point to not only share Revit tips and tricks with you but to also share things about my personal life. For example, I shared when I became a licensed architect and when I got married.

Why do I share my personal life with you? 

First, so you get a chance to know the person behind the “avatar” that is “The Revit Kid”. Second, because the events that take place in my personal life help give context to the content I create here on the blog.

For example, when I made the tough decision to leave my full-time job at a large architecture firm and took on a role at a construction management firm it was not a surprise that some of my content had a construction focus.

Revit Tutorial - Parking Striping the Follows Topography

I was pretty excited when Autodesk introduced the ability to host railings to topography a few releases ago... But, I didn't realize the possibilities a simple new feature (albeit, one that should be applied to more than just railings) would open up.

The ability to host a railing (which contains swept profiles (rails) and repetitive families (balusters)) can be "hacked" to created other types of objects that host to topography.  To date, I have taken advantage of this feature to make things such as earth retention, utility piping, site fencing, retaining walls, curbs, and guard rails...

Today, I want to demonstrate how to use the railing tool to overcome Revit's limitations in parking and road striping.

Continue reading to learn how to "hack" the Revit railing and make parking / road striping that will actually follow your tomography.

Case Study - Rocky Mountain Modern House

Even though this project is from a couple years back I’ve been wanting to use it as a case study and share it on the blog since it’s completion.

Why?

Because this project and the initial presentation illustrates all of the facets of Revit for presentation style graphics in one deliverable.  What I’d like to do in this blog post is break down the presentation page by page and give a little background on what technique, tip, or tick was used to produce the graphics (ie. floor plan, elevation, diagram, etc…).

First, I’d like to give a little background on the project itself …

Continue reading to view the “Rocky Mountain Modern” Case Study…

I Need Those Renderings… By Tomorrow

Yesterday I published a post about how ugly “default” Revit could be.  I was hoping to evoke a response out of you, and it worked.  I received a bunch of emails and comments describing your experiences with Revit and presentation graphics.  As I suspected, this problem is an epidemic in academia and pervasive in the workforce.

Doesn’t it feel great to know you’re not alone?  In fact, I decided to highlight a few of the stories:

Your Revit = Ugly

Let’s face it. Out of the box, Revit is ugly.

I bet many of you reading those first two statements are nodding your heads.  Those who aren’t, create a new camera view in Revit right now without applying any templates.   Yeah, pretty ugly right?  Like you, I have always been frustrated with the un-attractiveness of “default” Revit.

The good news is you don’t have to live with “default” Revit.  There are lots of features and settings that can make Revit sexy.

The bad news?  No one knows about them!

Between teaching at a university, working for a large construction firm, and running this blog for the last ten years I have seen my fair share of Revit projects and presentations.  The quality of presentation materials (plans, sections, elevations, renderings, diagrams, etc..) coming from these models is inconsistent to say the least.  Therefore, Revit still has a reputation in many corners of our industry for “looking bad”.

Revit Tutorial - Diagrams: "BIG" Style

The diagram has been a staple in the architecture community for as long as I could remember.  From 2-dimensional "parti" diagrams to full-on exploded axonometric diagrams, many techniques and styles have been used to describe our vision to the world.

A specific style of diagram has arisen thanks to the popularity of Rhino and Bjarke Ingels. This diagram is a blend between a 3-D form and a "parti" and truly is a great way to present your architectural concepts to the world.  It has the vector graphics feel of a graphic designer but the shading and composition of a "cel shaded" video game.

It looks something like this...

Well, guess what?  The image above was modeled and created directly in Revit and Revit only... No need to use Rhino, Grasshopper, Illustrator, or any other piece of software.  

Continue reading to learn how to make "BIG" style diagrams in Revit....

Revit Tutorial - Adding Depth to Your Elevations (Redux)

I posted a tutorial over five years ago that illustrated how to add some serious depth to your elevations in Revit (Click here to view that post and tutorial).  The concept of creating better looking elevations is clearly a pain point for many Revit users because the aforementioned video has been viewed nearly 27,000 times! Technically, this tutorial is still relevant and the technique can still be used today.  So be sure to check it out.

