Revit as a Design Tool (w/ Balkan Architect !!! )

 

It's the collaboration you have all been waiting for!  Maybe? Well, it's one that I have been waiting for!  On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Milos AKA "Balkan Architect"  to discuss using Revit as a Design Tool. 

Milos has spent the last 5+ years developing an impressive 825+ Revit tutorials on his YouTube channel that span a wide spectrum of topics.  Some if his most popular Revit tutorials are focused on designing with Revit.

I was super excited for this episode for two reasons:

1. Milos and I are both extremely passionate about the concept of using Revit as a design tool that *does not* restrict your creativity or process.   

2. To get to know the "Balkan Architect" himself!

Enjoy!!

V-Ray for Revit - The Ultimate Guide (w/Ana)

 

In the world of architectural visualization, V-Ray has always set the standard for the creating the highest quality renderings around.  V-Ray for Revit gives you those high quality rendering standards INSIDE of the the Revit platform.  

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Ana Lyubenova.  Ana is the V-Ray for Revit product manager with Chaos Group.  If there is ANYONE who will be able to show us the POWER of having the V-Ray rendering engine inside of Revit and answer your questions along the way, it is her.

We talked about what V-Ray is, what it means to be integrated with Revit, go through the workflow of using this powerful rendering engine along side your models, and talk about what new features are coming to V-Ray 5 for Revit soon!

Having not used V-Ray for Revit in quite some time, I am impressed with how much better the workflow is and how nicely it interacts with our clunky friend, Revit.

BIM 360 Design Collaboration. Explained. (FINALLY!)

Well.... that was... EPIC!  

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Scott Davis (AEC Tech Specialist for Autodesk) to shine some light on the BIM 360 / Autodesk Construction Cloud platform with an emphasis on Design Collaboration...  

All you need to know is we chatted for almost 2 hours and well over 100 people hung out and were active in the chat room the entire time!

Scott and I talked about the differences between BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud, How to setup a project, add members, create teams, setup a Revit Cloud Workshared model, and the three different Revit linking options... While taking many questions from the chat!

Of course, we also talked about publishing and consuming packages ;)

Whatever this platform ends up being called in the future, adoption of it across project teams is (and will) change the industry... I truly believe that.

Click here to enjoy the discussion.... 

Twinmotion 2022.1 Preview Review (for Revit Users)

A couple weeks ago Twinmotion dropped a "preview" release of their upcoming 2022 version.  Initially, I was going to wait until the REAL release came out early next year to make a video about it... 

But, I couldn't wait....

Why...?

Two words: "Path Tracer".

Check out my review video above to find out what I am talking about and why I was so excited to share my favorite new features....

Practical Dynamo for Revit (w/Aussie BIM Guru)

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Gavin Crump ("Aussie BIM Guru") to share his practical Dynamo for Revit tips, tricks, and scripts.  

Gavin shared his most used scripts and showed us HOW to make them.  Not only that, but he will be discussing them within the context of how much time they can save you!  

Some examples of scripts Gavin will be demonstrating are:

- Adding and removing revisions to and from sheets.

- Making floors from rooms.

- Adding shared parameters in bulk 

Oh, and Gavin showed us how you can make an Revit ribbon button that runs a Dynamo script using Python....!?

Enscape for Revit Tutorial - What's New in 3.2?!

Wondering what's new in Enscape for Revit (version 3.2)!?  In this video I break down my top two favorite new features and show you how to use them. You'll get a chance to quickly see how the new Dynamic Asset Placement and Panoramic Tour features will improve your workflow and make your Enscape for Revit experience so much better. 

There have been a bunch of great real-time rendering releases in the last month so I wanted to start a short series that reviews them all.  Stay tuned for some more here on the blog and on the YouTube channel...

Lidar Scan to Revit from an iPhone?! (Polycam to Revit Workflow)

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live I walked you through the process of taking a lidar scan to Revit from an iPhone.  That's right, laser scanning with your iPhone and then using that information in Revit.   Using an app called "Polycam" I will give you my super simple Polycam to Revit workflow.

When I first bought an iPhone 12 I couldn't wait to see what I could do with the LIDAR capabilities.  My search led me to an app called "Polycam".  Fast forward to almost a year later and Polycam is a title sponsor of this livestream!  Who would have thought?  Well, I have continued to use their product over the last ten months and can't wait to show you the workflow I have developed.

