Print Preview: Print/Close = Close/Quit

This is old but it trips up new users frequently. The language on the print preview window uses the following, Print and Close are the specific victims of this post.

When you click Print, instead of sending the plot job to the printer it returns you to the print dialog. When you click Close, instead of closing the preview window and returning you to the print dialog Revit bails out of printing/plotting all together. As if you said, "Aw...nevermind, I didn't want to print!"

My present versions of Excel and Word (2002, too lazy to upgrade 8-) ) work similarly so I suppose this means that Revit is Window's compliant. Except that Word just prints when you click print where Excel returns to the print dialog. This doesn't change the fact that I frequently meet people who get tripped up by it.

It would be nice if the language of the buttons could be changed to be more obvious. Such as "Close Preview" and "Cancel Printing" assuming the actual results are not changed. If we could redefine the behavior as well I'd like to see Print mean Print and "Close" say "Close Preview" and close the preview window, returning to the Print dialog instead of bailing out.

Potaytoe...pahtahtoe perhaps...my 2.25 cents.

[Edit 04/23/09 - After using Office 2007 for awhile now I've noticed that the language is cleaned up for this. Print...prints and Close says Close Print Preview now instead. When you use Preview instead Print takes you to the Print dialog to let you make some choices. It offers Close Print Preview too. Much better and Revit ought to emulate it too.]

Sections and their Dependent Views

Sounds like a daytime talk show subject? When you create a section view and then create dependent views using the new feature found in Revit 2008 you end up with some additional annotation that you may not really want to see. Like this perhaps...

This also any view that would show the section annotation.

So we can try to use the "Hide at Scales Coarser" parameter to change this condition.
If you select the views in the project browser all at the same time and then attempt to change the parameter you'll probably find that the parent view's annotation disappears too.

If you select one at time and change the parameter you'll find you can change some of them but not all of the them or you might find that changing one of them also affects the parent. I've seen both situations.

Interestingly enough, if you select the unwanted annotation in a view however you'll find you are able to change the parameter without losing the parent annotation along with them. I don't know why it should matter and it may be a bug that you can change them via the annotation element instead of through view properties but nonetheless it is possible at this time.

Naturally you can choose to hide them using the Right Click option Hide in View > Elements but you'll have to do this in any view you don't want to see them in.

Revit Zone Tutorials

Ian has taken significant time and effort to share his knowledge of Revit on his new site Revit Zone (blogged earlier). His recent additions to his site make it a must stop for any Revit user thirsty for knowledge.

If you find his site useful be sure to let him know so he'll be motivated to keep up the good work!

Thanks Ian!

AUGI Site Down for Upgrades

This text was posted at BLAUGI regarding an interuption in service at AUGI.

First, apologies for the lack of advance notice on this subject.

Please be aware that the AUGI Forums [ http://www.forums.augi.com/ ] will be taken offline all day this coming Saturday (2007-07-07) from 08:00 AM EDT (12:00 PM GMT), while essential backend database work is carried out.

All going well, the AUGI Forums should be back online, sometime Sunday (2007-07-08) morning - 08:00 AM EDT (12:00 PM GMT) - 11:59 AM EDT (03:59 PM GMT). If that proves not to be the case, please keep checking back later in the day, as they will be brought back online as soon as possible.

Once again, apologies for the lack of advance notice.

Revit MEP - "Space Bar" and "Apply"

The "Space Bar" is used a little differently in this version of Revit than its mates. As you already know, hopefully, it is used to flip certain elements and to rotate components. It is also used to toggle between Zoom/Scroll/Pan when viewing using the keyboard (SHIFT/CTRL) combined with the Middle Button or Right Click.

In Rmep it is also used to snap piping/duct to other related elements. It is used to match the size of the selected element and to orient to the correct workplane. It also assumes the same elevation of the element you intend to connect to. Here is an example of using the Spacebar to align a pipe with one side of a Double Wye Pipe Fitting.



