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...

Tutorial - Create a Smooth Helix

Zach, over at Buildz, is constantly posting crazy conceptual shapes made in Revit. This is no exception. Great post and proves the versatility of Revit 2010.

Another repeat question: "How do I make a smooth parametric helix in Revit?"

Here's a quick (2 minute) video. The basic principle is to make a rig with a controlled vertical offset and rotation, and then hang your geometry on it. In this example I use a rectangular form to create the rig, but you could use just about anything.

Click here to see the Video and post...

Tutorial - Floor or Ceiling? What to do...

I ran into an interesting cunundrum that many of you may have run into. If you followed my Student to Student Revit guide you will see the two main ways to create floors in Revit Architecture. Typically, you would create a solid floor and within those floor properties add the many materials. We will use a typical floor structure of 3/4" Finished Floor, 3/4" Sub-Floor, 2x10 Studs, and perhaps Gypsum Board for the level below's ceiling. Hm... But then how do you add a recessed light to the floor in the Gypsum Board added for the level below (when it is hosted to a ceiling). Well, you would remove that structure from the floor and create a ceiling made up of only the gypsum board. Place that underneath the 2x10 solid structre of the floor above.

You continue to design, model, and build. Now... It is time to do some renderings. You set up a camera in the kitchen where there are about 12 recessed downlights you have added into your model. Then you click render. Dark!?! Not a single glimmer of artifical light in the scene?

• Click here to see a video of why these lights are not showing and possible solutions.
  

So, what is the correct way to construct a floor in Revit? A solid floor with joists, a void with beam systems, or place the joists as part of the ceilings? Realistically, I would say using a beam system for the fact of realism, 3D sections, and analysis.

More Revit and Math (Trigonometric Functions)

Cool little tip for roof slopes... Very much like my first Revit Calculus post where I used the arc functions to drive an angle.

As I start to get deeper into the conceptual parametric massing I am coming up with all kinds of cool tips.

Here's a great one.

When you need to constrain reference lines in order to create down stream roof slope parameters. As in 3-12, 5-15, 7-12 etc. . . . You don't want the user to have to input the roof slope by an angle. You want to input the slope as a factor of Rise / 12 as shown below. This involves a little trigonometry. Remember the old tan (x) = opposite over adjancent ?

If not have a look at the images just below.



So we know the Adjacent (12) and the user inputs the Opposite (Rise) but the trick is we have to use the 'Inverse Tangent' to get the actual angle in degrees. Otherwise all we get is the Tan of the angle, not the actual angle itself. So the correct term for Inverse Tan is ArcTan which REVIT accomodates as the built in operator atan... Continue Reading...

Tutorial - Topo Surface 3 (Learning Curve)

Great tutorial over at Revit Structural Learning Curve.

...Since my last posting about Topo Surfaces and looking at water and flooding, we seem to be having more lengthy discussions with the Environmental Agency these days with regards to flooding in conjunction with global warming and climate change.

The Environmental Agency provide us with maps showing the 1 in 200 year Tidal Events + 2070 Climate Change Prediction Depth Grid Maps centred on our site.

One assumes that they obtain levels from the OS Maps and or aerial photographs to build such models. Using Revit we are able to model the Existing and Proposed sites and show them more accurately the flood pattern for different levels of water.

We can also provide them with volumes of water held on the site....

Click here to view the tutorial...