REVIT - for real: Revit BIM and the unmentionable

This is a must read post from bimcompletethought.blogspot.com

I wanted to drop a quick note to everyone to let everybody know that as a whole this is what I am starting to see as the trends emerging in the world of Revit/BIM, as well as the fundamental changes that I believe will occur over the next two years in the architectural profession.

1.) FMI group in the 2007 annual owner survey says that the biggest problem owners have with architects are incomplete documents.

2.) Contractors surveyed replied that overall the largest problem that contractors have with architects are incoherent CDs and communication.

3.) Lastly the American Census Bureau now reports that over the past twenty years the entire AE industry as a whole is declining in perceived quality/value, technology use, and profitability.

Where we are at is a crossroads in our profession. I have said it before, and it couldn't be truer in our practice as architects and designers we are beginning to get away from the reputation and perception of master builder and are now being perceived more and more as "design professionals," with little or limited knowledge of the actual inner workings of a building and a total disconnect witht he actual construction process.

Here's where I'm headed...the Superdome in Louisiana, (the one that stood up to Katrina) was built using 31 pages of working documentation and was constructed in less than four years from 1971-75.

35 pages.

270,000 s.f., a complex laminella beam structure, advanced modern design and multiple trades.

How many pages would that take today?

Here's the tougher question. Why?

With BIM technology where it is and the professionals that form the very foundation of the AE communityI seriously question the practice of over-documentation. The CYA approach to design and construction is dead. Here's why:

Contractors don't look at your drawings. Gasp. I know. Be offended be scared. But you should be hacked off and wondering why the bathroom partition mounting detail that took you three days to draw won't even garner 2 seconds worth of the contractors attention. I know this is shocking and I know it was a detail in the standards library, but it is yet another point on the ever growing space in between what information architects thick need to be on drawings and what information the construction crews actually use to build. How it is actually built using the contractors "means and methods" to get it done, needs to be second knowledge to architects. Second to the necessary design language needed to create a better and more healthy and environmentally friendly world to live in.

I got asked this question five years ago when i was six months out of school by a contractor, "Why (when it is the contractor's responsibility to use the means and methods of construction they see most fit) the architect is detailing the head jamb and sill detail for a window they have not been trained to install, don't know the tools necessary to install it and will not be responsible for carrying the warranty on that aluminum storefront framing?" I asked what was important to show and the contractor looked surprised and just answered "Tell me at what depth you want the window to sit in the wall...you could even show it in elevation."

Think about it.

Engineers are worthless. Ok so that might have been a bit harsh let me rephrase and say that engineers who draw information that is completely different from the MEPS subcontractors calculations and shop drawings...they're useless. Why waste time drawing what won't be built? The entire idea of a drawing is to graphically represent to the constructor what is to be built and installed. By using BIM, engineers now have the tools to grab the responsibility and rewards of a truly coordinated model and potentially stop many of the issues before they hit the field. The question that I've heard a couple of times now is why are subcontractors drawing in 3D and my engineers (who are supposed to be more techno-savvy) aren't?! Ask your ductwork subcontactor on your next project, it's scary. Also ask the steel fabricators too, sometimes they'll have 3D models they're using as well.

Confused? Wondering why the information is going to the c and c machines more detailed and accurate then ACAD lines? You got me too. Seems that it would be a whole lot more useful to the entire AEC team if either the subcontractor was brought on board in the documentation phase or that engineers stepped up and created BIM's of their portion of the project.

Collaboration = Success. I don't think I need to elaborate on this point any more. I think we've seen that the current way just doesn't work. The endless trails of phone calls and emails are bordering on ridiculous. Not to mention using old technology to meet today's needs! We have the tools and those who have chosen to use them are seeing the rewards.

So what's the new thing then? Anyone can complain about all of this, what works?

Integrated Project Delivery, Project Alliancing, tbc...
...http://bimcompletethought.blogspot.com/2007/10/revit-bim-and-unmentionable.html
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Debunking the myth that learning Revit will be complicated

So, every now and then, (almost every day) when I talk to people about moving to Revit, they say that learning Revit will be complicated.

Looking at the tip below from Michael Cipolla of Cadalyst Magazine, on Xref Maintenance, then looking at the simplicity of Revit's Visibility/Graphic Overrides in the photo on the right, download Revit (www.revitarchitecture2010.com) and build the house in the Getting Started Guide (www.revit3d.com/guide) and then tell me which is complicated and which is sophisticated.


Xref Maintenance
(defun c:XRP ( / XrLstP XrName XrNamF)

(setvar "cmdecho" 0)
(command "_.undo" "_begin")
(setq XrLstP
(apply
'append
(mapcar
'(lambda (x / elist code)
(if (and (= (logand (setq code (cdr (assoc 70 (setq elist (entget
(tblobjname "block" x)))))) 4) 4)
(wcmatch (cdr (assoc 1 (entget (tblobjname "block" x)))) "*\\*")
)
(list (cdr (assoc 2 elist))
)
)
)
(ai_table "block" 0)
)
)
) ; end setq XrLstP
(if XrLstP
(progn
(princ "Removing Paths for Xrefs: ")
(foreach XrName XrLstP
(progn
(setq XrNamF (vl-filename-base (cdr (assoc 1 (entget (tblobjname
"block" XrName))))))
(command "_.-xref" "_path" XrName XrNamF)
(princ (strcat XrNamF " "))
)
) ; end foreach
) ; end progn
(princ "\nThere are NO Xrefs with Paths.")
)
(command "_.undo" "_end")
(setvar "cmdecho" 1)
(princ)
)

*******

So, if you understood the lisp routine above and even wrote a similar routine yourself, you'll still prefer Revit.

