Working with Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis Videos and Tips

Some good videos and in for from Revit Clinic...

Working with Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis 

Today I wanted to provide some links for additional information on using Robot Structural Analysis with Revit Structure. I've had questions come up from time to time, and there are some good resources in scattered locations - so I wanted to pull out a bunch for reference.

Webcasts:

Tips & Tricks for Interoperability Between Revit & Robot Structural Analysis Professional:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer/form?siteID=123112&id=14622266&ch=ON&src=PTRC&mktvar001=99430&mktvar002=99430&CMP=&rid=

Analysis Integration with Revit Structure:
http://resources.autodesk.com/Architecture/Revit_Structure/Webcasts

Advanced Analysis in Robot Structural Analysis Professional:
http://resources.autodesk.com/Architecture/Revit_Structure/Webcasts

Documentation:

Integrating Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis Professional (PDF): http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=8447106

Autodesk University Online Classes:

Concrete Reinforcement with Autodesk Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis:
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=class&session_id=5238

Preparing your Revit Structure Model for Robot Structural Analysis:
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=class&session_id=5270

I hope this helps! If you have any other good recommendations please feel free to comment and let us know!

AU 2010 : Day 1 Ended and Day 2 Begins...

Well, all I can say so far is wow... First, the initial shock of Las Vegas itself is enough to overwhelm any first timer here... This place is packed full of activity.

I arrived here yesterday around 11:30. I didn't make it to Register until roughly 3 o'clock in the afternoon thanks to our luggage being locked in the back of a shuttle bus... Oh, and that lock broke (they had to pry the door open eventually).

I registered and walked around the Mandalay Bay to see where all the classes, exhibits, and keynotes will be held. Very excited... Heading into a class being taught by David Fano of Design Reform.

Oh, and a little tip to anyone who might still be coming here or plans on going next year...Wear comfortable shoes!!!! There is a lot of walking.

Finally, go play the number 24 at the first roulette table you see when entering Harrahs...

Off to Vegas in the morning..!

Very excited to go to my first Autodesk University!!!  Hopping on the plane early tomorrow and landing in Vegas around noon...

Look forward to meeting my fellow bloggers and readers...  Email me at Jeff@TheRevitKid.com if you want to meet up!!

Who, What, and Why? Project Vasari

I have had a lot of great discussions with colleagues and classmates about the reason for Vasari.  What is its purpose, intent, and goal?  Well, thanks to Greg for reposting this nice break down from The Labs.

"Yesterday was the day. We officially launched Project Vasari on Autodesk Labs. I thought I would give everyone a behind the scenes look at how this all came about.
Genesis

As we said in the teaser, it started as a simple question: What if we reduced Revit to its essentials? Followed quickly by: What would it look like? What would we keep? Who would it be for? This evolved into the following goals:

• Create a simplified "on-ramp" to introduce building information modeling concepts to students and young designers
• Focus on the conceptual modeling and cloud-based analysis work flows
• Create a "sandbox" where we can experiment on new features and concepts
• Deliver this as a technology preview on the web ... "

... Continue Reading the rest of the post...

Personally, my favorite part of the post had to do with the persona.  Who was Project Vasari designed for?  Well, his name is Gabrial and he is a student like you and me..

Therefore, if you are student reading this blog... download Vasari now and give it a shot... It was made for you... really...

Autodesk University by the Numbers: AU Blaug

With AU around the corner let's take a look at the numbers:

• Number of registered attendees for AU 2010: 6102
• Countries represented at AU 2010: 77
• Percent of attendees from the United States: 77
• Number of attendees from next top five countries: Canada–442, Great Britain–124, Australia–76, Brazil–65, Germany–58
• Greatest distance to travel to attend AU: 10135 miles from South Africa
• Number of hours of video to be posted to AU Online after the conference: over 500
• Number of speakers at AU and AU Virtual: 520
• Number of classes, including AU Virtual: 1028
• Number of attendees enrolled in the three most popular classes:
  • 710 – 60 AutoCAD® Tips in 60 Minutes
  • 497 – Getting up to Speed on AutoCAD® 2011
  • 374 (tie) – AutoCAD® Secrets Exposed! and Dig Yourself Out of a Hole! Earthwork in AutoCAD® Civil 3D®
• Number of hands-on labs at AU 2010: 87
• Number of exhibitor attendees: 491
• Number of exhibits: 125
• Number of guests: 193
• Number of AU Virtual classes: 308
• Number of AU Virtual product clinics: 86
• Price of an AU Virtual Premier Pass: US$139   :-)

It is awesome to see the numbers... But, the top 3 classes still AutoCAD?? I wonder if this has to do with the size of the rooms that offer the classes or what?  I honestly thought that Revit would grab hold of the most popular classes this Autodesk University...  Any thoughts?

Vasari - Conceptual Bug Maker?

