look at the scope of work

Scope boxes control de visibility of datum elements. Grids, Levels and Reference Lines can be associated with Scope boxes, and the name of user created scope boxes are listed as an instance parameter in the datum properties. This is useful when we want to display datum elements in certain views but not in others.

Today in class, a student associated the levels to a scope box. After doing this, the levels projected in his South Elevation dissapeared.

The not-so-obvious reason was this:  The south elevation plane was NOT intersecting the scope box, therefore, preventing the levels to be displayed.   Remember that datum elements associated with scope boxes will only display IF a cutting plane intersects the scope box.

Fig A.  Datum plane outside the scope box

Fig B.  Datum plane intersecting the scope box

Horizontal Glue

Imagine the following design team:  A designer based in Mexico, a structural engineer based in Canada, a MEP consultant based in London, a contractor in Boston, and +20 specialty consultants dispersed in the United States. The challenges of such a team appear to defeat even the most diligent and organized project manager.  The search for a silver bullet capable to overcome the ineficiencies of geographically dispersed teams remained, in my opinion, an idea still years ahead to come.  Well, not anymore. I sat on a presentation of 'Horizontal Glue' yesterday and if I am asked to describe the tool in one word, i'd say:  Amazing.

Horizontal Glue is new little known, powerful web-based technology that translate the traditional BIM workflow to the cloud. It merges up to 40 different types of model formats, including the well-known .rvt .dgn .dwg into a single composite model accessible to anybody around the planet via a browser. Users, including crew workers and subcontractors, can access the model and run multi-model interferences, exchange datasets, identify hard-clashes, associate the model to construction schedules & estimates, and build 4D animations. Project designers can mark-up coordination issues on the fly, using their browser and no more, and link them to a web based RFI form that is emailed as a hiperlink to consultants for resolution. Modifications to the composite model are allowed, both physical and parametrically, and changes can then be synchronized with your in-house model via a REVIT plug-in. The integrated model can be accessible in the construction site using an Ipad application, which in turn generate reports and action items distributed to the team thanks to the partnership with 'Prolog', the information management tool by Meridian Systems.

Check their website on http://www.horizontalsystems.com/index.php/products/glue-platform.  We will be using the tool for a large project in our office and I can't wait to have a grip of the tool in my hands.

Plines in REVIT

Unlike most CAD based programs, REVIT lacks the ability to produce Polylines.
I miss this functionality,  which always prove useful in detailing and outlining wide line section edges.
Visibility graphic settings just won't get us there. A workaround i found today is to use a 'hollow' Masking Region.
The trick is to create a Masking Region, and override the region properties (via right click mouse) 'by Element', switching on the 'Transparency' checkbox.  The region preserves its boundary lineweight without the solid white pattern.

Imagining Risk

In a radical departure from centuries-old tradition and norms of architectural design, the new digitally generated forms are not drawn as the conventional understanding of these terms would have it; they are calculated by a chosen generative computational method, which is the base of a parametric design, an approach that bridges into the field of computer programming.  It is the parameter what is declared, not the shape, the form or the envelope.  By assigning different values to the parameters, particular instances are created from a potentially infinite range of possibilities.  Pencil is replaced by equations, which in turn are used to describe the relationships between the objects, thus defining an associative, linked geometry.

The objects establish relationships based on formulas, and how these interdependences are established depend to considerable extent to the architect's ability to craft them precisely. Instead of crafting a 'concept', we now craft 'relationships' and 'controlled behaviors', which shape the path to discover new form: The determinism of the precise traditional design is abandoned in favor of the unpredictable and unexpected, which often paves the way to poetic invention and creative transformation.

The risks at stake are high: non-linearity, indeterminacy, and unpredictability are anything but certain.

Thermodynamic fun with REVIT

This Revit article digs into computing water flow requirements based on air flow and design assumptions.  It gets into interesting topics such as 'cancelling units', and adding and subtracting temperatures. Illustrates the power of parametric modeling.

Check it out!