Energy Analysis in Revit (Insight 360) w/Dan Stine

Well, I knew Dan was coming on the show to talk about early energy modeling and analysis in Revit... But, I didn't think he was going to start from a blank file and run through the entire process!! So cool!  

On this episode on BIM After Dark Live, Dan Stine showed us how easy it is to quickly analyze our design's energy impact.  If you don't think this is cool or important, I am not sure I want to be your friend.. ;)

Dan walked through some of the following topics...

Revit Family Formula Tips (w/Brenton)

Brenton came on the show last week to talk about his favorite Revit family creation tips he developed over years of getting PAID to make Revit families.  If you missed Part 1 of Brenton's episode, check it out here. There were so many comments and chat replies asking for a Part 2, we decided to do it last night...

Brenton continued on with his table and chairs example but we focused on family formula creation!  Brenton had some awesome tips and great ways of explaining tough concepts like "if" and "not" statements...

Oh, and he had a fantastic tip at the end to show you how you can TAG nested elements through a groups family...

Revit Family Tips ( From a Professional Revit Family Creator ! )

This episode of BIM After Dark Live had the chat buzzing!  Brenton Wiberg (of RevitFamily.biz) joined me to talk about what he has learned while building Revit families for his clients.  We hit on a bunch of great topics and tips from what to look out for when starting a Revit family to using family type parameters!

If you missed it live, be sure to check out the replay above!  

The live audience (after 1.5 hours!) was asking for a part 2... stay tuned... ;)

The Revit Add-Ins You Need to Install Right Now! (w/ Revit Pure)

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live, Nicolas Catellier from Revit Pure returned to the show to talk about the Revit add-ins you need to install right now!  I can't tell you how often I get asked the question, "Jeff, what Revit add-ins should I have?" or "what Revit add-ins do you use?". 

Well, Nick is going to break down his favorites and demonstrate what they each do... Not so surprisingly, our lists of favorite add-ins overlap quite a bit!

From add-ins that improve productivity to one's that every BIM manager should know about we hope you'll walk away with at least one new and powerful tool in your Revit toolbelt!

I can almost guarantee that you will find at least ONE useful add-in you didn't realize existed during this show!

Continue reading for links and information from the show....

Structural Modeling in Revit (Marcello's Framing Principles)

If you missed this episode live you definitely want to check out the replay.  In typical Marcello fashion he demonstrated unique ways of approaching "traditional" structural beam modeling techniques...

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by the great Marcello Sgambelluri to talk about structural modeling in Revit.  I know this show (and my content) tend to be architecture heavy.  I'm an architect, what can I say?!  Well, this one goes out to our structural engineering friends using Revit.

Marcello is well known for create lots of "wild" things in Revit (like elephants) but he is a structural engineer at heart.  I could not think of a better person to come on and  share his best tips when modeling building structures in Revit!

We'll be covering a whole spectrum of topics from using analytical lines as helpers, to columns schedules, and even some Dynamo... 

Site Modeling in Revit from a Landscape Architect's Point of View

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Lauren Schmidt to talk about site modeling in Revit from a landscape architect's point of view.  Lauren has spent more time than most figuring out the best approaches for using Revit for landscape architecture. 

Lauren talked about a range of topics and compared how to accomplish modeling tasks using out of the box Revit tools and Parallax Team's "FOREground for Revit" add-in.  Some of the things she demonstrated were:

- Modeling Roads, Sidewalks, and Paths that Follow Topography

- Modeling Curbs in Revit that Follow Streets and Topography

- Planting Tips and Tricks in Revit

- Inserting Planting Groups Using FOREground for Revit

- Modeling Site Walls in Revit

- Tagging Plantings in Revit with FOREground

Revit Groups vs Links (w/ Aaron Maller)

Well... that was one heck of an episode!  

If you missed last night's discussion I had with Aaron Maller about Links vs Groups in Revit live, you have GOT to check it out now.  Not only did Aaron make his case for what he believes is a better approach, he also threw in some great little tips and tricks along the way...

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by friend of the show Aaron Maller to talk about Revit Groups vs Links ... That's right...  We are going to try our best to answer the age-old Revit question of when to use Revit groups or when to use Revit links.

In typical Aaron fashion, he has spent some serious amount of time studying the pros and cons of both options... Will we land on a decision?  Will there be a winner?  Check out the replay and find out!

