What's new in Revit Structure 2014: Structural Analytical Model Improvements

As you know, identifying and resolving issues such as unconnected beams, isolated nodes, and other inconsistencies, when transferring the Revit Structure model into a structural analysis program, is very important and yet time consuming and tricky. Revit Structure 2014 has some great new tools that will help with speedier resolution of these issues. These tools are:

By Default, each node now has a read only property which enables the user to see the connectivity of the node.

The standard Structural Template now contains 2 filters that will help with being able to easily identify issues with the Analytical Revit model

 
The Wall Adjustment tool now has improved functionality where in you can now also adjust analytical walls in relation to nodes of analytical floors and analytical foundation slabs

 

 

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Shruti Harve, LEED AP

Ideate Senior AEC Application Specialist
Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services. At Ideate, Shruti provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, 3ds Max, Ecotect and AutoCAD Architecture.

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What's new in Revit Structure 2014: Edit Rebar Constraints!

One of the common questions I get when teaching rebar modeling in my Revit Structure classes here at Ideate,Inc is how to override the default constraint behavior of the rebar to its host elements. The answer would be 'not easily possible', but not anymore with the introduction of 'Edit Rebar Constraints' tool in Revit 2014.

With the introduction the 'Edit Rebar Constraints' tool you can now apply overrides to the default host constraint behavior on a selected rebar element. The Rebar Constraints dialog box lets you select either Bar Plane, Start of Bar, End of Bar, or Out of Plane Extent. The face of the host that represents the constraint target highlights in the drawing area.

 

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Shruti Harve, LEED AP

Ideate Senior AEC Application Specialist
Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services. At Ideate, Shruti provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, 3ds Max, Ecotect and AutoCAD Architecture.

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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:

5.14.13::Revit 201:
Roof Framing in Revit Structure

5.16.13::Ideate Software 101:
Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink

5.28.13::Revit 201:
Making Titleblocks

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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Featured Ideate Expert: Shruti Harve, LEED AP

Shruti Harve, LEED AP –
Ideate Senior AEC Application Specialist

Shruti Harve provides training for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, and 3ds Max Design classes for Ideate, including the February Revit Architecture Fundamentals class in San Jose.
 
Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services.

“Shruti was a great instructor. She gave clear directions, was very patient with questions, but still kept the class moving at an efficient pace. I would happily recommend her to other architects.”
—Revit Architecture Fundamentals, with Shruti Harve

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Ideate BIMLink in the Cloud – Now non-Revit Users Can Edit Revit Data Too!

A great reason to use Ideate BIMLink for Autodesk Revit is that it allows non-Revit users to contribute to the data side of the model. What do we mean by this? We mean that interior designs or consultants who don’t have Revit can fill out important space and room information such as a finish schedule or the Specified Airflow values using plain ‘ole MS Excel. We mean that the project manager who is busy traveling to job sites can edit the sheet list  information from the job trailer without having to access the project’s .RVT file. Or, maybe it’s the building engineer, onsite, who is reading barcodes from each installed piece of mechanical equipment and wants that data stored back into the as-built model. Ideate BIMLink is the perfect solution for all these scenarios.

How does it work? We’ll use the example of filling out the manufacture and model number for the mechanical equipment or specialty equipment. Bob is the engineer who owns Revit and uses a workstation, while Sue is the general contractor completing the as-built information. Sue is onsite with an iPad walking through the building to confirm each piece of data. Here’s the basic procedure:

1. Bob exports the list of mechanical equipment from the Revit model using Ideate BIMLink.
2. Bob saves the .XLSX file into Dropbox.
3. Sue uses CloudOn with Dropbox on her iPad and sees the file Bob just posted.
4. Sue opens the .XLSX and walks around to verify the Manufacture and model number for each piece of equipment that’s actually installed.
5. Some of the model number fields are missing or incorrect.  Sue edits them on the iPad.
6. When Sue is done Bob uses Ideate BIMLink to import the edited .XLSX data and push it back into Revit.
7. Now the Revit file data matches the as-built information and the owner gets a high-quality deliverable!

