Impromptu AUGI Gathering - Larkspur, CA

I am presently in San Rafael, CA attending the Autodesk User Group International's board of director meetings this week. We discussed getting together somewhere and inviting any and all AUGI and Autodesk products users to hang out together. It's really late notice...since we're talking about tomorrow 8-(

Date: February 6, 2008 (Wednesday, tomorrow!)
Time: 7pm

Location:
Marin Brewing Company
1809 Larkspur Landing Cir
Larkspur, CA 94939
Get Directions
(415) 461-4677

Richard Binning, the outgoing President, already posted a notice about it on his blog and so did Lynn Allen. Hopefully the fact that they posted a bit earlier will help!

Hopefully it isn't TOO late for YOU to come by and say hello, trade a few stories...drown your sorrows about your favorite football team who has to wait till next seaons.

See you there?

Speaking of football, here's a picture from Lynn's Super Bowl Party that Lynn invited the board to attend. No I'm not in the picture, I was on a plane when the party was in full swing...my loss!

In the picture are: (left to right)
Backrow: Chris Lindner (Pres.) & Richard Binning (Sr. VP)
Front Row: Bill Adams (Secr.), Lynn Allen (AUGI Sweetheart), John Morgan (New BoD Member, Treas.), Mike Perry (BoD Member, Forum Mgr), Larry Swinea (New BoD Member)
Missing Bod members: Me, Mark Kiker
Missing Husband: Craig (Lynn's Sweetheart, taking the picture?)
Missed Bod member: Donnia Tabor-Hanson (AUGI Mom, CAD Mama)

Interested in more info on the board? Meet the Board

"Sketchy Grids"

One of the things that jumped out at me in the book that Eddie Krygiel, Greg Demchak & Tatjana Dzambazova wrote, Introducing Revit Architecture 2008 was an image where they used lines to exaggerate where the perimeter of the building was. It was a nice effect both in plan and 3D. I've attached a couple weak attempts to recreate it from memory. I'm sitting in a hotel without the book so...forgive me if I get it wrong. Check out the book if you haven't and don't forget they've finished the companion book Mastering Revit Architecture 2008.

Here's a plan view:



Here's the 3D view:



Not as sketchy as SketchUp but then my examples don't look as good as the book's examples. Probably because the design of their building is much better than my little quick "house". Check theirs out!

Worksharing Monitor Released

I held off posting about this tool released recently for subscription customers because the release was marred by some technical issues that prevented some customers (me too) from downloading them. All that is fixed now so here it is, my deflection to another blog...

David Light summarized the features nicely in his post about this new tool. I'd say it is a must have for anyone using worksets. Keep in mind if you are using a 64bit OS, it may install but it may not report any worksharing data for projects that are open on a 64bit OS. Some users have reported it to be working while others are not. David has amended his blog to include relevant information help you download the tools

Do U Revit? and Revit Resource

I'm a bit late to the table mentioning these two relatively new Revit additions to the Revit"sphere".

First David Baldacchino has started a blog called Do U Revit?...I do. He is currently writing about the Revit projects he's taking through construction. I'm sure that you will find it useful to keep tabs on his blog. Welcome to blogging David!

Second is Joe Soliz's blog, called Revit Resource: Blogs by Topic. His approach is a fresh one, he is compiling a list of blog articles arranged by topic, by various bloggers. So consider his site a one stop shop for a topical listing of articles, short of a google search.

Welcome additions!

AU 2007 Courses - "Survey Says"

I had every intention of writing thoughts down about this past Autodesk University. Going right back on the road interfered, then the holidays did and then being on the road since the new year again has...excuses excuses. Actually the real delay for this particular post is that we didn't get survey results until a week or so ago. It takes time to compile the information with over 300 courses to process.

Overall the three sessions I led scored well, scores posted below. The first lab didn't feel as good as the second and third but that isn't too surprising, first class jitters etc. The speaker rating matches that feeling as well.

The format I chose this year, putting the "power point" in the Revit data files received a couple nice comments in the survey comments and a few verbal "attaboys" personally. That felt good.

Some of the other comments don't wear as well. I've shared them below. Such comments either inspire you to be better next year or run and hide.

I think it would be excellent to have more Family Editor classes and more speakers. Let me encourage you to submit some solid Revit Family Editor ideas to the AU team! I'm looking forward to sitting in your classes!!

Here are the survey comments and the overall speaker score for each, in the chronological order of the sessions. This is just part of the scoring data that each speaker is judged by and receives results for. I've included all the comments, not hiding the bad to favor the good. The comments are as hand written by the attendee and then entered by AU staff or contractor. Please forgive any grammar or spelling miscues.

AB204-6L
Making Content for Autodesk® Revit® -- Intermediate [Repeat]

Scoring:
Rating: 8.97 (AU 2007 average was 8.85)
Nr. of surveys: 73
Rank: 296 out of 618

Comments:
-2nd speaker moved way to fast
-excellent more of these types of classes thank you
-excellent use of revit used as a power point is very hard to follow along even after AU
-great course
-he needs to slow down his speech and speak louder and clearer
-the course wasn’t exactly what I thought it was I personally needed to attend an advanced session although learnt a couple of tips
-It was clear and more informative would like to hear more tips
-lab needs to be longer
-lot of content in a short time would be better as one of the really long Friday sessions
-my only issue is the speaker moved a little too fast it was hard to keep up
-More could have been accomplished if there were instructions w/ more hands - on activity
-not enough time to go torough as slowly as needed
-should be a 3 hour class 2 part class
-too much material for time
-too much too little time could this be a 3 hour lab
-too slow would have liked to cover more arrays portion was very good want to download handouts and files
-we didn’t get to many topics could have gone faster through basic
-witty
-Wish the lab had more time.
-WOW kind of a lot to take in hard to follow along with computer at same time

AB304-1L
Making Content for Autodesk® Revit® -- For Beginners

Rating: 9.45 (AU 2007 average was 8.85)
Nr. of surveys: 38
Rank: 96 out of 618

Comments:
-Green" handout. "appsogcal?" worked great
-1. Speaker was not clear in his speaking - mumbled. 2. spoke "over the top" of others. 3. Egotistical 4.Rude to his "helper
-Excellent format vs PPT SUDFs!!. I will be adopting the SKMF format to train my in house staff for self paced THG!!
-Great-Great class
-Had to sneak into get content
-Shame on Autodesk for not making more Revit classes available to needy users. Note I enrolled in September and all-Classes for basic Revit training were already full not available to me!!!
-Labs should be bigger and one person per computer
-Lost some time in the introductions. Took too long to get into the actual lab
-No need for this to be a lab. Nothing was created by the users
-Speaker did not seem enthusiastic about content. This was supposed to be for beginners. He also talked about concepts which were not explained or not for beginners…should have the class draw more, specifically example objects which are used daily
-This was excellent.
-Great presentation. Pace could be a little faster but excellent present
-Too little time
- it needs to separate this class in two different labs. We could not finish all the scheduled
-Very basic. Need for more computers w/labs. Many people were turned away
-Very well documented class. Great Revit family files that gave great understanding of all family parameters-Went quickly for us beginners
-Would love a class on advanced families or arrayed families

AB310-1L
Making Content for Autodesk® Revit® -- Intermediate

Rating: 9.51 (AU 2007 average was 8.85)
Nr. of surveys: 65
Rank: 73 out of 618

Comments:
-A little advanced for me but good class.-
-An advanced class for REVIT families would be great.
-Basic refresh
-Could not follow Steve Campbell too much content.
-Don't cover subjects that are too complicated to deal with during the time allowed.
-Excellent speaker and class
-Great class
-Great Class!
-Great organization and teaching.
-Great session
-Great, more classes at this level.
-Labs need to be longer
-More labs should be offered.
-Need more labs.
-Once again great data set files
-Skip arrays and put in separate labs
-Suggest having area in room for those with own laptop license
-There seemed to be a big gap between intor and inter moderate sessions.
-Too little time to given material
-Very good sound.
-Very good.