Links Mentioned:

Save 10% off of Enscape Today

Parallax Team 

Aaron on Twitter 

Episode 21 - Filters in Revit (w/Aaaron)

Episode 14 - Tuning Up Your Revit Template (w/Aaron)

Revit Schedule Excel Hacking with Paul Aubin

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On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by the "bim-famous" Paul Aubin to talk about Revit Schedule Excel Hacking.  What does that mean?  Well, it means Paul has been messing around with some of the limitations of Revit Schedules and wants to share some of his findings with you all!

Paul and I ran through a recent hack he discovered while overcoming a Revit schedule (note block) limitation while also more generally talking about some other ways this process (and some simple Excel skills) can open the door for you to hack Revit schedules yourself!

If you have never used a Lookup Table in Revit before... This episode is worth it just for that!

Our "Big 'BAD' BIM Tip of the Week" was submitted by Jim Balding and has to do with created room checklists for productivity management inside Revit.  Thanks for the submission Jim! 

Thanks to Enscape for sponsoring the Tip of the Week Segment.  Use this link to save 10% off of an annual subscription!

Sample Files:

Paul was also nice enough to share some sample files from today's session!  Click here to download the sample files today...

Enscape for Revit - The New Material Editor in 3.1 (Replay!) w/Josh Radle

 

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Josh Radle to discuss Enscape for Revit.   Enscape continuously adds awesome and valuable new features with each release, and 3.1 is no different.  For a "point" release it is impressive.  

I have been a long-time user of Enscape for both design and visualization and I am super excited to have Josh on to share what's new in the platform.  

Some of the topics we covered:

- Brande NEW Material Editor (displacement maps in Revit?!) and how to USE IT!

- Material Library (Preset Materials that look AWESOME in Enscape)

- The new 3.0 user interface and some of the benefits of it...

- How to get FREE sample files.

Plus, we took questions along the way!

Oh, and don't forget about the "BIG 'BAD' BIM Tip of the Week"... The tip this week came from Dan and had to do with stacked walls... dun dun dun.

Links Mentioned:

Try Enscape for FREE today 

Revit / Enscape PBR Materials Blog Post

Enscape FREE Sample Files

Envision 21 Conference

Shared Parameters in Revit

If you missed the livestream last night the replay has now been posted!  

I talked about the different types of parameters, why shared parameters exist, and what to do if you delete your shared parameter file!!

Oh.... And I gave into the peer pressure and opened a shared parameter file, too.... 

Revit Structural Framing - Cut Rafter at Ridge Beam Revit Tutorial

In this Revit Structural Framing tutorial I run through two approaches to cutting rafters a ridge beams in Revit.  This tutorial was inspired by a member of the BIM After Dark Community, Chris.   Thanks Chris!

If you are interested in joining the other 150+ members (and myself) within the BIM After Dark Community, take advantage of the current 14 day free trial I am offering!

As a member of the community you'll get access to:

- Self-paced Revit courses (all four! and any new courses to be added in the future) with sample files, live chat, and community support.
- Access sample files from your favorite "Revit Kid" tutorial posts.
- Exclusive access to online "office hours" with Jeff and guests.
- Connect with other Revit users to share ideas, best practices, and ask/answer burning questions as a community.

Click here to start your FREE trial today...

Importing Google Maps into Twinmotion Tutorial (in 3D!)

In this quick Twinmotion Tutorial video I will build on the process I demonstrated a few weeks ago (here is the video) and show you how to take a mesh made from Google Maps and bring it into Twinmotion for context and visualization purposes.

Also, don't forget, if you are interested in leaning more about Twinmotion, check out my FREE From Revit to Twinmotion course!

Parametric Revit Family Tutorial - Curtain Panel "Chippendale Rail"

In this parametric Revit family tutorial video I walk through the thought process and steps it took to build what we are calling the "chippendale rail".  The solution ended up being a fully parametric Revit curtain panel family that had some unique characteristics and demonstrated some really cool Revit family creation techniques.

Thanks to Jak of the BIM After Dark Community for inspiring this Revit tutorial video!

Importing Google Maps into Revit Tutorial (in 3D!!)

 

In this really neat tutorial I will walk you through a process I developed that gives you the ability to import Google Maps into Revit .... in 3D!!

Continue reading to check it out...

It's a Girl !

 

On the last episode of BIM After Dark Live I mentioned I would be taking a break from the live show for a bit because my wife and I were expecting... 

Well, two weeks ago we were blessed with our daughter, Adalyn Grace.

