BIM After Dark - Volume 2: A Week in Review(s)

I released the second installment of my BIM After Dark series about a week ago.  Volume 2 focuses on the creation of Construction Documents using Revit.  I should not have been surprised with the overwhelming response to this series because you chose the topic!

Either way, I am still in shock of the fantastic response.  First, the series has already sold 184 copies of various packages.  Second, the initial feedback has, again, reminded me why I still create content for this blog after five years.  It is difficult to retain the proper perspective about what this website is and where it came from after so long and I thank you all for doing so.

Finally, I sent out a few advanced copies to some of the people I have always looked up to in this tiny little Revit blogger niche and asked them to send me their own feedback on Volume 2.  The first two I'd like to share with you are the opinions of Paul Aubin (who has a new book out that I will be reviewing very soon) and Michael Anonuevo (of Little Details Count).  Continue reading for links and excerpts...

BIM After Dark - Happy Hour #2

To celebrate the release of Volume 2 I am going to host the second BIM After Dark Happy Hour. In the first ever happy hour I attempted to design and render an entire house in 1 hour... I just about did it!  See for yourself!  I could not believe over 150 people showed up live to hangout!  So cool!

For the upcoming Happy Hour I thought I would show some examples of tips and tricks from BIM After Dark - Volume 2 revolving around construction documentation.  I would also like to save some time to answer your questions live!

 So grab your favorite cocktail and meet me online this Monday, January 19th at 4PM EST.   

Click here to join the Google+ Events Page. 
Click here to watch the stream live on YouTube.

BIM After Dark - Volume 2 is Live! Plus, Launch Sale and Bundle Deal!

The second release of the BIM After Dark series is live today!  A little about Volume 2:

BIM After Dark - Volume 2: Productivity

The less clicks you take, the more money you make...

If you feel like you are not getting the return on investment you should be when using Autodesk® Revit® for construction documentation, look no further. BIM After Dark - Volume 2 demonstrates just how efficient Revit® can be in the production phases of your projects. From setting up views to wall sections, this video series will teach you how to take full advantage of your Building Information Models and efficiently create a set of construction documents.

If you want more information be sure to sign up for the free sample video on the sales page and, also, check out Paul Aubin's recent review of Volume 2!  Thanks Paul!

Launch Day Sale:

For today only, save 20% off on any BIM After Dark package (Volume 1 or 2).  This offer expires at midnight tonight, so take advantage now!

Use offer code "volume2day" during checkout to save today only!

Click here to download BIM After Dark - Volume 2 now and save...

Click here to download BIM After Dark - Volume 1 now and save...

Some of you have emailed me asking about a bundle deal with both Volume 1 and Volume 2.  Well, if you have been waiting to buy them together, today is the day!  Remember, I've also added a new eBook to Volume 1!

Click here to buy the BIM After Dark - Volume 1 & 2 Bundle (Save an additional 20% today!)

Already purchased and downloaded BIM After Dark?  Do me a favor and tell your friends:

Click here to Tweet about BIM After Dark - Volume 2.

Revit Tutorial - Flat Roof Crickets and Documentation

Flat roofs in Revit are a mystery to many people. Similar to a lot of elements in Revit, there are many ways to go about flat roofs. Additionally, people get extremely creative when it comes to the crickets on flat roofs.

My two favorite approaches to creating a flat roof cricket in Revit are either creating an adaptive component or modifying the sub-elements of the roof. I know, some of you may be thinking that the modify sub-elements tool is like voodoo black magic... Well, it's not that bad!

 In fact, it is actually pretty easy after you've used the method a few times. Of course, the more complex the roof is, the more complex the method becomes (and the adaptive component comes in handy).  Continue reading for a tutorial extracted directly from BIM After Dark - Volume 2 (which will be released this Thursday!)...

Revit Tutorial - Overhead Line Trick

When it comes to being productive and efficient in Revit finding little ways to NOT have to update annotative elements is key.  For example, if you use a detail line set to "" and simply draft the canopy above a first floor entryway you will have to adjust that line work EVERY SINGLE TIME you move  or adjust the canopy.  I have created a little trick to make those overhead lines automatically updated with your canopy.

How does it work?  Well, it's pretty simple...  The "above line trick" means that overhead line you see in the first floor entry of your canopy above is the actual edge of the canopy model element. 

Want to learn the trick? Keep reading for a tutorial extracted directly from BIM After Dark - Volume 2 (releasing soon!).

BIM After Dark Happy Hour Recap and Volume 2 Release Date

In case you missed it, Friday was the very first ever BIM After Dark Happy Hour.  The event went very well!  Not only did 149 people show up live, but some of you tweeted me photos of your cocktail of choice for the event!  Awesome!  Here is a photo of my drink of choice (Ramos Pinto White Porto).

Continue reading for a replay of the live stream.  In the wake of my first eBook launch I decided to try something very ambitious during the live webinar.  I attempted to design and render a building in 1 hour.  Sadly, I ALMOST did it.  I set the rendering settings a bit TOO high and the rendering finished about a minute after the webinar ended (see above for the final rendered image).

