Autodesk® Revit® 101 for Dealership Designers Autodesk Authorized Author
This breakout session is designed to equip the designer with a few Need‐To‐Know concepts of Revit.
BIM, REVIT, & REVIT LT
Building Information Modeling [BIM] All Revit® branded products ‐ Revit, Revit LT, Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Revit Structure ‐ are considered BIM software.
Official Autodesk Description of their ‘Building Design Software for CAD and BIM’: Autodesk® Building Design Suite provides a 3D building design software portfolio that combines Building Information Modeling (BIM) and CAD tools to help you design, visualize, simulate, and build more efficiently. Produce compelling visualizations, use integrated simulation and analysis, create higher‐quality construction documentation, and improve control over project outcomes.
HONESTY & TRUTH
A.. AUTOCAD IS NOT GOING AWAY On the contrary. Autodesk rebranded the former ‘Desktop’ products to take advantage of the ‘AutoCAD’ recognition.
Universities who have chosen to discontinue their AutoCAD programs are drastically reducing the professional marketability of their graduates. B.. REVIT IS NOT USED ON EVERY ARCHITECT’S PROJECT John Wayne International Airport: Revit Architecture – (1990) San Jose International Airport: AutoCAD Architecture – (2010) [Both projects by Gensler]
Dallas Love Field Modernization: Both products – (2012)
“Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium is for architects and engineers who need an optimized set of tools including the power of BIM with Autodesk® Revit® software products, the familiarity of AutoCAD software applications for efficient documentation , …” C.. REVIT CAN IMPORT AND EXPORT .DWG FILES
REVIT RESOURCES
Autodesk site
Revit YouTube channel
http://www.autodesk.com/revit
http://www.youtube.com/user/Autodesk/videos?query=revit
CADTutor.net Revit Forum http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?74‐Autodesk‐Revit www.cadtrainerguy.com 1
THE REVIT SCREEN TOUR
Don’t . Panic . Similarities to AutoCAD Application menu under the Blueberry ‘R’ Quick Access Toolbar is customizable [Yay!] Contextual tab is displayed for the current command or selected geometry
Departures from AutoCAD No Menu bar No Command line. [Breathe.]
OPTIONS Bar PROJECT Browser
PROPERTIES Palette
N.S.E.W. ELEVATION Markers
VIEW Controls
ELEVATION Markers are the N,S,E,W boxes; can be moved but not deleted.
OPTIONS Bar displays settings for the current command.
PROPERTIES Palette displays the available properties for the selected geometry; complementing the Contextual tab. Not enabled when drawing geometry; use the Options bar.
PROJECT Browser enables you to change your view. Quickly go from a Floor Plan view to an Elevation.
VIEW Controls change plot scale, level of detail of drawn components, and can quickly show dimensions.
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PROPERTIES & THE PROJECT BROWSER
Properties [alias PP] Similar to AutoCAD’s Properties palette, the Revit Properties palette displays the available properties of the current command ‐ OR ‐ the selected object(s).
Select an object in the drawing such as a window (shown here), and the Properties palette displays the relevant information, much of which may be edited. Project Browser [user‐defined alias PB] In a set of Construction Documents, this would be the first or second page. In AutoCAD, it’s similar to the Sheet Set Manager. It’s like a ‘Table of Contents’ of the current project.
Most items in the Project Browser have shortcut menus, under which you can rename the item from ‘Level 1’ to ‘Ground Floor’. GOLD STAR TIP: When ‐ not “IF” ‐ you ever ‘get lost’ among all the views, double‐click Level I to get back to the default view where you drew your floorplan.
ADDING WALLS & DOORS
As you might imagine, Revit makes drawing the building shell really easy. Click the feature on the Architecture tab, then specify the relevant Properties as necessary.
Properties Palette From the Properties palette you specify the Wall Type. You can also specify the Location Line, as well as the Height from here, too.
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VIEWING YOUR PROJECT IN 3D
After creating your walls and doors, click Default 3D View on the Quick Access Toolbar to view your drawing.
Insights Similar to AutoCAD, use Shift + Wheel‐Pan to orient your 3D view. The ViewCube is also available.