I must admit that I was shocked by a few of the comments. I would never purposely be rude to Steven or David, I can only assume that the person hearing me speak had no idea how long we've known each other or the good natured kidding we make each other endure. As for egotistical...I guess we all have egos, I try to subdue mine. I've managed to convince myself that those comments were made by a friend trying to shake me up, yep...that must be it. 8-)

Fwiw, the comments are completely anonymous to me. Also the Un-Conference session I hosted was reported to be favorably reviewed but I haven't received any survey results. I'm not sure there was a survey for it honestly.

Last, if you have a valid Subscription for a Revit product you are permitted to view and download course data and handouts from the subscription website at Autodesk, even if you did not attend Autodesk University 2007. If you are interested in obtaining these for my classes, or any other for that matter, visit their subscription site and follow the AU2007 link after logging in. You must be either the contract administrator, software coordinator or invited to participate in your company's subscription services by the other two in order to log in.

Acquire Coordinates - Confirm?

This week I was discussing the role of Shared Coordinates with a group and we went through the motions involved to use a civil file as the defining coordinate system for our project. The tool Acquire Coordinates, found via Tools menu > Shared Coordinates is used to do this. It is a simple process, Select the tool, select an import symbol...

What has bothered me in the past and again this week, enough so that I finally wrote it down...is that when you do as Revit asks, select an Import Symbol, Revit doesn't visually DO anything to confirm or acknowledge or convince us that it has actually done anything. We have to use another tool found at the bottom of the same list, Tools menu > Shared Coordinates > Report Shared Coordinates to satisfy us that Revit has indeed acquired the coordinates.

On the other hand if you don't select a valid symbol or it has already been acquired at another time you do get a warning message.

This post is a lot of text to say, "I think Acquire Coordinates should confirm a successful transaction"? Seem reasonable? I thought so!

Identical Grid Numbers

When you must provide grid segments that share the same number you might consider the suggestions I describe in this blog post at HOK's Cad Solutions blog.

"Aaaah,The old invisible line trick, eh "99"?"

View Range in Revit proves quite confusing to people at times. An example of such confusion occurs when you model something that exists above a cut plane, like a closet shelf and pole. There is no geometry that intersects the cut plane of the view. As such Revit doesn't "see" the shelf or pole even though the Top of the Primary Range is higher than them. So you think to yourself that you'll just add symbolic linework to indicate the solids above. You try that and still nothing.

Maxwell Smart mutters, "tell them about the Invisible Line now". The trick Max is referring to is the addition of a Invisible Model Line. For the shelf and pole example you need only add this line to an elevation view, lock it to the geometry or reference plane of the uppermost solid and the reference level.

Now this invisible line will intersect the cut plane of a floor plan view and Revit will "see" your family. It still won't show you the solids, because they are above, but the symbolic dashed linework you added to the family will, now!


Now where did I put that shoe phone? "99"?

Mastering Revit Architecture 2008

I'm so late mentioning this!! Not only do I let my ex-publisher down by not finishing the book but I'm late mentioning that the authors who DID write and actually finish the book have FINISHED the book. It became available during this past November and I saw the book in person finally at Autodesk University 2007.

So as the title of this post implies the title is Mastering Revit Architecture 2008.

Authors Eddie Krygiel, Tatjana Dzambazova and Greg Demchak finished their first book (Introducing Revit Architecture 2008) just before I dropped out of the contract with Sybex. This meant they could jump right in and finish the book nearly on schedule. They were so pleased that I left them lots of time, not likely. In fact when I examined the book at AU I was very impressed by how much they were able to accomplish in such a short time, just AMAZING to me.

It was meant to be I think, they were originally going to write both books but Sybex approached me to try to get the second book sooner. The final result means some continuity between both books, common voice and position as well as style and knowledge.

Thanks to the "three muskateers" as I called them in my earlier post. Job well done!!!

P.S. A little trivia...according to my source the description "Mastering" was first used in conjunction with Autodesk software by Sybex, "Mastering AutoCAD" etc.

Not to mention the competition too loudly but you may be familiar with the other Revit "Mastering" book produced by Thompson/Delmar Learning and authored by Paul Aubin with Robert Mencarini? His book is titled "Mastering Autodesk Revit Building" and he is working on "Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture

My User Name in Revit?

How does Revit know I am different from anyone else? Your User Name in Revit defines who Revit "thinks" you are. This is found via the Application Menu > Options button > General Tab.

[Edit: For versions before the 2010 release - This is found under Settings menu > Options.]

Why does it matter? In a stand-alone project it doesn't. In Workset projects it matters a lot! Two users with the same user name are not regarded as two people with the same user name. They are regarded as the same person working in two files. We don't want Revit to think this because the first of two "Mike's" to Save to Central wins!!!

A good strategy is to just use the same user name you log into your computer with. IT needs your user name to be unique and so does Revit, "That was Easy". This is the default behavior when Revit is installed. The first person to run Revit after it is installed will have their user name stored. For this reason you need to check it if another person uses your computer from time to time or if an IT person installs your software by working directly on your computer and then tests to see if Revit is working properly by running it while logged on as themselves.

The user name is stored in the Revit.ini file (located in Revit's installation folder) and looks like this Username=MyName. If you delete the name Revit will use the logon user name of the next person to run Revit. If you use Settings menu > Options > Username to set the user name it gets stored in Revit.ini and the cycle begins again.

Just to say it again if it wasn't obvious enough the first time, if you do NOT use the Settings menu > Options > Username to change the user name, and the Revit.ini file setting for username is blank, Revit will always apply the current logon user name to the session of Revit. The Revit.ini file value for username will stay empty/blank. It is only when you enter a value into the dialog within Revit that a value is stored in the .ini file. Unfortunately it is hard to prevent anyone from doing it and it is persistent thereafter. You have to remove the .ini file's value again to get it to work again.

It is important to check your user name routinely. If you use the Local File practices I preach you'll get a confirmation of your user name when Revit displays a warning message alerting you to the fact that the central file has been copied/moved.

Local Files - How, How Often and Where?

This post (a bit longer than usual) makes a rash assumption that you've been using Worksets for a bit already and may have experienced occasional errors or crashes. You may just be curious about comments others have made about making new local files every now and then.

Read THIS if you wonder why there is a Local File at all? Here is a quick reference guide to Workset terms. If you are using Revit 2010 versions then you might want to read this newer post first.

I suggest you make a new Local File every day you work.

There are many operations in Revit that require sending a lot of data to your Local File. In fact every SWC (Synchronize with Central) usually pulls more data into your Local File than you are sending to the central file. You can avoid some of this data transfer by making a new Local File since a copy has the latest saved data in the Central File. When team members are participating in the project sporadically it is easy to have many hours of work occur between when you made your last Local File and starting work now. Making a new Local File ensures that you are working with the latest saved data.

Teams seldom work identical hours. Somebody leaves early, comes in early, works late etc. You may leave an hour or two before others. Let's say three people worked for two hours after you left. If my math skills don't fail me that's 3 x 2 = 6 hours of work you missed. If you come in the next morning before anyone else, open your Local File from yesterday it is at least 6 hours out of synch, possibly more if others SWC after you left but had not done so for some time before you left. If you don't immediately use Reload Latest (it is too easy to forget isn't it?) you will begin work without seeing at least six hours of work. For some six hours is a lot of work while others, not so much. If you made a new Local File this morning instead you'd already have those six hours of work and no waiting for Reload Latest.