As you can see from the image above, Adalyn and her older brother, Jacob, are having a good old time together.  Meanwhile, my wife and I have spent the last two weeks trying to remember all the "newborn" things while figuring out how to balance TWO children under the age of 3...  If you have any tips, I am all ears... haha!

Well, I am now "weaning" myself back into the office again and wanted to keep you all updated on some cool things going on this month....

What Makes the ULTIMATE Revit Computer System?

 

What is the best Revit laptop? What is the best Revit desktop? What is the best Revit computer? In over 12 years of blogging about Revit, I think this could be the most common question I get. On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I will be joined by Buck Davis. Buck is the founder of BIMBOX and has spent the last 12 years taking his AEC experience to specialize in the hardware we use (ie. computers, laptops, peripherals, etc...). I asked Buck to come on the show to talk generally about what it takes to piece together the perfect Revit laptop / desktop. The goal is to help you better understand what hardware selections to focus on when you're building your next Revit computer system.

We talked about what to look for when specifying a new Revit computer including processors, graphics cards, RAM, storage, cooling, and more...

The conversation was great and the questions from the live audience were probing.  If you have ever had to spec a desktop or laptop and were wondering "does this speed matter?  How many cores should I get?  How much RAM?".. Then you HAVE to give this episode a watch...

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

Enscape 3.0 and Revit (w/Dan Stine)

 

Dan Stine has joined me here on the show twice now to talk about Enscape... (Episode 12 and Episode 26) So, when Enscape 3.0 for Revit was launched, I had to have him back on to chat about it.

The release of Enscape 3.0 has some great and welcomed new features (as well as improvements on some old ones).  

Yesterday, Dan showed us some of the great  new improvements and features the Enscape team has put in place with this milestone release.

We talked about the UI/UX, view management, settings, visual setting control, video paths, displacement maps, custom assets, and more!

Oh, we also chatted a bit about Dan's role at Lake Flato (an award winning architecture firm, and one of my favorite design firms, personally) and how they are using BIM/Technology/Revit...

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

Community Open House Replay + Big News

 

Yesterday's episode of BIM After Dark Live was as humbling as it was fun.  

First, my little man, Jacob, joined us for the introduction and BIMBOX sponsor read... Before heading off to nap with Mommy.

Second, I was joined by a bunch of amazing BIM After Dark Community members!  Walking through the community platform and showing the livestream audience around sparked some great conversations in the chat and also between us on the call.  In fact, we broke into a few discussions about Revit issues (like topography edges) we almost forget we were live!

Third, I made a couple BIG announcements about the blog, livestream, and community...

Continue reading to learn more...

Revit 2022: The New Features You DON'T know about, but SHOULD (w/Aaron Maller)

 

By now you may have heard about all of the fancy new features in Revit 2022... Or have you? Instead of doing a simple "here are the new features" run-down of the latest Revit release, we thought it would be fun to have friend of the show, Aaron Maller (of Parallax Team), join us to talk about the less glamorous (but super important) features in Revit 2022. You know, the ones that will truly enhance your workflow, improve your lives, and eliminate some of those ridiculous workarounds you have been doing for years.

We had some great questions and great conversation about Revit 2022 and our opinions on the features.

Also, this is one with A LOT of links mentioned so be sure to continue reading...

"3D Coordination" Explained (Revit + Navisworks) Replay w/Sample Files

 

I wasn't sure what I was expecting going into this episode of BIM After Dark Live.  I know its an area of BIM that a lot of people aren't very familiar with, or if they are, it's an area of mass frustration.  Either way, the topic of 3D coordination with Revit and Navisworks was a huge hit.  Over 200 of you joined me live and there were tons of great questions that guided the conversation.

Some of the topics we covered were:

- An Overview of the 3D Coordination Process (w/a sweet diagram, see below)

- How design teams can help improve the process

- How to export from Revit to Navisworks

- The only tools you need to know in Navisworks (for coordination)

- Running Clash Detection in Navisworks

- Ways to communicate issues with team members

- and more...

Continue reading to view the replay, see the diagram, and download sample files...

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! 

How to Filter Walls BY LEVEL in Revit

 

This "Community Quick Tip" talks about one approach to filtering walls by their levels.

File this one under, "why can't Revit just be able to do this?!".  In this tutorial we mix a little Revit and Dynamo to show you how you can filter a Revit wall by it's host/base level.  Something that is NOT possible out of the box...

I know, crazy... Right?  