Vertical duct/pipe (Risers) are very easy to place if you can remember to click the Apply button on the options bar.


When you sketch a horizontal run of duct or pipe and then need to create a riser pipe/duct you need only change the elevation and click Apply. Revit will create the transition/riser condition according to your M/P settings. Just be sure to allow enough elevation change to permit the insertion of transition fittings otherwise you'll get error messages.

If a warning appears informing you that the line is too short, you pressed Spacebar before you began drawing duct. Note that the Spacebar does not automatically specify the duct type. You must verify or select the duct type from the Type Selector on the Options Bar. Sometimes you need to sketch some extraneous duct to get a piece you really want and then delete the extra bits. Same for piping.

One tip for road...using Wireframe and/or Detail Level: coarse will improve regeneration times when sketching Duct and piping. Now, getting used to the presentation of these elements using those settings is another matter. Good Luck!!

Tiling Views - Window menu > Tile

Recently I was asked if there was any logic to how view windows are tiled I replied, "umm, don't think so?" At least the last time I got perturbed about it, there didn't seem to be a way to define where windows end up.

We'll I'm partially wrong... The active window will be placed on the left when there are two windows. More than two will place the active window in the upper left corner. There doesn't appear to be any simple logic to the placement of the remaining windows however. By now you're thinking, "thanks for nothing, Steve!" You are welcome!

Oh, remember that keyboard shortcuts don't work in schedule views. If you want to tile views with a schedule active...up to the menu you must go.

Additional Data provided courtesy of David Mills with Autodesk, he writes (and includes images), thanks!!!

Ah yes, the elusive Window Tile command. How do I get the views to tile in order A, B, C, D, E (or any other order for that matter)?


The ‘magic’ that’s going on behind the scene doesn’t have a real technical name but I describe it as the last active queue. This queue tracks only the opened views and, most importantly, which view is currently active. As the user changes to a different view, that view comes to the top of the queue and pushes the previously active view down the queue. If a new view is created/opened, it becomes the active view and gets a seat at the top of the queue. Conversely, if a view is closed, it’s removed from the queue.

The last active queue is what provides the ordering mechanism for the Window Tile command. Revit then takes that order and sequences the views (starting with the currently active view) down the first column, then the second, etc.


For Example, in the image above, the last active queue looked like this {D, B, A, C, E} at the time I hit WT. In the same example, if I wanted to give an intentional order to the views…let’s say A, B, C, D, E…I would activate each view in the reverse order that I want them to tile – in this case I would select E first, then D, then C, then B, and finally A. At that time, I would be certain that the last active queue would look like this {A, B, C, D, E} where A is the currently active view and E was active the longest time ago. Then hit WT and presto!

New Revit Opportunity for Faculty and Students

A recent post by BIM and BEAM bloggers Nicolas Mangon and Wai Chu is worth visiting if you are a student or faculty member. CHECK it OUT! Your chance to use Revit Structure 2008 for FREE* is at hand!

* FREE products subject to the terms and conditions of the end user license agreement that accompanies download of the software.

Under Their Nose - Stairs

This stair is in the front lobby of a building that Revit staff see quite often.

I immediately thought that it would be quite a task to make this stair with Revit's stair and railing tools. Ironic that such a stair is "under their nose" and certainly should serve as inspiration for any future improvements that are made.

On the same subject, while working in Houston in a Philip Johnson/John Burgee building originally called the Transco Tower and now called William's Tower I encountered a stair in an emergency exit stair shaft that has what I think is a very nice railing detail.

This is the stair/railing from one angle

This is another angle
I imagine you could make separate railings that use custom start and end balusters to replicate the transition from run to run but it would take a bit of work. The connection of each stringer to a flat plate just isn't possible with the current tools. I like the fact that you can walk down the stairs and leave your hand on the railing without ever coming into contact with a support, very clean.

If you are curious here is a picture I took of the tower itself. I took it from next to a parking garage nearby.