Give it a try; you can download a free Trial version of Ideate BIMLink and both Dropbox and CloudOn are free Apps for the iPad and iPhone. Note that CloudOn also works with Google Drive and with SkyDrive accounts.

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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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Missing Something in a Revit View? 33 Steps to Find Stuff.

Recently David Haynes, Ideate Director of Consulting passed the following tidbit around the office and I thought it could be of use to you. Thanks for the tips David. 

Can’t see it in a view? Here are 33 possible reasons… 

Checklist: 33 Steps to Find Stuff in Revit.

Check to see if: 

1. The element or category is temporarily hidden 
2. The element or category is hidden in the view 
3. The element is being obscured by another element 
4. The element’s category or subcategory is hidden in the view 
5. The element is outside the view’s view range 
6. The view’s far clip depth is not sufficient to show the element 
7. The element resides on a work set that is not loaded within the project 
8. The element resides on a work set that is not visible in the view 
9. The element resides on a work set that is not loaded in a linked file 
10. The element resides on a work set that is not visible in a linked file 
11. The element resides within a group (detail model) and it has been excluded from the group 
12. The element is part of a design option that is not visible in the view 
13. The element is part of a linked file that is not visible in the view 
14. The element has one or more of its edges overridden to display as “Invisible Lines”
15. The element is a family and none of its geometry is set to be visible in the view type 
16. The element is a family and none of its geometry is set to be visible at the view’s detail level 
17. The element is set to not be visible at the category’s detail level 
18. The element has been placed outside the view's crop region (visible extents) 
19. The element is an annotation element and does not reside entirely within the annotation crop region 
20. The element’s phase settings or the view’s phase settings prevent the element from displaying in the view 
21. The view’s discipline is prohibiting the visibility of the element 
22. The element is affected by a filter applied to the view 
23. The element is subject to an element override, set to background color 
24. The element is subject to a category override, set to background color 
25. The element style is set to background color 
26. The element is constrained to a scope boxes that is not visible in the view 
27. The extents of the element itself don’t permit it to be seen 
28. The element is a mass, and “Show Mass” is turned off 
29. The element’s host view has been deleted (area boundaries) 
30. The view’s scale is prohibiting the element’s visibility 
31. The element is a linked instance with coordinates too great for Revit to handle 
32. The user has incorrectly identified the link instance to which the element belongs 
33. The element is in a link that is not in its correct position

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Ron Palma
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Ron has over 24 years of experience in the architectural industry as a drafter, designer, lead project designer, trainer, and a CAD manager implementing Autodesk Architectural Solutions for a residential design firm. His instructional background includes being an Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland and Clackamas Community Colleges, as well as a U.S. Army certified instructor where he was a senior instructor at Ft Lewis Washington. Ron is a member of the Oregon Army National Guard and platoon sergeant, training and mentoring soldiers in their careers. Ron is a published writer and continues to author professional technical training manuals and shorts for AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit. As an Autodesk Certified Instructor, Ron provides Revit Architecture training and support for AEC firms. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.

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Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:

12.10-12::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
12.11-13::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
12.17-19::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

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Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:

12.10-12::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
12.11-13::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

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Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:

11.28-30::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
12.10-12::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
12.11-13::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

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Quantifying Reinforcement in Revit Structure and Ideate BIMLink

One of the benefits of modeling reinforcement in your Revit model is that you can quantify it via a schedule. However, it is common practice for rebar schedules to typically include element cross-sectional geometry mixed with the actual rebar specification. As you know, in Revit Structure these two types of data can be extracted into separate tables i.e. – host element table and Structural Rebar table. The two can have relational parameters but cannot be combined into a single table.
 
Ideate BIMLink exposes this data and lets you extract information from the host object that the rebar is placed in, thus allowing you to create a schedule that contains both rebar information as well as information about the elements it is placed in. Creating such a schedule using Ideate BIMLink is easy:
 
1. Launch IdeateBIMLink from the Add-Ins tab

2. Create a New Link with Structural Rebar as the category

3. In the Properties dialog box, notice how you can add data about the objects that the rebar is hosted in

You can export this data to Microsoft Excel, Edit it if need be and bring it back into the Revit Model.

