Behind the Scenes "BAD" Office Hour (Topics: Revit Curtain Walls & Placeholder Links)

 

Over the last few days I have received some emails asking about what an "Office Hour" within the BIM After Dark Community actually is...

Instead of simply responding to a bunch of emails, I thought I would make a video!

In this video I take you behind the scenes of an actual "BIM After Dark Community" office hour. I hold these private office hours about every other week for members of the community.

The topic of this sample office hour is Revit Curtain Wall Systems (a couple specific questions from member, Jerry) and placeholder links in Revit (a great tip and discussion for anyone dealing with links!).

So, this video can serve as an example of an Office Hour, but also give you some valuable tips and tricks... Win win!

Click here (or the image above) to view the office hour sample...

Want to see more Office Hour examples...?  

Check out this episode of BIM After Dark Live (Top 5 Ways to Use Design Options in Revit) where I hosted a Community Office Hour WITH a YouTube lice audience... 

Revit Numbered Note Block Hack - Adding a "Period" (Community Quick Tip)

 

In today's "Community Quick Tip" I show you an interesting "hack" when using generic annotations and numbered note blocks in Revit.  It has to do with adding a "period" as a suffix to your note block (or list) while NOT having the period show in your annotation symbol on your plans...

This tutorial was inspired by a question from Reggie Holt.  Reggie is an architect and an active member of the BIM After Dark Community.  Thanks for the inspiration, Reggie!!

Click here (or the image above) to view the tutorial...

How to Split a Wall Sweep in Revit (Community Quick Tip)

Happy final Monday of 2020!!  Thank goodness... Am I right?

Today's video is the first of a mini-series I am calling "Community Quick Tips".  Essentially, these are video versions of longer question and answer conversations had over on the BIM After Dark Community.

In this video I answer Emil's question within the community about splitting wall sweeps.  I show two different approaches to splitting a wall sweep (hint, you can't just use the split tool).  

Click here or the image above to view the video tutorial...

Learning Revit, together.

Also, don't forget, you can save 30% off your membership if you join before the end of the year.  Click here to lean more or join now...

AMA Replay (Plus, a 30% Off Discount!)

 

To wrap up 2020 with a bang, I thought it would be fun to host another "Ask Me Anything (AMA)" style episode of BIM After Dark Live.  The last time I did an AMA style episode was almost 20 episodes ago.  

That day, I hosted a double header and couldn't even keep up with all the questions I got!  (Check out the replays here.)

Yesterday, there were so many questions is was hard to keep up!  Thank you all for joining, asking questions, and making this live show thing... well, a thing!

Topics the we Covered:

- Building a wall under a ramp (and other ramp options).

- Creating Door Window and Curtain Wall Elevations (touched on it).

- Revit Backup File Management

- Creating a Concrete Mass in Revit

- Using the overhead line trick ... sort of ...

- 3D Details and When to Model versus draft (hint, MODEL MODEL!).

- My middle name...

Continue reading to view the episode...

The Dynamo and Grasshopper for Revit Reference Manual (Replay)

 

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by a very special guest, Marcello Sgambelluri. Marcello was on the show a few months ago and mentioned a book he was writing... Well, that book is now available! "The Dynamo and Grasshopper for Revit Cheat Sheet/Reference Manual" is 272 pages of pure awesomeness. Marcello includes hundreds of working Dynamo scripts and their working counterpart in Grasshopper (for Revit). We talked about the book and how knowing BOTH of these tools expands the functionality of Revit for you.

We also had a little fun when I did an example of a practical use of one of Marcello's scripts in Dynamo followed by Marcello demonstrating how to do the exact same thing in Grasshopper/Rhino... Super cool!

Continue reading to view the replay and download the sample files from our demonstration (including the Rhino, Grasshopper, Revit, and Dynamo files...)

Calculating Occupancy in Revit, Automatically

 

On the latest episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Dana De Filippi to talk about automatically calculating (and tagging) occupancy loads in Revit.  Dana is a co-host on the BIM Thoughts Podcast and a BIM technologist within the field of architecture and kicks all kinds of Dynamo butt.

