Laser Scanning and Revit - What you NEED to Know (Replay)

 

On last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live, I was joined by Matt Stachoni to talk about laser scanning.  Long story short... Matt went DEEP into the details of laser scanning basics.  Additionally, the live audience had some great questions along the way.

Matt talked about everything from the different types of laser scanners, to what registering a scan is REALLY like, to his preferred process to checking a scan against a Revit model for QA/QC and as-built verification...

I, for one, had a new appreciation for when I ask a surveyor to scan, register, and model an existing structure for me.  Having a better understanding of the registration process and what is involved is going to help me down the road whether I scan myself or procure it from others.

Matt dropped a ton of laser scanning knowledge and still clearly had more to share.  Hopefully he will join us again soon!

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

Good Looking, Fully Organic, All Natural, "NURBS" in Revit (w/Tim Waldock)

 

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live I am excited to have Tim Waldock (of the Revit Cat blog) on the show.  I've been following Tim's blog for many years and I have always loved the way he dives into the nitty gritty details of Revit features and functions.

Tim will be demonstrating some of the awesome techniques he has developed for creating super smooth, good looking, organic forms in Revit.   

When I say organic, I literally mean he showed us how to model some vegetables (or a fruit?)...  

Revit isn't known for being able to display super smooth "NURBS" type of shapes but Tim has some tips and tricks to help you out.  From random blob shapes to beautiful modern furniture, I guarantee you'll find a use for what Tim has to show.

Continue reading to view the episode and see any related links mentioned....

Revit & Enscape 2.8: Design, Present, Collaborate (w/Dan Stine)

 

Dan Stine returned to BIM After Dark Live last night to talk about some of the new features in Enscape 2.8 (and what's to come in Enscape 2.9)...  Similar to our previous episode with Dan he didn't just run through the features, he also demonstrated some useful tips and tricks along the way!

Personally, I am most excited about all of the new healthcare content in Enscape 2.8, but even more excited about the FBX/OBJ import options in 2.9 to come!!!

Topics Covered:

Enscape 2.8

BIM 360 freeze fixed
Collaborative annotation
"Puddle Tip/Trick"
Animated vegetation
New assets
Carpet material
BIM Mode

Version 2.9 beta

Video textures
Custom asset library (and editor!!!)
Offline asset library

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

Power BI for Construction Visualization (DBEI Webinar)

 

There has been a lot of interest in Power BI throughout the AEC industry.  In fact, I have received a bunch of feedback from Episode 18 of BIM After Dark live looking for a follow up... Well, I still plan on digging deeper with more episodes, but if you can't wait, you're in luck!

I will be speaking tomorrow about how my team and I use Power BI on the construction side of things...  This was supposed to be a session at BILT NA this year... Luckily, I am still able to present it virtually!

(** This webinar is worth 1 AIA learning unit **).

Synopsis

At Turner Construction, Power BI has revolutionized the way we build by giving us the ability to connect, visualize, and analyze our data. During this session we will look at real-world case studies that demonstrate how we are taking advantage of connecting building information models to other data sources.

Learning Objectives

1.Learn how extracting and visualizing your Revit data can change the way you approach and analyze your designs.

2. Discover how Power BI lets you connect, visualize, and analyze data from nearly unlimited sources and types.

3. Learn how Assemble Systems can create a cloud-based dynamic connection between your model data and your visualizations in Power BI.

4. Discover the best practices to connecting your model data with data from any other source program.

Click here to register for the webinar....

Let's Talk Topography: Creating Site Models in Revit

 

Wow, I can't believe we are already at Episode 25 of BIM After Dark. Live!  It's pretty wild to see what a simple virtual happy hour has turned into over the last 6 months.  Thank you all for tuning in (live or after the show) and staying engaged!  

On this episode I dive into the world of modeling topography and site components in Revit.  I go over all kinds of need tricks, tips, and hacks that will help you create site models with a little more speed and a little less frustration...

We talked about:

- The Auto-Clicker Method
- The rarely used "Site Settings" Dialogue
- My secret way of making striping, retaining walls, earth retention, and underground utilities!

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

Back to the Basics: Revit Essentials with Paul Aubin

On this weeks episode of BIM After Dark Live I was honored to hose the "bim-famous" Paul Aubin as my guest.

I am sure many of you out there know who Paul is and have learned something about Revit from him at some point in your lifetime.

Paul and I discussed topics surrounding his latest book, "Revit Essentials for Architecture". Paul got into some interesting topics and we even went on some short rants about View Ranges, Model Groups, and In-Place components...

