Thursday, May 28, 2009

REVIT 2010 Opens ArchiCAD IFC File

Above is a 3D Camera view of an ArchiCAD IFC file opened in REVIT Architecture 2010. You do this by using the 'Open' button on the new Application Pull Down Menu. This is not an Import it is 'Opened'. Then you can save it as an RVT file. I got two warnings when I opened the file. One for detaching certain elements and one where I had to click 'delete' on some 'cut out' objects. Then there was some massing objects I could not figure out so I deleted them. All the wall, door, roof, window, furniture objects etc get converted to Families and organized by category in the Project Browser which are usable.
The walls stretch with grips etc. but I could not get them to 'attach' to the roof.
The hosted objects like doors and windows are usable as they are but not really modify-able even if you 'open the family' for editing. Materials do not seem to come through either hence the 'default' material everything is inheriting.
The floor plans look good.
The Levels come in ok and the views all get setup in the Project Browser.
I don't see any annotations or dimension so I will have to check with my ArchiCAD source.
I also opened this IFC in REVIT Structure which looked the same after I did some discipline related changes. So in summary, I am somewhat impressed and depending on what you needed the file for, it is usable as is. I would still re-create my new objects with native REVIT objects. Be it Architectural or Structural objects.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Accoustic Accordion Door Curtain Family

I just made this basic REVIT Architecture 2d Accordion / Accordian Door Curtain and thought I would share.
Below is an image of the two families that represent a 10' and 20' accordion door panel. The families are generic line based of category 'door'. Use grips to stretch the door end points. You cannot stretch them beyond their intended maximum length.
When you place one of these families in a plan view, make sure you are set to Work Plane base and not Face based. If you see the stop sign icon that means you are attempting 'face based', so you need to check your option bar.
Below are the 2 2d model families.
If there needs to be some tweeks, let me know.
* We could also turn these into 3D families using the exact same back bone but use an extruded solid instead of symbolic lines.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

REVIT 2010 - revit rendering library not installed - assetlibrary_base.fbx

For some strange reason my RAC 2010 software started giving the the following warning when I started up my REVIT.
"revit rendering library not installed"
After some minor investigation I noticed that REVIT was looking for the librabry file named "assetlibrary_base.fbx' file in the wrong place.
So under the REVIT 'Options' > 'Rendering' tab "Render Appearance Library Location'
I reset the path from:
'C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010\Program\"
TO
"C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010\Data\Rendering\assetlibrary_base.fbx'"
AND PROBLEM SOLVED !
YEAH !

Thursday, May 14, 2009

RAC REVIT Architecture 2010 Parking Garage Tutorial

Below is a fun video tutorial that quickly teaches you how to use the floor 'shape editing' tools to create the sloping slabs of a multi-level Parking Garage or 'Parkade'.
Create the flat floor, add some points, change the elevations then copy and paste the floor up to the other 3 levels.
Video TIP: 1. Click the Play button. 2. Then click the 'HD' button, 3. THEN click the 'Full Screen' button . . . . Youtube is still working on this feature.

Friday, May 08, 2009

REVIT 2010 - Orient View

In REVIT 2010 you will notice the 'orient view' tools are gone. Yes, gone from the pulldown menu and gone from the help menu too. That worried me. I searched for the word 'orient' everywhere and NOTHING. Vanished.
I used to use these tools to orient a 3D view to an elevation or plan type viewpoint (Shaded glass looks better in a flat 3d view than a true elevation view).
I just came across the new 2010 solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . drum roll please. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . it's gone.
No just kidding. . . .. now you use the 'View Cube' to orient a 3d view !
Makes sense but just proves another 'clickflow' change that we are going to have to get user to.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

REVIT Users Unite

I say to all REVIT users "Move to REVIT 2010".
One of the biggest strengths of REVIT has always been 'file compatibility' across consultants. Up to this point it has been a non issue but it's about to show it's ugly (dwg like) face.
If REVIT is actually unstable or impedes productivity to a degree that cannot be recouped, then by all means, stay with 2009.
But to say that you will not move ahead to 2010 on the grounds that the interface is not what you wanted or the features you wanted didn't make this release I say to you "Move to REVIT 2010". To do otherwise is to contribute to the beginning of the end of one of REVIT’s best assets.
If you think the new ribbon is slowing down your productivity try dealing with a different, non-compatible, version of REVIT.
To split up the REVIT masses weakens us as a community. We must band together like '300' and shield ourselves from eminent file compatibility issues !
Join me now and embrace this new 2010 interface !
(even though you cannot rearrange the icons on the quick access toolbar)