This is a view from the 62nd floor meeting room we used for training, looking East toward downtown Houston.
The top row of glazing in the immediate view to the right is the parapet of the floor/roof below us. On the roof hidden from view are the anchors and outriggers for the window cleaning rigging equipment. Sorry, no picture...didn't think of it till now, too late!

If you have a stair or observe one that Revit ought to let you build at or all, or at least more easily, consider taking a snapshot of it and/or providing the design drawings you prepared to Revit support so they can properly define the scope of any future improvements to the stair/ramp/railing tools.

InterSpec, Inc. - eSPECS Update

I received notice that eSPECS has enhanced its interaction with the Revit platform. Here is a snippet of what their announcement said:

New e-SPECS functionality includes:

Direct API BIM Model Export
Replacing the ODBC Export is a faster and more efficient export of all model data pertinent to the products and materials for specifications.

View the Specs from within the BIM model
Select a family and view all the associated specification sections directly associated with that family. Select the interior wall family for instance and view the associated gypsum board, metal stud and painting sections.

Markup the Specs from within the BIM model
Revit users can not only view the sections, but add comments, questions and markup the specifications directly in the Revit session. The specifier using e-SPECS will immediately see those mark-ups and can make the required changes to the specification section(s).

New Spec Integration Report
Also within Revit, users can view a report detailing all families and the associated specification sections as well as those not yet assigned an assembly. The usage of this report within the BIM model facilitates the integration, automation and coordination of the construction documents.

Sounds like some very nice enhancements indeed!

RevitZone

Ian, an architect in the UK started a new Revit site this month. It is called Revit Zone. Be sure to follow his posts on his blog and see how the site develops.

Cheers!

JELD-WEN Revit Families Available

You may have received an email like I did the other day from JELD-WEN Windows and Doors? If so then..."as you were", if not they announced the availability of content in a variety of formats, including Revit. If you use their products in your projects now you can use their families in the project too! This is an excerpt from the email they sent:

Using JELD-WEN's Web site, architects are able to configure windows and patio doors to fit openings, then download corresponding graphics in Revit, DXF, DWG and PDF formats. The templates cover JELD-WEN's complete Custom Wood Window line, with Siteline EX and Tradition Plus wood window product lines scheduled for later this year. The 3D window templates are available as a link from the Custom Wood window product pages on www.JELD-WEN.com, or at www.parametrx.com/912/templates/index.asp.

If you check them out be sure to let them know how you like them.
Let's hope others follow their example...well except for their competitiors 8-)

Cheers!

New Build for Revit MEP 2008 (2007_0615_1700)

Autodesk has posted a new build for Revit MEP 2008 to presumably bring into alignment with the recent new builds for the the other versions of Revit. The following text is posted on the download page at Autodesk's Revit MEP site.

This build, (2007_0615_1700), addresses issues related to:

• Face-hosted elements deleted when loading linked model.
• Crash occurs when resizing a column after disabling Embedded Schedule functionality.
• Connector cannot be placed on a Blend.
• Panel Schedule cannot be generated using a Panel set to Switchboard Part Type.
• Switch System deleted if included Device added to existing Circuit.
• Gaps in surfaces occur in gbXML export in certain complex geometries.
• Crash occurs when defining certain Energy Analysis parameters on non-bounded Room.
• Conditional Schedule Formatting not working when condition applied to a different Field than condition terms.
• For a selected Line, Hide Category in View affects all Categories of Lines.
• Some Detail, Plan or Section Callouts are erroneously hidden in cropped views.
• Masking Regions in Tag Families do not obscure elements in project and in exports.
• Filled Regions containing Solid Fills, which are overridden to be Transparent, print inconsistently between Vector and Raster modes.
• Instability with Overlay Planes turned off in Graphics Settings.
• Some Crop Regions are not visible in Views in upgraded files and templates.
• Display problems in a View when zooming with OpenGL® hardware acceleration turned on.
• Copying nested links from the Project Browser places only the Link and not its nested components.
• Elements do not refresh in views when deselected.
• Product Registration for multiple products in Subscription returns “Invalid Serial Number.”
• Unable to open .rvt file containing imported/linked .dwg with incorrect boundary hatch.

