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.