Dana shared the workflow she developed that will automatically (and accurately) calculate your occupancy loads and place them into tags for you!  Something I know you all just love doing manually ... ;)

Topics Covered:

- Creating and using Area Schemes in Revit

- Constructing key values and using conditional formatting in Revit schedules.

- Use Dynamo to collect Revit and Excel Data

- Discover how to integrate user selection of different code requirements.

This is a DO NOT MISS for all of my fellow Architects out there (and FP engineers, too!)...

Continue reading to view the episode and download the sample files Dana was so gracious to share!

Sloped Shower Floor / Drain in Revit (Quick Tip Edition)

In our next "Quick Tip" video I demonstrate a few different approaches to making your floors slope to a drain in Revit.  This could be used for showers or any sloped floor, really...  Enjoy!

Corrugated Metal Walls in Revit ("Butler" Buildings) - Quick Tip Edition

In this short tip I demonstrate one possible solution to modeling corrugated metal walls (like "Butler Buildings") in Revit...  This is just one way to approach it... There are many!

Enjoy... 

Curtain Wall Corners in Revit (Quick Tip Edition)

 

In this short video I walk through some options for modeling curtain wall corner in Revit. We talk about butt-glazing corners, standard corners, and more... Enjoy!

pyRevit - The Ultimate Guide

 

pyRevit has been gaining momentum as a solution for many common problems Autodesk Revit users run into daily.  From advanced "purging", to colored tabs, sheet creation, and more, pyRevit has become a staple in my Revit Add-In arsenal.

And it should be in yours, too.

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Ehsan Iran-Nejad. Ehsan is an Architect and the creator of the pyRevit add-in (among other things) and he introduced pyRevit to you,  highlighted some of the great built-in features, and demonstrated the power/simplicity of building your OWN custom extensions.

Topics Covered:

- What is pyRevit?
- How to download and install pyRevit
- Shift Clicking for Settings
- Using the Pick Tool (even if you've used it before, I bet you'll learn something new here).
- Using the Sheet Management and the Batch Sheet Maker
- Using the Keynote Manager (AWESOME!)
- Using the Wipe Tool
- And some new features and functions coming soon...

Oh, and did I mention... Ehsan made Paul Aubin fall off his chair... yup... you have watch to see why.

Continue reading to view the episode and see all of the links mentioned (including a ridiculously awesome BIMBOX discount)...

Tutorial - Concrete Reveals in Revit

 

In this short video I answer a great question from a follow about creating concrete walls with reveals in Revit (an controlling the visibility and look of those reveals).

Continue reading to view the tutorial....

Revit + Twinmotion 2020: Rendering a Night Scene (Tips and Tricks)

 

On this special Tuesday episode of BIM After Dark Live I gave an update on my own house project and jumped back into some Revit & Twinmotion 2020 content.  

We talked about rendering night scenes in Twinmotion 2020 with Revit.

This episode was inspired by a student's question following our Twinmotion class.  She asked about making a "moody" nights scene.  Then, it dawned on me, I had yet to make a NIGHT SCENE in Twinmotion.  

So, I dug in, spent some time, and figured out some of the tips and tricks to creating sexy, moody, and super-fun images!

Continue reading to view the replay an all of the links mentioned (including my FREE Revit to Twinmotion course...)

Flipped Interview w/ BIM Thoughts (Talking AU2020, Fishing, & More!) + Announcements!

 

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live, I welcomed Dana, Bill, and Carl from the BIM Thoughts podcast.  It was nice to have a drink, sit back, and chit chat about myself, AU2020, 3D printing, fishing, and more...

Also, a couple important event notes for next week (before you check out for the holidays!):

Continue reading to view the discussion and links mentioned...

Cold-Formed Steel (Metal) Framing in Revit

 

In today's quick tip Revit tutorial (extracted directly from an episode of BIM After Dark Live) I run through the process of modeling cold-formed steel (or "metal") studs in Revit. 

