In my last post, I discussed the two major challenges that beginners will face when learning Dynamo for Revit. The first challenge to overcome is being able to relate Dynamo to a real-world problem as a solution. The second challenge is figuring out where and how to begin.
Because getting started is such a huge obstacle to overcome at the beginning of your Dynamo journey, I wanted to expand a bit on how I began and talk to those of you who may have attempted to learn Dynamo already.... (Oh, and there may be a FREE giveaway inside, too...)
For this post, I am going to ask three questions.
I will answer the questions as they relate to my Dynamo journey, but I also want those of you who attempted to learn Dynamo (and maybe didn't get as far as you thought you would or stopped the journey), or those of you who are further along in your Dynamo journey, to answer the questions in the comments section below.
I am going to pick my favorite comment and that person will get DIY Dynamo's Spring Session for free!
Question #1 - When you finally decided to learn Dynamo, what did you do and where do you look to start the process? (Don't forget to answer in the comments below...)
My Answer - As I discussed in my "Dynamo Journey" post from last year, it actually took realizing that Dynamo could solve a real problem in my daily life to get me moving and start searching for tutorials, tips, and content. Looking back now, I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out where to begin. Fortunately, I had a problem to solve and I immediately attacked it. This was probably the "slower" route to take in learning Dynamo because I went right into the deep end and attempted an extremely complex script (importing clash points from Navisworks into Revit).
It is true, after much trial and error and hours of reading the Dynamo forum, I got the script to work. The problem with this method was I didn't fully understand the "foundations" of the script. It wasn't until I began hacking away at more and more scripts that I began to fully understand the structure, methodology, and process required to create my own scripts.
Question #2 - When you decided to start learning and looking for Dynamo resources did you find what you needed or did you get more overwhelmed? (Don't forget to answer in the comments below...)
My Answer - Dynamo does have a great set of resources. The forums, blog, and Dynamo Primer are all a great start. The problem I ran into in the beginning was deconstructing other nodes and figuring out how to apply them to my problem. What you will notice when you begin learning Dynamo, and if you enroll in DIY Dynamo next week you will see how much I stress this, is that even the most complex scripts all start with the most simple nodes.
I'll admit there were plenty of times I felt overwhelmed when I started to learn Dynamo, but the second I realized that understanding the four or five different nodes make up the foundation of most scripts the stress of reading through ultra-complicated scripts on the forum diminished.
Question #3 - Did it work? Did you learn Dynamo to your liking with the resource and method you chose in Question #1? (Don't forget to answer in the comments below...)
My Answer - Well, I think the answer to this one, for me, is pretty obvious. I have been using Dynamo for over three years now and it has helped me overcome Revit limitations, increase my productivity, and automate mundane processes. Do I believe I could have learned quicker and with better comprehension in the beginning? Sure. Which is part of the reason why I developed DIY Dyanmo. To get you started with Dynamo quickly and on the right track.
On Friday, I will be giving you a sneak peak into DIY Dynamo and illustrating how it is actually easier than you think to get started and write your first Dynamo script...
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Before you go, don't forget to answer the three above questions in the comments below for a chance to win enrollment 100% free....
