Dynamo "Happy Hour" Replay with John and Aaron from Parallax Team

Last week John and Aaron of Parallax team got online and chatted with my about Dynamo.  I just realized now I sent out an email with the replay link but did not post it here on the blog!  If you missed the conversation check it out here (or click the video above)...

We had a ton of awesome questions and the Parallax team dropped some solid knowledge bombs (as usual).

What is Dynamo?

Yesterday, I asked those of you on my email list a simple question: “Why have you not learned Dynamo yet?”
I was not surprised by many of the responses. As I expected, many of you stated that you either did not have the time to learn something new or that you did not know where to begin.

But, there were some responses that I did not expect.

I assumed everyone heard of Dynamo... Which seemed to be true enough. I also assumed that everyone knew what Dynamo was.

Well, you know what they say when you assume things...Turns out quite a few of you weren't really sure of what Dynamo actually is.

The conversations I had with you all led me to make the following video. In it, I answer the simple question, "What is Dynamo?".

Dynamo & Revit: Beams that Follow Complex Roofs

Today's tutorial is a simple but powerful Dynamo script.  This is a great introduction to the use of geometry within Dynamo itself.

I was recently tasked with modeling a Unitarian Church here in Connecticut designed by Victor Lundy.  The church has two big modeling challenges: the roof and the beams that follow the roof.

Save the Date - First Ever "DIY Dynamo Day"

I can't believe it has taken me over ten years to finally do this...

For the first time ever, I will be holding an exclusive, in-person, training day.

"DIY Dynamo Day" will be held on January 24th, 2020, in Hartford, Connecticut.

I created DIY Dynamo two years ago. Over 200 students have graduated and started their Dynamo journeys! In speaking with previous and current students they all said they found so much value in my online office hours (included in DIY Dynamo) and wished I would host an in-person training session based on the DIY Dynamo curriculum. After a lot of research, planning, and contemplation I have decided to finally do it!

Tutorial - Filtering Revit Rooms by Phase in Dynamo

Last week I walked through how to create 3D room tags in Revit and place them using Dynamo (click here to check it out).  Some of you guessed where I would go next with this tutorial... "What about phases?!"  Well, this week is a follow-up tutorial that will walk through the process of filtering out rooms by their respective phase.

Don't forget to download my FREE printable "Desktop Cheat Sheet" to follow along...

Tutorial - Creating 3D Room Tags in Revit and Dynamo

Placing 3D Room tags in Revit has proven to be an extremely useful technique for me these days.  It gives me the ability to make quick 3D images with Room Names and Numbers.  Additionally, it has helped tremendously in the 3D coordination process when loading our Revit files into Navisworks or BIM 360 Glue and in model based quantity takeoff when loading our models into Assemble.

In the tutorial below I run through how to create the 3D Room Tag family and how to write the Dynamo script to place it from scratch... Oh, and there may be a bit of information on the upcoming semester of DIY Dynamo... ;)

Tutorial - Aligning Views with Photographs in Revit and Lumion

The following tutorials cover a question I have been asked many times over the years.  I decided it was about time to document how I align views and renderings with real photographs.  Because I use Lumion for many of my renderings I decided to make two tutorials.  One will cover aligning a Revit 3D view with a photograph.  The other will cover aligning a Lumion camera view with a photograph.

Keep reading to see both tutorials and processes...

"Revit-centric" Design Happy Hour Replay

Last week I published a blog post documenting how I use Revit within my design process.

Click here to check out the post and video from last week...

The video clearly struck a chord within the community and has quickly surpassed 20,000 views on YouTube alone.  I thought it would be fun to grab a cocktail, hop online, and chat with you to expand on some of the topics discussed in the "Making of Stilted Studios" video...

Oh, and with the enrollment of Volume 1 open this week it was a perfect time to talk about presentation techniques as well!

Thank you all who joined me live on Tuesday night (over 290 of you!) and for all the great questions!

For those of you who could not make it live here is the replay:

Revit & the Design Process - The Making of "Stilted Studios" (Sketching, Lumion, & More)

Way back in 2013 I created a free eBook called "Design:BIM - A Guide to Using Revit During the Design Process".  The eBook documented how I used Revit while designing buildings.

Believe it or not, the eBook has been downloaded 10,746 times! I know, crazy, right??

Although my general process is similar, some of the tools and methods have changed over the last six years.  So, I decided to document (in this blog post and a video, below) how I approached the design of a recent, and really exciting, project called "Stilted Studios".  I am really proud of this post/video and it is full of tips, tricks, tools, and techniques.  From Revit to Lumion to hand sketching...  You name it.

Additionally, there is some long overdue BIM After Dark - Volume 1 enrollment news at the end of the post...

Keep reading to learn about my design process and the BIM After Dark course news...

Key Takeaways from BILT NA 2019 in Seattle

I am finally over my jet lag and getting back in to the grove of things after returning from BILT NA 2019 in Seattle.  I wanted to put together a couple of the key topics I took away from the conference this year...