Simple, straight-forward, and to the point....

Continue reading to view the tutorial...

Tips for Deploying Dynamo Scripts w/John P (+ Datasets)

 

On yesterday's episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by the one and only SixySecondsRevit (aka John P). John is a Design Technologist at Parallax Team and is also the creator of one of my favorite Dynamo custom packages (Rhythm). John will be talking about his approaches to handing off and deploying Dynamo (for Revit) scripts. This is huge! Once you've created the greatest script ever, understanding how to share it and let other users actually use it is the next big step... Some things John and I discussed... - Drop down considerations (for Revit versions) - Grouping ideas

- Dynamo Templates!!!?!? - Showing View Extensions to Help - and more...

Continue reading to view the episode and download the datasets...!

Rainscreen in Revit

 

In this short video (extracted from a longer episode of BIM After Dark Live) I demonstrate different ways to utilize the curtain wall tool to your advantage.  I talk about creating rain screens, wood slat walls, and more...

When you begin to think about the curtain wall tool as simply a grid system used for hosting solids and voids it opens up a whole new world!

Continue reading to watch the video...

Advanced Revit Railings (w/Revit Pure) + Big News!

 

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Nick from Revit Pure and we got REALLY deep into railings... 

Maybe, too deep?  

No way!

Nick was forced to learn every little property within the railing tool when he was tasked with modeling an old ancestral stair (seen in the image above being slid down by The Revit Kid, haha).  Nick used this opportunity to document what he was learning and share it with us all!!

Topics Covered:

- Difference between top rail, mid rail, and hand rail...

- Stacking Balusters

- Building Custom Terminations

- Dealing with extensions.

- Mitering and Fileting rails....

... and so much more ...

Build Your FIRST Parametric Revit Family, Today! (Replay)

 

Just in case you missed it... Yesterday was the 30th episode of BIM After Dark Live!!  

Pretty cool!

During the episode I taught the fundamentals of creating parametric content (families) in Revit.  This was not your ordinary "here is how you build a family" lesson, though.  I really stressed the concepts behind how a parametric family, reference planes, and constraints work.

Even if you think you KNOW how families work... This episode may be worth a watch!

Of course, given that it is a live show, we also had some great questions from live viewers!

Continue reading for the episode 30 replay and links mentioned....

3 Steps to Beginning Your Dynamo Journey, Today (+ Special Offer)

 

Well, that was fun!  It has been a while since I talked in depth about Dynamo. 

On the latest episode of BIM After Dark Live I walked through the 3 steps it takes to start learning Dynamo (click here to see all of my related posts about Dynamo).  These steps help you get into the right frame of mind and give you a starting point when entering the Dynamo world... 

There were also some great questions from the audience and even a cameo from some of the Dynamo superstars (like our good friend, John...).  

Laser Scanning and Revit - What you NEED to Know (Replay)

 

On last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live, I was joined by Matt Stachoni to talk about laser scanning.  Long story short... Matt went DEEP into the details of laser scanning basics.  Additionally, the live audience had some great questions along the way.

Matt talked about everything from the different types of laser scanners, to what registering a scan is REALLY like, to his preferred process to checking a scan against a Revit model for QA/QC and as-built verification...

I, for one, had a new appreciation for when I ask a surveyor to scan, register, and model an existing structure for me.  Having a better understanding of the registration process and what is involved is going to help me down the road whether I scan myself or procure it from others.

Matt dropped a ton of laser scanning knowledge and still clearly had more to share.  Hopefully he will join us again soon!

Continue reading to view the replay and links mentioned...

Good Looking, Fully Organic, All Natural, "NURBS" in Revit (w/Tim Waldock)

 

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live I am excited to have Tim Waldock (of the Revit Cat blog) on the show.  I've been following Tim's blog for many years and I have always loved the way he dives into the nitty gritty details of Revit features and functions.

Tim will be demonstrating some of the awesome techniques he has developed for creating super smooth, good looking, organic forms in Revit.   

When I say organic, I literally mean he showed us how to model some vegetables (or a fruit?)...  