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Revit Structure Sample File with Rebar - Robobat Extensions Rocks

In my post of October 15, Revit Structure: A New Extension - Reinforcement of slab openings - BIM & BEAM, we talked about Robobat's free Revit Structure extensions http://www.extensions4revit.com/n/e4r/849/50 to design rebar in the structural model.


When I walked into Joe's office today, I saw him playing with the extensions program and asked him to forward me the RVT file so you could download it and see how it looks.
(The live section in the photo took about 15 seconds to generate).

(We're having a Revit Structure class 3 Fridays in a row starting this Friday. It will be available via live webcast. Contact me if you'd like to take the class. You don't need to own Revit Structure in order to participate)

It's amazing that you can create rebar cages in seconds, have it all scheduled and instantly create sections. For anyone who's had to estimate rebar, try to convince your structural engineers to use Revit Structure so you can greatly reduce your estimating time and be 100% accurate.

Click here to download and open the file.

Links:  All Revit Samples Web Page   /   Sample File Download Directory
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Displaying Revit MEP Systems by Color - revitmep.blogspot.com

If you look at your Revit MEP model, and you see the confusing winding of piping and duct running through your model, and wonder what system that pipe or duct belongs to? There are ways to show your systems in various colors to make it easier to understand and view your model at a quick glance. You can set up a filter to apply colors by System Type, or by System Name, whatever you want. Check out the Filters applied to the default template in RME 2008 as a guide.

...continue reading the post...


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Revit Tip From Fear and Loathing In a CAD vs. BIM World: A Revit Blog: Filters, Fire Ratings & Graphic Overrides

Fear and Loathing In a CAD vs. BIM World: A Revit Blog: Filters, Fire Ratings & Graphic Overrides: "Filters, Fire Ratings & Graphic Overrides" Read more...

Revit architecture lights to create circuits in MEP - AUGI Forums

Revit architecture lights to create circuits in MEP

---

If you ever felt the need to use the revit architecture lighting fixtures in Revit MEP and create circuits... simply open the revit architecture lighting fixtures in Revit MEP Family editor and add electrical connectors and specify the voltage and wattage.

Now when you select these lights in project they will give you an option to create the circuit....

Cheers!

__________________
Nikhil Nayak
Tech Solution Manager
Autodesk India

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Revit Families - Getting to the next level

Our incredible Revit MEP guru Joe finished 3 days of training yesterday for a national MEP firm that we have just converted another batch of engineers to Revit MEP. Now that we're doing national training onsite and via webcast, the pressure is on to help MEP engineers create content for Revit MEP. Watching the training, I was fascinated by the level of sophistication, flexibility and thought involved in creating parametric objects. After two years of working with Revit, Joe's now at a level of brilliance with Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP that I am so proud of, that I want to share it with anyone who happens to pass by my blog.

Yesterday, Joe was working with creating a 150 psi Slip Flange that is a work of art. When you have a parametric object that includes a formula like "text_file_lookup(Lookup Table Name, "LenA2", 0', ND)", you kind of just shake your head and say "huh?" I had no idea that a Revit family object could link to an external lookup table. Looks like there's a new "Family" on the "Block".


Intimidated? Confused? Perplexed? Don't be. Our staff of Revit techs are available to help you grow your business with Revit. Before you hire anyone to do Revit training for your firm, ask them if they can explain what the see in these pictures. Revit just can't be taught out of the manual without really understanding construction methodologies.

If you'd like to see the actual .rfa object so you can use it and learn from it, download it here: http://www.bimwit.com/files/rfa/CustomFlangeDocRFAandLookupTable.zip
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(Mis)understanding BIM - Nigel Davies

I’ve been working with “BIM” (Building Information Modelling) technologies for around 10 years now. It would be longer, but before that BIM was known by a variety of other acronyms, none of which adequately summarised what BIM is. Compare this to using the acronym “CAD” (or CADD as some people refer to it). CAD means Computer Aided Design which is so vague as to be virtually undefinable, yet we all inherently know what CAD means. The context we use it in helps to define it. BIM, on the other hand, has very little context at this point and when it does it is often confused and unclear.

What is BIM and why is the industry so confused? To answer that question it is probably easier to first define what BIM is not.

---

So what is BIM?
In simple terms BIM is the management of project information, both the construction of that data and the iterative process of exchanging it. BIM is the added intelligence to project data that allows anyone to interpret that data correctly, removing the risk of assumptions. BIM is the process by which the right information is made available to the right person at the right time.

...Read the whole posting...

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Autodesk - Press Room - Press Releases

Events and presentations for media and customers to demonstrate expanding industry adoption of sustainable design and green building

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that it will be a Silver sponsor of the 2007 Greenbuild Conference Expo, Nov. 7-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and will host three events for media, customers and attendees. The Autodesk booth in the expo hall will also be constructed using sustainable materials including chairs made from 98% post recycled airplane aluminum and rubber flooring made from 76% post recycled tires. This will be Autodesk's third consecutive year as a sponsor and exhibitor at the Greenbuild Expo and the company invites interested media to attend the Autodesk events at this year's show. ...continue reading the article....