Determining Airflow Requirements

Parametric Modeling in Revit

Last call to register for BIM Spectrum, on line free-event on Wednesday Aug 17.
These sessions will include multi-discipline case studies and examples of how real firms have leveraged the new model-based design, documentation, and virtual construction environment to their benefit. Also sessions are available that offer a more detailed overview of the technology available to get more out of your models

http://imaginit.com/lp/bim_spectrum/index.html



A Balanced Meal: Parametric Modeling in Revit
3:00pm – 3:30pm Eastern Time
Stevens Williams, AIA, LEED® AP, Flad Architects, San Francisco, CA
Cesar Escalante, AIA, LEED® AP, Flad Architects, San Francisco, CA

The California Maritime Academy (CMA) is a close-knit academic community serving about 850 students and committed to quality instruction in engineering, science, and technology for the transportation industry. Construction of the new Dining Commons will create a strong social center for this community.

The generally open nature of the building program and the relatively mild climate encouraged the use of alternate air conditioning systems. Natural ventilation, radiant floor heating and on-site renewable energy proved to be both highly efficient and cost-effective. The challenge was to reduce the incident solar radiation (insolation) while preserving southwest views toward San Francisco Bay. Using Revit Architecture & Ecotect, virtual model with flexible parameters allowed evaluation and optimization of passive shading systems

Google Earth + REVIT

The link between Google Earth and REVIT materialized into a Revit Extension available from the Autodesk Subscription Center since 2007. The extension allow to georeference your project with a GE aerial map imported directly into a REVIT view. But how about the GE surfaces?  Hmm...There is currently no direct way to extract GE contours into REVIT, but it IS possible to do this via AutoCAD.

The Google Earth Extension for Autodesk-based products has been available as a technology preview application from the Autodesk Labs website. http://labs.blogs.com/its_alive_in_the_lab/google_earth/

This extension allows users to publish 3D models from AutoCAD directly into Google Earth as .kmz files, import an aerial photo, and/or drape a Google Earth image over and AutoCAD 3D mesh.  The numerous installation files are dependent of both the AutoCAD and the GE version number. After installing the application, for the extension to run properly, load manually via MENULOAD the GoogleEarth.cui  and load via APPLOAD the  AeccDWGToGE.arx, both files residing in the main ACAD support folder location. The .cui will create a small Google Earth for AutoCAD toolbar:

The second tool left-to-right IMPORTGEMESH, (the icon with the blue mesh), will capture the Google Earth surface elevations and will import it into any AutoCAD based product (CAD, ACA, CIVIL & MAP).
The tool will drape a Black & White aerial image over the mesh, visible only when you switch visibility to Realistic. It is important to keep both applications open during the operation, and it is important that the GE view is perpendicular to the earth surface (no tilt).  The tool will always create a 32x32 mesh with elevations relative to the Sea Level 0'-0".

Save the file as a dwg in a subfolder beneath your Revit project folder.  Link the dwg into REVIT and generate a Toposurface using the Imported Instance Method. Place the dwg using the Auto - Origin to Origin option to preserve the elevation info. More important, the key here is to review the contour ranges and settings in the Site Settings before generating the toposurface.

A color aerial map can be drapped over the toposurface as part of an assigned Material.  To do this, save the GE color image as a jpg and associate the image into new generic material using the Material Browser/Material Editor.  Make sure that the size of the material tile matches the actual size of the toposurface, by disabling the tile proportionality lock. See the options below:

The image will display only when the View Style is switched to Realistic.  See the final result:

Retaining Wall Profile at Toposurfaces

It is widly recognized that Revit weakest link is the site grading and the new RAC 2012 still fall short in many of the site modification features, one of them is the ability snap to toposurfaces profiles.

The issue in discussion is as follows.  A pad is built over a toposurface, retaining walls are needed at the the pad perimeters, and the top of the wall shall follows the toposurface profile.  While a section view can reveal the actual surface profile, Revit cannot match it to the top of the wall. Simply said, one cannot snap to a toposurface profile in any sketch mode. This limitation has long been reported in wishlists for years.

Few workarounds exist. One approach, if your budget is generous enough, is to purchase EaglePoint's SiteWorks add-on, which enable this feature for several hundred dollars.  Another approach is to trace-eyeball the wall profile but we know this will not be accurate.  And my suggested approach is as follows:
1)  Create a section looking toward the wall and switch to a wireframe style.