I know Vasari is in the Labs and not a retail release from Autodesk but I though I would mention a couple little bugs I have noticed while usingthe software...  Are any of you having these issues?

Kicks Internet:  I have used Vasari in both ways (streaming install and downloaded install) and noticed that each time I run the softare, if I am connected to the internet via wifi, the connection drops.  Either it completely disconnects or has "limited or no connectivity".  The fix? Easy, disconnect and reconnect to the wifi.  Very strange little bug.  The only reason it has been frustrating me is because it kicks my internet radio!

Funky Graphics:  Now, I know Vasari is all about "conceptual modeling" and "free forms"... But, what is with the funky graphic issues on the menu bar?  Is it the conceptual idea of an Undo Button, or the Undo Button?  ** I tried takingn a screen cap but the graphic errors would disappear when ever I select a different program / function**

Solar Radiation Workflow: No doubt, the solar radiation features of Vasari make it an insanly powerful tool. But I found it an annoyance to turn off/on the solar raditation model that wraps your massing.  For example, if you run a solar radiation analysis and manipulate the mass it updates.. great.  But, if you delete the solar radiation object (because that is just what my brain and fingers want to do) it can cause some interesting problems.  Try running the solar radiation after deleting the element and there is nothing to see...  A few steps of deleting, escaping, and so on... then, finally you are back to square one.


By all means, comment... Are you having similar problems?

I am a huge advocate for Vasari and really love the concept... Just thought I would share a few annoyances.

Now, if you will hold on... I have to reconnect to my wifi because Vasari kicked me off...

Revit Tip - Parameter Values from Image (buildz)

Again, an excellent post from Zach over at buildz...

I’ve dedicated way too much space in this blog to the “Parameter Values From Image” plugin for Revit, partly because the results can be so cool, partly because it’s a nice general illustration of the power of generic API tools to expand Revit’s capabilities. So here is one more. I have a Vasari specific installer for this plugin that you can download from here. There are also some example files and the readme from the Revit SDK where the original C# code lives. While this is only for Vasari, I will do my best to make one for Revit sometime soon...

... Click here to see how he did it and a video....

Revit Tip - Save All Families in a Project to RFAs and Folders

Great tool that I think can help many people in many ways... Oh, the possibilities... 

From What Revit Wants....

Save All Families in a Project to RFAs and Folders AUTOMATICALLY

This is awesome.  Let's say you have a project with heaps of families in it, and you want to save them to individual files.  There is an API add on that does exactly this.  How do you get it and use it?


First of all, download this file (Chapter 24) from the Sybex resource page for the book Mastering Revit Architecture 2011.


Now:

1. This is a ZIP file, so unzip the file.
2. Browse in the contents to:
   \c24\ExampleApplication\ExampleApplication\bin\Debug\
3. Copy everything from this folder to:
   C:\Revit Projects\
4. Copy the two .addin files from the \c24\ folder to the correct location as shown below:
       * For a specific user:
             o For Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2011
             o For Vista/Windows 7 - C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2011
   
       * For all users:
             o For Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2011
             o For Vista/Windows 7 - C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2011
   
   Refer to this post at The Building Coder for more information.
5. Restart Revit 2011

Now, on the Add-Ins ribbon, there will be a new section for the Revit Family Export Utility:

 

When you run this with a Project open, it will prompt you for a directory, and then it will save all the families from the current Project to .rfa family files, and it will put them into appropriate directories (by Category) for you!

This is a very cool tool - thanks to Don Rudder for his great chapter in the book, and for this excellent API demonstration.

Vasari Tutorials - The Essentials

A collection of basic tutorials that will help you understand Project Vasari and become a better Revit Conceptual modeler as well... Enjoy:















Videos courtesy of Autodesks YouTube Channel...

Project Vasari is Live and FREE!

Head on over to The Labs and download Autodesk Project Vasari now!

Upload some images of things you have created in Vasari to a site like Photobucket and share the links in the comment section below... Let's see some cool stuff!!

CLICK HERE TO EXPERIENCE PROJECT VASARI.

Project Vasari - Finally Some Information

I was fortunate enough to attend an Autodesk webcast today on Project Vasari... Finally, we know what it is!  Here are some quick points...

• Stripped down the Revit UI.
• Running on the web.
• Integrating Conceptual Engergy Analysis.
• Streaming Install
• "Essential Skiils" - Tutorial videos at startup.
• Extracting core modeling features from Revit and expose them inside a watered down user interface.
• Using Autodesk ID from your Autodesk Labs account you can access more features (such as Climate Server information, and Conceptual Energy Analysis).

I have not used it for very long now but I will definitely be posting a personal Review and video this weekend.  This will be a great piece of software for students and possibly a launch pad for learning Revit.  As David Light mentioned, this could possibly accelerate the adoption of Revit...  The slimmed down UI and almost, dare I say, "Sketch-up" based look and feel to it, I think, will be much easier for new users to adapt to and accept.

More to come...

