Site Modeling in Revit from a Landscape Architect's Point of View (Replay)

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Lauren Schmidt to talk about site modeling in Revit from a landscape architect's point of view.  Lauren has spent more time than most figuring out the best approaches for using Revit for landscape architecture. 

Lauren talked about a range of topics and compared how to accomplish modeling tasks using out of the box Revit tools and Parallax Team's "FOREground for Revit" add-in.  Some of the things she demonstrated were:

- Modeling Roads, Sidewalks, and Paths that Follow Topography

- Modeling Curbs in Revit that Follow Streets and Topography

- Planting Tips and Tricks in Revit

- Inserting Planting Groups Using FOREground for Revit

- Modeling Site Walls in Revit

- Tagging Plantings in Revit with FOREground

Introduction our New Title Sponsor: Polycam!

Be sure to support our new title sponsor, Polycam, by downloading their free app (premium memberships allow more export formats) and trying it out today!  

I am currently developing a tutorial that will show you how to take a lidar scan directly from your iPhone into Revit like in the video above!

Scan the QR Code Above on your Device to Install Polycam now!

Links Mentioned:

Download PolyCam on your device right now

LandArchBIM Blog

Follow Lauren on Twitter

Parallax Team 

FOREGround from Parallax Team

Save 10% off of Enscape Today

Revit Groups vs Links (w/ Aaron Maller)

Well... that was one heck of an episode!  

If you missed last night's discussion I had with Aaron Maller about Links vs Groups in Revit live, you have GOT to check it out now.  Not only did Aaron make his case for what he believes is a better approach, he also threw in some great little tips and tricks along the way...

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by friend of the show Aaron Maller to talk about Revit Groups vs Links ... That's right...  We are going to try our best to answer the age-old Revit question of when to use Revit groups or when to use Revit links.

In typical Aaron fashion, he has spent some serious amount of time studying the pros and cons of both options... Will we land on a decision?  Will there be a winner?  Check out the replay and find out!

Links Mentioned:

Save 10% off of Enscape Today

Parallax Team 

Aaron on Twitter 

Episode 21 - Filters in Revit (w/Aaaron)

Episode 14 - Tuning Up Your Revit Template (w/Aaron)

Revit Schedule Excel Hacking with Paul Aubin

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On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by the "bim-famous" Paul Aubin to talk about Revit Schedule Excel Hacking.  What does that mean?  Well, it means Paul has been messing around with some of the limitations of Revit Schedules and wants to share some of his findings with you all!

Paul and I ran through a recent hack he discovered while overcoming a Revit schedule (note block) limitation while also more generally talking about some other ways this process (and some simple Excel skills) can open the door for you to hack Revit schedules yourself!

If you have never used a Lookup Table in Revit before... This episode is worth it just for that!

Our "Big 'BAD' BIM Tip of the Week" was submitted by Jim Balding and has to do with created room checklists for productivity management inside Revit.  Thanks for the submission Jim! 

Thanks to Enscape for sponsoring the Tip of the Week Segment.  Use this link to save 10% off of an annual subscription!

Sample Files:

Paul was also nice enough to share some sample files from today's session!  Click here to download the sample files today...

Enscape for Revit - The New Material Editor in 3.1 (Replay!) w/Josh Radle

 

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Josh Radle to discuss Enscape for Revit.   Enscape continuously adds awesome and valuable new features with each release, and 3.1 is no different.  For a "point" release it is impressive.  

I have been a long-time user of Enscape for both design and visualization and I am super excited to have Josh on to share what's new in the platform.  

Some of the topics we covered:

- Brande NEW Material Editor (displacement maps in Revit?!) and how to USE IT!

- Material Library (Preset Materials that look AWESOME in Enscape)

- The new 3.0 user interface and some of the benefits of it...

- How to get FREE sample files.

Plus, we took questions along the way!

Oh, and don't forget about the "BIG 'BAD' BIM Tip of the Week"... The tip this week came from Dan and had to do with stacked walls... dun dun dun.

Links Mentioned:

Try Enscape for FREE today 

Revit / Enscape PBR Materials Blog Post

Enscape FREE Sample Files

Envision 21 Conference

Shared Parameters in Revit (Replay)

If you missed the livestream last night the replay has now been posted!  

