Revit Tip - Exporting Ambient Occlusion (Revit Clinic)

I am not sure how I missed posting this one last year... I am fiddling with Ambient Occlusion and different views when I rememberd a tip over at the Revit Clinic... I decided to repost it with a link here for my readers that might have missed it too...

Exporting Ambient Occlusion
You can include Ambient Occlusion in an exported image. However when exporting an image from a view with Ambient Occlusion enabled there is a threshold related to the pixel size of the export and whether or not the effect can be included. Typically once you go above 2000-2100 pixels in the horizontal direction the effect will be excluded.
For example; you have a monitor resolution of 1600 X 1200. You are exporting a shaded view with Ambient Occlusion enabled, at 300 DPI, to a TIFF image. If you keep the R > Export > Images > Images and Animations > Image > Image Size, around 2000 pixels, Ambient Occlusion should be included.

Click here to visit The Revit Clinic and see the rest of the post with more images and explinations...

Revit Tip - Managing Phases with Revit Links

I received an email the other day asking if I could do a few videos on Phasing. This is the snort of topic I have tried to stay away from because I was not sure how best to attack it, but shortly after I read the email I found myself dealing with phases in the office.

The project we were working on is in the very early stages and required some simulation of the actual project construction phases. Therefore, instead of the simple Existing, New, and Demo phases I needed to create 5 new phases. Of course, we had a few different site models linked in that will coincide with certain stages. Well, how do you manage when these site models show and in what stage? As with most Revit solutions... "There is a menu for that" (ha, kind of like "there is an app for that").

Select your Revit Link. Click Edit Type in the Properties bar.

There is a button in the Edit Type window called "Phase Mapping"... Tah dah!  The rest is pretty self explanitory...  Just coordinate which Phase in the Link you want to coincide with which phase in the Main Model.

What Would You Like to See in a Revit Class or Book?

I am in the midst of a project in school (one that I am going to keep semi-secret for a while longer). I would like to reach out to my fellow students, teachers, and professionals....

What would you like to see in a Revit book and Revit class that YOU feel is missing?

For example, using Revit to assist in creating Physical models... Etc...

Please comment below. I am asking you all because I value all of my readers input. The more comments and input the better.

P.S. I will inform you of the project later in the semester but I think you will all be excited about it.

BIM Video: How a Culture of Collaboration & Technology Enables Sustainable Design Excellence at NBBJ

I havn't posted much lately from Design Intelligence but I thought this was a nice video to watch.  Of course, I wish we were able to see the PowerPoint, but still a good video to take a look at.

At the 2010 Design Futures Council Leadership Summit on Sustainable Design, Steve McConnell, Managing Partner of NBBJ spoke about new technologies that are driving innovative sustainable design solutions at NBBJ. Using two projects currently under construction, Steve discusses the need for new models of collaboration to enable paradigm shifts in our industry.


Click here to see the post and video...

Revit Tip - Change the Color of RPC Trees

I know many people who like the simplicity of placing RPC Trees and plantings into a model but are frustrated when they find out the only way to use them is when rendering.  Well, this is only partly true.  By changing the color of the RCP tree you can get some nice effects WITHOUT rendering... Like this image below:

Changing the color of these RPC Revit trees is so simple I am not even going to make a video.  Just follow these steps:

1. Go to the "Manage" tab.
2. Click the "Object Styles" button.
3. Scroll down and find the "Planting" category.
4. Under the Material column click the blank box and browse...
5. Create a material with whatever surface color you desire.

An there you have it... Tah dah!  Now you can make some nice visualizations with and without rendering!
*Little Tip*  Sometimes is it nice to rotate some of the trees randomly when using them in both a rendering and shaded view...

Project Vasari 1.1 Now Released!

David Light created such a nice post I figured I would give him a link and tell you all about the new release!

Project Vasari 1.1

Today Autodesk released Vasari 1.1 on Autodesk labs, be sure to check out the new version. The latest updates include:-

• Metric Templates
• Text Notes
• Work Sharing File Protection
• Export to STL for 3D printing
• Ecotect Wind Rose
• Ecotect Planar Solar Radiation
• Nucleus physical phenomena form finding

Go get it at http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/vasari/

New Technologies: Project Nucleus and the New Vasari

Some fantastic new announcements in the Revit community.  First, there will be a new Vasari being released soon (Version 1.1). 

Click here to see a trailer of the new Vasari...

Stay tuned for a post as to when Vasari is released.

Next,  Project Nucleus is live over in the Autodesk Labs... This one you have got to check out. 

Overview
Project Nucleus integrates the Nucleus simulation engine from Autodesk® Maya® into Autodesk® Revit® and Project Vasari. It allows designers to experiment with "form-finding" in the conceptual design phase by simulating forces directly in Revit and Project Vasari. (An upcoming technology preview of Project Vasari will include the Project Nucleus functionality.)