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1-2-3 Revit: BIM and Education - How BIM is being used to teach sustainable design. - Cadalyst AEC

1-2-3 Revit: BIM and Education

How BIM is being used to teach sustainable design.

Oct 1, 2007 By: Rick Rundell, AIA

One of my early articles for this column looked at how building information modeling (BIM) was being integrated in the architectural curriculums of several universities around the world. At that point in time, BIM was still relatively new to architectural education. Today, there is broad adoption and rapid deployment of BIM in most major architectural schools. Why? ....continue reading.....

Part 2 - University of Miami to incorporate Revit into their curriculum Read more...

The next generation of Revit Architects is finally here. University of Miami to incorporate Revit/BIM into the architecture program

As part of our company's commitment to Revit, BIM and the next generation of architects, we are please to announce our partnership with the architectural schools of Florida, particularly the University of Miami. We have finalized our agreement with the University of Miami's School of Architecture to provide training and support the the faculty and students of the school on Revit and BIM. Next semester, we will begin the training program, so be sure to ask your interns if they know Revit and can help you incorporate it into your firm.

We've been offering free training and software to architectural students for the past year and we're now at the next level, bringing BIM directly into the school system focusing on BIM design , coordination, visualization, green building and methods of construction.

If you have interns at your firm and they're enrolled in an architectural program, have them contact us and we'll get them up and running on Revit.

Links: University of Miami Art Instititue of Miami Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale FIU FAU University of Florida Valencia Community College ITT America Intercontinental University

Student link for software and training

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California Aims for Zero Energy Homes

All New Homes Built After 2020 Would Make as Much Energy as they Use

California energy regulators adopted an ambitious first-of-its kind rule yesterday, making it a goal that all new homes built after 2020 produce as much energy as they consume, according to the Los Angeles Times.

With so-called “distributed energy” technology includes familiar things like solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling systems, as well as high-performance windows and good-old insulation, but aiming for zero net energy homes represents a goal that even ambitious builders often fail to meet — at least today.

That’s the genius of this move. California’s rule will — like federal requirements for vehicle fuel economy — spur innovation in the industry so that lingering obstacles to achieving that goal will fall away.

Further, it addresses a thorny problem in new construction. Owners benefit from energy efficiency over the long term, but often developers have no incentive to build green.

Now, in California anyway, they do. And future homeowners will be the beneficiaries.

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Revit Training - Architecture, Structure and MEP - Live web based training 10/22 - 10/24 and beyond...

We've officially gone national for Revit training and implementation. Since so few resellers are offering Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP training, we're now offering our services to any firm in the United States. Best part is, we can do it live and over the internet. We include the official Autodesk training manual and 2 hours of post training support. The only requirement is that you have dual monitors or 2 computers side by side so you can see the teacher's screen remotely and work on the interactive exercises. Even if you haven't purchased Revit yet, you can download the trial and by Wednesday afternoon, you'll be up and running on Revit. Click the download link at the top of the page to get started.

We've trained over 130 people in the last 9 weeks on Revit Architecture, Structure and MEP. We've trained national firms Leo A. Daly, HOK and Ross and Baruzzini and the international firm of HHCP.




Want real proof? One of my Revit techs created the ICU and hospital surgical suite in a little over 3 hours today for a client who had to have a 3D model to show a client. (Somebody call Hill-Rom and tell them to get all of their hospital equipment converted so we don't have to do it.) We can help you get to the next level of design, coordination and collaboration. The sooner you call us, the sooner you'll be kicking your competitors' butts.
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Revit Structure: A New Extension - Reinforcement of slab openings - BIM & BEAM

A New Extension - Reinforcement of slab openings has just been released!

You can download it at: http://www.extensions4revit.com/n/e4r/849/50

The Reinforcement of slab openings extension provides powerful facilities to define reinforcement patterns for openings in slabs.

Thanks to http://bimandbeam.typepad.com/bim_beam/2007/10/new-robobat-e-1.html

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Who wants Revit Video Tutorials??? - Thanks cadclips.com

Here's a bunch of Windows Media Clips from www.cadclips.com

Revi Building version 5/6
Lesson 1: Introduction and Interface
Lesson 2: Levels, Reference Planes and 2D Profiles
Lesson 3: Walls and Roofs
Lesson 4a: Color / Finishes, Floors and Join Geometry
Lesson 4b: Doors and Windows
Lesson 5: View Range, Partitions and Stairs
Lesson 6: Site and Topography
Lesson 7: Align, Dimension and Tags
Lesson 8: Area Plans
Lesson 9: Mirroring the Project
Lesson 10: Converting REVIT rvt to AutoCAD dwg

Revit Building version 8.0/8.1
Lesson 1: Introduction and Interface
Lesson 2: Basic Floor Plans Walls, Doors and Windows
Lesson 2b: Stairs, Ramps and Railings
Lesson 3: Levels and Reference Planes
Lesson 4: Grids and Help
Lesson 5a: Structural, Foundations, Walls, Columns, Beams, Joists and Braces
Lesson 5b: Structural, Foundations, Walls, Columns, Beams, Joists and Braces
Lesson 6: Views, Floor Plans, Ceiling Plans, Sections, Elevations, Callouts, Plan Regions

