Revit Tip - Match 3D View with Real Life Camera Pictures

Great find on RevitForum by Luke over at What Revit Wants....

This is a nice little write-up about matching your Revit 3D Camera view with an actual photo you have taken... Excellent!

Autodesk Student Showreel 2011 - Revit and 3DS Max

I met Philipp Mueller at Autodesk University last year in Vegas.  He was a great guy and I had a blast with him and the rest of the Student Experts.  Philipp emailed me and sent a link to this fantastic video.  It shows a great blend of Autodesk Revit and 3DS Max.  Also, I posted way back in November of 2010 about links to lots of tutorials created by Autodesk Student Experts and Philipp was part of that team.  Check those tutorials and the post out here....

I love seeing fellow student's work... especially when it is done in Revit.  Thanks for the link Phil!

Also, you can check out the Autdoesk Student Experts YouTube channel for a bunch of good videos to watch...

Revit Tip - View Depth and Underlays

I previously posted about a handout created by a collaborative effort between myself and some other BIM guys at the firm... Well, here is a second part to that handout.  Dives into the "Underlay" and how it is managed.  This is also pulled from a previous post of mine about underlays....

Click here to see the Underlay Handout...

Revit Utility - Revit Family Browser

After my post from yesterday and the launch of SAuBIM - Code Calculations I began recieving a few emails from other people creating utilities for Revit.  I first heard of this next utility at AU2010 in Vegas (at least I think I remember seeing it).  Phillip Miller developed it and it is a real time saver...  Check it out...



Click here for more information and a free trial...

Revit SP Writer - Shared Parameter Utility

Thanks to Steve Stafford for the link... This is a great and useful utility.  I am all about making utilities for Revit (See SAuBIM - Code Calculations) and always give others utilities a try.

For those of you not familiar with Shared Parameters yet I plan on attacking them one day with tutorials...  I promise you that you will end up running into them in your Revit lifetime.

This is the initial public release of Revit SP.Writer for Excel.

This utility is intended to manage shared parameter files for Autodesk Revit platforms. It was written and tested using Excel 2007.

Features:

• Import Shared Parameter ’.txt’ files
• Export Shared Parameter ‘.txt’ files
• Create New Shared parameters
• Selective Export from Parameter Library
• Organize Parameters

Click here to view the post and download now...

Click here for a second post with some videos...

Revit MEP - Should we model the Existing?

These are my favorite types of posts... The posts in which my readers get to comment and add all their input to drive the subject.  So please, comment your little hearts out!

We are starting a very large project at my firm and, of course, using Revit.  All disciplines are in house (MEP and Structural).  As I am on the Architecture side of things I am modeling the existing building as I type this post.  In a meeting last week the topic was introduced about do we or do we not model the Existing MEP...

The project will have many construction phases with the existing MEP systems being used during the first one or two major phases.  Then, depending on what the engineers decide, the existing MEP will be demolished completely or bits and pieces demolished.

I would like to ask you, my readers, who may be experienced with Revit MEP and renovations/additions... Do you model the existing MEP components?  Or maybe just the HVAC portion?

Any and all feedback is welcome... I think this will help my readers as much as it will help me.

BIM Summer Reading List

I subscribe to VicoSoftware's blog and I enjoy many of the BIM and VDC articles... I thought I would repost and link to their Summer Reading list for Architect's, GC's, and contractors...

5 Pieces of Advice for GCs Considering BIM

Many GCs come to Vico for advice on how to get started with BIM. Here are 5 recommendations for new BIM departments and their managers.

10 Things Every BIM Manager Should Know

It’s a great time to be a BIM Manager in construction. It’s a chance to combine your love of building with the latest technology and Lean methodologies. You get to carve out strategy and help everyone with the tools that they need to win new business and successfully execute profitable projects.

Why You Need an MPS for EVERY BIM Project

The MPS is a protocol for bringing information together from all the design disciplines, estimating, and scheduling. It ensures each team member knows what he needs to produce, at what point and at what level of detail and can plan accordingly.

What Can Be Done to Improve BIM Model Fidelity?

There are several ways to dramatically improve model fidelity issues in a BIM construction project: use the model progression specification (MPS); employ reputable 3D modeling services; utilize the Vico 5D Standard Library and Warehouse; take advantage of Vico Office features to override poor model quality. The end goal are BIM models suitable for construction: 5D estimating, 4D scheduling, and 3D constructability.

... Click here to see the rest of the summer reading list...

Revit Tip - Floor Plan and Ceiling Plan View Range Explained

There has been a trend in the firm I work for with new Revit adopters... Particularly, the ones who started out in AutoCAD.  The issue stems from the understanding of "View Range" and it's multiple settings.  Well, with some serious searching throughout the blogosphere, Revit help, and forums I pieced together a list of links and images to be compiled.  Doug Campbell, the IT guy at our company, put together a great hand out using this information. Even the most advanced of Revit users should print this whitepaper out and keep it at hand.

Click here to download and view the View Range handout...

We also are planning on using some of Steve's old videos from a few years ago to help explain this....

I also had a previous post that touched slightly on it...

Revit Tutorial – Family Creation Series – Part 13 - Adjustable Angle Curtain Wall Door

Topics Covered in the final part of the series (See the first and second video tutorials here)...

• Loading the nested family.
• Locking the instance parameters.
• Adding and using the nested parameters.
• Flexing and testing the dimensional and angled parameters.
• Loading into project and testing.

Click here to view the tutorial video via YouTube.

Click here to view the tutorial video via Screencast.

Revit Tutorial – Family Creation Series – Part 12 - Adjustable Angle Curtain Wall Door

The second part of our creation of an adjustable curtain wall door series explores the following topics:

• Adding parameters.
• Flexing/Testing the parameters.
• 90 and 180 Degree issues and resolutions

**Note**  One thing I did not show in the video was that I locked the swing angle to the horizontal and vertical reference planes...

Click here to view the tutorial video via YouTube.

Click here to view the tutorial video via Screencast.

Revit Tutorial – Family Creation Series – Part 11 - Adjustable Angle Curtain Wall Door

This is a topic that always comes up... I don't know why Autodesk does not simply put doors with adjustable swings in the content library... Anyways, I have explored the topic of adjustable swinging doors in my own post here and a repost here...  

I wanted to use the example of an adjustable curtain wall door for my Family Creation Series.  I thought this would be a good example to use because it requires nested families, angle parameters, and shared/nested parameters between families.

Topics covered in this part of the series:

• Load the curtain wall door.
• Edit the curtain wall door.
• Creating the nested family for the floor plan visibility.  

Click here to view the tutorial video via YouTube.

Click here to view the tutorial video via Screencast.