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Shruti Harve, LEED AP

Ideate Senior AEC Application Specialist
Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services. At Ideate, Shruti provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, 3ds Max, Ecotect and AutoCAD Architecture.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

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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: 

9.24.12::Revit 201:
Stairs and Railings in Revit
9.25.12::Revit 201:
Roof Framing in Revit Structure
10.2.12::Navisworks 101:
Introdution to Navisworks Manage
10.9.12::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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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: 

9.18.12::Civil 3D 201:
Analysis for Master-Planning
9.20.12::Revit 201:
Converting Blocks to Families
9.24.12::Revit 201:
Stairs and Railings in Revit
9.25.12::Revit 201:
Roof Framing in Revit Structure

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.

Read More

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:

9.5-7::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
9.10-12::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
9.24-26::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

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Case of the Phantom Keynote

With apologies to Donald J. Sobol (R.I.P.)

Monday evening, Chief Brown took his seat at the dinner table. He stared off into space. Encyclopedia knew what that meant. He had a Revit riddle he could not solve.

“The Mountain View School Project has a keynote in the legend that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the project,” Chief Brown said. “The case is a puzzle.”

“Tell Leroy about it, dear,” Mrs. Brown urged. “He’s never failed you.” Chief Brown nodded. He took a small notebook from the breast pocket of his uniform. Using his notes, he went over the mystery for Encyclopedia.

“Shortly after the last save to central,” Chief Brown said, “a mysterious keynote popped up in the keynote legend.”

“Is that a big deal?” Mrs. Brown asked.

“It is for Mr. Crabapple, the spec writer,” Chief Brown answered. He looked back at his notes and continued. “Mrs. Corbu, the BIM Manager, searched the entire sheet for the keynote but could not find it anywhere.”

“Did she try Reveal Hidden Elements?” Mrs. Brown asked.

“She did,” Chief Brown said. “She also checked all the tabs on the Visibility Graphics dialog and when she came up empty she contacted us.”

“Aren’t there any other clues?” Mrs. Brown inquired. Mrs. Brown glanced at Encyclopedia as if expecting him to speak. The boy detective was ready to ask his one question. Usually he needed to ask only one question to solve a case at the dinner table.

“Does the phantom keynote have a specific number or text value?” asked Encyclopedia?

“Why, it does happen to say ‘TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE WALL COVER,’ why do you ask?” said Chief Brown.

Encyclopedia whipped out his laptop and queried the RVT file with Ideate Explorer. “I know exactly where that keynote is lurking, and I know why it’s been hiding.”

HOW DID HE KNOW?

(see video to solve his crime)

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Imperial and Metric Dimensions in the Same Revit View

You may be provided with an as built drawing where the units are unfamiliar. Projects in Germany used meters, in France centimeters and in Britain millimeters and you are most comfortable using imperial units. It might be helpful to have multiple dimension types so you can see both units and you client in Germany can relate to the dimensions shown.

You can enter a value for units in the temporary dimension to change the dimension. Select the object you want to move, click on the temporary dimension and enter your value. If your file units are imperial and you want 15' – 0" you would enter 15 and the units are implied.

If the as built were metric, you can enter metric units. If you want to enter metric units you can enter the value with an appended unit (5m - or 500cm or 5000mm) to make the change.

Before.

After.

It would be helpful to have a dimension that reports on the alternate units. Select the imperial dimension style, on the properties palette click Edit > Duplicate. Add – Meters after the name.

Under the Text tab, change to the values shown and click OK twice to exit.

You now have imperial and metric dimension style types and you can select a dimension and change the type as needed. You can work with both for entry of values and see your dimensions in imperial and metric.