Revit isn't known for being able to display super smooth "NURBS" type of shapes but Tim has some tips and tricks to help you out.  From random blob shapes to beautiful modern furniture, I guarantee you'll find a use for what Tim has to show.

Continue reading to view the episode and see any related links mentioned....

Revit & Enscape 2.8: Design, Present, Collaborate (w/Dan Stine)

 

Dan Stine returned to BIM After Dark Live last night to talk about some of the new features in Enscape 2.8 (and what's to come in Enscape 2.9)...  Similar to our previous episode with Dan he didn't just run through the features, he also demonstrated some useful tips and tricks along the way!

Personally, I am most excited about all of the new healthcare content in Enscape 2.8, but even more excited about the FBX/OBJ import options in 2.9 to come!!!

Topics Covered:

Enscape 2.8

BIM 360 freeze fixed
Collaborative annotation
"Puddle Tip/Trick"
Animated vegetation
New assets
Carpet material
BIM Mode

Version 2.9 beta

Video textures
Custom asset library (and editor!!!)
Offline asset library

Continue reading to view the episode and the links mentioned...

Power BI for Construction Visualization (DBEI Webinar)

 

There has been a lot of interest in Power BI throughout the AEC industry.  In fact, I have received a bunch of feedback from Episode 18 of BIM After Dark live looking for a follow up... Well, I still plan on digging deeper with more episodes, but if you can't wait, you're in luck!

I will be speaking tomorrow about how my team and I use Power BI on the construction side of things...  This was supposed to be a session at BILT NA this year... Luckily, I am still able to present it virtually!

(** This webinar is worth 1 AIA learning unit **).

Synopsis

At Turner Construction, Power BI has revolutionized the way we build by giving us the ability to connect, visualize, and analyze our data. During this session we will look at real-world case studies that demonstrate how we are taking advantage of connecting building information models to other data sources.

Learning Objectives

1.Learn how extracting and visualizing your Revit data can change the way you approach and analyze your designs.

2. Discover how Power BI lets you connect, visualize, and analyze data from nearly unlimited sources and types.

3. Learn how Assemble Systems can create a cloud-based dynamic connection between your model data and your visualizations in Power BI.

4. Discover the best practices to connecting your model data with data from any other source program.

Click here to register for the webinar....

Let's Talk Topography: Creating Site Models in Revit

 

Wow, I can't believe we are already at Episode 25 of BIM After Dark. Live!  It's pretty wild to see what a simple virtual happy hour has turned into over the last 6 months.  Thank you all for tuning in (live or after the show) and staying engaged!  

On this episode I dive into the world of modeling topography and site components in Revit.  I go over all kinds of need tricks, tips, and hacks that will help you create site models with a little more speed and a little less frustration...

We talked about:

- The Auto-Clicker Method
- The rarely used "Site Settings" Dialogue
- My secret way of making striping, retaining walls, earth retention, and underground utilities!

Continue reading to view the episode and the links mentioned...

Back to the Basics: Revit Essentials with Paul Aubin

On this weeks episode of BIM After Dark Live I was honored to hose the "bim-famous" Paul Aubin as my guest.

I am sure many of you out there know who Paul is and have learned something about Revit from him at some point in your lifetime.

Paul and I discussed topics surrounding his latest book, "Revit Essentials for Architecture". Paul got into some interesting topics and we even went on some short rants about View Ranges, Model Groups, and In-Place components...

No matter what level of Revit experience you have this episode is certainly valuable. To new users, it will be a great glimpse into what Revit can do. For experienced users, it will be a reminder of what it took to get to where you are today (and maybe even an illustration of how you've been doing that ONE THING wrong this whole time... ;).

Sit back, relax, and join the conversation.

Continue reading for the episode replay and related links...

Practical Revit Family Tips and Tricks (w/Special Guest Philip Chan)

 

Mind. Blown. 

That is all I can say about last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live.  Philip Chan, of the Phil-oshophy in BIM blog, joined me to demonstrate some practical family tips and tricks.  