No matter what level of Revit experience you have this episode is certainly valuable. To new users, it will be a great glimpse into what Revit can do. For experienced users, it will be a reminder of what it took to get to where you are today (and maybe even an illustration of how you've been doing that ONE THING wrong this whole time... ;).

Sit back, relax, and join the conversation.

Continue reading for the episode replay and related links...

Practical Revit Family Tips and Tricks (w/Special Guest Philip Chan)

 

Mind. Blown. 

That is all I can say about last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live.  Philip Chan, of the Phil-oshophy in BIM blog, joined me to demonstrate some practical family tips and tricks.  

Ahead of the episode, Phil only sent me a few bullet points about what he was going to talk about. He did not give away any of his "punch-lines".  This is one of those episodes that you will want to watch regardless of your experience in Revit.  The little tricks that Phil demonstrates are not just useful but also show how you can use creative thinking to develop new ways of doing things in Revit.

Just some of the content we covered included:

- How to use nested profile to control rotation in your family 

- How to use nested profile to make exposed curve end beam family - Tips on getting the manufacturer family behave the way you want it

- Tips on re-purposing existing content as nested family

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

Thinking Outside the Box - Don't Let Revit Dictate Your Designs

 

This week marked the start of a new semester for most architecture students.  One of the things that has driven me crazy over the last 10+  years has been hearing architectural professors tell students that "Revit is only good for designing boxes" or "Revit restricts your designs"... 

Well, during this episode of BIM After Dark Live I took a look back at all of my studio (and professional) projects and highlighted the ones where I used Revit for more than "just boxes".   In this episode I dive into three specific projects and walk through exactly how they were created and what my design process was like.

Continue reading to see the episode, related links, and higher resolution images of the projects...

Filters in Revit - The Ultimate Guide (w/Aaron Maller)

 

Last night, Aaron Maller from Parallax Team joined me on the latest episode of BIM After Dark Live.  As usually, Aaron dropped a bunch of great Revit knowledge.  The topic was "view Filters". 

If you have not used View Filters in Revit yet, or if you are trying to figure out the best way to use them for your projects or templates, then this episode is for you.  I, for one, discovered view Filters late in my Revit journey and they have truly changed my perspective on the program.

Topics Covered:

- What is a View Filter?
- Best practices to implement view filters in your templates and projects.
- Using "INCLUDE" filters and parameters.
- Hiding different section and elevation types.
- Using the View Filter Manager Plugin
- Filtering casework concepts.

...and so so much more...

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

"Ask the Revit Kid" - Episode 20 Replays

 

Yesterday marked a milestone for BIM After Dark Live... Episode 20!  To honor the occasion we held a double header Q&A, stump the Revit Kid, extravaganza!

The format was simple... Ask me anything.  

And boy did you all ask!

Both sessions were around an hour long and I don't even think I was able to get through ever single question that was asked!  We touched on everything from dimension styles to rain-screen facades to cold form metal framing...  Thank you all for being so engaging and asking such awesome questions...

Continue reading to view both episodes, topics, and links...

Add an "X" Symbol When Your Framing is Cut in Revit

 

Today's quick tutorial was inspired by a post in the BIM After Dark Community. Tom was asking about adding detail items within families so when you cut a section you can see the detail...  He wasn't talking about stud framing but it reminded me of this tip that I wanted to share with you.

We have all spent time placing those pesky little Wood Stud Detail Components in our wall sections...  Well, there is nothing worse that doing that when you actually HAVE THE FRAMING MODELED!

So... here is a tip that will show you how to get the silly little "X" within your framing model families.  It can also be applied to any family times (ie. Adding more detailed line-work into a double hung window family.. you name it.).

Continue reading to view the tutorial...

Rebuilding Notre Dame... In Revit.

Wow...

That is all I can say after the latest episode of BIM After Dark Live...  

Andy Milburn joined me to walk us through one of the most stunning Revit models I have ever seen:  Notre Dame de Paris.  Andy and an awesome team of Revit-eers from around the world have re-built an absolute masterpiece of Gothic architecture in Revit. 

While walking through the actual model live, Andy explained their approaches to many unique elements around the building.

Topics Covered:

- How the initial plan was developed using images, exterior scans, and "Revit-tized".

- Unique Elements such as some really neat stairs.

- Exploration of modeling a variety of groin vaults.

- An Enscape fly through!

Continue reading to view the episode...