Revit Building version 8.1
CADclip 1: Why Is My Level Symbol Black?
CADclip 2: True North – Project North
CADclip 3: Re-Organize / Sort the Project Browser
CADclip 4: Plan Regions for Furniture in an RCP
CADclip 5: My Light Switch Symbol is too Big
CADclip 6: MUST KNOW Rules About Roof Alignment
CADclip 7: Fancy Curved Curtain System
CADclip 8: Design Options in a Snap
CADclip 9: Create Window Tags that Show Size
CADclip 10: Creating Legends to Manage Components
CADclip 11: Arched Roof Over Dormer
CADclip 12: Elevation Line Weights
CADclip 13: Roof with Varying Plate Heights
CADclip 13: Roof with Varying Plate Heights - pdf file
CADclip 14: Make Your First Wall Type

Revit Building version 9
Keynotes Placement Demo
Lesson 1: Import Sketchup Files
Lesson 2: Detail Familes First Look
Lesson 3: Detailing - Edit Cut Profile
Lesson 4: Detailing - Framing Plans
Lesson 5: Detailing - Repeat Detail

Revit Architecture 2008
Lesson Outline PDF
Lesson 25: Floor, Slab, Roof – Shape Editing – Varying Layer Thickness
Lesson 31: Fill Color Schemes Demo

Massing
Lesson Outline PDF
Lesson 1: Building Maker

Revit Structure
Lesson Outline PDF
Lesson 1: REVIT Structure A to Z Overview
Lesson 14: Sloped Flat Roof System
Lesson 38: Wall Girt System
Lesson 101: Annotation Crop Regions
Lesson 102: Dependent Views in an Elevation Application
Lesson 103: Dependent Views in a Plan Application

REvit Structure 2008
Lesson Outline
Lesson 8: Rebar – Area Reinforcing
Lesson 27: Keyboard Shortcuts
Lesson 37: Coping Buttons

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Autodesk-Sponsored Sustainable Design Documentary Series

Autodesk-Sponsored Sustainable Design Documentary Series

As part of Autodesk’s commitment to sustainable design, we are proud to once again sponsor the documentary series “e² (The Economies of Being Environmentally Conscious).” This year’s sponsorship includes “e² design” season two and “e² energy,” each comprised of six episodes highlighting the work of inventive leaders and innovative technologies that are transforming the world around us, from the products we use to the communities in which we live. Each series takes a global look at environmental conflicts and presents viable solutions – large and small.

“e² energy” features the people, places, and innovations that suggest the more environmentally benign future that is possible and within reach. In its second year, “e² design” season two expands upon the themes that were explored in last year’s debut “e²” series and features the designers and drivers of change in the world of sustainable architecture. Beginning with “e² energy,” the series will begin airing on PBS this month and will be followed by “e² design” season two.

Action: For information on when the programs will air in your area, visit www.designe2.com. Each episode can also be seen via a weekly webcast, beginning on October 13, and accessed through Autodesk’s Sustainability Center: www.autodesk.com/green.

Autodesk Revit
Purpose-built for building information modeling (BIM), the Revit® applications work the way architects, structural, and MEP designers think while helping ensure the creation of accurate, coordinated design information. Through analysis of materials, quantities, energy use, and lighting in a virtual BIM, designers create real-world sustainable performance.

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Here's a set of complete Construction Documents created in Revit Architecture.

So you're still not convinced that Revit is right for you. Worried about lineweights, fonts, layouts and will the output from Revit look just like your AutoCAD drawings? Well, I have some bad news for you skeptics out there. Revit's output is incredible. Also, when you consider that all of your section, detail, elevation, callout and sheet numbers are automatically coordinated, and that every schedule is automatically and accurately populated, well, there's a whole other level of CD creation that's waiting for you.

Click on any of the pictures below to download a 47 sheet, 9.8 MB PDF file of a completed Libary. Read more...

Autodesk - Revit Architecture Webcast Series: Easier Communication with Revit Architecture

Date & Time: Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. PDT / 1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT

If you’re a residential architect or interested in residential architecture projects, this live webcast is for you! Presented by Autodesk® Technical Specialist Amy Fietkau, this special session takes a fundamental look at the powerful project communication features of Revit® Architecture from a residential architect’s perspective. In addition, if you have questions during the webcast, you can ask Amy and receive answers in real-time!

Wouldn’t it be great to make a change in a design and have it update throughout your project? With Revit Architecture, you can do this and so much more! Sign up for this webcast and see why Revit Architecture, the software purpose-built for building information modeling (BIM), is the software that works the way you think, so you create naturally, design freely, and deliver efficiently:

• Change Once, Change Everywhere: One change in any view will update the entire project
• Camera Views: See how spaces will look from different angles and perspectives
• Shadows and Day Lighting: Gain a better understanding of a building’s shadows, and how they affect energy costs downstream
• 2D and 3D DWF files: Transfer of information and viewing the project is easier than ever

Sign up now and see how Revit Architecture keeps your design and documentation coordinated, consistent and complete!

