We’re moving on. As promised in the last issue, we are going to start adding components. What we have done previously is add host items such as walls, floors, and roofs. These host items can now support components such as doors and windows. Once placed into the wall, the geometry of that wall will be cut out to accommodate the component.

• Go to the AUGI HotNews Forum and download the Autodesk® Revit® file called AUGI-Building-A.rvt if you do not have the file already.
• On the design toolbar, click in the basics tab, then select window .
• Once the window “command” has been started, Revit will allow you to place the component into the host. There are also some choices as to the type of window that can be placed. If you look above the basic design bar, you will see that the type selector now reflects choices of windows. Similar to AutoCAD®, a default “drawing” template is going to load only a few different choices in an effort to keep the file size within reason. If the window you want is not listed, click the load button and simply navigate to the doors folder and select the door you want. The type of door will load as well as different sizes of that same door. This is called a family. It’s as if you invited the Wing’s over for dinner. Well, you get ME, Cassidy, and Jacob. They both look like me, but are only 1/3 the size!

  

• Select Fixed: 36″x48″
• Simply place it in the lower (south) wall.
• Once you get to the point where you can place it in the wall, notice that some temporary dimensions appear. These are very useful for placing items.
• Place the window close to where it is placed in the illustration below.

  

• Once the window is in place, select it. Notice the temporary dimensions come back and there are little arrows on the window . Both items are extremely important.
• The little arrows are called flip grips. Click it and the window will flip in the wall.
• The temporary dimensions are quite special. You click the dimension and change the increment. The window will move to that location. But here’s something else you can do. This particular wall is 50′ long. Select the 7′-6″ dimension, and type = 50/4

  

• The dimension should now be 12′-6″.
• Place three more windows along the wall at random intervals.

Dimensions
We just witnessed the power and flexibility of temporary dimensions. Now let’s take a look at the process in driving geometry with permanent dimensions. In Revit, you cannot fake a dimension. Finally! A program that demands accuracy. Of course, this is the very reason some people shy away from Revit. “You mean I am forced to produce accurate drawings?” Guffaw!

• On the basics tab on the design toolbar, select Dimensions

  .

• The options toolbar now gives you some choices. (see below).
• Prefer: Wall Centerlines.
• Pick: Entire Walls.
• Select: and apply the following settings:

  

  

• Click OK.
• Pick the wall in which the windows are embedded.
• The dimensions will be centered in the windows and the adjacent walls.
• Pick a point to place the dimensions. Notice in the middle of the string there is an icon. Select it.
• The windows are now at equal increments along the wall. If the length of that wall changes for whatever reason, the dimensions will reposition themselves to constrain equally.
• Start the door command .
• Click the Load… button .
• Browse to the directory shown below.

  

  If you are running a network deployment, this directory may be on your server. Ask your I.T. person or CAD manager for help if you cannot locate this directory. Also, when browsing for the door family, you can select the imperial library on the left sash of the browse dialog.

• In the doors directory, select Double-Glass 2.rfa.

  

• From the type selector, select Double-Glass 2: 72″ x 84″.

  

• Add the door to the two walls shown here:

  

  

• Switch to a 3D view and zoom in on one of the doors.

     Wait a second! That floor is 12″ too high! It sure is. This is the power of being able to MODEL a building as opposed to drawing it. Conflicts like this are blatantly obvious. Notice that we have yet to struggle with any 3D modeling, but here we are looking at a shin-busting mistake in a nice 3D perspective view.

• In any view, select the floor.
• Pick the properties button.
• Set the height offset from level to 0′-0″.

  

Adding foundations
Can’t really avoid this, now can we?

• Open the south elevation
• Add a new level 10′-0″ below Level 1
  Note: you may need to adjust the level markers to view them in a coherent manner. Simply select ONE of the levels and click the circle next to the level head. You can then drag all of the level heads out of the building.

  

• Add a new level 10′-0″ below Level 1
• On the basics tab of the design toolbar, select Level .
• In the options toolbar, select the pick icon and specify a 10′-0″ offset.
• Pick the level 1 level. Make sure the green dashed line is below level 1.
• Rename the new level to say T.O. Footing.
• See below.

  

  

• Open the Level 1 plan.
• Type VP. This will bring up the view properties dialog.

  >

• Click the Edit… button under view range
• Set the bottom primary range and the view depth level to Level Below (T.O. footing)

  

• Click OK.
• Set the view’s detail level to coarse.
  
• Go to the Structural tab on the design toolbar.
• Select Structural Wall .
• Pick Basic Wall: Foundation – 18″ concrete
• On the options toolbar, select the pick objects icon.
• Set the Level to Level 1.
• Set the depth to T.O. Footing.
• Set the Loc Line to Wall centerline.
• Set the offset to 0′-0″.