You might even consider making a new Local File midday. Let's imagine Joe made more, possibly major, changes to the project titleblock and there are a couple hundred sheets in the project. He does this a little before lunch and does his SWC just after the team heads out for lunch. When you each return from lunch and open your Local Files followed with Reload Latest, you each have to wait while Revit pulls the titleblock changes to your file and updates each reference to it. This may not be a major amount of time but it is certainly more than if you made a new Local File and just opened that instead.

That's how often according to me...what about making them...how?

Prior to the release of Revit 2010 I recommended that Local Files should be created using Windows Explorer by copying the Central File from the server folder to a folder on the local PC. Don’t use File > Open followed by File > Save As because it is TOO EASY to forget to actually do the Save As part. Even though this is the recommended procedure from Autodesk this establishes a normal or habitual opening, by EVERYONE, of the central file, which should really be avoided. Don't establish bad habits! With the release of Revit 2010 they've provided a bit easier process for most firms to use.

Don't routinely open a Central File!

Not that you will necessarily harm the project file by opening it but teams should form a good strict habit of not opening the central file. There are acceptable reasons to counter this rule but they are not routine things that all team members will need to do. Their normal interaction with the Central File should always be limited to working through a Local File.

Copying a Central File is also FASTER! Though this copy/paste process is a bit obtuse it is actually faster than File > Open and then using File > Save As since you are technically opening the file twice with that approach. It takes much less time to copy/paste a file than one File > Open operation does, by far! See the second to last paragraph in this post to consider how to make it REALLY FASTER.

Where do Local Files go?

Assuming you follow the strategy of naming a central file like this: (note with Revit 2010 the following is also a less stringent recommendation)

Central File - On Server: ProjectName-Central.rvt

Note: Adding the -central makes the file different than a regular stand-alone project file. It is just a little more obvious that it is special.

I recommend using C:\Revit\Projects or similar, not the project folder on the server or any server for that matter. They should be located on the root of the C:\ drive (or secondary drive "D:\" on a PC if desired) because any team member can log into another team members PC, as themselves, to find that user's Local File should they fail to return all elements when they finish for the day. You want to avoid relying on IT to get what you need, or rather avoid bothering them, right?

Therefore "My Documents (now User Documents in Vista or W7)" or "Desktop" folders are not a suitable home for a Local File because only users with sufficient network permission can access them. It is also a good strategy to have a common location so keyboard shortcut files and any other customization a firm does can be stored there, in a consistent reliable location.

What about Naming?

I prefer to alter the Central File once it is copied to remove the "-central" from the name and substituting the user name and month and day (mm/dd) for the date created. This makes the file different from the Central File and special so others can distinguish between a stand-alone project and Workset project more easily. It also makes it different from the actual Central File. Revit doesn't care about that honestly but as a support person it does make it much easier, at a glance, to see if a team member is working in the Central File or not, that and the lack of a Save "Local" icon on the tool bar.

For example:
Central File - On Server: ProjectName-Central.rvt
Local File - On Local PC: ProjectName-Username####.rvt

Note: Do not use an extra period in your Local File name because Revit may interpret this to be a Backup File. Revit uses a period to designate backup files. Specifically do not name files with the combination of .####.rvt because this is the format Revit uses for backup files. A space is a good separator but a dash (-) or underscore (_) will work.

Local Files can go on the user's PC because they do not need to factor into the data recovery strategies of your IT staff. They can be regarded as temporary or working files that need no data redundancy or backup even though Revit does create a backup folder for Local Files. So don't worry about discarding Local Files. You can get rid of previous Local Files as often as you see fit. Keep them from the previous day or days if it makes you feel more comfortable. But discard them eventually.

As I wrote earlier I said there are acceptable reasons to open the central file. This is usually for maintenance of the project like using the Compact Central File feature to clean up the database and reduce file size. Opening the Central File directly should be reserved for the most knowledgeable team member or your office BIM/Revit/Data manager.

There are several activities that justify the use of Detach from Central as opposed to working in either a Local or the project Central file directly. This is a useful option that is available when opening a Workset project file, either a Local or a Central File.

As for the copy/paste process itself I always encourage firms that have someone who can write scripts or have programming skills to automate the process for users. Ideally the result is as simple for your users as a double click on an icon on the desktop to get started each morning. There is a useful thread at AUGI where members have discussed as well as posted some of the methods they've used. As I repeat endlessly here, you need to join AUGI to download attached files there. Again this isn't as big a priority now the Revit 2010 provides a pretty simple process that will suffice for many firms.

I've written quite a few posts about Workset features over the last few years, enough that I had forgotten about some and was surprised when I searched my own blog to provide some related links! If you search for Workset related words you'll find quite a number of things to read.

Happy SWC's!

Network Deployment Fails

There are instances where attempts to create a network deployment will fail. It has been reported at AUGI and via support requests. Apparently the likely solution is related to needed features missing in the operating system of the computer used to perform the network deployment.

THIS PAGE at Microsoft offers the solution or least the likely solution to the problem in most cases.

Memory Management - Minimize Revit

There appears to be growing evidence that a simple task can contribute to improving memory issues with Revit. This POST by Scott Brisk at his blog Revit MEP outlines the evidence that he and Tony Isenhoff with (Eppstein Uhen Architects) have been studying.

Rodney Fiallo, a fellow Revit consultant observed this a month or so ago and mentioned it to me and we've been watching to see if it actually helps resolve a few memory related issues we seen when saving.

The simple task is just minimizing Revit and then restoring it.

Amended: Upon further examination I can't claim that it will resolve "out of memory" errors when attempting to STC (Save to Central). In an instance today I received an "out of memory" error when trying to save locally. It did permit me to do that. That is good, but when I tried to STC I received the error again. Hopeful that minimizing Revit would resolve that too...no joy! It did not! I was forced to close without relinquishing and re-open Revit to then STC. That did work.

I conclude that while the reported memory in task manager does fluctuate significantly when Revit is maximized and minimized it may not, in fact is likely not, to work in all cases. If you watch task manager you'll also notice that other applications behave similarly as well as subtle changes when a program is not maximized, just reduced in size on screen. I observed Internet Explorer 7 increasing in memory consumption as I've opened more tabs. In fact my poor old laptop has "hung" when I've worked in IE7 and used many tabs for a couple hours more often that I'd like.

Dept. of Subtle: Show Sheets/Views Printing/Exporting

I contributed another article to the HOK Cad Blog, here's a link:

Exporting/Plotting Multiple Views

Here's the text:

We resolved an issue in Houston today that was causing some confusion. You are probably familiar with these dialog boxes.

The Show options that appear for Sheets and Views are filters to control the display of views in the list above. They do not affect whether a view is selected or not. If you have Views selected and turn off Views display, they remain selected and they will print/export regardless.

It is important to either scroll down the list to make sure just the views you really want are selected or click the Check None button to start over, otherwise you may end up with a bit more than you expected.

Google Labs - Trends

There is just so much information, good and bad, available on the Internet. Google is working feverishly to be THE source and means to deal with it. I've succumbed to the "Google sphere" ages ago with this blog and more recently Gmail, calendar and so on. I just hope that they don't turn into the maniacal corporate software giant bent on "evil" doing as portrayed in numerous movies! I guess they'd have to bump "Macrofirm" off first? Gosh, I've strayed off Revit a bit too much, back on task, Steve.

More and more I've been seeing references to one of their projects found in Google Labs. The lab project that I'm referring to is Google Trends, a tool to see what the world is searching for.

