Practical Dynamo - Apply Parameter Values (Using Saved Selection Sets)

For the next installment of the "Practical Dynamo" mini-series I am going to expand on the last script (which utilized Dynamo to apply parameter values to multiple objects).  The previous script worked but you have to manually select the elements and add them to your node in Dynamo.  This can be cumbersome and also cause you to select elements twice if you are trying to add something like a building area parameter.

My first solution was creating save selection sets... Then using those sets to isolate the elements, select the elements in Dynamo, run the script, un-isolate, and repeat... Yeah, I know...  It sounds ridiculous.  Well, my first rule of thumb in Revit (and now Dynamo) is if it seems like its taking too long there is probably a better way to do it... So I found a better way...

Practical Dynamo - Apply Parameter Values

(Image: Dynamo Primer)

I have been posting little screenshots on Twitter of current Dynamo scripts and people seem to love them.  One of the cool things about Dynamo is you can see a simple snippet of all the nodes and recreate the script pretty effectively.  Its a method I have used when learning Dynamo.  It helps me to use different nodes, search for packages, and understand logic.  Well, I thought it would be a good mini-series here on the blog.  The first script I am going to show you is very simple but includes some nice booleans, logic, and nodes.

Continue reading for a practical use of Dynamo, applying a parameter value to all selected elements...

LOD.... In Detail (Practical BIM)

Wow... what a fantastic post.  I am sure many of you have heard the term "LOD" in some fashion if you are using Revit professionally.  Antony McPhee, over at practical BIM, published a brilliant article about the acronym that is LOD ("Level of Detail" or "Development").  Do yourselves a favor and READ IT.  

What is this thing called LOD

There still seems to be some confusion about what LOD levels mean, and how they should be used. I must say I have difficulty relating what I do and what I need whenever confronted with filling in an LOD table. If they are this difficult why are we using them? Are they really useful, or just a waste of our time?

HISTORY OF LOD

From what I can gather LOD was developed by Vicosoftware, a software company that produces construction costing software. They saw the advantages of costing straight from a BIM model, but had a problem. How do you tell how accurate, or how definitive, the model elements you are connecting to in the model are? Traditional methods of costing have a human between what was being measured and the way it was being measured. But automatic take off from the BIM model doesn't.... continue reading...