  

• Hover over the left most wall.
• Hit the tab key until you see the illustration below.

  

• There should be a green dotted line around the perimeter of the straight walls. Once you see this, pick the wall.
• You will need to pick the radial wall separately.
• Go to a 3D view to confirm it is correct.
• Go to the T.O. Footing floor plan and type VP.
• In the view properties dialog, select edit… on the view range and change the settings as shown below.

  

• On the Structural tab in the design toolbar, click Foundation > Wall .
• Select Wall Foundation: Bearing Footing 36″x12″.
• Pick the walls in the same exact manner as you did while placing the foundation walls. Remember to tab until the entire perimeter is selected. Once it is, pick away!

Sections
Here’s where Revit starts to get fun. The simple task of inserting a section marker will actually produce a section. Now who would have thought that one up?

• Go to the Level 1 floor plan.
• On the basics tab on the design toolbar, select Section .
• Simply draw a section through the long part of the plan.
• The green dotted perimeter allows you to control how deep and extensive the section actually is.
• If need be, you can break the section in the middle and split the line if it obscures some of your model.
• To open the section, just double click on the section head.

  

• Set the detail level to Fine.
• Set the crop region to Off.
  

  

Well, we have run out of length for this lesson. Next month we will be creating a callout, detailing, creating sheets, and creating schedules. Remember to pick up the .rvt file from the HotNews forum if you do not have it.

::GFXZoOM |source:augi.com::

In Autodesk® Revit®, drawing walls and applying constraints (affixing the tops and the bottoms to actual levels in the model) is really quite simple. Creating custom walls is just as easy, and we’ll go down that road as soon as we get more of the fundamentals under our belts.

This month we are learning to:

• Modify walls
• Add a perspective view
• Add floors
• Add roofs

• Open up the AUGI-building-A.RVT file. If you do not have the file, email me at ewing@rand.com and I will send it to you.
• In the project browser, double-click on level 1.

  

• It is a box. Delete the wall on the right.

  

• Right-click on one of the existing walls.
• Select create similar.

  
  

• Place a wall from the top right of the top wall down 10″, then to the right 10″ as shown above.
•   Select the two new walls and click the Mirror icon on the modify toolbar.

  

• On the type selector toolbar, click the Draw icon. Be sure the Copy option is checked.

  

• Just as in AutoCAD®, start drawing the mirror plane from the mid point of the left wall. Click a point to the right. Notice that Revit will include a green tracking line to aid in the command.

  

• This will create the mirror.
• Right-click on one of the walls and select create similar.
• This time on the type selector, click on arc.

  

• Pick the top end point.
• Pick the bottom end point.
• Pick a third point forming a 15′ radius.

  

• Start the wall command again.
• Select Curtain wall: Store front.

  

• Click on the properties button.
• Make the base constraint Level 1.
• Make the base offset 2′ 6″.
• Make the top constraint Up to Level: Roof.

  

• Be sure the arc choice is selected.
• Pick the same three points as you did for the last wall. A curtain wall will host itself within another wall.
• You will get a warning. It is of no relevance.

Camera
As much as I like to say “please don’t consider Revit to be a 3D program. Consider it to be a modeling program” disregard that just for one second. It IS nice to be able to pan around our model as we work on it.

• Go to the View tab on the design toolbar.
• Select Camera.

  

• Pick a point for the camera in the upper-right corner.

  

• Aim the camera view down past the building.
• A perspective view is saved.
• If the border clips the boundary, pick the blue grips and stretch the frame to accommodate it.
• At the bottom of the view area, there is a toolbar.

  

• Detail level: fine.
• Model Graphics style: Shading with edges.
• Shadows: on.

Note: You can 3D zoom by holding
the shift + Wheel Button

Floors

• Open the First floor plan.
• On the Basics design toolbar, select Floor. This puts Revit into “sketch mode.”

  

• Pick the properties button.
• For this floor we will use a basic 12″ floor.
• Set the offset to 12″
• Click OK.

  

•   Select the pick walls button (it should be selected by default).
• Mouse over the left vertical wall. Hold the cursor over the inside face. It should become highlighted. Once it does, hit the tab key. This will select all of the walls except for the radial wall.
• Pick the wall.

  

• Mouse over to the radial wall.
• Be sure the inside face of the wall highlights.
• Once it does, pick it.
• Click Finish sketch.
• Click no for the next dialog.

You now have a floor.