Project Nucleus can simulate a wide range of physical phenomena in real time, like wind, gravity, constraints, and collisions. These forces can help architects generate free-form shapes, many of which would be impossible to model by hand.


The technology preview ends on December 31, 2011. Any designs that you create remain valid after that date, but the Project Nucleus add-on will no longer operate when the technology preview terminates.
Click here to see the Web Page for Project Nucleus with videos and download information...

Revit Tutorial - Create a Monolithic Stair Stringer

This is the sort of thing that many people will sit there and think, "Well, why the heck do you need a stringer on monolithic stairs". Well, the example I have is one from the firm where I work. We have a monolithic precast concrete stair in a parking garage. this parking garage is part of a high school we are designing. The project architect wants to tack on some stringers to close the gap between the stairs (either per code or his preference... No idea).

Given there is no real explanation on how to do this out there I made a little video. This is only one method but there are a few off the top of my head that would work.

Topics Covered:

- Editing a Railing Profile
- Creating a parametric stringer profile.
- Loading the profile back into the project.
- Exploring the stringer/railing combination.

Click here to see the tutorial via YouTube.

Click here to see the video via Screencast.com.

The History or Revit

Two fantastic posts about the history of Revit by Luke over at What Revit Wants... For those of you who are new to the software or Autodesk and want to know a little of the history this is a great little synopsis.

Click here for Part 1 of the posts...

Click here for Part 2 of the posts....

"Scalies" - People Textures in Renderings: Related to BIM?

During my daily news readings (flipping through websites, blogs, news feeds, journal and newspaper apps, etc...) I stumbled upon a recent article by Rob Walker in then New York Times:

See the Article Here


This article touched upon the idea of using people in architecture renderings. Reading through the article I began to ponder... First, what a world it has become when a great blog like BLDGBLOG is featured in a New York Times article isn't a Blogspot.com address... cool. Geoff also adds a nice commentary about the subject:

See the Post Here

Anyways, read the article. The article makes you think quite a bit more about why, who, and what are these people doing in your rendering? Fellow students, professionals, and myself are all using some form of people texture in our renderings. Sometimes its a simple silhouette and other times it is a photorealistic representation.

Due to the fact that I tend to relate everything I do in my life to Revit, BIM, and Architecture I couldn't help but think about these people. Revit has a decent set up RPC (Rich Photorealistic Content) people. Autodesk so nicely names these people, but, leaves it at that. Given the concept of Information in BIM, should these people have more information? Should we provide some parameters about these people?

Hmm... Maybe Alex, with his briefcase, standing in front of the building is a salesman with three kids and a wife named Julia? Would there be any benefit from doing this? One could argue, as a designer, understanding and studying possible subjects that will occupy your building and then placing them in it could be a beneficial task.

Would Jerry's head clash with duct work when the MEP model is built?

Very important information could be drawn from these little RPC people that actually live inside your model.

Anyways... to get back to being a bit more serious... Read the article. It really makes you think about these semi-fictitious people...

Posted by: Jeffrey A. Pinheiro, LEED AP at The Revit Kid.com!

Revit Tutorial - Revit to Google Earth (Globe Link)

I was exploring linking Revit to Google Earth the other day and ran acorss this little video.  I found it deep in the forums somewhere so I was not sure who it belonged to.  Through a bit of investigation is looks like it was from Revit Clinic.  I cannot seem to find the actual post.  If you guys over at Revit Clinic want to take credit shoot me an email where it was orignially posted. 

Anyways, first... Here is the video:

Click here to see the Revit Global Link (Revit to Google Earth) tutorial video...

Now, let me give you a few pointers before going about this.

• For some reason the plug-in decides to use your Startup Base Point as the origin when youn export to the Google Earth file.  Therefore, if your building floor is at 88'-0" absolute elevation than it will float above Google's "Earth" by 88'-0"....  This is an absolute pain and the only way I found to work around it was to start a new project and copy your model into it just so you can export.
• The video makes it look insanely easy to line up your building with the site.  In reality, and you will see when you try, the "snapshot" method is very inaccurate and very difficult to use.  I dare you to try lining up an existing Revit Model with its satellite image in Google Earth.
• I cannot figure out what "North" the exporter is using.  I tried many different ways of Aquiring from Google Earth in many different views and the Exported Model, when brought into Google Earth, would always be oriented differently.

Please, if anyone out there has mastered this little tool post a comment or shoot me an email.

The plugin has a ton of potential and benefits, but, right now, I would have to say it is nothing more than a headache.