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Jim Cowan
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Jim Cowan’s extensive AEC design industry experience and Autodesk design solutions expertise have made him a sought after university curriculum developer, instructor and presenter. Jim’s areas of expertise include interoperability between solutions and overcoming barriers to the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Educated in Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot-Watt University and in Landscape Architecture at University of Manitoba, Jim has special focus on sustainability issues: daylight analysis, sun studies, lighting analysis, modeling buildings and conceptual energy modeling (models with shading devices). YouTube Channel: MrJimCowan

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What’s New in Revit Structure 2013: Area and Path Reinforcement Now Visible in 3D Views!

Thank you for visiting Ideate’s blog to check out the new features added to Autodesk Revit Structure 2013. My name is Shruti Harve and I work as a Senior Application Specialist at Ideate, Inc. When modeling Rebar using Revit Structure, I almost always have to use a combination of the Area, Path and Rebar reinforcement tools. But because rebar modeled using Area and Path reinforcement did not display in 3D, it was always a challenge to create a 3D reinforcement detail. But not anymore with Revit Structure 2013! 

Starting in Revit Structure 2013, Area and Path Reinforcement is now able to host structural rebar, much like the way that beam systems and trusses host structural framing. You can now display rebar elements in floors, walls or foundation slabs, in all views including 3D views, schedule rebar and remove the area or path system to expose the individual rebar elements. 

In addition to that, the following enhancements have been made to modeling reinforcement in Revit Structure 2013:

• Improved Snapping-To Fillets and Hooks
  This feature provides references on a stirrup/tie rebar fillet and hook that provide standard bars an additional reference for rebar joins. Users can now select a layout rule before clicking to place rebar
• Fabric Reinforcement Added to Revit Structure
  You can now place evenly lap-spliced Fabric Sheets in floors, walls or foundation slabs
• Several New Structural Units Added
  Several new Structural units have been added including those for structural rebar, i.e. Reinforcement Area and Reinforcement Area per Unit Length.

Don’t forget to look through other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2013 releases for Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Civil 3D, 3ds Max Design, AutoCAD, Navisworks and more: ideateinc.com/2013

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Shruti Harve,

LEED AP, AEC Solutions Application Specialist
Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services. At Ideate, Shruti provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, 3ds Max, Ecotect and AutoCAD Architecture.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

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eLearning – Upcoming Revit 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: 

5.8.12::Revit 201: Revit + Light Meter
5.15.12::Revit 201: Roof Framing in Revit Structure

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.

Read More

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 weeks:

5.7-9::Sacramento
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
5.7-9::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
5.14-5.16::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
5.14-15::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
5.16-18::San Francisco
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

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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 weeks:

4.30-5.2::Sacramento
Civil 3D Fundamentals
5.1-3::Portland
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
5.7-9::Sacramento
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
5.7-9::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

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Autodesk Revit Structure 2013 Reinforcement Enhancements

This video made by Shruti Harve, Senior Application Specialist at Ideate, Inc. goes over enhancements made to reinforcement modeling in Autodesk Revit Structure 2013. These include:

• Fabric Reinforcement has been added to Autodesk Revit Structure 2013. You can now place evenly lap-spliced Fabric Sheets in floors, walls or foundation slabs.
• Area and Path Reinforcement can now host rebar. You can now display rebar elements in floors, walls or foundation slabs in 3D views, schedule rebar and remove the area or path system to expose the individual rebar elements.
• Improved snapping and alignment to fillets and hooks. You can now avoid interferences and collisions with other rebar while placing a rebar/rebar set in the fillet or hook.
• Several new Structural Unit Types have been added including those for Structural Rebar: Reinforcement Area and Reinforcement Area per Unit Length. 

Watch the video: Autodesk Revit Structure 2013 Reinforcement Enhancements

Don’t forget to look through other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2013 releases for Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, Navisworks and more: ideateinc.com/2013

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Shruti Harve,

LEED AP, AEC Solutions Application Specialist
Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services. At Ideate, Shruti provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, 3ds Max, Ecotect and AutoCAD Architecture.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Read More