Well, hopefully this tutorial will help!

Continue reading to see my approach to this out of the box Revit limitation...

Architects, Developers, & BIM: Test-fitting with the TestFit Team (Replay)

 

I remember seeing a GIF of TestFit a few years back on Twitter.  It showed a 3D diagram of a simple apartment looking building and a parking lot around the outside.  The site was pulled in one direction and the building grew,  changed shape, and the parking lot reconfigured as it was stretched... 

Mind blown.

Fast-forward to today, TestFit is a platform that blends architecture, building codes, crowd sourced input, real-estate developer knowledge, BIM, and generative design to completely disrupt the early stages of a project development.

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Clifton and Nat to not only discuss how an application like TestFit interacts with your Revit models, but also about how an understanding of what developers value and an acceptance of co-creation tools will ultimately benefit you as much as them...

The conversation was awesome, the questions were great, and Nat showed us how you can bring a TestFit building into Revit ... yes, those are Revit Walls, Floors, Roofs, etc... Automatically!

Continue reading to view the replay and see it in action....

Adding a Detail Item in a Wall Sweep in Revit?!

 

Here is a great little tip on how to embed detail component items within your profile families in Revit.  For example, if you had a metal coping profile that was a wall sweep and you wanted to see 2x6 blocking when you cut a section (but don' need to model it) then this is a great solution for you!

This tutorial was inspired by a question from Emil, a member of the BIM After Dark Community.  Thanks for the inspiration, Emil!

Continue reading to view the "Community Quick Tip" tutorial...

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...

Easy Gutter End Caps in Revit

 

This is a great little tutorial that I can't take credit for.  Chris Broda, a member of the BIM After Dark Community (learn more about the community below) came up with the solution and let me share it with you all!  This is a simple tip to make fully functioning gutter end caps in Revit (and no, it is NOT modeling in place!).

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

Interactive 3D Revit Models in Power BI (w/Nate Miller) - Replay w/Links

 

On yesterday's episode of BIM After Dark Live I was joined by Nate Miller to talk about Revit, Power BI, and an application he built that gives you the ability to interact with 3D models IN a Power BI dashboard... Nate is the founder of Proving Ground, and has a long history of creating useful applications for architects, engineers, and contractors including LunchBox, Rhynamo, & Slingshot. Nate will be joining us to talk about some of his new projects that deal with how Power BI can interact with 3D modeling programs (like Revit & Rhino). Tracer, his suite of applications that let you export Revit data, import it into Power BI, and generate an interactive 3D model (in Power BI) is sure to be a game changer for data analytics, visualization, and more...

We had a great conversation, Nate showed some awesome stuff, and there were excellent questions from the audience...

Continue reading to view the replay and the links mentioned (and to try out Nate's dashboards!)...

Dynamic Data Images with Revit and Power BI (Synoptic Panel) (Replay w/Links)

 

On this episode of BIM After Dark Live I demonstrated the process of connecting Power BI visual data to 3D model images created in Revit... Essentially, this is the next best thing to actually having your models IN Power BI... We'll get to that next week... ;) If you are wondering what this could look like, check out this link and click the images of the building on the top right... See how you can interact with the image and the data dynamically?! That is what I will show you in the episode... Topics Covered: - Exporting Images - Exporting Revit Data for Power BI

- Making a "smart" layered SVG file (Adobe Illustrator) - Using "Synoptic Panel" in Power BI -Importing Revit Data into Power BI - Tying it all together...

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

Managing LARGE & COMPLEX Sites in Revit and Twinmotion (Replay w/Links)

 

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live I broke down how my team and I manage large, complex, and phased scenes in Revit & Twinmotion 2020 to create construction logistics/phasing plans, aerial views, and more... There are a lot of aspects to this session for Revit: - Model setup of super large scenes (acres upon acres of land). - Use of Container models using the design teams files. - Managing multiple phases, fencing, and more... Then, there are all the lessons learned when using Twinmotion 2020 with these large scenes, such as: - Export/Import Tips for less crashes. - Managing Phases/Sequencing, etc... - More efficient and stable model refreshes on large scenes - Best trees and material settings for aerial views. - Best lighting settings for aerial views...

Follow along as I walked through two different projects with their own unique approaches to creating large site models in Revit and managing how those scenes are built in Twinmotion.

Also, it's worth watching this episode to see how nervous I was while running two instances of Twinmotion 2020, two instances of Revit, and streaming live to YouTube from a 2K monitor... Talk about risky!

