Why I Learned Dynamo and The Two Things I Discovered During the Process...

Last week, I discussed the number one reason (based on a survey of Revit Kid readers) Revit users have not used/learned Dynamo: Time.

There have been some great comments and dialogue born out of last week’s post. This week, I’d like to talk about the second reason Revit Kid readers stated they have not learned Dynamo yet and tell a short story about why I eventually took the plunge.

The second most common reason Revit Kid readers have not learned/used Dynamo (again, based on a survey I held here on the blog) was “no practical use” or “haven’t found a need”....

Continue reading to hear about my Dynamo journey and how I was thinking the exact same thing...

You Don’t Have Time to Learn Dynamo, You Say?

We’ve all been there.

You’re sitting at your desk with four empty coffee cups, Pandora blaring some tunes into your headphones, and Revit’s damn magenta colored sketch lines burned into your retinas.

I know what it’s like to work with a deadline looming over your head (or maybe more than one deadline).  Which is why I was not surprised to discover the number one reason TheRevitKid.com reader (such as yourself) said you have not learned Dynamo yet is that you “don’t have the time”.

The Dynamo Desktop Cheat Sheet - Free Download!

Although the temperature has remained in the high 80's here, summer has officially ended.  That means the Dynamo Days of Summer are coming to a close.  Usually, I would be very sad this time of the year with cold and snowy weather approaching.  But, this year, I am excited!

Why? You ask.

Because my latest course, "DIY Dynamo - A Beginner's Course on Dynamo for Revit", will open enrollment soon!

Why else?

Because I am excited to share my latest free download with you all! 

Continue reading to learn more about The Dynamo Desktop Cheat Sheet and find out how to download it for free today!...

Revit Tip - Auto Section Box Using Scope Box

This is a simple tip that can help improve your efficiency, improve live model viewing, and assist when exporting part of your building(s) to other formats.  I discovered this a while back when I had to export a large project by level for viewing on iPads in the field.  All 15 floors had to be sliced and exported.

Keep reading and you will see why this technique helped me achieve my task....

Revit Tutorial - Align Views on Sheets (Tips and Tricks)

Today's tutorial can be one of those tips that seems rudimentary.  Well, it is... But, the amazing thing about Revit is how many different ways users go about accomplishing the same task.

I have seen hundreds of different Revit files from hundreds of different companies and users and the variety of techniques used to align views on sheets is astounding.  I decided to make a quick video that demonstrates the way I align views from sheet to sheet in Revit....

Continue reading to view the tutorial ... let's see how many other ways you come up with!

Did You Miss the Assemble Webinar Last Week? Here is the replay...

For those of you who missed it live, last week I co-hosted a webinar with Assemble Systems.  Assemble is a cloud hosted model based quantity takeoff (5D) program.  It runs within your browser and is extremely simple to use... Actually, before I continue re-explaining why I have been pushing Assemble so hard for contractor's just watch the video and find out!

Continue reading to view the “Conditioning” with Assemble to Visualize and Communicate Cost
Featuring Turner Construction webinar replay....

Free Webinar: “Conditioning” with Assemble to Visualize and Communicate Cost

I am going to take a quick break from the Dynamo Days of Summer to let everyone know about a free webinar I will be a guest on next week.  I have mentioned Assemble Systems in presentations in the passed (and maybe on the blog here and there) but have not had the time to fully review it for everyone (yet).  Either way, the webinar will act as a good introduction to the software for those who have not heard of it yet! More about the webinar:

“Conditioning” with Assemble to Visualize and Communicate Cost

Featuring Turner Construction

Wednesday, August 30 @ 1pm CT

Continue reading more details and to register for the free webinar....

Node of the Week #2 - Dynamo Days of Summer

Last week, I posted about my number one Dynamo node and explained why I chose it (click here to see the post from Node of the Week - Element.SetParameterByName).   This week, I'd like to highlight my second favorite Dynamo node:

Element.GetParameterByName

At first glance, this node looks very similar to last weeks.  In fact, Element.GetParameterByName is the counterpart to last weeks node; Element.SetParameterByName.  So, let's talk about what it does and why I chose it as my second favorite Dynamo node...

Node of the Week #1 - Dynamo Days of Summer

As Dynamo Days of Summer continues, I wanted to take a minute to highlight some of my favorite nodes in a segment aptly called "Node of the Week".

When trying to rate my favorite Dynamo nodes it was not hard to come up with my number one.  This node is by far the most powerful and versatile.  It is the foundation of some of the most complex scripts that exist.  What is it?

Element.SetParameterByName

That's right.  Want to know why it is my favorite (and the Node of the Week)?  Continue reading to find out...  ( P.S. - There is also some news on the beginners Dynamo course I have been working on at the end of this post... )

Building Content Summit 2017 - Are You Going?

Due to scheduling conflicts I will not be attending BILT North America (formally RTCNA) this year... I know, I am sad too...

But!  I will be attending/speaking at the Building Content Summit for the first time this year!

As sad as I am to not be attending RTCNA (crap, I mean, BILT NA), I am excited to attend a focused two day conference about the state of content in Building Information Modeling.  While developing my presentation I realized how many opinions I actually have on building content.  I can only imagine the other 70-100 attendees feel the same!

Will you be attending BCS 2017 this year in Toronto?  If so, shoot me an email, say hi when you see me, or message/follow me on Twitter! (@TheRevitKid)

Also, if you are attending, make sure you joining my session on Tuesday morning at 10:45AM.

Similar to last year's session at RTCNA (now, BILT NA), I will be discussing how contractors use models but with an emphasis on content's (Revit Families, etc...) impact on downstream use of the model (pre-construction, construction, operations, and so on...)

I hope to see some of  you there!!

3D Printing Topography Directly from Revit ... Plus, Exciting News!

Due to the overwhelming interest, engagement, and discussions created over my last post documenting the process of 3D printing directly from Revit I figured this post is a perfect follow-up. Interesting discussions on Twitter and through emails led me to explore the concept of automating the process documented in last weeks post using Dynamo.  I have made progress with "massing" the building using Dynamo but it's not quite ready to share...  Instead, I will share something just as cool!

While exploring using Dynamo to "mass" a building for 3D printing I realized a similar script could be used to 3D print topography.  For those of you who may not have attempted printing topography I'll let you in on a little secret: it doesn't work.  Topography exports as a single surface and not a solid.  Therefore, you need to use the process I mentioned last week to mass out the topography... Imagine trying to model topography using conceptual massing... not fun!

Thanks to our good friend Dynamo (and some awesome users in the Dynamo forum), printing Revit Topography can be as easy as clicking "run"... Keeping reading to see the script and how it works...

*** P.S. - I have some exciting updates about the blog at the end of this post... so definitely read until the end!

3D Printing and Revit - Yes, It's Possible, and Here's How ...

When I was given the opportunity to purchase and use a LulzBot Taz 6 my first reaction was, "awesome".  Until I started doing research on 3D printing an actual Revit model, "not so awesome".  With a deadline for printing a project approaching my feeling of excitement turned to anxiety.

I found out that you just can't "press print" on your every-day Revit model and expect it to 3D print.

I also found out that there is very little information regarding the processes required to actually 3D print your working Autodesk Revit building models... So, I will save you the trouble of searching and do my best to break down the quickest and most effective method I've found to printing ANY of your Revit models.... Step 1 is the key...