I recently read a thread at the Archicad community forums. I ended up there after reading something else about Revit and followed a few links and before I knew it I was there not sure exactly how I got there. Well suffice it to say that I don't remember now but I saw a graph of how searches for Revit and Archicad compared. The graph showed Archicad with many more searches, like this one that is limited to the last 12 months.Now that image is for "all regions" which is essentially all the markets/countries that are represented by searches for these topics according to Google. Notice the graph above for searches compared with the littler graph beneath representing news articles found per criteria, more for Revit.

Just for grins I got myopic and changed the search to just the USA. Here's the image of the result.A complete flip, like the mirror tool.

What wild conclusions can I draw from these two reports? Well clearly Revit is King in the USA! While Archicad enjoys the nicer throne in the overall world. Well, all I can actually conclude is precisely what the graphs show, more searches for Archicad occurred in all regions...etc.etc....

I'm not starting "Archicad is better than Revit" banter. Archicad users are nearly as rabid as Revit users and you will not convince them that they are using the wrong software unless there is an intervention by family and friends. Besides I think the subject of my blog(s) make it obvious which side of the fence I'm on.

What I am interested in is starting the debate that Revit is better than Archicad AND Chief Architect!!! See my proof below!Now for those of you whose family tells you that you lack a sense of humor...this is "tongue in cheek", humor, me being "funny", okay? I'm glad you like Archicad and Chief Architect. The more the merrier.

Happy searching for the proof that you are "right" about "something", "anything"...hmmm what if I compare Revit to Godiva chocolate? What about Revit to BMW or Revit to Trabant's? What about Ice Hockey and Field Hockey?

API Tools - Part Three - Steve Faust

Steve is a fellow member at AUGI and he's decided to brush up his programming skills and tackle some ideas he and his co-workers had. He recently shared the result of one such effort. This routine helps you assess the elements that are associated to a level. Here is a portion of his explanation at AUGI.

The reason I created this is to help out with times when you want to delete a level. Revit does not warn you about what is associated with a certain level, and therefore will be deleted when the level is deleted. We have had cases where minor levels were deleted and we found out later that some elements were deleted with the level that we didn't realize were associated with that level.

So, simply run this tool, which will give a list of levels in the project, let you choose one, and then show you all the elements on that level or tell you if there are none. It will also then let you select or select and show the elements.

If you are interested in using this you can DOWNLOAD HERE, must be member to download.

P.S. Steve credits Guy Robinson and Elizabeth Shulok with Structural Integrators with providing important support for his effort.

Thanks for sharing it Steve!!

API Tools - Part Two - Guy Robinson

A fellow member at AUGI and from New Zealand, Guy is a programming consultant for Revit. He has unselfishly shared is knowledge and insight at AUGI ever since an API appeared in Revit. Some time ago I posted a thread at AUGI's Revit API forum asking if anyone had created a routine to count selected elements. It might startle users of AutoCAD to learn that there isn't a "list" command that will tell you how many things you've got selected. There is a presumption that you will use schedules to report data like this in Revit but sometimes it is useful to select some stuff and "count" them quickly.

As it happens there is an example software project that nearly does exactly that in the SDK (Software Development Kit) that is part of the content that comes with Revit. Guy was good enough to tweak it a bit and post it at the AUGI forum for me and anyone else who goes to the trouble to go there and get it (have to be a member to download it). The thread title is: "API Project: Count Selected Elements".

Using it is quite simple, select some stuff and launch the tool, you get a dialog box that lists the elements you selected plus a little bonus information.

I haven't add a chance to confirm with Guy that I can share his contact info here yet. Will do if it is okay, though I doubt getting inquiries is objectionable. In the meantime send me an email and I can put you in touch with him or simply send him a private message via the message system at AUGI.

Thanks Guy, I use it quite a bit!

API Tools - Part One - Avatech

I'm slow to write about this, been meaning too for over a month. Avatech has made several worthy tools available to Revit users for FREE. Naturally it is a obvious ploy to get people interested in talking with them about other possible applications but I don't blame them! The API is the developing frontier for Revit (pun intended).

The lack of an API (Application Programming Interface) was described as a significant weakness by detractors during Revit's early development. Not providing it was a strategic decision by RTC (Revit Technology Corporation). They wanted to delay API development because it would be a distraction from creating core functionality. With RTC it was also a core value to provide tools to users rather than requiring users to also be programmers to create their own tools. With the acquisition by Autodesk the harder line held by RTC has softened.

Some complain that Revit's development pace has slowed down considerably, and it is a fair statement. Some of this is due to the overall scope of Revit now but the ongoing development of the API to match each new feature and to support existing features also contributes. Development can move much faster when you don't also have to provide a way for external applications to "speak" to your code.

Alright, enough reminiscing. What tools has Avatech provided? If you haven't been living under a rock you probably have already read about them on another blog or in an Avatech email or ... somewhere...

Download them from HERE You must provide some basic contact information first but will be able to download them after submitting the form.

I have clipped the text from their site to describe the routines in their own words.

Room Renumber
This utility allows a Revit Architecture user to easily renumber existing rooms into an order defined by selection. In addition, rooms can be inserted into an existing series of rooms with the subsequent room numbers “shifted” to make space for the inserted room number.

Change Case
Does your company (or your client) have standards or preferences on whether rooms or views are named with UPPER CASE, Title Case or lower case? If so, this tool will save you lots of time! The tool can scan your model, and automatically fix “case issues” to whatever standard you would like.

Door Mark Update
Should your Door Marks refer to the room that the door swings into? This utility interrogates all doors and rooms to determine what the proper mark should be for each door, allows the Revit Architecture user to inspect and override the suggested marks, and updates the marks.

Revit City.com Content Browser
This utility gives you a web browser inside of Revit, which can connect to the popular RevitCity.com site. Once you find the content that you need, the utility makes it easy to download the content, store it in the proper library, rename it and load it into the current model – all in one step.

Earth Connector for Revit
The original Revit to Google Earth connection has been updated to work with the other Avatech Revit Utilities. Key features of this update include support for Windows Vista, as well as extensive support of Revit Phases working with Google Earth Timespans. Watch your building come together, phase by phase, inside of Google Earth!

I've used each of these, with the exception of the Revit City and Earth connector tools. I just haven't had time or the need to use them yet. They work well, are easy to get used to and install easily if you have the necessary rights to install software on your computer. When I installed them the first time I was working on a computer that wasn't mine and I had to hack my way through getting them installed. This forced me to read the "readme files"...shock horror! In doing so I found that some of the information was not consistent with the actual names of files and such. I imagine they've resolved that by now. I also made an observation that I shared with them but I'll share it here too so anyone can comment if they care to.

I like that the applications zoom to display the selected door or room but they zoom a bit too close and we can't use zoom functions to zoom out or pan while the Avatech dialog is present. I suggest considering making it non-modal (I always get this term backwards, is it correct?) to permit the use of zoom features or make the zoom to element an option instead of automatic? (similar to the Review Warnings dialog and behavior, but do it better!)

I include their plug here as well!

Do you need custom Revit software development? Avatech’s Software Development Solutions group specializes in the development of custom applications for Revit, including automation and system integration.

Contact Them for further information.

A big "Thank you" to Avatech for making them and making them freely available!!

January 2008 Leap Year Bug Update Available - New Build 20080101_2345

From a post by Scott Latch, Revit Architecture Product Manager, at AUGI's forums.

I am happy to announce that Autodesk has fixed the “Y2K8 bug”!

We just posted a new build (20080101_2345) of Revit Architecture, Revit Structure & Revit MEP that fixes the problem. It is still considered Web Update #3 because replacing the existing file was the fastest method of delivering it to the public. Therefore, the executable file names are the same as the previous build (20071102_2345).