2)  Export the section view as a dwg, using the default options.

3)  Link the CAD back into the section view, making sure it is positioned  "Auto - Origin to Origin" and placed in the "Current View only". The purpose of this is to use the ACAD linked lines as snapping references when modifying the wall profile.

 4) Edit the 'Wall Profile" and using the 'Pick Lines' tool, select the CAD profile lines. This is the accuracy we were looking for!

5) Erase the linked CAD dwg.

While exporting to dwg is a shotfall - the wall will not update should the surface changes-, the result is still precise. Share your thoughts if you have found an alternate method.

Gridline gridlocks untangled

A user in my company asked me how to control the extent of gridlines in multiple views. The ADESK help files are terrible at explaining a fairly simple process, so here is my revisited explanation.
A grid is a vertical plane that defines the location of structural elements. A grid in REVIT is an element composed of two entities: 1) A datum 'plane'  2) A linework that make it visible in projection.  Gridlines are not visible in 3D, only in projection views, such as elevations or sections. The datum plane and its associated linework may or may not have the same extent. How can you tell?

Let's look at these four grid properties:
- A hollow grip indicates the end of the datum plane.
- A small solid blue grip indicates the end of the grid projection linework.
- A 3D symbol indicates that the datum extent is in sync with the linework.
- A 2D symbol indicates that the datum and the projection linework are independent, or have different ends.

Here is the fun part. Clicking over the 3D symbol 'divorce' the datum end from the projection linework, converting the hollow grip into a solid grip. In other words, views can have different projection ends, but the datum end remains unique in the project.

To re-synchronize the datum plane with the projection linework,  rejoin the grips, and the grid will return to a '3D' state.  If the grid end is outside the crop view region, the grids will not be converted.

The grid  right-click menu has additional grid controls:

Drag End:  Moves an end grip end along the grid line. This command only works when you hoover over the solid blue grip and enable the right click mouse menu.
Reset to Crop: Trims or extends the projection linework to the annotation crop boundary. Use this to fix the extent of gridlines modified while the crop region was switched off.
Reset to 3D Extents: Synchronizes the projection line end with the datum end. This is the equivalent of manually dragging the solid grip over the hollow grip
Maximize 3D Extents:  Extends the datum ends to the boundary defined by the farthest geometry in the project.  However, this will NOT work if the view crop region is visible. Switch off the crop region to use this command.

An extremely useful control is the Propagate Extends tool in the grid contextual ribbon. This will replicate the linework of a system of grids from the current view to multiple views. For example, if you worked arduosly to set your grid linework in a certain way, ie displaying custom arm and leg breaks, you can copy the same display properties across several views.  Don't re-dothis view by view. This is precious time wasted!

Lastly... you can associate a grid line with a scope box per family instance properties. This does two things: 1) It will lock the datum extent (hollow grip) to the scope box boundary and 2) it will place the linework end (solid blue grip) at a fixed 1" distance from the scope box boundary.  Use scope boxes to apply a consistent grid display in multiple views with different plan orientations, ie enlarged detail plans. Where does the 1" come from? hmm..."sepajudas" like we say in spanish.  Post a comment to me if you know the answer!

Toposurface Profiles

Any section thru a toposurface will display its profile, but the profile lines in a view cannot be used as snapping references, nor can they be extracted as detail or model lines.  This has been an unfortunate known limitation... until now.   The 'surface tool triangulation' posted by Anthony in the AUGI forum allow the creation of model lines that follow a toposurface profile based on the location of a pad and a wall.  This add-on can be downloaded here, and works like a charm:
http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?p=1089399#post1089399

The advantages are multiple. You can convert the profile lines into detail lines, utilize the profile to trace the top of a retaining wall, offset the profile to define an vertical easement, and or export just the profile lines to other CAD\CIVIL applications.

Introductory Post

Hello, welcome to my blog! It has been on my mind for quite some time to create a technical space documenting my periodic musings on Building Information Modeling. A few times a month as time allows I’ll try to intermix thoughts on key issues and whatever else might provoke a conversation about REVIT. 

Cheers