Ahead of the episode, Phil only sent me a few bullet points about what he was going to talk about. He did not give away any of his "punch-lines".  This is one of those episodes that you will want to watch regardless of your experience in Revit.  The little tricks that Phil demonstrates are not just useful but also show how you can use creative thinking to develop new ways of doing things in Revit.

Just some of the content we covered included:

- How to use nested profile to control rotation in your family 

- How to use nested profile to make exposed curve end beam family - Tips on getting the manufacturer family behave the way you want it

- Tips on re-purposing existing content as nested family

Continue reading to view the episode and links mentioned....

Thinking Outside the Box - Don't Let Revit Dictate Your Designs

 

This week marked the start of a new semester for most architecture students.  One of the things that has driven me crazy over the last 10+  years has been hearing architectural professors tell students that "Revit is only good for designing boxes" or "Revit restricts your designs"... 

Well, during this episode of BIM After Dark Live I took a look back at all of my studio (and professional) projects and highlighted the ones where I used Revit for more than "just boxes".   In this episode I dive into three specific projects and walk through exactly how they were created and what my design process was like.

Continue reading to see the episode, related links, and higher resolution images of the projects...

Filters in Revit - The Ultimate Guide (w/Aaron Maller)

 

Last night, Aaron Maller from Parallax Team joined me on the latest episode of BIM After Dark Live.  As usually, Aaron dropped a bunch of great Revit knowledge.  The topic was "view Filters". 

If you have not used View Filters in Revit yet, or if you are trying to figure out the best way to use them for your projects or templates, then this episode is for you.  I, for one, discovered view Filters late in my Revit journey and they have truly changed my perspective on the program.

Topics Covered:

- What is a View Filter?
- Best practices to implement view filters in your templates and projects.
- Using "INCLUDE" filters and parameters.
- Hiding different section and elevation types.
- Using the View Filter Manager Plugin
- Filtering casework concepts.

...and so so much more...

...continue reading to view the replay and links mentioned...

"Ask the Revit Kid" - Episode 20 Replays

 

Yesterday marked a milestone for BIM After Dark Live... Episode 20!  To honor the occasion we held a double header Q&A, stump the Revit Kid, extravaganza!

The format was simple... Ask me anything.  

And boy did you all ask!

Both sessions were around an hour long and I don't even think I was able to get through ever single question that was asked!  We touched on everything from dimension styles to rain-screen facades to cold form metal framing...  Thank you all for being so engaging and asking such awesome questions...

Continue reading to view both episodes, topics, and links...

Add an "X" Symbol When Your Framing is Cut in Revit

 

Today's quick tutorial was inspired by a post in the BIM After Dark Community. Tom was asking about adding detail items within families so when you cut a section you can see the detail...  He wasn't talking about stud framing but it reminded me of this tip that I wanted to share with you.

We have all spent time placing those pesky little Wood Stud Detail Components in our wall sections...  Well, there is nothing worse that doing that when you actually HAVE THE FRAMING MODELED!

So... here is a tip that will show you how to get the silly little "X" within your framing model families.  It can also be applied to any family times (ie. Adding more detailed line-work into a double hung window family.. you name it.).

Continue reading to view the tutorial...

Rebuilding Notre Dame... In Revit.

Wow...

That is all I can say after the latest episode of BIM After Dark Live...  

Andy Milburn joined me to walk us through one of the most stunning Revit models I have ever seen:  Notre Dame de Paris.  Andy and an awesome team of Revit-eers from around the world have re-built an absolute masterpiece of Gothic architecture in Revit. 

While walking through the actual model live, Andy explained their approaches to many unique elements around the building.

Topics Covered:

- How the initial plan was developed using images, exterior scans, and "Revit-tized".

- Unique Elements such as some really neat stairs.

- Exploration of modeling a variety of groin vaults.

- An Enscape fly through!

Continue reading to view the episode...

Connecting Revit to Power BI : An Introduction to Visualizing Model Data (Replay)

In this episode of BIM After Dark Live we explored the data inside our Revit models...