Project Vasari - What is it??

No idea... I will let you know when I find out myself very soon... But, it's a cool video:

The Revit Kid.com! on Twitter

A few readers emails and my own personal interest have led The Revit Kid.com to be on Twitter...

It will forward all of my posts to tweets and I will update it with my own personal tweets as well.  Not sure how I will feel about it, but let's give it a try!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Revit Tutorials - Getting Started to Advanced Detailing to Massing

A bunch of great tutorials for your pleasure...

Getting Started Video Tutorials for Revit Architecture 2011
This tutorial is conceived to allow an easy start with Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 and to get an extensive overview of the power of building information modeling.

The creators of these videos asked if I could publish them on my blog... so... of course I did!!  I did not watch every single one of them but from what I saw it looks to be a good resource for those of you learning Revit.  Don't forget to send me an email if you have any questions not covered here, on my blog, or anywhere in the world...

For your pleasure....

• Step00/14 Introduction (2:13)
• Step01/14 User Interface (4:07)
• Step02/14 Grid & Levels (6:50)
• Step03/14 Wall, Columns, Floor Modifications (6:06)
• Step04/14 Split Element, Match Properties, Attach Elements to Top (3:47)
• Step05/14 Interiors Walls, Trim / Extend Elements, Doors (5:42)
• Step06/14 Windows, Stairs, Shaft Opening (5:14)
• Step07/14 Railing, Modification of Curtain Walls (5:29)
• Step08/14 Import Site, Building Pad, Place Site Components (5:17)
• Step09/14 Groups, Rooms & Rooms Tag, Color Scheme (7:05)
• Step10/14 Dimensions (6:32)
• Step11/14 Wall Constuction & Wall Wrapping, Schedules & Tag Elements, Section (5:45)
• Step12/14 View Template, View Properties, Sheets (5:50)
• Step13/14 Freeform (6:13)
• Step14/14 Sun Path, Camera & Navigation Wheel, Render Properties (6:39)

Download Datasets & Handout
http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=revit2011_english



Advanced Detailing Tutorial for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
This tutorial is dedicated to the detail planning. In the next 12 steps you will learn how to draw details and create detail components.

• Step 00/12 - Introduction  (0:48)
• Step 01/12 - Project settings (5:11)
• Step 02/12 - Override graphics in view, link a Revit project, import a dwg (3:39)
• Step 03/12 - Bearing structure (5:23)
• Step 04/12 - Roof and roof joins (7:12)
• Step 05/12 - Renovation plan (6:21)
• Step 06/12 - Wall sweep and reveal, create in‐place component (5:59)
• Step 07/12 - Sloped insulation, multi layered wall and wall joins (5:02)
• Step 08/12 - Lines, create line type, callout (4:40)
• Step 09/12 - Masking region, filled region, repeating detail component, detail component (5:03)
• Step 10/12 - Cut profile, tag material, element keynote (4:47)
• Step 11/12 - Linework, view range, plane region (4:50)
• Step 12/12 - Title block, legend component, print and export (4:42)

Download Datasets & Handout
http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=revit2011_english



Professional Mass Modeling & Render Video Tutorials for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011In this Tutorial you will learn a variety of methods to sketch easy and complicated freeforms with Autodesk Revit Architecture. To be able to present effectively architectural drafts, we will also show several ways to visualize your architectural design.

• Step 00/12 – Introduction (1:21)
• Step 01/12 – Extrusion – Work Plane – Void (5:16)
• Step 02/12 – Conceptual Mass – Blend Mass – Edit Mass Profiles (5:31)
• Step 03/12 – Reference Lines – Freeform Surface – Revolve Mass (6:37)
• Step 04/12 - Swept Blend Mass – Dissolve Mass – Spline Through Points (5:02)
• Step 05/12 – Divide Surface – Surface Patterns – Adaptive Elements  (4:30)
• Step 06/12 – Panel by Pattern (Part 1) Type – Parameter (6:40)
• Step 07/12 – Curtain Panel by Pattern (Part 2) Instance – Parameter (5:38)
• Step 08/12 – Autodesk Mass Floors – Floor Area and Volume Calculations – Place Floor, Wall, Curtain System and Roof by Face (6:00)
• Step 09/12 – Walkthrough (7:03)
• Step 10/12 – Render Materials – Exterior Daylight Render – Background Image (6:49)
• Step 11/12 – Night Render – Adjust Exposure – Render without Textures (7.26)
• Step 12/12 – Graphics Display Options – Shadow Settings – Interior Daylight Render (4:59)

Download Datasets & Handout
http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=revit2011_english


Contact with questions etc...

Philipp Mueller
Teamleader Autodesk Student Experts TU Graz | Austria
Mail: autodesk.stex.tugraz@gmail.com
Homepage:http://studententrainerprojekt.tugraz.at/autodesk
Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/AutodeskStExTUGraz
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AutodeskStExTUG