Double‐click the wheel for a Zoom >Extents.
On the View Controls bar (along the bottom of the screen), you will find Visual Styles similar to those in AutoCAD.
EXPORTING & EDITING THE REVIT DRAWING TO AUTOCAD [.DWG]
A view in Revit can easily be exported to DWG, DXF, or DGN (MicroStation) files … and it’s really very simple.
How to Export a Revit Floorplan to AutoCAD
1.. Set a Floor Plan level to be current by double‐ clicking on Level I in the Project Browser.
2.. From the Application menu, click Export >CAD Formats >DWG.
3.. Click Next, specify or accept the name, then click OK.
Sample Revit view, exported to a DWG …
… and opened in AutoCAD
In AutoCAD, click the Layer drop‐down list to see the layers containing the Revit geometry.
Hover on an object in AutoCAD to see the standard tooltip information, indicating that you can use commands to edit the drawing as you would any other AutoCAD drawing. You will also discover that the drawing is accurately scaled, as well. www.cadtrainerguy.com 4
IMPORTING 3D WORKSTATIONS FROM AUTOCAD INTO REVIT
You can import 3D components from any specification program – CAP . CAD Pack . ProjectMatrix . Z‐Axis – and it’s all done the same way as importing a drawing: Import CAD.
MEMO: You can even import SketchUp files in to Revit!
How to Import and Orient a 3D Workstation [DWG]
1.. Set the desired Floor Plan level to current before you import your DWG (just good practice).
2.. Click Import CAD [Insert tab >Import panel] to open the Import CAD Formats dialog box.
3.. Change the Positioning feature to Manual – Center.
4.. Navigate to and Open the 3D drawing you want to Import into the current Revit project.
5.. Specify a location for your imported drawing.
Bottom Line: You can open any Revit drawing, set a Floor Plan level to be current, then use Import CAD to bring in your 3D furniture.
CET DESIGNER REVLINK
Using the CET Designer RevLink interface, you essentially ‘pass’ the current project over to an active session of Revit. The result is a 1:1 Revit drawing. After opening the linked Project file (.RVT), use the Link Revit tool on Revit’s Insert tab.
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EDITING THE IMPORTED 3D DWG
The freestanding components from CET Designer are single entities, which makes it very easy to Move, Copy, and Rotate.
GOLD STAR TIP: Tile the views when you make the edits! MEMO: To edit the components of an imported .DWG, use Partial Explode to retain their integrity as individual furniture objects. At that point, you can Move, Copy, or Rotate that component.
THE REVIT FAMILY [RFA]: DEFINED
The term ‘Family’ [RFA] is a concept that basically means a group of similar blocks.
A family is a group of elements with a common set of properties, called parameters, and a related graphical representation. Different elements belonging to a family may have different values for some or all of their parameters, but the set of parameters (their names and meanings) is the same. These variations within the family are called family types or types.
All of the elements that you add to your Revit projects are created with families. For example, the structural members, walls, roofs, windows, and doors that you use to assemble a building model, as well as the callouts, fixtures, tags, and detail components used to document it, are all created with families.
DOWNLOADING A MANUFACTURERS’ REVIT FAMILY
Furniture manufacturers have spent a lot of money developing Families for their products. The Steelcase collection of Revit content is under Resources >Design Center >Revit.
Where Do Families Go on Your Computer?
The path for the collection of Revit Families is …
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RAC 201x\Libraries\US Imperial
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How to Prepare and Load the Revit Family
1.. On the Manufacturer’s website, navigate to the link for the desired Revit family, then click it.
2.. When prompted, click Save File, then navigate to the path for Revit families (shown above) and save the file. Repeat for all desired collections.
3.. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the path where the .ZIP files were saved, then unzip them into the appropriate folders.
INSERTING COMPONENTS FROM A FURNITURE FAMILY
Once the Families are saved, you can Load them into the project.
How to Insert a Single‐Type Component
1.. In Revit, open your Project for this seminar, then click on the Insert tab, then Load Family.