AutodeskCares@Autodesk.com

April 23, 2009 A message from the Autodesk Building Industry Director about the Revit 2010 release. The following message is from Nicolas Mangon, the Building Industry Director at Autodesk regarding the recent release of the 2010 Revit products: We were excited to ship the 2010 version of Revit last week. In an effort to reduce the learning curve and increase productivity we introduced a new user interface this year that allows users to leverage their skills and knowledge across Autodesk products. Over the past few years you’ve consistently told us that the Revit user interface was dated. In fact, the methods used in the old user interface such as, menus, toolbars, the design bar, and options bar were no longer scalable to support current and planned future product enhancements. We’ve also heard that the most significant barriers to Revit adoption are the availability of trained users and the cost of training new users. For these reasons, our focus in developing a new user interface for Revit was on the creation of an extensible UI framework that is easier to learn and to use. By adopting a ribbon style approach, we accelerate learning by allowing new users to apply concepts learned elsewhere. Enhanced tooltips make discovering tools and understanding their use easier, and the quick access toolbar allows you to place the tools you use most frequently in a convenient location. The process for developing the UI was highly comprehensive and included over 18 months of iterative design that incorporated user testing and performance benchmarking. In early testing, 86% of Beta testers responding to a survey said they would recommend this version of Revit to a friend, and according to Usability Sciences (an independent testing firm): “In general, users quickly adjusted to the interface and were able to complete most tasks with relative ease and speed.” You can learn more about the design and development methodology here on Inside the Factory. There are a variety of resources that have been made available to help users transition to the new user interface. For example, Revit Architecture has integrated the following learning tools directly into the product: an interactive user interface overview, a user interface video tour, and a menu location tool to assist users in locating commands that may have been moved. The video tour can be accessed here: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=12945494. This new UI is part of a larger initiative at Autodesk to make it easier for you to transfer your knowledge from one product to others, making it easier to choose the best tool for the task at hand and to become productive quickly. We’re also working on making it easier to move data between applications and to enhance the visualization capabilities of our products to enable new and exciting simulation opportunities that will increase the value of your designs. In addition to the new UI, the 2010 release of Revit has some very important enhancements. The new conceptual design tools in Revit Architecture, integrated Heating and Cooling Load Analysis within Revit MEP, slanted columns in Revit Structure, and support for 64 bit hardware across the Revit platform. We also made enhancements to the API that will allow 3rd party developers to create functionality related to analysis, process automation, fabrication, cost estimating, etc. Other non-visible investments in the platform include technologies that will allow Revit to support global trends such as Sustainable Design, Large Team Workflow and dispersed teams, Fabrication, and large and complex models, etc. Your perspective on these issues is very important to us, and we are taking a new look at how we communicate with you about your needs and requests for enhancements. For example, we are going to better align the AUGI wish list voting process with our development cycle so we can more effectively incorporate your requests. We’re already planning for ways to incorporate the current wish list items in the next release of Revit. Please stay tuned for more details about this over the coming months. Finally, we’ve created a new email alias for you to share your ideas and suggestions about Revit directly with the product team: Autodeskcares@autodesk.com. Thanks for your continuing support and passion for Revit Nicolas Mangon Building Industry Director

Monday, May 04, 2009

CADclip - REVIT Walk Through Going up Stairs

I have been meaning to make a quick video on the Walk Through tools for a long time, so here's my latest.
I think it's still best to 'create' the walkthrough in a plan view with other views open. Then you can edit the walkthrough in section. plan, elevation or 3D views.
You can edit the camera view and target but you can also edit the Path and the camera 'height' at key frames, in a 3D view as shown in the video.
You will notice that you get more edit options at the 'key frames' then at the intermittent frames. I also suggest you lower the default '300' frames to around 20,40 60 etc....while editing. Then as a final product or AVI export you can bump the 'frames' back up to 300 or more.
Video TIP:
1. Click the Play button.
2. Then click the 'HD' button,
THEN click the 'Full Screen' button . . . .
Youtube is still working on this feature.