We have updated the Web Update Enhancement Lists to add the following items:
Improves stability when editing groups, saving views/groups to the library or creating a new project with template set to “None”.
Improves stability when upgrading or linking a project from Autodesk Revit Building 8.1/Revit Structure 2 or older.

I would also like to inform everyone that we are only releasing this fix in the English version. Because of the time necessary to localize the update for the other languages, it would not be ready before February 1, 2008 when the problem will go away.

The Web Updates can be downloaded by going to:

RAC: Revit Architecture
RST: Revit Structure
RME: Revit MEP

Thanks to everyone for their patience while we work through this problem.

Builds or Service Packs?

This is a pure opinion piece and a little trip down semantics lane.

I prefer to think of the current version of Revit according to the build, not with service pack numbers. I realize that just knowing which you are using by either method works technically.

So what is a build, if you don't know already? Software is compiled from a version only software engineers can use. Compiled is another techy way to say it is has been prepared for use by your computer.

Until recently all releases of Revit referred to a build number formatted YYYYMMDD_TIME (24hr clock), for example the current Revit Architecture build is 20071109_2345 and also referred to as Service Pack 3. The software is compiled many times, weekly if not even daily or hourly at times for internal testing by various team members. They use this build value to differentiate between versions constantly. It seems only natural to use the same method to speak about the software when it is compiled and released to the public.

While this habit might be a little unfriendly to the lay person it has been the way and consistently so. Now we are also referring to service packs. The root of my complaint is the half-hearted, skin deep application of it. I say this because the only place the service pack reference occurs is on the web site and in documentation available there. After that the build number reappears, even in the release documentation detailing what the build addresses.

So I say (from my bully pulpit) bring back the builds and can the service pack. It is useless, redundant and even confusing to use both.

January 2008 bug

[Updated 20080107]

There is an unpleasant bug with all versions at this time that will cause odd errors with groups. This was reported at AUGI and Autodesk has responded there as well as to support requests that they are working on the problem. The issue is related to code that is supposed to deal with leap years.

Keep an eye on the download pages at Autodesk as this is a serious enough bug that I believe a new build will made available as soon as possible. The temporary workaround suggest by Autodesk is to briefly change your pc's date to either February or the previous month to permit the feature(s) that isn't working to work. This has its own problems and you should carefully consider this before doing it.

Known Conditions that generate error "Unspecified Error".
Saving Groups out of a project
Save Detail View out of Project
Edit Group from Project Browser via Right Click (Edit Group on Options bar works)
Create new project choosing Template: None then attempt to choose Unit of Measure

New Build - Revit Structure - 20071209_1300

Apparently a problem I reported was among issues that have prompted the Revit Structure team to post a new build just one month later. The issue I reported had to do with copy/paste tools applied to concrete beam families. I'm glad they figured it out!

You can download the BUILD HERE!

This is the list of comments in the pdf file found at Autodesk:

Improves API for beams creation with NewFamilyInstance (ref XYZ location,..)
Improves API for element coping.
Improves API for instance creation of cellular beam.
Improves API for rebar group distribution.
Improves File > Open performance time when opening some project files in Revit Structure software.

Allows the ability to array face-based families placed on a vertical face.
Allows the ability to maintain face-based instances on curved surfaces of a Revit file linked into Revit Structure when the link is unloaded.

Improves stability when selecting sections.
Improves stability when accessing the Help menu in Revit Structure on a computer with the Microsoft Windows Vista™ operating system.

Improves stability when applying a view template to a sheet.
Improves performance when views contain many objects with overridden graphics by element.

USG Design Studio - Revit Content

There is new content available for Revit now from USG Design Studio. This text is found on their site:

USG Design Studio is a free service that does not require registration to use. By registering, you will receive updates on this page for latest content additions, enhancements, and upgrades.

They are currently featuring wall and ceiling assemblies that correspond with their products. Look closely at each page for a link to Revit content and/or template files. Since these are system families you'll need to copy/paste them into your projects or use File menu > Transfer Project Standards to get them loaded.

Revit MEP Content Extension Available

Interested in more MEP content? Probably! You can check out the extension HERE!

This is the text from the Autodesk page:

The Revit MEP® Content Extension provides new content for Revit MEP users. Both Imperial and Metric versions of the content are available for download below, in ZIP format. After download, users can then uncompress the file to the desired content location.

Before You Download
The content files are compressed with their path information included back to the root directory of the folder structure installed with Revit® MEP 2008 Web Update #2. For example, in a default installation of Imperial content, the ZIP file would be uncompressed at:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\RME 2008\Imperial Library
In this situation, all files will be uncompressed to the correct folders.

New Builds - Revit Architecture, Structure & MEP - (20071109_2345)

A new build has been posted for each:

Revit Architecture, DOWNLOAD HERE!
Revit Structure DOWNLOAD HERE!
Revit MEP DOWNLOAD HERE!

This is the text from the pdf file listing the issues addressed by the new build.

Allows the ability to array face-based families placed on a vertical face.
Allows the ability to maintain face-based instances on curved surfaces of a Revit file linked into Revit Architecture software when the link is unloaded.

Improves stability when selecting sections.
Allows the ability to insert an electrical receptacle into a legend view.
Improves stability when accessing the Help menu in Revit Architecture on a computer with the Microsoft Windows Vista™ operating system.

Improves stability when applying a view template to a sheet.
Improves performance when views contain many objects with overridden graphics by element.

Visa Lighting & Revit Content

Visa Lighting has created Revit lighting families. They feature a screen shot of Revit on their website and there are Revit families for each of their products. Be sure to check them out and let them know if you like them.

Brand New Modelling Tool

My ace reporter Freddy Latherdon has been on hiatus in parts unknown for quite some time but he just sent me this story. He's managed to discover the next great thing for architectural design. Here is his story.

"Three Letter Architects to Use New Design Software"

During a recent interview, Architect Bucky Fullminster, divulged that his firm "TLA" has decided to pull back from all the clever software they've been using. When prodded for the reason he said that they needed something that fit the sort of design work they do better. That software is called "Balloon Architecture" made by Larry Moss, Inc.
No computer requirements because no computer is needed. You just need balloons. The software comes with blue and white balloons but hey, you could technically use any color you want. "Hey! THIS is going back to real design", said Bucky. "We just gave away our pc's to good-will, and they were glad to get em too!" Bucky said, "The staff is reinvigorated, no training sessions on hard to learn regular software, back to using their hands and touching the physical model. Conflict with ducts and steel, no kidding it's right there knucklhead, see??"

I was unable to get a comment from the leading software companies and for this reason I suspect that they aren't taking this come from nowhere competition seriously. Time will tell what inroads this new kid on the block will make in this tough and opinionated market!

Well...I must say I'm stunned! After all this time working with Revit to have this come out of nowhere. Guess I better get myself a helium bottle and balloon nipple? What are you going to do?

If you want to get your own copy of Balloon Architecture, check out Barnes and Noble and search for the title or Author Larry Moss...

Family Editor - Parameter Order

In the past Scott Hopkins shared a method (at AUGI) to reorder parameters.

If you block out some generic parameters names up front you can assure a certain order at will and avoid the re-order hassle. It can be a bit difficult perhaps to anticipate what parameter you might need but a little planning can make a big difference.

Here's an example: Creating a new table family I expect to need four new dimension parameters but haven't settled on the names or maybe I have but I want them in a precise order. Create the parameters first like this.

Once they are created they'll stay in this order no matter what you change their names to later. After I work through things I can change their names to these.

If I had tried to create these names up front they would have looked like this.

If you can't plan ahead enough, then Scott's method to the rescue!