Free eBook! - DESIGN:BIM - A Guide to Utilizing Design in the BIM Process

DEISGN:BIM - A Guide to Utilizing Design in the BIM Process

Last week marked the one year anniversary of BIM After Dark - Volume 1.  As I have stated before, I could not be happier with the success of Volume 1.  I mentioned in this updates post that I planned on re-launching Volume 1 with some additional content.  Well, here it is!

Customers who purchased Volume 1 emailed me asking if I could create a breakdown of my design process (from sketches to final presentation boards).  Well, I finally did!

"DESIGN:BIM" is a simple, easy to follow, guide that takes you through how I use Revit within my design workflow. Additionally, I would like to invite  all of you to a free LIVE webinar/hangout this Friday to celebrate BIM After Dark's first year!  During the webinar I will be demonstrating some of the techniques I've documented in the eBook and Volume 1.  Also, I will be announcing the release date for Volume 2 at the end of the webinar!  Don't miss it!

Click here to download your free copy today and sign up for the webinar today!

Revit Tutorial - Angled Arched Beams

I was asked by a colleague is Revit could make an ellipse beam on an angle.  Once he showed me the sketch of what it was supposed to do I told him, "heck yeah".  Why was I so confident it could be done?  Well, I've seen Marcello make beams follow way crazier forms than an ellipse on an angle!

Using what Marcello has coined "sacrificial elements" the beams were a piece of cake.  In fact, they even contain the analytic lines still!  Check out the video and download the sample file...

Last Day for the Celebration Sale!

This is just a reminder that today is the final day for the BIM After Dark - Volume 1 celebration sale. I posted about some major milestones for the blog, BIM After Dark, and my personal life earlier in the week.  

Head on over to that post to find a discount offer code for BIM After Dark - Volume 1...  

The sale will end tonight at midnight.

Milestones & Celebration Sale!

I wanted to take a minute to share a few major milestones in my personal life and this blog.  If you have followed the blog over the past five years you may have realized this year was probably the least amount of publishing I have done.  Although, I tried my best to at least get one new post a week and have been successful in doing so.  Also, to celebrate some of these awesome achievements you will find some discount offer codes for BIM After Dark at the end of this post...

The Revit Kid, AIA

The main reason for my lack of publishing has been the amount of time and effort I've spent studying for, and taking, the Architecture Registration Exams (AREs).  I am happy to say the time and effort has paid off.  I started studying in January of this year (2014).  Fast forward ten months, 7 tests, and one re-take and here we are.  I can officially say that I am an Architect (without any legal ramifications!)

What does this mean for the blog and my future?  No idea, but after successfully achieving such a long, grueling, and difficult goal the possibilities feel endless!

New Homepage! Plus, Updates and News!

This website is about delivering as much value to you as humanly possible.  With that in mind, I have been fiddling with ways to make the website, blog, and tutorials easier to navigate and explore.  Blogs are fantastic in that they allow you to get information out fast and furiously... On the other hand, a blog with five years of content and over 1,000 posts can be extremely overwhelming to explore (especially the archives...).  This, along with the fact that almost 60% of the daily traffic to this blog is through search engines, have pushed me to make the site a bit less overwhelming.

Home Page

I took some time and really thought about how I could de-clutter the landing page for new and returning visitors. I wanted a well designed, one-page (no scrolling), and minimal landing page.  All of the important aspect of the site in one place (social media links, recent blog posts, tutorials page, BIM After Dark links, etc...).

Additionally, I wanted a single landing page for both BIM After Dark and The Revit Kid.com.  I even toyed with the idea of branding it all together and the blog would become the "BIM After Dark Blog"... But... I can't seem to let go of "The Revit Kid"... Yet...

If you have not seen the new homepage, click here to take a look.... 

Comment below this post and let me know what you think!!  I would love to hear your feedback.

Get Started! Page and Video

In addition to the homepage, I have been tweaking other pages within the website over the past few weeks.   The old "About" page is now a "Get Started Here!" page.  This page will hopefully help new visitors get a feel for the website, content, and navigation.

I also created this "Getting Started with The Revit Kid.com!" video to illustrate all the site has to offer....

Revit Tutorial - Creating a Custom Mullion Profile (Curtainwall BIM)

I published a post introducing you to Jon's blog a few weeks ago.  I mentioned that there were some real quality posts on his blog, and I meant it!  So much so, that I felt it necessary to re-post one of Jon's tutorials on a topic that comes up often: custom curtainwall mullions.  Yes, that's right, you CAN create custom profiles for your mullions... You aren't just stuck with the OOTB profiles...

Custom Profiles

Posted by Jon McFarland on Februrary 25, 2013

1)  Click the Application button (with the R at the top-left corner of the user interface) > New >Family.  In the New Family - Select Template File dialog box, click Profile-Mullion.rft.  This opens a new file using the template for mullion profiles.