Download it Here

Revit Architecture 2008 - New Build (20070607_1700)

To synchronize the recent update of Revit Structure, Revit Architecture now has a newer build. This list is the text posted at the Autodesk site:

This build, (20070607_1700), addresses issues related to:

• For a selected Line, Hide Category in View affects all Categories of Lines.
• Some Detail, Plan, or Section Callouts are erroneously hidden in cropped views.
• Masking Regions in Tag Families do not obscure elements in project and in exports.
• Filled Regions containing Solid Fills, which are overridden to be Transparent, print inconsistently between Vector and Raster modes.
• Instability with Overlay Planes turned off in Graphics Settings.
• Some Crop Regions are not visible in Views in upgraded files and templates.
• Display problems in a View when zooming with OpenGL® hardware acceleration turned on.
• Copying nested links from the Project Browser places only the Link and not its nested components.
• Elements do not refresh in views when deselected.
• Product Registration for multiple products in Subscription returns “Invalid Serial Number.”

Download it Here!

Revit Structure - New Build (20070607_1700)

Announced today, the following is from the text at Autodesk's Revit Structure 2008 site.

This build (20070607_1700), addresses issues related to:

• Track Changes toolbar is missing with third-party application.
• Very small dimension rounding error inaccuracy for the levels in the default structural project templates.
• Duplication of some structural steel framing and column .rfa content in UK Library.
• Unable to open .rvt file containing imported/linked .dwg with incorrect boundary hatch.
• Incorrect estimated reinforcement volume of rebar.
• Crash when importing .dwg or .dxf with the presence of an older version of DWG TrueView on the computer.
• Beam’s analytical model auto-adjusted to slab doesn’t update when slab is deleted.
  Column’s analytical model auto-adjusted to slab doesn’t update when moved out of tolerance.
• Unsuccessful manual analytical adjustment of a beam to the end of a wall.
  Beam whose vertical z-Direction Justification was set to "Other" had the analytical model in the wrong position.
• For a selected Line, Hide Category in View affects all Categories of Lines.
• Some Detail, Plan, or Section Callouts are erroneously hidden in cropped views.
• Masking Regions in Tag Families do not obscure elements in project and in exports.
• Filled Regions containing Solid Fills, which are overridden to be Transparent, print inconsistently between Vector and Raster modes.
• Instability with Overlay Planes turned off in Graphics Settings.
• Some Crop Regions are not visible in Views in upgraded files and templates.
• Display problems in a View when zooming with OpenGL® hardware acceleration turned on.
• Copying nested links from the Project Browser places only the Link and not its nested components.
• Elements do not refresh in views when deselected.
• Product Registration for multiple products in Subscription returns “Invalid Serial Number.”

You can DOWNLOAD it here!

Gargoyles or Not

Wandering around Toronto this week I walked around the site of the City Hall complex which features a very interesting building by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel. I lifted that info off Wikipedia's ENTRY for it. Here's a photo.

A "spaceship" sits in between two arc'd towers that have windows facing only the inside of the arc. The outside of the arcs have cast concrete faces that have a subtle curve outward and a nice cast-in "grain" to them. From the North side they reminded me of really BIG grain silos unfortunately. They got a completely different reaction from me when I got South of them.

The "spaceship" reminds me a little bit of the Evoluon in Eindhoven, Holland. The Evoluon is a science museum turned conference center building and was designed by the architect Louis Christiaan Kalff. I wandered around the Evoluon while it was still a museum when my family lived in Holland waaaay baaack when I was nine. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't get closer to the building, the ramps leading up closer were blocked off.

Finally at the Southeast corner of the city hall site I admired the old city hall building with a clock tower, complete with gargoyles, and right behind it framing them was a sleek all glass tower. I thought, "What a contrast!", so I snapped a photo of it too. Here is a link to some other
PHOTOS of both. Here's my shot...

goedenacht

Retry = OK

Every now and then an error message pops up in Revit and most of the time they tell you what is wrong and how to resolve it. Sometimes they are a bit too mysterious like this one. We had a good chuckle when we saw this one tonight.