(This approach doesn't work for Shared Parameters, though. Neither will the Re-order technique since Shared Parameters are already created technically.)

Revit MEP Blogs

Just a quick note to point out that there are two new blogs focused on MEP! I've added a new category to the sidebar for Revit MEP blogs and you'll find these there.

Inside the System - Kyle Barnhardt (Autodesk Revit MEP Product mgr)
Revit MEP Blog - Scott Brisk (MasterGraphics, Reseller)

Both have lots of great info and worth keeping an eye on.

Egress - Path of Travel - Uh oh...

Of all the stuff I've done over the last couple years the Egress/Path of Travel family has to be the biggest hit. It has generated more email requests than anything else. I'm glad I've managed to do something useful!! If only I charged money for it! 8-)

So I'm writing to let anyone who has actually used it that there is a bug present in Revit right now that messes it up. The little dot and arrow at the end of the line-based segment won't print as filled in the latest build of Revit. If it doesn't work in earlier builds no one has said so and I can't test it on any earlier builds now either. Don't look back...keep moving forward...new build...well in this case it is a slight step backward.

The "fix" according to Revit Support staff is to print the views that these are used in using "Raster" instead of "Vector". Phew...that was close, I thought I was going to have to come up with a different strategy for those little guys.

Hopefully the bug will be fixed in a future build. For what it is worth, this most likely affects any nested annotation symbol that uses a filled region.

Shaft Opening and Foundation Slabs - Just Not Fair

If you are familiar with the tool found on the Modelling menu > Opening > Shaft Opening you have probably become as fond of it as I have. If you are not, it is a specific tool that will cut any floor, ceiling and/or roof it comes into contact with. Just sketch the shape the opening should have, define it's top and bottom constraint as well as any offset you need and Finish the Sketch.

You now have one element that creates a nicely coordinated shaft for the entire vertical height required. If the shape changes you must create another shaft opening for that, still less work than editing floor, ceiling and roof sketches all afternoon.

As a bonus you can also define Symbolic Linework while in sketch mode. This can be the proverbial "X" in your HVAC chase or the Yin/Yang symbol in a circular pipe chase. It can even be the sketch of an elevator.

To make it even better they just need to let us import a detail component and place it while in sketch mode so we don't have to draw the elevator but once or just use a nested dwg in the detail component...but I digress...the unfair bit.

There are Floor and Slab elements and they are the essentially the same but there is also a Foundation Slab and it is different, at least when it comes to the Opening Shaft. On floors and slabs it works, on Foundation Slabs they don't and that's just not fair! Even these need holes cut in them for elevator shaft pits, sump pits etc.

The solution is to use the other option on the same set of tools, Modelling menu > Opening > Opening by Face.

Here are couple images of shaft openings used less conventionally. First is the finished slab that shows using them (shaft openings) to create true holes in a slab so that the floor slab reports actual volume without using Join Geometry between columns and floors. Also showing how the slab edge plan was altered.


This image depicts the shaft openings overlaid on the floors. A bit easier managing a slab edge alteration instead of editing multiple floor sketches by just using one shaft opening.


If you are in a shaft binge mode you can review this earlier POST.

Added THIS POST to the HOK CAD Solutions blog.

Revit MEP - Fittings Get Unresponsive

If your plumbing fittings fail to adjust their size properly when you place them or when you trim or otherwise connect pipe it is time to get suspicious about the path for your Lookup Tables. Revit installs fitting lookup files that match the name of each fitting supplied in a folder called "Lookup Tables" in your content folder location. Each file is a comma delimited text file which means the information is separated by commas and the file extension is .csv.

For stand alone installations the default location is:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\RME 2008\LookupTables

Network installations could be anywhere from the "D-Z drive" unfortunately.

Regardless this location is stored in your Revit.ini file located here (default installation location):

C:\Program Files\Revit MEP 2008\Program

If the actual location and the one stored in Revit.ini are different then your fittings will not resize graphically until they match. You'll need to close and restart Revit to get it to re-read the .ini file.

Last, there is no place within the Revit user interface to check or alter this location which I think ought to be changed and included within the Mechanical Settings dialog in the same way the Pipe Sizes.xml location is presented.

Revit MEP Local User Group - Los Angeles

Passed along to me by Jay Holland a new user group focused on the MEP side of life is forming to serve the greater Los Angeles area.

This is their inaugural meeting info:
When:
Thursday – October 11th 2007, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Where:
Arup, Inc.
12777 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Tel: 310-578-4182

If you live in this area please find time to lend your support by attending and if possible contributing to presentations! I wish the group success!

Autodesk University Update

This is the current schedule for the labs I'm doing at AU 2007 this year.

Making Content for Revit® Architecture - Intermediate
AB204-6L
Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Time: 10:00 am

Making Content for Revit® Architecture - Basics
AB304-1L
Date: Thursday, November 29, 2007
Time: 10:00 am

Making Content for Revit® Architecture - Intermediate
AB310-1L
Date: Thursday, November 29, 2007
Time: 01:00 pm

While the concepts are not new these labs will be, not simply a re-tooling of what I did previously. They are fully booked at this time. There are 40 computers in a lab and 80 seats and these fill up fast unfortunately.

I'm pleased to be nearly certain that Steven Campbell will be attending and able to participate as a co-presenter during these labs. Steven has been making content perhaps longer than anyone except for a certain David C. and is a valued part of the Autodesk Revit team. I look forward to his contributions.

Please remember the classes are for basic and intermediate students, regardless of the terminology and information present on the AU website. If you are registered for any of these labs and don't fit in either of these two categories as a Revit Family editor because you are a more advanced editor consider relinquishing your seat so a real beginner or intermediate user can have it, they'll thank you for the chance I'm sure.

Notice that an intermediate class appears before the basic class. This happened because a second session was inserted for the intermediate class due to demand. There are only so many spots for a repeat and it ended up in front of the basic class. If you are attending the first intermediate session and were hoping to get the basics first, I'm sorry but it didn't work out that way.

With the lack of advanced topics for the family editor in my class sessions I proposed a AU Unplugged session for Advanced Concepts and the Family Editor. This new feature at AU is available for anyone to suggest and, if selected, host a discussion. I requested the end of the day on Wednesday, not knowing if that makes good sense or not since there is so much to do and take in at AU already. If anyone has suggested a similar session let's merge our thoughts so that we get a better chance of success. I'm not as interested in preaching advanced concepts as being a moderator in a discussion among fellow Revit users to foster discussion, ideas and answer questions.

If you are fortunate enough to attend Autodesk University this year I look forward to having an opportunity to meet you and learn of your successes and perhaps failures with Revit! Till then!

P.S.

Remember Matt Dillon has a lecture on the Family Editor as well and it is:
All in the Family: Creating Parametric Parts in Revit® Architecture
AB114-3P
Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Time: 3:00 pm

Because his is a lecture format there should little if any issues regarding getting to attend.

Project Font - A Family and Project Variable

Anyone who has implemented Revit knows that the process to change the standard font style, office and project(s) wide, is not as simple as just changing a single setting. Unfortunately every form of annotation has its own setting for font data. That makes it incredibly flexible but it also makes it incredibly annoying and such a mundane task to change.

In the past I've suggested (others have as well in one forum or another) that Revit needs a notion of a Project Font. A single setting in a project that defines the font that SHALL be used. Okay fine for the project but what about families. That's where the hard part is anyway, opening up all those families and changing one parameter...close...repeat.

I suggest that in addition to the list of fonts offered us, while we create annotation content, that Revit provide a "font" choice that tells the family to use the project's Project Font assignment instead of being an individual going its own way. This way nearly all annotation content would simply be assigned the project font and whatever project file it was used in would display accordingly. No extra work for us.

