Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

3.5-7::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
3.6-7::San Jose
AutoCAD MEP Mechanical and Piping Fundamentals
3.12::San Francisco
Revit MEP Overview
3.12-14::San Jose
AutoCAD Fundamentals

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eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

2.28.12::
Revit 201: Getting Started with Presentations

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

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Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

2.23-24::San Francisco
Ecotect Fundamentals
2.27-29::San Jose
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
2.28-3.1::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
3.5-7::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

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eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

2.21.12::
Revit 201: Site Tools
2.28.12::
Revit 201: Getting Started with Presentations

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

Get It. Know It. Use It.

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Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

2.21-23::Portland
Civil 3D Fundamentals
2.22-24::San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
2.22-23::Seattle
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
2.22-24::Seattle
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
2.23-24::San Francisco

Ecotect Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

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eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

2.14.12::
Ideate 101: Getting Started with Vasari
2.21.12::
Revit 201: Site Tools
2.28.12::
Revit 201: Getting Started with Presentations

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

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Avoid Takeoff Blunders in Revit Projects

The days of actually sharing Building Information Models are finally upon us. At Ideate we’re seeing a high degree of RVT sharing going on out there, not only across A/E disciplines but also into the construction field. Obvious hurdles still abound as we struggle to define BIM deliverables and what constitutes a “constructability” model but it’s exciting nonetheless to see so much progress in the past two years.

As we see more owners and contractors performing detailed takeoff analysis derived from Revit models we’ve become more attuned to the unique challenges of trying to leverage someone else’s data. It’s difficult enough to “walk through” a project you are not familiar with, and even more difficult to comfortably assess the data behind the model when you yourself are not the creator. 

To that end, I thought I’d share a few tips to help avoid some of the common mistakes that can be made when using Revit for quantity takeoff purposes. 

Phasing and Schedule Data Challenges
Architects and Engineers most typically use phases to graphically represent demolition, existing, and new construction conditions within a project. This allows, for example, items that are existing to be shown in a lighter lineweight, and items that are being demolished to either be displayed as dashed or not be shown at all. Ideate has had many support cases where quantity takeoffs were not giving the expected results due to phasing considerations. Using the wrong Phase Filter on a Schedule can radically impact the takeoff results. 

Each of Revit’s model elements are assigned a Phase Created and Phase Demolished value, as shown. These assignments give Revit the ability to display Views and Schedules as a snapshot in time. When the schedule is created a Phase is identified, as shown. This acts as a filter on the schedule.  In this example, any Wall that has a Phase Created value of “Phase II” will not display in the schedule.

 

Consider the simple floor plans shown for Phase I and Phase II of the same project. Each schedule has a different combination of Phase and Phase Filter settings. These phase settings can be edited from the Properties dialog when the Schedule is the active view.

Note that the temporary wall, shown dashed, is visible in both the Floor Plan View and in the Schedule. Depending upon the Phase Filter the temporary wall could be excluded even if the Phase is set to “Phase I.” Additionally, this schedule includes walls that are existing. Is this desired for your takeoff?

In Phase II, another room is created. The Revit Schedule, when set to Filter on “Phase II” can include only the items created during this Phase OR can be set to show both the new items and the older items. The Phase Filter called “Show Previous + New” will cause the Existing, Phase I, and Phase II items to display. It cannot, however, be used to only show Phase I and Phase II items and it will also not include any temporary items from the previous phase. 

So, Before You Start the Takeoff...
If you’re using someone else’s RVT to generate a takeoff, bear these tips in mind:

1. Start by reviewing the Phase settings which can be found on the Manage tab under Phases. Review both the Phase and Phase Filter Settings to understand the lay of the land. 
2. In order to get a complete picture of the elements on a per phase basis, you may want to have a Schedule for each Phase and use only the “New” Phase Filter. 
3. Additionally, while not as prevalent, Design Options present the exact same set of issues with respect to quantity takeoffs. Revit Schedules may or may not reflect information about the set of data upon which you should be basing the takeoff. Design Option data creates duplicate elements. In some instances the Design Option data may actually be old and not relevant to the bid. 
4. The best course of action is to review the Design Options directly with the architect or engineer prior to starting the takeoff.
5. Lastly, Ideate BIMLink can provide peace of mind to the quantity takeoff process by including the relevant phased and design option-based information in-line with the element data. In this short Quantity Takeoff and Phasing video you’ll see how Ideate BIMLink can represent all element instances. You can then use Excel to decide which elements should be part of your takeoff.

Learn more about Ideate BIMLink at www.ideatebimlink.com.

Want more information on Phasing or Design Options? Ideate offers custom online training during convenient lunchtime hours on these and other construction-related topics. Review the online Revit training topics then contact Ideate's Training Department for more information.

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Glynnis Patterson is a registered architect and the Director of Software Development at Ideate, Inc. In a previous life Glynnis spent many hours looking at blueprints with a scale, highlighters, and a scratch pad to develop detailed cost estimates.

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Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

2.13-15::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
2.21-23::Portland
Civil 3D Fundamentals
2.22-24::San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
2.27-29::San Jose
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

Read More

eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

2.14.12::
Ideate 101: Getting Started with Vasari
2.21.12::
Revit 201: Site Tools
2.28.12::
Revit 201: Getting Started with Presentations

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

Get It. Know It. Use It.