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WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future: Green Building Simulation

Jeremy Faludi October 11, 2007 11:19 AM

What if architects could make CAD models of their buildings that would automatically them how much energy structures would use at what times of day and year; where sunlight streams into rooms, and how bright it is; and how much air conditioning they need? Well, they can, within limits. Simulation and modeling is one of the keys to a sustainable future.

Otherwise progress can only happen by trial and error, which on the architectural scale is a horribly slow process. Simulating a building's energy use is a hard problem, requiring not only a model of the building and the materials that make it up (including insulation, windows, foundation, etc.) but also a model of the building's location, with the path of the sun through the year and weather data that is accurate and detailed, including humidity, wind, simple daytime-nighttime temperatures, and a host of other information. And of course, the challenges are compounded when you want to make a simulation that will work in any part of the world.

continue reading the article at http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007384.html

There are other tools out there, as well. IES's "virtual environment" software can act as a plugin to AutoCAD's Revit, calculating heating and cooling loads from within Revit.

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Revit Tip of the Day - Notes in Revit - Copy/Paste from Word

Even though I'm not officially a Revit tech, occasionally I can take my experiences from when I had an IT business and extrapolate them to Revit.

I was sitting in the final day of Revit Structure training today when the class was learning about annotations and notes. It seems a little tedious to use Revit to create text so I tried a little experiment I'd like to share with you.

Create all of your notes, bullets or numbered items in Microsoft Word (or whatever word processor you're using.) Control +A to Select all, Control+C to copy the text. Go into Revit, in the drafting menu, click Note, hit Control+V and all of your notes are pasted into Revit. You can resize the text box boundary to your liking and you're done.

I'm sure you can copy and paste notes from your existing AutoCAD files, the internet or wherever. Hope that helps.


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Revit Schedules - What's available to automate your life and save you money

One of the great selling points of Revit is the Return On Investment (ROI) that you get from increased productivity and accuracy. As your modeling in any of the Revit products (Architecture, Structure and MEP) because you're working with intelligent objects instead of lines, there's a huge amount of items that can be automatically scheduled for you. I know there are some of you in the crowd who have set up LISP routines to grab your blocks and create some of these schedules, but not with this level of intelligence. Furthermore, from a schedule in Revit, with a door for example, you can drop down the door type and change it to another door type from the schedule. It will then automatically change the plan, section, elevation and detail views to reflect the change in type. I'm sure when you're doing value engineering, you love opening every dwg file and updating plans, sections, elevations, details and schedules to reflect the changes to the objects you have changed. This all goes away in Revit where you can right click on a door, select all instances of the door, click on the door type drop down menu and instantly change every view, sheet and schedule with the new door in seconds, not hours.

I'd like you to consider how many jobs you do a year ________
Now, figure how many days you spend populating all of your schedules _______
Multiply that by 8 hours/day and then by the hourly billing rate of your employee _______

That's how much time and money you can save and be more productive with Revit and that's just on one task.

Example: 20 projects a year X 4 days for documenting schedules X 8 hours X $50/hour.
That's $32,000 a year. This is what you save every year, not just one time.
So, when you're considering whether or not to spend money on upgrades, training and implementation, consider how much money you're spending on scheduling.

When you're done with that exercise, calculate the time it takes to coordinate section, elevation, detail, callout and sheet index. Add that to the savings above.

Now, here's a list of all of the scheduled items in Revit. If you don't schedule all of the items below, remember, you're paying your engineers and consultants to do that.

air terminals, area loads, areas, casework, ceilings, curtain panels, communication devices, curtain panels, curtain systems, curtain wall mullions, data devices, doors, duct accessories, duct fittings, duct systems, ducts, electrial circuits, electrical equipment, electrical fixtures, fascias, fire alarm devices, flex ducts, flex pipes, floors, furniture, furniture systems, gutters, internal area loads, internal line loads, internal point loads, lighting devices, lighting fixtures, line loads, mass, mechanical equipment, nurse call devices, parking, pipe accessories, pipe fittings, pipes, piping systems, planting, plumbing fixtures, point loads, property line segments, property lines, railings, ramps, roofs, rooms, security devices, site, slab, slab edges, specialty equipment, sprinklers, stairs, structural columns, structural connections, structural foundations, structural framing, structural rebar, structural stiffeners, structural trusses, switch systems, telephone devices, topography wall sweeps, walls and windows

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Got LT? Crossgrade to AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite for $1995 today - Expired 10/15/07

If you're here reading this because you're interested in transitioning to Revit and own AutoCAD LT 2005, 2006 or 2007, there are 5 days left to take advantage of the Autodesk LT Crossgrade promotion.

For $1995 you can crossgrade from LT to a full seat of AutoCAD 2008 and Revit Architecture , Structure or MEP. This Autodesk offer ends October 15th. After March 15th LT 2005 is being retired and it will cost you $899 to buy a new seat, so you're almost halfway to price of Revit.

Subscription is $725/year for the package. Yeah, I know that sounds expensive but it works out to $1.98/day. Cheaper than a Starbucks coffee and if you get an extra 30 to 60 minutes of productivity of day, isn't it worth it? We call it Return on Investment (ROI)

Also, October 15th is the last day of Phase 3 of the Autodesk 2005 Retirement Promotion.
Crossgrade from Autocad 2005 or Architectural Desktop 2005 to Autocad Revit Architecture Suite and get a 10 to 15% savings. It's also less to crossgrade to Autocad and Revit than it is to upgrade to either package.