Continue reading to view the replay and all of the links mentioned (as well as the Twinmotion light settings I walk through at the end)...

Array Based Families in Revit - What You NEED TO KNOW! (+ Free Guide)

 

Missed the show live?  Be sure to check out the replay below and a link to my Free Desktop Revit Family Cheat sheet...

Yesterday's episode of BIM After Dark Live was inspired by a subscriber's email (Matt).  Matt had a few questions about using an array in Revit to build families and some of the tips and tricks when doing so...

So, I thought it would be fun to build an array based family live!  And walk through some of those little "need to know" tips and tricks along the way.

Topics Covered:

- Creating a nested family and "carrying over" the parameters.

- Creating a line based family.

- Using and applying arrays

- Formulas to drive the array

- How to handle single objects and arrays in the same family...

There were a bunch of great questions and even some comments from Paul Aubin and Nick of Revit Pure!

Continue reading to view the replay, see the links, and download the free desktop family guide...

Residential Revit - Under Construction (Replay + Links)

 

In this episode of BIM After Dark Live I gave an update on my ongoing home addition project ("Split Level Redux") and talk about some of the ways Revit has helped during the construction phase. 

So often in residential construction, as the architect, we spend countless hours working with a client to design their dream home (or addition).  However, there isn't always a connection between that effort and the efforts in the field.  

I have been using my own personal project as an opportunity to explore how Revit (and "BIM" in general) can add value to residential contractors, too.

In this episode we explored:

- General construction updates on the project (with some cool footage).

- How I am using Revit to track progress.

- How Revit is helping me place material orders.

- Real-time diagramming and problem solving using the model..

- And of course, some of the head-aches along the way....

Continue reading to view the replay and all of the links mentioned (there were quite a few links mentioned!)... 

Revit and Drones - Mapping, Point Clouds, and More...

If you missed last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live, do yourself a favor and check out the replay below...  If you're an overall technology junky/geek like me, you

Drones and Revit are two technologies I have been trying to figure out how to connect for a couple of years now.  Recently, a colleague of mine introduced me to a technology that makes it all possible.

In this episode I walked through how I was able to take a $600 (Black Friday sale drone) and map out an existing building, export it to a point cloud, and bring it into Revit...

Oh, and so so much more...

Like this really cool looking image...

Continue reading to see what I am all jazzed up about and to see the links (software and hardware) mentioned...

BIM for Everyone - Assemble Systems & Revit

 

On last night's episode of BIM After Dark Live I introduced Assemble Systems and ran through some of the more valuable features of the platform. 

I wasn't expecting it to be as interactive of a discussion as it was (as seen from the live chat log below).  But, I think it shows the interest and value of Assemble Systems... Pretty cool!

In the episode I  introduce you to Assemble, but I also used real-world examples to demonstrate how Assemble has removed the barriers of entry and given access to BIM for everyone at Turner Construction.  

Some of the topics we discussed were:

- Learn about the way conditioning and filtering a model SHOULD be in Revit...

- Model based quantity takeoff that anyone can do.  Seriously, anyone.  Even “old man Phil” with the drafting board and French curve on his desk.

- Model version comparisons for dummies.

- Model based constructability reviews that don’t require a fancy laptop or a “BIM kid” to help.

- 3-Click model based production (work-in-place) tracking even your most “old-school” superintendent can do.

- Creating real-time and dynamic dashboards to analyze model data.

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

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!

Parametric Dining Room Light Fixture Family in Revit - Start to Finish

 

I built a parametric family in Revit on yesterday's episode of BIM After Dark Live.

But, not just any old Revit family.  A dining room light fixture. 

Why a light fixture family?  

Well, I've noticed over the years that light fixtures are probably some of the most wanted families.  Probably because there are literally millions of fixture with all sorts of little details within them.

Another reason I wanted to walk you through the creation of this fixture live is that is contains a whole bunch of great family creation tips and tricks along the way.  

There were some great questions and I shared a lot of "process" references (like sketches, and diagrams) that are worth checking out...

Topics Covered:
- Laying out a Parametric Object
- Using Nested Families (when, why, and how).
- Using multiple light sources in one family.
- Carrying parameters (like materials) through nested Families
- When to use sweeps over extrusions
- Tips for making "rods"...

And so much more.  

If you missed it, be sure to continue reading to see the replay and view all of the reference materials...