We spend so much time modeling, making documents, and making pretty pictures we tend to forget about the "I" in BIM.  The information.  In this episode I demonstrate some simple ways you can start visualizing the data in your models with Power BI.

Topics Covered:

- Exporting Revit Data into Power BI friendly format(s).

- Introduce Power BI and make some visuals using our Revit data.

- Update the model and refresh your data dashboards.

- Use Dynamo to export a true "multi-category" schedule.

- Show how I created a construction cost estimate dashboard to track a project's budget.

I'll give you the power of data visualization... What you do with it, is up to you!

Continue reading to view the episode and see all of the links mentioned...

My Revit Design Process: Split Level Redux (Part 1)

On the latest episode of BIM After Dark Live I introduced a current residential project I am working on. I plan on documenting this project throughout the year and using it as an example for discussions, questions, and so on.  

During the live session last night I walked through some tips for modeling existing conditions (in fact, there were quite a few questions that kept me on that topic longer than I thought!), I ran through some unique demolition tips, I show you how Enscape can be a quick design tool, and more...

Continue reading to see the latest episode and view the links mentioned...

Tutorial - Revit Placeholders in Twinmotion (Replace Object With It's Base Point)

Here is a really quick but super valuable tutorial if you are using Revit and Twinmotion (actually, it may be helpful for any FBX export from Revit).

Typically, when you export a model from Revit to FBX (using the Twinmotion plugin) the project base point is your insertion point.  Meaning, every mesh that comes in (even if separated but material or category) all share the same project base point in Twinmotion.

Well, that doesn't always have to be the case.  You can actually export objects and they maintain their own base points.  For example, a chair or desk in Revit can have it's "origin" from the family editor as it's placement point in Twinmotion... 

I know, so cool, right?!

Well, it get's even better... Knowing this, you can use Twinmotion's "Replace Object" functions to swap our families with Twinmotion library elements!

Continue reading to find out how...

Data = Better BIM (A History of Data Analytics & AEC) w/Konrad Sobon (Episode 16)

Last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live featured Paul Aubin and Konrad Sobon.   If you're a Dynamo user then you've probable used a custom package built by Konrad (ie. arch-lab).  

During the session Konrad walked through some really interesting examples of how he got started in data analytics (and visualization) and what led him to where he is now (co-founder of bimBeats).

Continue reading to view the replay and see the links mentioned...

4 Steps to Sexier Revit (Episode 15)

On last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live we talked about simple steps to take that will immediately make your Revit views (and more) look better. 

I walked through my Revit journey (with some very embarrassing old projects) and talked about how I developed the styles and settings I share.  I then ran through the "70/50/20" rule, talked about custom materials, and more.  We had some great questions throughout and quality conversations in the chat... Thanks for joining and engaging to those of you who attended live!

If anything, it's worth checking out the replay to see my very first Revit project...  -_-

Oh, and my son, Jacob, made a guest appearance:

Continue reading to view the replay, see links mentioned, and more...

Tuning Up Your Revit Template (w/ Special Guest Aaron Maller) Episode 14

I know it's a good interview when I am writing down notes furiously the whole time.  And boy was I writing down a lot of notes last night!

During last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live, Aaron Maller joined me to give 10 (well, it ended up being more than 10) tips for Revit Templates.  As usual, Aaron did not disappoint.

We covered everything from line weights, to view filters, to placeholder references, and beyond...

Continue reading to view the replay and see the links mentioned...

Top 5 Ways to Use Design Options in Revit (Episode 13)

Well, last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live was a doozy!  

The format of having the BIM After Dark community Office Hour and a live Happy Hour could have caused a disaster, but, other than a couple minor glitches, everything worked out great.

Not only did the format work out great but the topic of Design Options in Revit was clearly something that interests a lot of people.  We had a record live attendance of 301 people.  

For those of you that joined us live, thank you!  For those of you who missed it live... 

Continue reading to view the replay and see all of the links mentioned...

