New Book - Delivering COBie Using Autodesk Revit

A team of authors led by Bill East (COBie inventor) has finished a book dedicated to COBie and Revit. His team consists of: Shawn O'Keeffe, Richard Kenna and Emma Hooper.

Bill writes:

"This is the first comprehensive COBie How-To Guide! We explain the implications of COBie requirements on your professional standard-of-care. Next, we describe the architectural and engineering design best-practices we adopted to help us capture COBie as part of our standard design process. We show you how to unlock the power of the Revit COBie Extension and Classification Manager Add-Ins to automate COBie file production details. And we show you how to share your new found knowledge with your team, company, and stakeholders."

David Philp, Global BIM Director, AECOM reviewed the book and had this to say:

"This book offers a comprehensive and real-world insight to the COBie value proposition but most importantly it demonstrates HOW this can be practically achieved. This book is an essential read for anyone that is interested in effectively capturing and using project information. If you want to better understand how to deliver COBie from a Revit environment then this book is a must.”

David Light, Autodesk Senior Customer Success Manager also reviewed the book and said this:

"Finally, the AEC industry and the Revit user has an unparalleled guide for helping you understand, as well as deliver COBie from Autodesk Revit!

Delivering COBie should not be scary, as noted, the guidance provided in “Delivering COBie Using Autodesk Revit'” is designed to help AEC industry deliver COBie on any building, as easily as possible.

East and the authoring team provide a detailed history of COBie, so you understand the background of why COBie? It helps demystify some urban myths around COBie, allowing you to better understand the value of this industry standard digital exchange format. The book runs through best practice tips for model development, model configuration and data preparation for Autodesk Revit.

The guide leads the user onto the configuration of the free Classification Manager and the COBie Extension. Lastly, 'Delivering COBie Using Autodesk Revit' teaches the reader how to apply various concepts on a Dormitory Project example, through shared best practice from recognized industry experts, explaining how to prepare the Revit model for repeatable COBie deliverables."

The authors of “Delivering COBie Using Autodesk Revit,” Dr. Bill East, Dr. Shawn O’Keeffe, Richard Kenna, and Emma Hooper look forward to showing you how to make COBie an integral part of the standard design process for yourself and your team, company, and stakeholders. The pre-release spiral-bound “workbook edition” is now available for individual Revit users. The version for purchase by libraries, institutes, and companies available 15-Sep-17.

You can Order your Copy HERE.

New Command Reference Book for Revit Architecture - Daniel Stine and Jeff Hanson

Daniel Stine and Jeff Hanson have teamed up to create a new book called Autodesk Revit 2017 Architectural Command Reference book. The inclusion of the term architectural in the book title means it does not delve into the Systems ribbon tab commands.

It has 13 chapters: Introduction, Application Menu and User Interface, Architecture Tab, Structure Tab, Insert Tab, Annotate Tab, Analyze Tab, Massing and Site Tab
Collaborate Tab, View Tab, Manage Tab, Modify Tab and Contextual Tab.

You probably already know Daniel from his pretty extensive Revit collection of books. You already know Jeff too assuming you've read any of the help documentation or watched the training videos Autodesk provides online. That's been his focus for many years now working for Autodesk.

SDC Publications, their publisher, offers the book via eBooks using Apple iBooks ($39.99), Google Play Books ($42.40) or RedShelf ($49.47). It is available in hard copy via Amazon USA print on demand ($84 on Amazon) or Amazon International options. They also offer training videos, via separate download, for those who purchase the book. The prices are those that I saw at the time when I followed the various link options for purchasing. Fwiw, the Redshelf link took quite awhile to load at first, subsequent tries loaded faster, though the fact that I've never visited their site before might be why.

An aside, I've warned Daniel that Jim Balding (The ANT Group) has long been suggesting to me, at least since 2003, just this sort of book ought to be written. He'll either be happy it exists now or sad that they've beaten him to it.

Congrats to Daniel for yet another book and to Jeff for his contributions as co-author. Starting a book is easy...finishing it and getting it published is no small thing.

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials

The release of this book introduces a new team of authors; Tobias Hathorn, Tessa Reist Hathorn and Ryan Duell. They have taken over the book from the team that first introduced it a couple years ago; James Vandezande, Eddy Krygiel, and Phil Read. You are probably already familiar with their other book, "Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 20##", the bigger brother to Essentials and the "Introducing" book that was discontinued after the 2012 release.