If we need to use a specific font, to spite the project font, we just pick one instead and that's what the annotation uses in the project environment, thumbing its nose at the project font setting, radical upstart that it is.

In projects text and dimensions would also offer this option so a single change to Project Font applies internally as well as to external content loaded for use.

Sure sounds good when I write and read it...let's hope I'm right and they listen to me taking advantage of my little bully pulpit.

Sketch Lines and Visibility Graphics

You turned off all the model categories in your view using Visibility/Graphic Overrides, the easily remembered VV or VG keyboard shortcut. Now you create or edit an element defined by a sketch and no linework...hmmm. Sketch Lines are a model category and are affected by the "Lines" category so you can't turn off the "Lines" category without losing them too. They don't appear as an item in the list because Revit assumes that it doesn't make sense to turn them off. Too bad turning off the parent category results in the same thing. Maybe sketch lines need to divorce their parent?

Spot Dimension Tool and Wireframe

Short and sweet, they don't get along, not friends. When you place a Spot Dimension tool > Elevations or Coordinates in a view assigned to Wireframe it just won't find a floor surface. Revit is very literal, make it wireframe, no surfaces...no spot dimension tool. Just change to Hidden Line and suddenly it works nicely again.

Cheers!

New Build Revit MEP (20070829_2300)

A new build for Revit MEP has been posted, build number (20070829_2300)
There are three pdf files you should read prior to downloading and installing. You can review and download the new build HERE.

Note that one of the documents explains changes to the folder structure and naming conventions for the MEP content. Be sure to read it!

The following is the text from the pdf, at the Autodesk site, that explains what issues have been addressed by this build.

Room Tags on Copy/Monitored Rooms no longer return question marks in certain situations.
Improves stability when using the Split Tool on Pipes or Ducts.
Multiple Sprinkler Systems can now be copied more consistently.
Improves stability when modifying the shape of an Elbow with an open end.
The length override for Duct Transitions remains consistent after changes to the connected layout.
Improves stability when generating ductwork from a mirrored air system.
Improves stability when demolishing a duct with two connected takeoffs.
Improves stability after receiving a corrupt element warning when opening a project.
Publish to DWF™ functions when Rooms are present and are clipped by the viewport.
Improves stability when saving a Project with a linked DWG™ file that contains an image.
Improves stability when applying a view template to a sheet view.
Working on Windows Vista™ operating system, allows the ability to write to revit.ini, licpath.lic, KeyboardShortcuts.txt, and the Journals folder.
Line-based families contained in a group are no longer flipped when the group is mirrored.
Improves stability when importing group into Titleblock family.
Allows the ability to export renderings to TIFF format.
When temporary dimension text too small to read, user can adjust the size of the font through Revit.ini.
Linked DWG file added by another user will now show up in Manage Links after reload latest.
“Relative” spot elevation updates automatically with the change in Level elevation.
When exporting to DWG file, overlapping lines that share a point are no longer missing in the resulting DWG.

View Reference - Customization

If you want to create your own view reference family you can start by editing the one that is provided with Revit. You can also start with a Generic Annotation family template and then assign it to the View Reference Category via Settings menu > Family Category and Parameters.


The View Reference family is a system family that can have different annotation families assigned as a type parameter. To use your own view reference annotation you can alter the existing one to use your family or duplicate the existing type and then assign your new family to the new type you just created.

To actually make the change you need to start the View Reference tool > click Properties > click Edit/New then either change the View Reference assigned or click Duplicate to create a second type to use.


Now you can use either the original or your new view reference.

Personally I think that a View Reference tag should show up in the Settings menu > > Annotations > Loaded Tags dialog just for the sake of consistency.

New Build - Revit Structure 2008

New Build Number: 20070810_1700

This is the text from a pdf posted at Autodesk's download page for Revit Structure, download it from THIS LINK.

Improvements made in the current Web Update SP2 build (20070810_1700):

Straight beam joins and cuts back properly when supported by vertical curved beams.
Improves stability after receiving a corrupt element warning when opening a project.
Improves stability when saving a Project with a linked DWG™ file that contains an image.
Improves stability when applying a view template to a sheet view.
In Windows Vista™ operating system, allows the ability to write to revit.ini, licpath.lic, KeyboardShortcuts.txt, and the Journals folder.
Line based families contained in a group are no longer flipped when the group is mirrored.
Improves stability when importing group into Titleblock family.
Allows the ability to export renderings to TIFF format.
When temporary dimension text too small to read, user can adjust the size of the font through Revit.ini.
Linked DWG added by another user will now show up in Manage Links after reload latest.
“Relative” spot elevation updates automatically with the change in Level elevation.
When exporting to DWG file, overlapping lines that share a point are no longer missing in the resulting DWG.

There is also some new content available via THIS LINK.


Improvements made in the previous Web Update SP1 build (20070607_1700):

Track Changes toolbar works properly with third-party application.
Fixes very small dimension rounding error inaccuracy for the levels in the default structural project
templates.
Duplication of structural steel framing and column .rfa content in UK Library no longer occurs.
Enhances the ability to open .rvt file containing imported/linked .dwg with incorrect boundary hatch.
Estimated Reinforcement Volume of rebar is calculated correctly.
Beam’s analytical model auto-adjusted to slab updates automatically when slab is deleted.
Column’s analytical model auto-adjusted to slab updates automatically when moved out of tolerance.
Manual analytical adjustment of a beam to the end of a wall functions properly.
Beam whose vertical z-Direction Justification was set to "Other" makes the analytical model in the correct position.
Improves stability when importing .dwg or .dxf with the presence of an older version of DWG TrueView™
installed on the computer.
For a selected Line, Hide Category in View no longer affects all Categories of Lines.
Some Detail, Plan, or Section Callouts are no longer erroneously hidden in cropped views.
Masking Regions in Tag Families will now obscure elements in project and in exports.
Filled Regions containing Solid Fills, which are overridden to be Transparent, now print consistently between Vector and Raster modes.
Improves stability with Overlay Planes turned off in Graphics Settings.
Crop Regions which were previously missing are now visible in Views in upgraded files and templates.
Display problems in a view no longer occur when zooming with OpenGL® hardware acceleration turned on.
Copying nested links from the Project Browser places the Link and its nested components.

Last, be sure to visit the BIM & BEAM Blog

Increase Size of Temporary Dimensions

From a post by Scott Latch, the new Technical Product Manager for Revit Architecture, at AUGI's Revit community forums.

Open Revit.ini file in Notepad.
The file is typically located in C:\Program Files\Revit Architecture 2008\Program.

Add the following line to Revit.ini in [Graphics] section:
TempDimFontSizeInPoints=N

Where N is a number larger than 8 (default hardcoded value). Good starting point is twice the default size (i.e. 16-17).

Save Revit.ini.
Restart Revit.

If the size of temporary dimensions is still small, repeat from step 1 with larger number.

Please note, the [Graphics] section may not exist. If this is the case add a line that contains [Graphics].

New Build - Revit Architecture 2008

Build Number 20070810_1700

The following is the text from a pdf file posted at the Autodesk Site, click THIS LINK to visit the "choose your language download page".

Improvements made in the current Web Update SP2 build (20070810_1700):

Improves stability after receiving a corrupt element warning when opening a project.
Publish to DWF™ functions when Rooms are present and are clipped by the viewport.
Improves stability when saving a Project with a linked DWG™ file that contains an image.
Improves stability when applying a view template to a sheet view.
In Windows Vista™ operating system, allows the ability to write to revit.ini, licpath.lic, KeyboardShortcuts.txt, and the Journals folder.
Line based families contained in a group are no longer flipped when the group is mirrored.
Improves stability when importing group into Titleblock family.
Allows the ability to export renderings to TIFF format.
When temporary dimension text is too small to read, user can adjust the size of the font through Revit.ini.
Linked DWG added by another user will now show up in Manage Links after reload latest.
“Relative” spot elevation updates automatically with the change in Level elevation.
When exporting to DWG, overlapping lines that share a point are no longer missing in the resulting DWG file.