Beyond Documentation: How to Create High Quality Presentations with Autodesk Revit (AIA Webinar)

Quick post to all of my AIA (and non-AIA) readers!  I will be presenting a webinar about Revit and presentation graphics today (June 22nd) at 3PM (EST).  This webinar is hosted by AIA Connecticut and is worth 1 learning unit. 

AIA members can register for free and non-members will have to pay a fee...

I'd love for you to join me!

Sneak Peek at the slide deck...

Course Objectives:

- Learn how to produce high quality floor plans, elevations, and sections within Revit.

- Discover simple solutions to creating conceptual diagrams in Revit

- Learn how to develop hyper realistic interior renderings with one click in Enscape.

- Gain an understanding of how real-time rendering software gives you the ability to build urban cities around your Revit model and have them come to life in minutes.

Click here to register now!

Revit & Enscape - Top 5 Secrets Revealed w/Dan Stine

Dan Stine, of BIM Chapters, joined me on Episode 12 of BIM After Dark Live last night, and it was a good one!  Dan walked through 7 (not just 5!) of his top Enscape secrets.  Beyond the awesome secrets Dan shared he also sprinkled in a whole bunch of little tips and tricks throughout.   I will be the first to admit I learned a thing or two about Enscape I didn't know! Thanks, Dan!

If you joined us live, I hope you had a good time!  All of the links mentioned are in this post.

If you missed it, you have to keep reading and checkout the replay... it is a can't miss...

Revit and Twinmotion 2020 - 6 Months Later... (A "Re-Review")

In last nights episode of BIM After Dark Live I did a "re-review" of Twinmotion.  Over the last few months I have been really testing the limits of what Twinmotion can do for me... Including using it on some extremely large and extremely small projects.

I spoke about and demonstrated some of my lessons learned and quirky things to keep in mind when using Twinmotion with a Revit model.  I also answered some great questions from viewers... 

Finally, I announced a few big news items!  

Continue reading to view the replay, see the links mentioned, and find out about the big announcements!

Virtual Reality: How Pre-Construction Inspections Work in VR (Enscape Blog)

The Enscape team asked me if I would share a success story on their blog.  I thought this would be a great opportunity to share the process we have used on multiple projects to improve final inspections with building officials. We call them "Virtual Pre-Inspections".  

Here is a snippet....

"As an architect who has vast experience on both the design and construction sides of projects, the end of project punch-lists and inspections have always been something I do not look forward to. I’m sure I can think of many reasons as to why this is the case, but, when it comes to final inspections I would like to pin-point a few of the challenges we encounter..."

Click here to read the article and find out more about how my team and I use Virtual Reality for pre-inspections with building officials...

And thanks to the Enscape team for letting me share my story on their site!

The Future of AEC Automation (Dynamo and Beyond) with Michael Kilkelly from ArchSmarter

Last night marked our 10th episode of weekly live Happy Hours!  I am humbled with the response this weekly show has been getting and I thank you all for tuning in (live or the replay)!

This week Michael Kilkelly from ArchSmarter joined me to talk about the future of automation with the AEC industry and show some of the great stuff he is working on (from Dynamo to Refinery, and computational design tools!).  There were some great questions and Michael introduced some thought provoking concepts...

Continue reading to view the replay and see the links mentioned...

Ductwork for Architects - An Introduction to Revit MEP Systems (with Sample Files!)

During this weeks live happy hour I demonstrated how to make ducts and piping in Revit.  As an architect, it took me a long time to realize how much I could gain from understanding how to properly model MEP systems in Revit.  If you've ever attempted to model a duct in Revit and got the "the routing solution failed"... This tutorial is for you!

Continuing reading to view the tutorial and download the sample file...

Twinmotion vs. Enscape (Operating Room Case Study)

I was a bit nervous last night while presenting this case study live...  But, it all worked out in the end!  No crashes, no freezing, and the conversations were great!

Ultimately, last nights episode was a fun one.  Back when I started to dive into Twinmotion 2020, I wanted to really test it out on all fronts (exterior, interior, VR, etc...).  I thought a perfect way to really compare Twinmotion to other software I had been using was to force myself to use it on a real project.