If you're annoyed about the subscription price and you're using ADT, ADT is $795/year to upgrade (AutoCAD is $600/year), so getting subscription for the Autocad+Revit package will save you money and help get you more productive, especially if you're not taking advantage of ADT's features. Just think how much time you can save by having automatically generated schedules, sections, elevations and numbering coordination of details, sections, elevations and callouts (weeks per project.)

Contact your reseller today. If you don't know who it is, go to www.autodesk.com/reseller and if you live in Florida, my phone number is at the top of the website. If you've read this far down on the posting, we'll even make you a deal on training and implementation. We do training nationally and also specialize in remote live web training.

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Worksharing in Revit, Part 2 - October 2007 - AUGI - Eric Wing

Worksharing in Revit, Part 2 - October 2007 - Eric Wing - AUGI.com

Last month, I began the discussion worksets in Autodesk Revit, talking theory and fundamentals. I'll wrap it up this month with tech tips.

Now we're talkin'
This article will focus on the processes involved in day-to-day operations. In all reality, you will actually be saving a central once every-so-often. Some of you will never do it (The BIM Manager may insist that she does it, and to be honest I don't blame her). What you WILL be doing is making your local copy and dealing with "running into" your coworkers as you work on the same project. So how does Revit talk to one another? ...Continue Reading the Article...

...Read Part 1 - September 2007
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The History of Revit - The Future of Design

Note: 2/8/09 As long as you're here, probably seeing Revit for the first time, I welcome you to my blog and would like to offer my assistance in your search for more information about Revit. I'm amazed as to the number of people looking at Revit for the first time in 2009. Just so you know, the technology is fantastic. It is a totally different approach, workflow, methodology and way of thinking for architects and engineers. After you read this blog post, I encourage you to do the following:
Download and try Revit. You can learn it in 4 hours - Link
Read the McGraw-Hill report on BIM recently published - Link
Read my posts about CAD vs Revit - Link
See Video demos of Revit - Link
Read about Revit 2013 versions - Link
Take a look at Revit renderings - Link
Look at the ROI of Revit - Link
Contact me for training, implementation and getting started - Link

Now, read about the history and warm up your credit card while planning for the future.

The History is now the future.

Revit was created in 1997. It is currently in it’s 33^rd release. That's 2 to 3 releases a year and one of the main reasons you want subscription.

Revit = Revise Instantly

Revit was developed BY individuals that came from the company PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation). Revit was developed specifically with Architecture in mind and was purpose built for Architects by Architects. To that point, the majority of the product development teams are architects or come from a design and construction background. The Revit Building application has been developed as a purpose built tool for Architecture and is the only completely parametric Building Information Modeling tool available.

AutoCAD is the de facto standard non-specialized CAD solution and its file formats DXF and DWG are the most common for CAD interchange. Since the late 1990's, the company made a concerted effort to provide a product for every solution in the industry, often purchasing competing companies and technologies.
In 2002, Autodesk purchased a competing software called Revit, from Massachusetts-based Revit Technologies for $133 million. Revit, for the building solutions and infrastructure group and Inventor for the manufacturing group, formed the foundation for future Autodesk products - a strong departure away from their 20-year old AutoCAD software code.
Revit Timeline
Charles River Software founded - October 31, 1997

• 0.1 1999 11 (Early Adopter 1) (1)
• 0.2 2000 01 (Early Adopter 2) (2)

Revit Technology Corporation - company renamed

• 1.0 2000 04 (3)
• 2.0 2000 08 (4)
• 2.1 2000 10 (5)
• 3.0 2001 02 (6)
• 3.1 2001 06 (7)
• 4.0 2001 11 (8)
• 4.1 2002 01 (9)

Autodesk acquires Revit Technology Corporation - April 1, 2002

• 4.5 2002 05 09 (10)
• 5.0 2002 12 17 (11)
• 5.1 2003 05 (12)
• 5.5 2003 04 01 (13)
• 6.0 2003 12 22 (14)
• 6.1 2004 03 11 (15)
• 7.0 2004 12 13 (16)

Autodesk Revit Series (Marketing Bundle w/ AutoCAD) - Now Autocad Revit Architecture Suite

• 1.0 2003 12 01 (Revit 6.1)
• 2.0 2004 XX XX (Revit 6.1)
• 8.0 2005 08 23 (Revit 8.0) (17)
• 8.1 2005 04 12(Revit 8.1, AutoCAD 2006) (18)
• 9.0 2006 04 12 (Revit Building 9.0, AutoCAD 2007) (19)
• 9.1 2006 09 12 (Revit Building 9.1, AutoCAD 2007) (20)
• 2008 2007 04 12 (Revit Architecture 2008, AutoCAD 2008) (21)
• 2009 2008 04 15 (Revit Architecture 2009, AutoCAD 2009) (22)
• 2009.1 2008 09 15 (Revit Architecture 2009, AutoCAD 2009, AutoCAD Architecture 2009) (23)
• 2010 2009 04 16 (Revit Architecture 2010, AutoCAD 2010, ACAD Arch 2010) (24) 
• 2011 2010 04 16 (Revit Architecture 2011, AutoCAD 2011, ACAD Arch 2011) (25)
• 2012 2011 04 16 (Revit Architecture 2012, AutoCAD 2012, ACAD Arch 2012) (26)
• 2013 2012 04 16 (Revit Architecture 2013, AutoCAD 2013, ACAD Arch 2013) (27)

AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite

• 1.0 2005 06 01 (Revit Structure 1) (1)
• 2.0 2005 09 01 (Revit Structure 2) (2)
• 3.0 2006 04 12 (Revit Structure 3) (3)
• 4.0 2005 09 12(Revit Structure 4) (4)
• 2008 2007 04 12 (Revit Structure 2008, AutoCAD 2008) (5)
• 2009 2008 04 15 (Revit Structure 2009, AutoCAD 2009) (6)
• 2010 2009 04 16 (Revit Structure 2010, AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD Structural Detailing 2010) (7)
• 2011 2010 04 16 (Revit Structure 2011, AutoCAD 2011, AutoCAD Structural Detailing 2011) (8)
• 2012 2010 04 16 (Revit Structure 2012, AutoCAD 2012, AutoCAD Structural Detailing 2012) (9)
• 2013 2010 04 16 (Revit Structure 2013, AutoCAD 2013, AutoCAD Structural Detailing 2013) (10)

AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite

• 1.0 2006 04 01 (Revit Systems 1) (1)
• 2.0 2006 09 01 (Revit Systems 2) (2)
• 2008 2007 04 12 (Revit MEP 2008, AutoCAD MEP 2008) (3)
• 2009 2008 04 15 (Revit MEP 2009, AutoCAD MEP 2008) (4)
• 2010 2009 04 16 (Revit MEP 2010, AutoCAD MEP 2010) (5)
• 2011 2008 04 16 (Revit MEP 2011, AutoCAD MEP 2011) (6) 
• 2012 2008 04 16 (Revit MEP 2012, AutoCAD MEP 2012) (7) 
• 2013 2008 04 16 (Revit MEP 2013, AutoCAD MEP 2013) (8) 

Autodesk Revit (One Box)

• 2013 2012 04 15 (Revit Architecture, Revit MEP & Revit Structure in one program ) (1)

Building Design Suite (Standard, Premium & Ultimate - a package of up to 13 separate products

• 2013 2012 04 15 (Revit Architecture, Revit MEP & Revit Structure in one program, Navisworks, 3ds Max, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, Structural Detailing, Showcase, Inventor, Sketchbook and more ) (1)

If you add it all up and include Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP there are now 31 Releases of Revit since 1999. Not too shabby

From http://www.tripleddesign.com/wiki/index.php/RB_History

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1000 Reasons CAD vs Revit ROI Learn Revit McGraw Hill BIM Report(WOW)

If you've made it this far, congratulations.  If you're really looking at Revit for the first time, wow, you're so late into the game.  But, there's still hope for you. 

The secret of Revit and BIM  is that you need to know how buildings go together.  Revit isn't the best product for a CAD operator without construction and design experience.  That doesn't mean you can't learn it and excel at it, but it does mean you need to know how buildings are built.  Revit is about creating a virtual model.  The workflow and process are completely different than that of AutoCAD.  Yes, you can learn Revit on your own, but what we do is show you how to integrate the different design process into a new way of doing things for your company.

Those who try to learn Revit on their own, miss out on how to share the model with engineers, what needs to be included, what the best practices are and how to double your productivity.  Give me a call and we can discuss the options.  Don't say you can't afford it.  You can't afford not to do it.

If you're a general contractor and reading this, you really need to call me. I'm a third generation general contractor and I speak your language.  We have some incredible solutions for you to help you really improve the construction process. Read more...

Miami - Job Opening - Top 25 Architecture Firm

One of my clients in Miami is searching for an Drafter/Architect/Designer. It's an immediate opening.

They are located in Coral Gables and are a top 25 firm in South Florida.
If you're interested, contact me and I'll get you in touch with their Director of Architecture.

They're an AutoCAD firm and are about to implement Revit, so it doesn't matter if you don't know Revit, we'll be teaching you within a few months. Read more...

Just a "Moment" with Revit Structure - Revit Structure rvt file attached

It's 12:15pm and I'm sitting in on our Revit Structure class with a group of 10 structural engineers from a large engineering firm in Miami (who are looking to partner with Revit Architecture firms anywhere).

In 5 minutes we created a curved beam with perpendicular supports running along the beams. One of the engineers, Javier, decided to make the second curved beam at a lower profile than the 1st beam. Revit Structure automatically slopes the framing support beams to exactly where they're supposed to be.

"What used to take us hours, now takes seconds to minutes and it's 100% accurate. This doesn't even include the time it takes to generate sections elevations and schedules."

Personally, 20 years later, now I'm glad I took statics, concrete and steel design courses in college. (Not really, but at least I understand what all this stuff means.)

Click here or on the picture to download the Revit file "WorkingWithBeams.rvt" and yes, it will open in Revit Architecture. Read more...