Improvements made in the previous Web Update SP1 build (20070607_1700):

Improves stability when importing .dwg or .dxf with the presence of an older version of DWG TrueView™ installed on the computer.
For a selected Line, Hide Category in View no longer affects all Categories of Lines.
Some Detail, Plan, or Section Callouts are no longer erroneously hidden in cropped views.
Masking Regions in Tag Families will now obscure elements in project and in exports.
Filled Regions containing Solid Fills, which are overridden to be Transparent, now print consistently between Vector and Raster modes.
Improves stability with Overlay Planes turned off in Graphics Settings.
Crop Regions which were previously missing are now visible in Views in upgraded files and templates.
Display problems in a view no longer occur when zooming with OpenGL® hardware acceleration turned on.
Copying nested links from the Project Browser places the Link and its nested components.
Elements refresh in views when deselected.
Product Registration for multiple products in Subscription no longer returns “Invalid Serial Number.”

Space Bar Subtle Effect - Temporary Dimensions

As you know the Space Bar will rotate components when you have one or more selected. This proves quite handy, further if an element is held above an angled element the Space Bar action will pick up on the angle and align the rotating element with this angled reference.

A collateral effect of the use of the Space Bar is that the temporary dimensions relocate themselves according to different references as the element rotates.This can be used to good effect on cylindrical elements like pipe fittings or sprinklers as well as circular or similar annotation that doesn't really matter when they are "spun". For these particular situations pressing the Space Bar results in the flipping of temporary dimensions to other elements. A temporary dimension that was referencing a wall on the right will now reference a wall on the left.

Usually this result is stumbled on and easily forgotten so I thought I'd mention it again.

Update to U.K.'s Revit blog by David Light

David Light in the U.K. has been working hard at keeping his blog, simply titled "Revit", fresh lately. He started his blog quite awhile ago but fell victim the realities of having a day job and a life and he found his posting to be less than frequent. I can definitely relate to that myself. I'm pleased to say that he's either put aside his day job and/or life and found more time for the blog or he's managed to squeeze it in between everything else going on.

You might enjoy his Star Wars modeling exercise? His personal answer to the "but Revit can't do this or that" comment.

I met David briefly at Autodesk University 2006 and he told me that he was concerned that my "English" sense of humor might have been lost on the attendees of my lecture. His comment confirmed my fear that all those years of watching British comedy on public television here in the States, and my odd ability to remember lines in the Monty Python movies but not remember my children's birthdays, ultimately has had a negative effect on me. However, I'm not a total lost cause because in fact a couple of reviews of last year's lecture said, "could do without the humor" which proves that he is wrong because clearly some could tell I was trying to be humorous...unless they too were from the U.K.? Hadn't thought of that till now...hmmm

Be sure to keep the pressure on him to post by visiting his blog often!!

HOK Blogs Share the Wealth

HOK has two new blogs that join the Revit blogosphere. HOK Green BIM and HOK Cad Solutions are the vehicle they've decided to use to share the wealth so to speak.

They have been hard at work on lots of cool projects using Revit and pushing what BIM and BuildingSMART means to their firm and now they are sharing some of that hard earned knowledge. Be sure to keep an eye on them. Also don't forget their website 4BIM which went live some months back.

Visibility of grips

"Short and sweet department"

The Control "grips", the little blue dots that appear when you select a line or wall for example, may not appear if the active workset is not visible in your view. This assumes you are using worksets of course...so you are not crazy, at least not about that.

Activate Dimensions

As you work in Revit you get used to seeing temporary dimensions appearing every time you select an element. Then as your project progresses and more and more things fill your screen you eventually notice that those temporary dimensions aren't showing up as much. At first you might think that something has gone terribly wrong. The truth is that Revit has reached a point where it has decided that showing temporary dimensions would negatively affect performance.

So now what? Do you have to add your own permanent dimensions to manipulate your design? Well...you could, nothing wrong with that but you don't HAVE to... Enter the Options Bar, when this occurs take a quick look on the Options Bar and click the nice Activate Dimensions button.

Why doesn't Revit tell you it isn't going to display the temporary dimensions anymore? Well...we probably would get annoyed with that message popping up all the time too?

Autodesk University 2007

As the planning for this event is in full swing and nearly time for registration I'll mention that I will be speaking at two lab sessions. We have a Revit Family Editor - Beginner and a Revit Family Editor - Intermediate scheduled, but the day and time aren't pinned down even though a preliminary schedule has them both on Friday, the last day when everyone is burned out and bleary eyed. Wow that was a long sentence!

Notice no advanced! In the exit survey's of my sessions last year the critical comments nearly all focused on the time dedicated to topics and the lack of truly beginner discussion. It seems I get pulled to more intermediate/advanced topics very easily and then don't dote on the beginner enough. No more! One class dedicated to you, the beginner, fledgling, novice... The second is geared for someone who has done a bit but not feeling that strong or confident yet either.

I hope to make arrangements to have an Ad Hoc advanced discussion in a room that is equipped with basic AV. The idea is that anyone who is interested in such a discussion could attend and share their ideas and ask questions. The group would provide answers and if possible even exercise a bit of R&D. I'm not certain this will happen but will be pleased if it can be pulled together. I'm hopeful.

Also want to mention that Matt Dillon has a lecture scheduled to discuss the broader subject of Revit Families.

See you there!

Shaft Opening and View Range

Cool tool the Shaft Opening, it cuts floors, ceilings and roofs that it comes into contact with. It also provides a way to display symbolic lines within the sketch so you can generate graphics to indicate openings more efficiently than drawing them separately or using detail components.

This post is concerned with the display of symbolic lines when you don't expect them to appear. If the View Range setting for Top-Offset of a level below a Shaft Opening has a Top-Offset setting that is high enough to intersect with the Shaft Opening the symbolic lines will appear. They will appear even if the shaft itself doesn't interesect with the cut plane of the lower level. Here's the view Range dialog and the Top Offset is set higher than the level above (11'-0" above Level 1).

This is the resulting Shaft Opening in the view of the level below, just symbolic lines, no opening in the floor.

In my perfect world a shaft would not show symbolic lines unless the cut plane of the view intersected the shaft, not the primary range itself. Fortunately the instances I've encountered are usually due to unnecessarily high settings of the Top-Offset value.

Added THIS POST to the HOK CAD Solutions Blog.

Overlapping Lines - Review Warnings

You've just attempted to finish the sketch of a stair, floor, roof, ceiling etc. and you are staring at the dreaded "can't finish sketch". It might not be obvious but you can use the Tools menu > Review Warnings to track down the trouble maker(s). You can also pan the view with the scroll bars to make is easier to see the whole sketch as well as using the right click menu viewing options. This way you don't have to resort to the delete...undo...delete...undo...cycle to find the troublemaker(s).

Happy Reviewing...

Image/DWG Import Issue

My friend David Baldacchino recently shared this with me and I can confirm the problem. If you link a dwg file that also contains an image file into your Revit project, Revit will crash when you save the file. You can link it in, but Revit will crash when you save. Ouch! This happens whether you save the dwg file in either 2004 or 2007 format. Tread lightly if you need this combination...good luck! If anyone has encountered this and found a way to defeat this feel free to share in a comment. Be certain to submit the issue to Revit support at Autodesk!