Notice the default folder is US Imperial, under which are the two Furniture folders where you saved your downloaded content. GOLD STAR TIP: Similar to the feature in AutoCAD, drag your favorite folder(s) into the Places section on the left side of the Load Family dialog box. 2.. Navigate to the location where you saved the Seating families, then select a chair. In this exercise, I’ll select the Think 465 Series ‐ Stool – Arm … and nothing happens, so…
3.. Now that you have loaded the family member, you now have to place it. I would first recommend that you go to the Top/Plan view before beginning the placement of the component.
4.. On the Home tab, click Component (or type CM).
The green Options bar comes alive, as well as the Properties panel which displays the last family loaded.
5.. Click the preview window to display the available types in the dropdown list, then click one. Your selection is now on your cursor.
6.. On the Options bar, check the box for Rotate after placement.
7.. Specify the location for your chair, then rotate it into position.
8.. Placement of components is in ‘multiple’ mode by default, so when you’re finished, use right‐click >Cancel. You may have to do it twice. www.cadtrainerguy.com 7
CREATING CAMERA AND SECTION VIEWS
Similar to AutoCAD, the best approach is from the plan view, then you can adjust the settings after the location and target have been established.
How to Place a Camera
1.. Go to the Site view, then click Camera from the Quick Access Toolbar.
2.. Specify a camera location, then specify a target. Your screen switches to a 3D view of the result. The default name of the view will be 3D View 1.
3.. Back in the 3D view, drag the dot handles to crop the view.
4.. You can also use the View cube or Shift + Pan to adjust the view direction from the 3D view.
5.. Set the desired Visual Style, and you’re good to go!
Creating sections – or elevations – is quite simple.
How to Get a Section View
1.. Set a plan view such as Level 1.
2.. Click Section. You may find it up on the Quick Access Toolbar, too.
3.. The first point you pick is where the bubble goes, then pick the second position of the cut‐line.
4.. After specifying the cut‐line, you have options to flip the direction, crop the area, or cycle through options for the callout bubble (features indicated with the small arrows).
MEMO: You can also drag the cut line to any position in the drawing.
5.. After making any edits to the section cut graphic, you can Cancel out.
6.. To view the section, you can either double‐click on the bubble, or double‐click on Section 1 in the Project Browser.
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THE BOTTOM LINE …
Here’s What We Know … Autodesk® Revit® Architecture is an extremely powerful product and it’s understandable why architects and their related industries are excited to use it.
Autodesk® makes AutoCAD® as well as their Revit® suite of products, so they are obligated to get along.
The good news is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get in the game and still provide .RVT files to the architect. Autodesk® Revit LT® ($ 1,195) is a great tool and you can always upgrade to the full version with little if any loss of your initial investment.
AutoCAD .DWG files can be imported into Revit and a .DWG file can be exported out of Revit.
Should you find yourself invited into Revit arena – or ‘thrown in’ – there are students coming out of schools that are Revit‐knowledgeable, and many others that are eager to learn.
Does BIM relate to the contract furniture industry? Only insomuch as furniture goes into buildings.
Contact me when you need a one‐day, on‐site Revit Fundamentals for Dealership Designers training, just to get you into the saddle. This course has already been enjoyed by some of your peers:
JA Marshall, Lenexa, KS One Workplace, San Francisco, CA G.L. Seaman, Dallas, TX Workplace Resource Group, Carrollton, TX Business Interiors, Dallas, TX bkm of Texas, Dallas, TX Southwest Airlines, Dallas, TX Herman Miller Healthcare, Dallas, TX Architection, Louisville, KY Swope Group, Louisville, KY Munson Business Interiors, Louisville, KY Reese Design Collaborative, Louisville, KY Alfred‐Williams, Charlotte, NC
“Michael has a knack for zeroing in on what is needed to ‘talk & share’ Revit drawings without getting bogged down learning the entire program.” JA Marshall, Lenexa, KS / May 2012
“I thought the training was perfect. Not too much; not too little. Gave me a good idea of what [Revit] is all about.” One Workplace, San Francisco, CA / June 2012
Authorized Author
1917 Harrington Mill Road Shelbyville, KY 40065 502 . 500 . 2267
[email protected]
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