Revizto for Revit: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

Those of you who have followed this blog will know my never ending interest in the multitudes of presentation techniques and Revit (or BIM in general).  This infatuation is what lead me to BIM After Dark.  This infatuation has also lead me to trying every piece of software I can get my hands on related to utilizing building information models for presentation types of media (from Showcase, to CryEngine, to 3DS Max, etc…).

I stumbled upon Revizto while researching video game engines and Revit.  Then, I had a project in the office that needed a “rendered walkthrough” in less than 24 hours.  I thought to myself, “this will be a perfect time to test out Revizto”.  I downloaded the 30-day free trial and installed the software.  If there is one major point I want you to take away from this review it’s that Revizto is EASY.  The way Revizto communicates with Revit is the way ALL visualization tools should communicate with Revit…. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get on with the review.

Revit Structure Tip - 3D Reinforcement

I think I found this post because Marcello tweeted it... Not fully sure, but it was in my drafts here on the blog.  Anyways, some awesome stuff for Revit Structure... Or, I guess anyone using One Box??

First, a little about the publisher (Håvard Vasshaug):

"My name is Håvard Vasshaug and I’m a Digital Design Manager at Dark. I have a passion for the way digital 3D allows my imagination to play, and work out this passion using Revit. I also enjoy distributing knowledge, and often feel I’m in my element when I’m teaching Revit. I work worldwide with anything that relates to this from my base in Oslo, Norway. If you’re interested in learning something about Revit or BIM, please do not hesitate to contact me! "

 And now... Onto the goodies!...

Revit Tip - Pin and Unpin Multiple Grids and Mullions

Someone left a comment on an old post about selecting multiple curtain panels and mullions.  I thought it was a simple enough tip that maybe some people have not found simply because they only noticed the "pin" within the working view and not on the ribbon.

When you select a series of curtain grids, panels, or mullions there is an option in the highlighted "Modify | Curtain Wall Grids" tab:

Click to enlarge...

In conclusion, the pin that pops up when you select an element is not the ONLY way to pin or unpin things... 

**Edit** Or as Paul Aubin and Luke Johnson rightfully pointed out... The default keyboard shortcut for Pin is "PN" and Unpin is "UP" ...

So You Want to Learn the Revit API??

Some of you may remember Harry Mattison from our launch of SAuBIM v2.0 not too long ago...  Well, Harry has created a course on Udemy (a really awesome site) about the Revit API.  His course contains over five hours of lectures!

Harry is very knowledgeable about the Revit API and was a pleasure to team up with for SAuBIM.  So if you have been wanting to learn how to make your own Revit API add-ins and increase your productivity you should definitely give Harry's class a look.  He also has a 5 star rating so far with some very nice testimonials.

Click here to view Harry's class "Learn to program the Revit API: Learn how to write C# code for the Revit API to customize, automate, and improve Autodesk Revit software." on Udemy...

**Using the link above will save you some money thanks to Harry! **

Paul Aubin - Classical Architecture and Revit

I met Paul for the first time in Atlanta over two years ago and got to know him even better at this years RTC.  In fact, we had some pretty rough microwaved eggs together at the airport before leaving Vancouver (yuck).

Anyways, Paul is a great guy who produces some quality Revit content.  His next project is a book about created classical architecture in Autodesk Revit.

Paul is looking for some information from the Revit world before finalizing his publication (which he plans on releasing this year!!!  If you are interesting in the subject matter and the book release, please take the time to answer a short survey for Paul.

Click here to  take the survey...

Revit Tutorial - Changing the Font Type of a Section or Elevation Mark (Callout)

This is a really quick and simple tutorial that I think some will find very useful.  Not much explanation is needed because the title says it all.  Here is a video demonstrating how to change the font of your section head in Revit.  The same process could apply to an elevation symbol as well...

Click here to view the changing a section heads font video via YouTube.
Click here to view the changing a section heads font video via Screencast.

On Learning New Software.

It has been quite some time since I tried to learn a new software.  Honestly, I forgot what it feels like. Staring at the user interface having absolutely no idea where to begin.  Clicking around and getting frustrated with the results of those clicks.  Feeling scared and thinking "is this really worth it?"  Maybe I should just outsource it.

I have always loved creating things.  Creating music using Cubase, Pro-Tools, or Reason.  Creating artwork in MS Paint and Photoshop.  Creating buildings and renderings in Sketchup, Revit, 3DS Max, etc...  An area I have only slightly touched on is video editing and creation.  I have used iMovie and Windows Movie Maker in the past, but with the quality of work I want for BIM After Dark I decided to dive into the world of Adobe After Effects.  Additionally, I recently finished a rebuild of a car project and am learning TunerStudio to tune the car...

Regardless of the software, the learning process is always the same. There is always that terrifying feeling the first few times I open the software.  The frustration of not being able to find out how to do a simple little task. And finally, the joy of completing my first project.

I was reminded of this over the past few weeks and happily accepted the highs and lows.

Remember, you are not the only one who is or has gone through this process.  We ALL have...



P.S. - I was also reminded about how valuable video tutorials are, why I began this blog all those years ago, and why I will continue to help as many people as I can when they are going through the same things I do when learning new software.