Fortunately, the process of adding depth and making better looking elevations is a lot easier thanks to a new feature in Revit (introduced in 2017) called "Depth Cueing".

I decided to not only create a new video tutorial about how to use depth cueing, but also dig into the feature and really understand how it works. 

Continue reading to view the new Adding Depth to Your Elevations tutorial and my notes on how it works...

Coming Soon... We're bringing sexy back...

I am back from BILT North America full of excitement and motivation.  As usual, the conference was fantastic.  I was able to catch up with some old friends and meet plenty of new ones.  I can't tell you how humbled I am to meet readers of this website in person.  You are all amazing!

My presentation, "Construction can be Sexy: How Visualization Helps us Build", went extremely well.  I was a bit worried turnout would be low due to the fact that it was the first session on Saturday morning. If you have been to a BILT event before, you know that getting up for the first session can be very difficult.

I was pleasantly surprised with the turnout and engagement during the session.  Thank you all who attended and asked such poignant questions!

Coming Soon...

My session at BILT focused solely on presentation techniques (from diagrams, to renderings, to virtual reality).  Focusing on this topic has proved timely as I am hot and heavy into the creation of BIM After Dark - Volume 1 (Redux)...  Additionally, while at the conference I was reminded that many folks are still struggling with getting their Revit models to look the way they want them to look.

I closed Volume 1 a few months ago so I can re-build it from the ground up (after nearly 5 years and 766 students!).

The time has finally come to set a date for open enrollment of the brand new Volume 1 course.

Are you ready?

Mark your calendars...

BIM After Dark - Volume 1 (Redux): BIM can be sexy...

Open for Enrollment:

September 17th, 2018

What is BIM After Dark - Volume 1?

Volume 1 is focused on one thing and one thing only: making your Revit models look good.  From floor plans, to topography, to sections, to diagrams, and renderings.  Volume 1 is a comprehensive course that will take your presentations to the next level.

Who will Volume 1 be for?

If you are tired of people telling you that BIM is not for presentations and that Autodesk Revit is only good for documentation, this course if for you.

If you spend hours developing a fully detailed building information model but find yourself underwhelmed with the graphic presentations and renderings it produces this course is for you. 

If you want to take your rendering, post-processing, and overall presentation skills to the next level with proven techniques, short-cuts, and processes this course is for you.

Finally, if you want to learn how to make images like the one below as quickly as possible then this course if for you.

Learn how to make images like this with your Revit models...

What will it contain?

In "Revit Kid" fashion, the course will include simple, easy-to-follow, video tutorials, sample files, optional live sessions with me, and possibly some bonus items.

Click here to view the contents of the course...
(Thanks to those who gave amazing feedback on the video outline a few weeks ago).

How do I enroll?

If you are interested and want to be first in line when enrollment opens click here (or below) to get in line!

It's BILTNA Week! See you in St. Louis!?

BILT North America is this week!

I am pretty excited to be heading to another BILT conference (formerly known as RTCNA).  I love looking back on my previous review posts from this conference...  They remind me about how valuable and impact each year has been for me.

Every year I come home with a sense of vigor and excitement.  Additionally, my mind is usually spinning around all of the ways I can use the new tips, tricks, and topics discussed that week.

Let's Assemble in Hartford - Live Event

Did you hear?  Autodesk acquired Assemble. Many of you may have heard this news and thought:

"What is Assemble?" 

I have spoken a bit about Assemble here on the blog and appeared as a guest speaker on a webinar with Assemble back in September of last year.  Additionally, I have been using Assemble for just over three years now.  That being said, I am extremely excited to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of Assemble Systems for you here on the blog. 

Unfortunately, I am not finished with my big Assemble review post yet....

Fortunately, if you are located in or around Hartford, Connecticut I will be speaking at a networking event about how Turner Construction uses Assemble on August 2nd!

Continue reading to find out more about the event and how to register... it's free! (Oh, and there will be beer ... ;) )