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BIM for Civil Engineers: Surfaces – Elevation Analysis Using AutoCAD Civil 3D

As an Application Specialist with Ideate, Inc., I have received many questions regarding AutoCAD Civil 3D models and how users can take advantage of the capabilities within their product. The information within a model allows designers to clearly convey design intent to their current and prospective customers. This often leads to a better understanding of the project itself, and a much smoother process leading to the end product.

The term “BIM” has been used for a few years now, however the definition of BIM has not been adapted to the recent enhancements in the design and construction industry. If you ask an Architect or Construction professional what “BIM” stands for, they may respond with “Building Information Modeling,” which is a term that focuses the intent of the model on the actual “Building” that is being designed. As engineers, when we think about “BIM” we should consider its meaning to be “Building an Information Model,” where the content is not strictly focused on the building, but on the entire model and all components making up the project.  

As a civil design engineer, AutoCAD Civil 3D is my tool of choice for creating and analyzing a Civil Engineering BIM Model. In this short article, we’ll take a look at one quick and easy way to create and analyze surface slopes using a text (.TXT) file from a Surveyor.

Step 1: Create a Civil 3D Surface using the Point File (do not import points)

1. In your Civil 3D drawing, use the Ribbon’s Home tab → Create Ground Data panel to start the Create Surface Command
2. Verify the Surface Type is TIN Surface, and provide a Name and select a Style for your surface. Optionally, provide a description and select a render material in this dialog box as well.
3. Click OK to create the Surface. It is now listed in the Prospector tab of your Toolspace
4. Expand the Surfaces collection (click on “+”) and expand the Surface object that was just created.
5. Expand the Definition collection within the Surface object to view the different types of data that can be used to generate the model.
6. Right-Click on Point Files and select Add
7. Click on the “+” sign in the upper right corner to browse to your Point File (.TXT in the example).
8. Select the Point File and click Open.
9. Specify the Point File Format (PNEZD (comma delim) in the example) and click OK to create the surface.

 

The surface is automatically generated when you click OK. If you do not see the surface in your drawing, use the Zoom Extents command (double-click the mouse wheel) to zoom to the extent of your drawing.

Our Information Model now has a surface object that can be analyzed and used in our design. The power of a Civil 3D drawing does not fall in the objects you see on screen, but in the information that the drawing contains. Although we simply see contours representing our surface, we have all of the 3D information it contains available for use. In this example, we will do a quick Surface Elevation analysis to color-code the surface based on a range of elevations to find the high and low spots in our model.

The latest releases of AutoCAD Civil 3D have a much more user-friendly environment. For this example, we will take advantage of the Contextual Ribbon tab that appears when Civil 3D objects are selected. In most cases, if you wish to edit, analyze or use information from a Civil 3D object, the process begins by simply left-clicking on the object in the drawing.

Step 2: Surface Elevation Analysis

1. Left-click on the Existing Ground Surface to activate the contextual Ribbon tab
2. Click on the top half of the Surface Properties button in the Modify panel
3. In the Surface Properties dialog box, switch to the Analysis tab
4. Select Elevations from the Analysis Type drop down list
5. Specify the number of ranges in the Ranges section (4 in the example)
6. Click on the Run Analysis button
7. Review the Range Details section to find out the Elevation Ranges and color scheme that was applied.
8. Fine tune the Elevation Ranges and modify the color scheme if preferred. 
9. Click OK to complete the Analysis.

 

At first glance, it may appear as though nothing happened in your drawing. What has actually happened is more information has been added to your model. In order to view the information, a modification must be made to the Surface Style. Civil 3D uses Object Styles to display the different aspects of a Surface in a drawing file.

The final step is to select or modify the Surface Style to display the new information that was just created through the Elevation Analysis.

Step 3: Displaying the Results of the Elevation Analysis

1. Left-click on the Surface again, if the contextual tab is not already displayed.
2. Click on the bottom half of the Surface Properties button to access the Edit Surface Style command.
3. Switch to the Display tab of the Surface Style Dialog box and click on the light bulb symbol next to Elevations to make that feature visible.
4. Click OK to exit and review the results of your Elevation Analysis.

  

It is recommended that your Civil 3D drawing template include a pre-defined style for analysis review. If it does include a pre-defined style for Elevations, you may use the Surface Properties command to assign that style to your surface instead. Editing the Surface Style using the steps above will affect all surfaces referencing that style in your drawing, and the Style must also be edited again after your review is complete to return it to the original state.

As you can see, the value in the BIM model lies in the information that it contains. Civil 3D provides users with a user-friendly way to leverage this information and convey their design intent to all parties involved in a project.

Next time you hear the term “BIM,” remember to think of it as “Building an Information Model”, rather than simply modeling a building.

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Matt Miyamoto, P.E.
Infrastructure Solutions Application Specialist
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of Hawaii. Matt obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and has 7 years of private sector design experience which he applies in his role as an application specialist with Ideate, Inc. His project experience includes residential and commercial site development, private and public sewer, water and drainage systems, harbors improvements, and roadway improvements. While in Hawaii, Matt was involved in multidisciplinary projects for City and County agencies, State Departments, the Army COE and private developers. @MattM_PE

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