Apparently OK = Retry and Cancel = Ignore

This message occurs when you acquire coordinates from a dwg file and that file is open for editing by someone at the same time as you save your project file. Revit wants to store a user UCS in the dwg file but can't access it.

Review Warnings - Auditing that list

In a conversation with Lee Miller, Firmwide BIM Implementer for HOK, we were discussing the inability to export the warnings that Revit will store as they occur. I suggested we take a look at SnagIT's ability to capture information in dialogs by scrolling through the entire contents of the dialog's window. We were pleased to find that it works. You get a capture of the text and you can then edit it in word or drop it in excel and then review the list and track down the errors without staying in the Review Warnings dialog and keep re-opening it too. Thought I'd pass it along. SnagIT has really earned its keep with me.

Note to Revit development team:

• Need to provide an export of Reviewable Warnings to text format.
• I think the dialog should stay open when you resolve a warning instead of closing the dialog and forcing us to re-open it or at least an option to make the dialog persistent.
• There should be Expand All and Collapse All buttons

Window's Keyboard shortcuts will provide the expand/contract behavior if you can remember them along with all the other shortcuts you may try to remember.

NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric keypad (*)
Display all subfolders under the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad (+)
Display the contents of the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-)
Collapse the selected folder.

Cheers!

Revit Family Needed!

This week I'm in Toronto, Canada, not Toronto, Ohio in case you thought that perhaps? I walked by this bronze sculpture by Tom Otterness on Yonge Street or block or so from the arena that the Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey team) call home. (Lakeshore and Yonge)

Naturally my first thought was that we need a Revit family for this!! The sculpture is titled "Immigrant Family". I found this article about it. Thought I'd share. Funny but I never think to take pictures and it dawned on me that I have a camera in my phone now...clever monkey!

Book Update

Back in December I wrote that I was writing a book and now I'm writing to say that I'm no longer writing that book. To those who thought, "Ha! He doesn't have time to do that!" You were correct! I'm grateful that it has been a banner year for me in my day job but because of that I was drifffffting further and further behind.

I apologize sincerely to anyone who was actually looking forward to the book. I think Bruce Gow and I had a good book in the works but regrettably I just couldn't hold up my end of the bargain. Unless the end of the decade was a reasonable time frame?

All is not lost however. As you may or may not know, Eddie Krygiel, Tatjana Dzambazova and Greg Demchak teamed up to write a book that is already available. Eddie works for a forward thinking Revit firm called BNIM. Tatjana and Greg are part of the Autodesk team dedicated to Revit. You can take a look at it on Amazon or at Wiley and it is available NOW.

When Wiley and I decided that I wasn't going to get'r done in a reasonable amount of time the "three muskateers" thankfully agreed to do it instead. They were flush from the recent euphoria of finishing the first and the timing was right. I'm only sorry that it didn't get worked out this way earlier so you could get your hands on the book sooner!

Take a look at the advance info on the book at Amazon or Wiley.

Looking back at this I think that this team was really meant to write these books all along for continuity of material, message and voice. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. Cheers and I wish the team a speedy writing phase and good luck and thanks for bailing me out!!

Serial number lost after reinstallation

Some are reporting license issues with the latest release of Revit. The following text is from the Autodesk knowledge base files.

Issue


When you reinstalled Revit®, the serial number was changed to 000-00000000.


Solution


This problem affects authorization, built-in subscription features, and Autodesk error reporting.

To fix the problem

Locate the Revit.exe file. Depending on your installation, this file can usually be found in one of the following directories:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Building 9\Program
C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Structure 3\Program.
In Notepad, open the licpath.lic file.
In the licpath.lic file, locate the serial number (#SN 000-00000000) and replace it with the correct serial number.
Save the licpath.lic file.