The Wiley site for the book tells us:

Beginners will get comfortable with Revit's core features and functions. Current users will have a valuable reference to refresh and hone their skills. And everyone can use this practical book to help prepare for the Revit Architecture certification exams. Essentials gets readers up and running on Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014, Autodesk's industry-leading building information modeling software:

• Explains core Revit tools, features, functionality, real-world workflows, and BIM concepts
• Covers schematic design, modeling, families, views, creating drawing sets, and more
• Features best practices, rendering and visualization, worksharing, documentation, and annotation
• Provides downloadable starting and ending files, so readers can compare their work to that of the pro's 

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2014 Essentials is your perfect introduction to the powerful industry-leading BIM software.

Useful Links:
Description
Table of Contents
Author Information
Downloads

If you are just getting started out with Revit this book may be just what you need. If you have an office of Revit users it might just be a great addition to your library too!

Congratulations to the new team on the release of their book!

Introducing Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012 Shipping

I worked with Patrick Davis, Martin Tauer, Charlie Busa and Angela MacDonnell on the update to the previous book. I've been told that "my" copy has been shipped which usually means that it is available for shipping to everyone.

It wasn't just a replace 2011 with 2012 exercise. Each chapter got looked at with fresh editor eyes which in some cases generated some fairly substantial rework/freshening. Naturally there are some new features in 2012 that needed to be covered. The chapters were shuffled and even replaced/added. Bottom line is that it isn't the same old book...retouched and shipped. It's still focused on general knowledge and concepts so it plays well as the "little brother" to Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012.

You can read more about it at the Wiley site as well as ordering it. Naturally you can get it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble too.

Here's the Table of Contents:
1 - The Revit User Interface
2 - Navigations Tools, Views, and View Properties
3 - Constraints and Dimensions
4 - Modeling Basics
5 - Advanced Modeling
6 - Visibility Controls
7 - Introduction to Families
8 - Creating Families
9 - Massing
10 - Groups
11 - Rendering
12 - Working with other files
13 - Rooms and Ares
14 - Tags, Schedules, and Keynotes
15 - Detailing
16 - Sheets
17 - Design Options
18 - Phasing
19 - Revit for Interiors
20 - Worksharing

Books - Design Integration

Daniel Stine recently sent me a copy of his most recent book, Design Integration Using Autodesk Revit 2010. He has written other books such as Residential Design using Revit Architecture, Commercial Design using Revit Architecture and Chapter in Architectural Drawing. All of his work is aimed primarily at use in a classroom setting but can be useful regardless.

What makes his newest book unique is that it attempts to address all three versions of Revit within the context of the same building. That's a pretty big undertaking to squeeze into one course book. His foreword contains the following paragraph:

...snip...
This book was designed for the building design industry. all three "flavors" of the Revit platform are introduced in this textbook. This approach gives the reader a broad overview of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process. The topics cover the design integration of most of the building disciplines: Architectural, Interior Design Structural, Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical. Civil is not covered but adding topography to your model is.
...snip...

If you choose to become this book's student you'll develop a two story law office and it will take you through fifteen chapters (pages are not numbered in total but the book is pretty thick). A CD is included with additional information for creating Revit families as well as all the resource files required to complete exercises.

The book format is pretty large so there is a lot of room for information and supporting screen captures. I really haven't had time to dig into it deeply yet but the text is large, easy to read, the steps are plainly described, useful tips are provided throughout and the supporting graphics are large and full enough to understand what is intended.

Dan's publisher is Schroff Development Corporation if you are interested in following up this post for more information. Amazon lists the book at $69.95. If you are looking for another weapon in your arsenal of learning tools for Revit you should check it out.

Call for Papers - AUGI | AEC EDGE

If you work in the AEC "space" then I'm interested in what you do and how you do it using Autodesk's software. Why? Because I am the editor of AUGI|AEC EDGE

The first issue of this magazine had a focus on Revit and BIM. We had to start somewhere and let's face it, I'm comfortable with Revit so that part was easy. Reaching out to the other software users is a little harder. Posting this on this blog isn't the best place either so I'll be reaching out using other tactics too.

If you read this blog and know someone who uses the other products and would be interested in writing for the magazine I'd like to hear from you or them. If you use other products as well then I'd like to hear from you too.

Rather than call on the same authors for every issue I hope to bring fresh and heretofore unknown authors out and give them a chance to say what's on their mind. AUGI members are our first source of talent and if you aren't a member we can resolve that easy enough, it's free to join after all!

If you want to contact me to discuss an article or to connect me with someone who does please send me an EMAIL (include AUGI | AEC EDGE in the subject please). Thanks!