Then the perfect project came along to test out the interior rendering abilities of Twinmotion and Virtual Reality (VR).  The project was a virtual mock-up of an operating room.  Normally, I would do this in Enscape and use it for renderings, live walk-throughs, and VR.  So... I decided to do it in both Enscape and Twinmotion to compare and contrast...

Last night, I presented my results...

To view the video replay and links mentioned, keep reading...

Rhino, Grasshopper, & Revit (w/Marcello Sgambelluri)

The great Marcello Sgambelluri joined me again during last night's happy hour and it was one to remember.  First, YouTube decided to go down 10 minutes before we went live!  Luckily, everything was up and running we were only a few minutes late.

By the way, if you have missed any of the Happy Hours live, you can get notified by either subscribing to my email list or subscribing to my YouTube channel... And, if you have missed the last 7 episodes you can see them all here...

As for last night, well, Marcello demonstrated how "Rhino Inside Revit" works and we discussed some of the ways we believe this technology will benefit the AEC industry...  Yes, we are talking about running Rhino (and Grasshopper) inside of Revit... Super cool... Of course, Marcello also made a few 3D animals as well...

Continue reading to view the replay and see all the links mentioned in the episode...

What Does "VDC" Mean? - BIM and Construction

During what has become a weekly ritual here at TheRevitKid.com, I held another live happy hour last night.  I had a few different ideas for topics this week based on conversations happening in the chat of the previous week. So, I took a Twitter poll and the overwhelming winner was "BIM and Construction"...

During the Happy Hour I demonstrated a bunch of examples that illustrate how Revit (and adjacent software) is used throughout the typical process of a construction management company.  We went on for almost 1 hour and 10 minutes thanks to some great questions by you all!

Keep reading to check out the replay and additional links/resources....

From Revit to Twinmotion 2020 (using a reader's model).

Last night I held another live happy hour.  This one was pretty different and exciting!

I always make tutorials using my own models that I have created from scratch.  I thought it would be fun to take a reader's model and do a live tutorial about rendering a scene in Twinmotion 2020.  That's right, I will be taking someone else's model and attempting to make a real-time rendering scene, live...

This could have been a complete failure... But, I think it was a success! In fact, I was able to create 3 renderings in 58 minutes.... From scratch.

Continue reading to view the replay and let me know what you thought....

Learning Revit, Together. Introducing the new "BIM After Dark".

In my last two posts I asked a couple of questions that I was hoping would elicit some valuable responses, and they did.

The first question was "how do you get your Revit answers?"

The second question was "have you taken a Revit course online, and did you complete it?"

In the past, I have sent out links to surveys and took data that way.  These questions were meant to start conversations with you directly.  And it worked! I've had some awesome email conversations with many of you about your frustrations, victories, and Google searching journeys.

Have you taken a Revit course online? Did you complete it?

Yesterday, I posted a simple question here on the blog: "If you have a Revit question, where do you get your answer?".

I received a bunch of great emails and comments!  Thank you for replying!  It is always way better to have a bunch of email conversations than read a survey response...

Some of you answered with the one Revit question that has been nagging you recently (I will get back to you on those!), and others listed the order of their typical "Revit searches".

It was also apparent that some of you are frustrated with the process of finding the right answers to your problem.

For example, Don from Indiana mentioned he stumbled on YouTube videos often but:
"It is just like you say in your email. Some help here and some help there and a lot of talk close to the issue, but never a pin point solution for what I need at the moment."

Have a Revit question? Where do you get your answer?

We have all been there before.

Late at night, with a YouTube tutorial, three forum posts, and a blog post open, smashing our keyboards in frustration.

"How do I do that in Revit?!"

I've also been there before.  In more recent times, I have found myself frustratingly searching for Dynamo or DAX (Power BI) solutions.  For example, I was recently trying to figure out how to count working days in a Power BI formula.

I took the route most of you probably do: I started with Google.