Revit "Super Users" AMA - Replay

 

Well... that was fun!

Last night marked the 50th episode of "BIM After Dark Live".  To mark the occasion I was joined by 6 other previous guests and Revit "super users" all with their own Revit super powers.  ;)

We took questions and discussed an array of topics for almost 2 hours!!  

Some of the topics included:

- Phasing, Design Options, and more.

- What feature we wished would be in the next release of Revit

- Linear light fixtures...?

- Interior design (tagging wall materials, etc...).

- PyRevit... Lot's of PyRevit

- What versions of Revit we all started on.

- Shared Coordinates (and coordinate systems)...

... and so so much more...

This was, honestly, just a great time.  Not to mention, the chat was on fire.  Literally, the 7 of us could not even keep up with the discussions, questions, and more...  

Thank you all who joined us live.  For those who didn't, continue reading to view the replay!

I've also listed all of the guests previous appearances on the show and whatever links I could scavenge together mentioned throughout the 2 hour session! 

From Revit to Unreal Engine (Replay) w/Carl Gibson

 

As expected, last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live was a ton of fun!

Many of you have tuned into my Twinmotion and Revit tutorials, streams, and tips... Many of you may not know that Twinmotion runs on a gaming engine called "Unreal".

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Carl Gibson as he ran through the process of getting your Revit models into the Unreal Engine environment for renderings, animations, and VR!   

Some of the topics Carl touched on are:

-Summary of tools needed (Revit, Unreal Engine, Datasmith Exporters)

-Prepping a model for Datasmith

-Importing into UE

-DataPrep graph for model optimization, material replacement, etc.

-Setting up a project for VR.

If you have been wanting to learn the process of getting your model's into Unreal or are curious as to what Unreal can do for you, be sure to check out the replay below...

DynaMaps and Revit - Adding Context to Your Models (w/Mostafa & Paul Aubin)

 

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live we welcomed Mostafa El Ayoubi.  Mostafa is an architect and civil engineer.  He is the creator of Dynamo packages like DynaMaps and Data-Shapes.

This episode introduced the genesis of the DynamMaps package and it’s foundations as well as some workflows showing how to get site geometry inside Dynamo and push it to Revit will then be live demoed.

Also, this was another "crossover" with Paul Aubin and the ChiNamo users group!

Topics Included:

- Introduction to DynaMaps

- Installing the Package

- Step by Step demonstration of how to bring in buildings, topography, roads, and trees from open source data to your Revit models.

Continue reading to view the replay and learn how to install and use DynaMaps today!

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!

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...