• Go to Level 2.
• Redo the floor command.
• Repeat the steps involved for placing the floors. Do not select the radial wall.
•   Click Lines.
•   Draw a line across the radial part of the building (see below).

  

•   Click Finish sketch.
• Open the 3D view to make sure all of the elements are where you expected them to be.

Roofs
There are many different ways to add a roof to a building. We are going to add a flat roof with no pitch.

• On the Basic tab, select roof.
• Pick Roof by Footprint.

  

• On the Options toolbar, be sure the defines slope button is unchecked.

  

• Using the same method as was employed while placing the floors, select the walls to which the roof will abut.
• Select the radial wall as well.
•   Select Finish roof.
• Go to the 3D view. We now have a roof.

  

::GFXZoOM |source:augi.com::

Concepts and Principles

Introduction

Within Autodesk Revit, each component is linked through a high performance change propagation engine, allowing a single change in any model view to be propagated throughout all views, both parametrically and bi-directionally. Autodesk Revit gives you the tool that makes more projects happen than ever before!.

Concepts and Principles of the use of Autodesk Revit software can be broken down into the following three areas:

Administrative Structure & Build up

Reference Planes (Datum Lines)

Categories and Sub-Categories

Components Attributes (display controls)

Family Editor

Flexibly

Imported data

Navigation and Display

Views – Plan, Sections, Elevation, 3D

Scale attribute of views

Level of detail

Output

Drawings

Callouts

Perspective Views

Schedules

Administrative Structure and Build-up

Within Autodesk Revit, building levels are defined as planes. Objects are associated to these levels, so that changes to a level’s height automatically propagate changes to the linked objects.

Within Revit, objects are not layered as in traditional CAD packages, but are controlled using subcategories. Not only do you use these for switching components on and off in a view, but also for scheduling quantities and areas from your model.

Revit objects can be displayed at coarse, medium or fine levels of detail. As with traditional CAD, objects can simply be toggled on or off for visibility purposes, or as with Revit family objects be toggled on or off depending upon their viewing direction in Plan, Reflected or 3D with the option of a coarse, medium and fine level of detail, provided greater flexibility.

Within Revit, objects can be defined as mutually dependant (eg doors and windows are dependant on walls), or stand-alone (eg: furniture).

Revit provides the user with the basic building components enabling the creation of a functional Single Building Model. The user has the ability to create their own parametric objects, allowing changes of basic parametric characteristics to be propagated throughout. For example you, the user, have the ability to specify a component such as trussed rafters, allowing the building’s width to be adjusted while Revit automatically adjusts the positions of intermediate members. As such, a building can be taken from schematic concept, to detailed design, including construction documentation, maintaining flexibility throughout the process.

These components are called families and there are several different types. There are System Families, Standard Families, and Families In Place.

A System Family, such as levels, walls and floors, are predefined within Revit. You can modify and define new types by modifying the parameters.

A Standard Family can be created by defining the geometry and parameter in the family editor. Objects such as doors and windows are examples of these. Many different types can be made for this family and used throughout the project.

A Family in Place is created within the project is dependant upon the model geometry. Revit is able to read and import data from a wide variety of foreign CAD packages. Such data

can be used to provide underlays of existing conditions, site information or to link to standard

details. As well as importing foreign data, Revit can export to a variety of industry standard

CAD file formats. such as DXF, DWG and DGN.

Navigation and Display

The Revit project browser displays the model files in a logical tree structure. The browser provides views of your Single Building Model, in plan, sections, elevations, and 3D views.

Drawing view scales and levels of detail are specified individually for each view of the model, enabling, for example a general arrangement drawing of the ground floor plan at a coarse level of detail at 1:500 scale, while a copy of that view could display at 1:50 scale with a fine level

of detail. Within the coarse level of detail (at 1:500), walls would be displayed with a user specified fill style (eg. solid fill), while the fine level of detail (at 1:50) would enable display of

the external cavity walls with all components detailed and appropriately filled / hatched.

Output

The Autodesk Revit “Single Building Model” philosophy enables rapid and efficient progress from the 3D model to begin detailing in 2D to commence creation of the detailed construction documents. 2D detailing may either be standalone or locked to the 3D model. Hence, should a floor level increase in the 3D model, for example, the detail element of a slab junction in the 2D specification would automatically update.

Within Autodesk Revit, we create drawing sheets containing titleblocks, upon which we assemble our various views and call-outs (enlarged details). Schedules are specified as views and can either be displayed on drawing sheets or export as text files to external programs. Three-dimensional shaded, perspective and clipped model views may also be assembled. Once complete, sheets can be output to plotting using standard printer/plotter drivers.

::Tutorials by GFXZoOM ::