Residential Revit - Exploring Design Options in Revit and Lumion (Mid-Century Master Suite)

In continuing the "Residential Revit" series here on the blog, I wanted to make a post that addresses two common topics brought up in emails I receive from readers of the blog: design options and smaller residential projects.  

Before starting the residential Revit series I tended to use larger commercial projects as examples in tutorials.  Well, considering additions and renovations are such a huge market for architects I thought it would be cool to use a much smaller scale example:  a master suite renovation.

Additionally, managing multiple design schemes in a a single model is always a topic of discussion when I chat with residential architects.   Therefore, I put together a little tutorial that walks through how I manages multiple design schemes in one Revit model on a real-world master-suite renovation and how I also managed those design schemed in a single Lumion scene....

Continue reading to learn more about the project and view the tutorial...

Attending BILT NA 2019 in Seattle? Say Hello!

Having a 7 month old child has made it difficult to travel this year.  In fact, I told myself I would only attend one conference this year and I am sticking to it.  It's been no secret over the years that my favorite conference by far is BILT NA (formally Revit Technology Conference).

If you have only been following me recently here is a list of posts from previous RTC event... 

If you have been following me for a while it should be no surprise that I chose to attend BILT NA in Seattle... Will you be attending as well?  If so, be sure to say hello!

I am also honored to have been chosen to speak again at the conference.  So, if you are having trouble choosing your sessions I'll help you choose at least one slot.  I will be talking about Assemble System's (a program I haven't gotten into too much detail about on the blog, but a program you should all be aware of because it will change the way you "do BIM").

Here is some info on the session....

Tutorial - Creating Bump Maps for Revit Renderings

In our last "Residential Revit" series post we talked about finding custom materials for your residential renderings and images.  This week, I want to show you how to make a "bump map" from those images you find using the resources in our last post.

A "bump map" is essential when rendering with Revit.  The bump map is a high contrast, black and white version of the rendered texture.  When paired with your rendered material in Revit the bump map will tell Revit how to slightly displace the texture to add realism. 

DIY Dynamo - Spring 2019 Opening Soon...

Over the last couple of weeks I have received quite a few emails asking about when the next enrollment of DIY Dynamo would be.  Due to the demand, I'm going to put the Residential Revit series on hold for a week or two and we will have the DIY Dynamo Spring 2019 Enrollment next week!

Make sure you sign-up for the DIY Dynamo mailing list to get information on how to enroll and enrollment week discounts, content, etc...

Residential Revit - Finding Custom Materials

For this week's "Residential Revit" post I am going to answer a question that I get quite often when posting rendering and images to the blog.

The question is something along the lines of "where do you get your custom materials?"

This, of course, can apply to more than just residential types of projects but I received quite a few questions about materials due to the recent posts and renderings of "The Rocky Mountain Modern House".

Continue reading to learn where I get my custom materials...

Residential Revit: Parametric Angled Wood Bracket

Today, I am going to continue the "Residential Revit" series with the same project from last week: The Rocky Mountain Modern House.  Today, we are going to look at a family that I created specifically for this project (but continue to use on other projects to date). The family is a fully parametric wood bracket with a steel plate and some bolts (seen above and below).

Continue reading to learn some of the family creation techniques I used to create the family and download it for yourself to use and explore...

Residential Revit: Wood Slat Wall (Yoga Room)

Over the last ten years I have received many questions, requests, and general emails about Revit and residential architecture.  I finally decided to put together a little series of tutorials related to my own personal residential work (check it out at studio.bad architects).

My goal with the "Residential Revit" series is to highlight specific details  of real-world residential projects created in Revit and develop little tutorials about them.

The first project and detail I am going to highlight is a project I have featured here on the blog in the past, "The Rocky Mountain Modern House".

The detail I am going to focus on today is a wood slat wall that provides shading for the home's "Yoga Room".'

Continue reading for more information about this detail and the video tutorial...

Lumion 9 Review - Real Skies, Real Grass, Real Problems...?

A couple of things to note before you read my review of Lumion 9 to provide a little context and history.

First, I have been an avid Lumion user and fan for over five years now. It has been, and continues to be, my main software for renderings and videos.

Second, I have reviewed previous version of Lumion and you should read those before reading this review. They provide my commentary on features that still exist in Lumion and give you a sense of how the software has grown:

Lumion Reviews Over the Years:

Lumion 5.0 - From Revit to Lumion: The Ultimate Review

Lumion 7.0 - From Revit to Lumion: The Ultimate Review (Revisited)

Lumion 8.0 - From Revit to Lumion: The Ultimate Review #3

Finally, be sure to read/view this entire review (especially the conclusion). When I review a software on the blog I have two rules: It must be a software that I have used to a significant capacity (ie. completed actual projects on it and had a chance to really “dig in”), and it must be an honest review (no holding back, even if the company offers me a “review copy”, etc…).

So, here we go...