I talked about the different types of parameters, why shared parameters exist, and what to do if you delete your shared parameter file!!

Oh.... And I gave into the peer pressure and opened a shared parameter file, too.... 

Revit Structural Framing - Cut Rafter at Ridge Beam Revit Tutorial

In this Revit Structural Framing tutorial I run through two approaches to cutting rafters a ridge beams in Revit.  This tutorial was inspired by a member of the BIM After Dark Community, Chris.   Thanks Chris!

If you are interested in joining the other 150+ members (and myself) within the BIM After Dark Community, take advantage of the current 14 day free trial I am offering!

As a member of the community you'll get access to:

- Self-paced Revit courses (all four! and any new courses to be added in the future) with sample files, live chat, and community support.
- Access sample files from your favorite "Revit Kid" tutorial posts.
- Exclusive access to online "office hours" with Jeff and guests.
- Connect with other Revit users to share ideas, best practices, and ask/answer burning questions as a community.

Click here to start your FREE trial today...

Importing Google Maps into Twinmotion Tutorial (in 3D!)

In this quick Twinmotion Tutorial video I will build on the process I demonstrated a few weeks ago (here is the video) and show you how to take a mesh made from Google Maps and bring it into Twinmotion for context and visualization purposes.

Also, don't forget, if you are interested in leaning more about Twinmotion, check out my FREE From Revit to Twinmotion course!

Parametric Revit Family Tutorial - Curtain Panel "Chippendale Rail"

In this parametric Revit family tutorial video I walk through the thought process and steps it took to build what we are calling the "chippendale rail".  The solution ended up being a fully parametric Revit curtain panel family that had some unique characteristics and demonstrated some really cool Revit family creation techniques.

Thanks to Jak of the BIM After Dark Community for inspiring this Revit tutorial video!

Importing Google Maps into Revit Tutorial (in 3D!!)

 

In this really neat tutorial I will walk you through a process I developed that gives you the ability to import Google Maps into Revit .... in 3D!!

Continue reading to check it out...

It's a Girl !

 

On the last episode of BIM After Dark Live I mentioned I would be taking a break from the live show for a bit because my wife and I were expecting... 

Well, two weeks ago we were blessed with our daughter, Adalyn Grace.

As you can see from the image above, Adalyn and her older brother, Jacob, are having a good old time together.  Meanwhile, my wife and I have spent the last two weeks trying to remember all the "newborn" things while figuring out how to balance TWO children under the age of 3...  If you have any tips, I am all ears... haha!

Well, I am now "weaning" myself back into the office again and wanted to keep you all updated on some cool things going on this month....

What Makes the ULTIMATE Revit Computer System?

 

What is the best Revit laptop? What is the best Revit desktop? What is the best Revit computer? In over 12 years of blogging about Revit, I think this could be the most common question I get. On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I will be joined by Buck Davis. Buck is the founder of BIMBOX and has spent the last 12 years taking his AEC experience to specialize in the hardware we use (ie. computers, laptops, peripherals, etc...). I asked Buck to come on the show to talk generally about what it takes to piece together the perfect Revit laptop / desktop. The goal is to help you better understand what hardware selections to focus on when you're building your next Revit computer system.

We talked about what to look for when specifying a new Revit computer including processors, graphics cards, RAM, storage, cooling, and more...

The conversation was great and the questions from the live audience were probing.  If you have ever had to spec a desktop or laptop and were wondering "does this speed matter?  How many cores should I get?  How much RAM?".. Then you HAVE to give this episode a watch...

Continue reading to see the replay and view the links mentioned....

Enscape 3.0 and Revit (w/Dan Stine)

 

Dan Stine has joined me here on the show twice now to talk about Enscape... (Episode 12 and Episode 26) So, when Enscape 3.0 for Revit was launched, I had to have him back on to chat about it.

The release of Enscape 3.0 has some great and welcomed new features (as well as improvements on some old ones).  

Yesterday, Dan showed us some of the great  new improvements and features the Enscape team has put in place with this milestone release.

We talked about the UI/UX, view management, settings, visual setting control, video paths, displacement maps, custom assets, and more!

Oh, we also chatted a bit about Dan's role at Lake Flato (an award winning architecture firm, and one of my favorite design firms, personally) and how they are using BIM/Technology/Revit...

Continue reading to view the replay and links mentioned...