Using GROUPS rather than Design Options

There are many great uses for GROUPS in Revit. I just discovered another one. If you have a design decision to make and are unsure of which way the client will go, so you decide to use Design Options.. HOLD EVERYTHING. There is a much simpler way to do it.

Create a group, let's say an arrangement of furniture. Move the group's insertion point to a known location.. like the corne of a room or in this case, the corner of the fireplace. (The insertion point is the little x/y axis that shows up when you select the group.. it's dragable).

Then delete the group! Yep.. just hit delete. (it stores in the project, trust me)

Now, create another group.. with another furniture arrangement. Move this new group's insertion point to the same location as the first group.

Now you are ready for the magic. Simply select the group and swap it out (in the properties dialog box) for the other one. BAM. Works like a champ. The insertion point holds the group's location. So for a quick design decision.. you don't have to set up Design Options if you don't want to.

There seems to only be a couple drawbacks. You can't set up a view where one of the groups is visible and another view where the other 'swapped out' group is visible. So it's a manual process. The other drawback is that the groups, when swapped out, don't retain any visual overrides.

Other than that.. this is the way to go!

Visibility Control

Ok.
Some confusion exists between the different visibility control mechanisms we have in Revit.
And it's no wonder.. There are so many possible combinations that it takes real skill to keep them all organized.

Here are the main ones that are giving people issues.. there are others to help complicate things, but we'll start with these:

1. You can select an individual object and with a right click - select Graphic Override, and make it look any way you want.
2. You can also select any individual object and with a right click - Hide it or the entire category in which it belongs.
3. Categories give you the ability to make an entire category look any way you want (and the ability to turn an entire category on/off).
4. Worksets gives you the ability to group items (even from different categories) and turn them on/off.
5. Filters give you the ability to make your worksets (and other items) look any way you want them. (All grey, All dashed and light blue, etc.).
6. Phases give you the ability to tell items when they were created and when (if at all) they will be demolished.
7. Phase Filters give you the ability to make a graphic distinction between new and existing phases (Grey Existing, Dark New, Existing Off, etc.)

Now that should make things as clear as mud.

View Range - the mystery solved!

OK.. I finally have a grasp on the settings of the VIEW RANGE. They have eluded me for quite some time.. but I finally got it. So here you go.

There are 4 settings. TOP, CUT, BOTTOM and VIEW DEPTH.

Well, as it turns out, the only 2 you need to pay attention to is the CUT and BOTTOM. The other two are for special viewing needs.

First, the values must always be in ascending order.. meaning the VIEW DEPTH will always be the lowest value and TOP will always be the highest value. (duplicate valuses are allowed.)

Next, CUT is just that.. it cuts thru things. Certain elements can't be cut thru though (furniture, specialty equiptment, etc.) and will always show their top surface.

BOTTOM is the base of your view.. so you can't see past that. Stairs are an exception, they will show the steps below because they 'started' in your view range.

OK.. if you for some reason want to see things that exist ABOVE the CUT.. you must lift the TOP to either intersect or pass them. The only caveat is.. it only works on Windows, Casework and Generic Models.  Weird, but that's the skinny.

Lastly.. if you for some reason want to see things that exist BELOW the BOTTOM.. you must lower the VIEW DEPTH to either intersect or pass them. This works on all objects. They will be visible and will be using the linestyle named 'beyond'. Which can be set to any line style you want (solid, dashed, etc.). The only weirdness here is, some families have thier own special rules with respect to the CUT PLANE. Example: floors will turn on if within 4' of the VIEW DEPTH value. 

So it's less of a science.. it's more like artwork.

Enjoy.

(We'll talk about Reflected Ceiling Plans later!)

Sites - SketchUp to Revit

Part of our current workflow is to create a schematic model in SketchUp - which often includes the site.  Many client meetings occur as the team is busy convincing them of our great design.. Once they make a decision on a direction to proceed.. we often turn the SketchUp model into a Revit model to take the design to the next level.

We don't need to scrap the entire SketchUp model to proceed. The buildings need to be recreated using Revit geometry.. but the site can be used to create one in Revit. Often we use geographical topo data from the civil engineers, but we can also use the SketchUp model site.

Here below is a quick shot of a sample Sketchup site. It may have roads, sidewalks, etc on it. We need to isolate the site by turning off (hide) all buildings, entourage, etc.  Then export to DWG.

Linking the DWG into Revit and then using the Site>Toposurface tools, we can generate a full 3D site inside Revit. It takes a little gymnastics to get the roads and walks separated to sub-regions.. but we have to do that with the geo data from civil also.  We can then control the materials in Revit for our construction documents and renderings.

So there you have it. You can use the SketchUp site and turn it into a Revit site for your next project.

Controlling Visibility of Individual Wall Layers

Sometimes it is desirable to hide individual layers of a wall while leaving other layers of the same wall visible. For example, when a structural engineer links an architect’s Revit file, the structural engineer may not want to show the rigid insulation, sheathing, masonry veneer and other nonstructural parts of the wall.

It is now possible in the 2012 release of Revit to control the visibility of individual layers of the wall. This can be accomplished by using the new ‘Parts’ tool. After creating parts for each of the layers in a wall, you can hide the layer part (or layer). ‘Parts’ is a new model category in Revit.

Empower the "I" in BIM

Have you ever had the need to transfer your BIM data between Autodesk Revit and Microsoft Excel? Quite often, it is better to use the power of a spreadsheet application to manipulate your data. You now have the ability to transfer data back and forth between Revit and Excel using the Ideate BIMLink extension.

For more information about BIMLink, go to http://www.inlettechnology.com/Ideate_Products.html.

Download a trial version and try it out yourself! I think you will find this extension has many possibilities.

Developing a Strategy for Your BIM Implementation

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a process involving the representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building in digital form. By using the BIM approach, it becomes possible to streamline processes, improve coordination and simulate construction, which facilitates more reliable decision making for the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings.

The implementation of a BIM approach for your organization and for specific projects requires careful planning and consideration. The transition to BIM is a revolutionary process change with challenges, risks and benefits. A well-structured plan can help identify the challenges in advance, minimize risk and increase benefits. Your transition to BIM must consider your goals and uses for BIM, your BIM project execution process, information exchanges and supporting infrastructure for your BIM implementation.

The “BIM Project Execution Planning Guide” provides a structured approach for developing your plan. A team at the Penn State University Computer Integrated Construction (CIC) Research Program authored the guide with assistance from advisors representing the buildingSMART allianceTM and AEC firms throughout the United States. This collection of BIM experience will provide you and your organization with a firm foundation upon which you can develop your plan. The guide is available for download at http://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/cic/bimex/.