Reed Construction Data Partners With RCMS Group

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLW07403102007-1.htm

Industry leader teams with service provider to launch BIM services portfolio

October 03, 2007: 11:56 AM EST

ATLANTA, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Reed Construction Data (RCD), a leading international provider of construction information solutions, announced today that it has partnered with RCMS Group, an innovator in providing building information modeling (BIM) services to the building design and construction market.

The agreement is primarily intended to promote the creation and distribution of intelligent building content to the AEC community, including building product manufacturers, architects, general contactors, and sub- contractors. For this partnership, both companies are focused on creating content and building models for the Autodesk(R) platform, and specifically Revit, which allows an architect to use the content in both the conceptual stage and the design process.

"There is roughly $400 billion in new, non-residential development underway in the U.S. each year, with about $15 billion of that allocated for building design. Given the size of the market and the relatively early stage of BIM adoption, the opportunities to grow the BIM market are significant," according to Iain Melville, CEO of Reed Construction Data.

.....continue reading the article.....

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Logitech Digital Pen - For the sketchers in your firm. From paper to perspective in minutes.

Links:  All Revit Samples Web Page   /   Sample File Download Directory

Go from this:
To this:Download Revit Link
Sketch a drawing, upload it and import it to Autocad or Revit as a jpg
(Click on the 3D image above to download and view this Revit model.
Once loaded, go to Level 1.


www.logitechIO.com

It transcribes your handwriting too.
Great for jobsites and meetings.

Product Tour

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October 2007, Revit Architecture Wish List Ballot is now open! | BLAUGI Blog of Autodesk User Group International

It's time to vote for your Revit Architecture top ten wishes. AUGI members have been submitting their ideas for product improvements via the new! Revit Architecture Wish List.

The ballot will remain open through the last day of October to give everyone a chance to drop by and choose their top ten wishes. Please contribute by taking a few minutes to visit the Revit Architecture Wish List Ballot and make your! wishes known.

Click here to vote - http://www.augi.com/revit/ballot.asp (You must be logged in to AUGI to vote)

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Revit Structure 2008: AECbytes Product Review (September 30, 2007)

Earlier this summer, I reviewed the new version of Autodesk’s Revit-based BIM application for architectural design, Revit Architecture 2008, which featured several improvements to groups and linked files, the ability to split views to make it easier to model and document large projects, several display enhancements that allow views to be customized as required, and various other modeling, documentation, visualization, and interoperability enhancements. The corresponding new release of Revit Structure, version 2008, includes most of these improvements and additionally, several other enhancements that are specific to structural modeling, analysis, and detailing. Let’s take a detailed look to see what these are.

....continue reading....

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Here's a new Revit Architecture sample for you to play around with - Revit Library

Here's a great file for you to play around with. It's 26mb so give it a few minutes to download.
Click on the picture to start downloading and have fun... Download Link

Links:  All Revit Samples Web Page   /   Sample File Download Directory
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Between the Lines: Autodesk Content Search alpha Technology Preview Now Alive and Free

It gets better every day. With so much Revit content and more coming every day, Autodesk has just released a great solution. (PS. Archicad's been around for over 20 years....why didn't they ever think of this? Oh yeah....not many users, not much content)

Autodesk Content Search alpha Technology Preview Now Alive and Free

What:
Early this morning Autodesk has made available a web based alpha technology preview of the beginnings of our new content search technology. Autodesk Content Search may not be the official name. There will be 2D and 3D content from many of the leading content aggregators like McGraw Hill Sweets, BIMWorld, and Reed FirstSource. In addition to the content aggregators we also are providing all the sample content from AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP which will be indexed into the search content. The browse option on Content Search alpha allows you to browse for content using AEC industry standard classifications, including MasterFormat 2004, Omniclass 1.0, and Uniformat II. In this first incarnation of Autodesk Content Search it is mainly aimed at AEC architecture but could be expanded in the future for more disciplines.

In the searches you will see supported file formats from the Revit RFA, AutoCAD DWG, DWF, DGN, SKP, Word documents, and PDF. If the DWF is in your content item result you can even choose to view it in Autodesk Freewheel with no installation of anything required.

Where: http://cs.labs.autodesk.com/?target=_blank

Why:
This alpha technology preview is for you to have a look at a product evolving and actively seeking feedback to help shape the future. It is different than a standard web search engine as it actually can search based on the attributes of the design data and parameters. Currently the attributed data is only extracted only from DWG files and Revit RFA files. Content Search alpha will be updated constantly.

From Between the Lines: Autodesk Content Search alpha Technology Preview Now Alive and Free 10/1/07

http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2007/10/autodesk-conten.html

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API update inn RevitSP2 - 20070810_1700 and new sample commands - AUGI Forums

FYI,

There were a few updates to the API in the 0810 build. See the Revit 2008 API Web Update 2 Changes.doc in the SDK for info.

For general consumption I've compiled and attached the 2 new sample commands as they will be of interest to many. The 2 samples are:

1.. Room Schedule command that updates and creates rooms from an excel spreadsheet.

2.. Import/Export to ODBC database. This will import/export projects to ODBC databases.

Read the .rtf files in the attached source directories for more info. Attached zip contains source plus dll's.

HTH,

Guy http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=68332

AUGI Forums > AUGI Technical (English) > AEC > Revit > Revit General Support > Revit - API

Attached Files

New Commands.zip (296.5 KB, 38 views)

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