Click here to download Revit Global Link 2011

Revit Tutorial – Family Creation Series – Part 10 – Create a Door

Topics Covered:

• Creating the door panel in 2D (Plan View).
• Creating the door swing in plan view.
• Exploring visibility of door in plan view.

Click here to view the Revit video tutorial via YouTube

Click here to view the Revit video tutorials via Screencast.com

Revit Tutorial – Family Creation Series – Part 9 – Create a Door

Topics Covered:

• Creating the door panel in 3D.
• Creating a door stop.
• Importing the family into a project.
• Understanding Visibility and the Door panel.

Click here to view the Revit video tutorial via YouTube

Click here to view the Revit video tutorials via Screencast.com

Revit Tutorial – Family Creation Series – Part 8 – Create a Door

Topics Covered:

• Modeling a Door Frame inside the door family.
• Adding Parameters to the frame.
• Using a Sweep by 3D Edges.
• Having your door frame wrap the wall that hosts it.

Click here to view the Revit video tutorial via YouTube

Click here to view the Revit video tutorials via Screencast.com

Revit Tutorial – Family Creation Series – Part 7 – Create a Door

In an ongoing effort to continue my series on creating Revit families I decided to show you how to make a door from scratch. I decided to not practice or setup before the videos in order to show you all how common certain mistakes our and the problem solving that exists… Enjoy.

Topics Covered:

• Understanding Family Category – Door
  
• Why is there a wall in here?
  
• Adding Reference Planes
  
• Adding and Testing Parameters
  
• Creating the Door Opening.
  
• Testing the Opening
  

Click here to view the Revit video tutorial via YouTube



Click here to view the Revit video tutorials via Screencast.com

Yale BIM Symposium Video

Videos from the Yale BIM Symposium have also been posted over at the Autodesk Education Community... Defintely worth watching ALL of them.  Uncle Phil at his best!

Autodesk and Yale University BIM Symposium

As BIM adoption accelerates throughout the building industry, so does the need for BIM integration into the education curricula of AEC disciplines. This change in the academic environment is quickly becoming a reality. On April 24, 2010, at Yale University, Autodesk Vice President Phil Bernstein and Yale Professor Peggy Deamer developed and moderated the Yale BIM Symposium: Implications for Architectural Pedagogy. The following videos represent some of the several presenters from this informative event.

• Phil Bernstein — Welcome and Introduction to BIM Discussion
• Phil Bernstein — Implications of BIM
• Peggy Deamer — BIM's Pedagogical Placement in Academia
• John Messner — Leveraging BIM to Enable the Development of Collaborative Knowledge
• Josh Emig — BIM in Integrated Design and Construction Education
• David Fano — Engaging the Tools: Digital Fabrication

Revit Tutorials - Total BIM Lessons!

Looking through the Autodesk BIM Curriculum just release at the Education Community I stumbled upon a HUGE series of tutorial videos... For FREE!

• Click here to view the Autodesk BIM Curriculum Tutorial Videos

Some great information... Not sure how I feel about the spinning cubes and low quality sound... But, it is good!

Autodesk Education Newsletter - New BIM Curriculum!

The latest news letter has some cool updates... Including a new BIM Curriculum you should definitely check out.

New Autodesk BIM 2011 Curriculum Essential concepts and learning tools empower students to more fluidly design and communicate, test and plan using BIM models in an IPD framework. The curriculum is written by an award winning professor from Stanford University and his student team.

Dr. Andrew Marsh Presents at ECPPM Hear Dr. Andrew Marsh give his keynote presentation from the 9th European Conference on Product and Process Modelling (ECPPM) at University College Cork (Ireland). Dr. Marsh discusses BIM and the Performative Design Process.

Infrastructure Conceptual Design Technology on Autodesk Labs Project Galileo is an easy-to-use planning tool for creating 3D city models from civil, geospatial and building data. It also enables users to sketch conceptual infrastructure ideas within the model. Download this technology preview on Autodesk® Labs today!

AIAS Hosts Vasari Webcast Listen in as Autodesk senior product manager, Matt Jezyk, discusses and demonstrates Project Vasari, the new standalone tool for conceptual design derived from the Revit® platform on a recent AIAS webcast.

Autodesk University Education Presentations Available Six influential leaders in academia presented research projects and best practices at Autodesk University. Their informative presentations are now available for download and review.

Autodesk University Podcasts Listen to informative podcasts recorded for Autodesk University and find out what attendees had to share. Topics include sustainable design for engineering students, creativity in architecture, what firms are looking for in college graduates, and more.

AIAS Hosts an Autodesk Webcast on Green Building Design Register now for the February 17 webcast and hear one of the contributors of the BIM curriculum discuss how students today need to be skilled in green building design in order to create sustainable, self-sufficient structures.