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Revit Structure 2011 User Assistance
What’s New?
New in Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011
The following features are new or enhanced for Revit Structure.
For additional detail and a more interactive listing of New Features for Revit Structure, go to the following:
http://www.autodesk.com/revitstructure-features.
User Interface Enhancements
• Modeless Properties Palette
• Repeat last command / Repeat Commands recently used
• Quick Access Toolbar (QAT):
• Single QAT per application
• Increased number of default commands in the QAT
• Customization options via dialog box: move command up/down, add separator, remove
command
• Improved access to Worksets and Design Options on status bar
• Ribbon Enhancements:
• Redesigned Modify tab:
• Consistent modify tools - panels and buttons are always in the same order on the left side
of the Modify tab. Buttons enable/ disable as necessary.
• Modify tab name updates to reflect the active contextual tab appended.
• Contextual tab content is appended to the right side of the Modify tab when active.
• Modify and contextual contents are separated by a gray visual bar.
• Persistent access to core modify tools (Object-Action commands):
• Move
• Copy
• Rotate
• Mirror - Pick Axis
• Mirror - Draw Axis
• Delete
• Type Selector Enhancements
Type Selector is combined with the Properties Palette. Open at all times; can be
opened/closed using the Properties Palette button available in the Properties ribbon panel.
• Group Edit Mode access
Panel is removed from the ribbon and will float in drawing area when invoked. Default is upper
left corner of drawing area and can be moved.
• Model In-Place
Project ribbon replaced with the family ribbon when an in-place model is started or edited.
When you finish editing in-place, the ribbon will revert to the project ribbon.
• Improved icons based on user feedback
Large Team Workflow: Linked Models
• Enhancements to the Visibility Control of Worksets in workshared files:
• Visibility by Default for Worksets
• Ability to open/close Worksets for linked models
• Ability to control visibility of linked models according to host model
• Ability to apply View Filters to linked models from host model
• Ability to tag elements in linked files, with the exception of rooms, spaces, and areas
• Ability to automatically generate a ceiling grid from walls in a linked model
• Ability to apply View Filters to linked files
Graphics
• Realistic materials available in editable views
• Hardware acceleration (DX9) on by default
• Levels of Details (adaptive to zoom)
• Ambient occlusion
• Display performance improvements (over 30%)
• Significant performance improvement in display of mechanical and electrical drawings (up to
200%)
Materials
• Protein 2.0 appearances, in single project library
• Increased interoperability with 3ds Max through:
• Export of FBX files to Max with Protein 2 appearances
• Import of DWG files and ADSK files with Protein 2 appearances
Note3ds Max/Design 2011 is required for materials to transfer.
• Support for new realistic display style through Protein 2 materials
• New material classes available in Protein 2, including procedural appearances
Inventor Interoperability
• Support for oval duct, cable tray, and conduit connectors
• Support of new electrical properties (such as Motor)
• Improved performance when importing ADSK files
• Improved AEC Exchange functionality
• Support of Protein materials
Performance Improvements
• Graphics
• MultiCore Operations
• Sync with Central
• Model Open
• User interface reaction time
• Linked Models
DWG Export
• Increased visual fidelity when exporting Revit files to DWG
• Export option for True Color
• Export option for Text treatment
Family Editor Enhancements
• Interactive exploration of parameter values in Revit families
• Ability to lock labeled dimensions
• Reporting Parameters
Parameter Enhancements
• Default parameter type (length vs. text)
• Parameters groups automatically set
Temporary Dimension Enhancements
• Remembering witness lines
• Family Editor: right-click permanent dimensions to select labels
• Ability to control temporary dimension font size and background (transparent or opaque)
3D Alignment Enhancements
• Align tool now works on an element's node, vertex, edge, surface, form, or level
Expanded Region of High Geometric Accuracy
• Previous versions of Revit were unable to maintain the expected level of geometric accuracy at
locations farther than 1 mile from the project origin. Revit will now maintain a high level of
geometric accuracy for elements placed within 20 miles of the project origin.
Selection Enhancements
• Select All Instances in the current view or in the entire project
Text Notes Enhancements
• Additional leader attachment points: Top Left (TL), Middle Left (ML), Bottom Left (BL), Top Right
(TR), Middle Right (MR), and Bottom Right (BR).
• Ability to adjust leader end distance
• Ability to show box around text
• Ability to create bullets and numbering
Sheet Enhancements
• Create new sheet list rows to create placeholder sheets
• Convert placeholder sheets to project sheets
• Grid guide for sheets, enabling consistent sheet creation
Floor Enhancements
• Ability to set span direction for metal deck floors
Analysis
• Sun Path
• Interactive tool for visualizing the impact of natural light and shadows on buildings and sites
Structural Analysis Enhancements
• Horizontal projection from columns and beams
• You can now horizontally project from columns to the default plane or to a named reference
plane. You can also horizontally project from the center line of a beam, location lines, grids, and
named reference planes.
• Horizontal projection from the center of a wall core
• You can now specify the center of a wall core to accommodate varying widths in vertically
compound structural walls.
• Vertical projection auto-detect behavior of columns
• Top or bottom vertical projection of a column will now auto-detect beams when structural floors
are not present.
• Vertical projection from beams
• You can now project vertically from the location line or the bottom of a beam.
• Manual analytical adjustment of columns
• You can now use the top or bottom of a column analytical model as a source for manual
analytical adjustment.
• Rigid Links enhancements between beams and columns
• The enhanced rigid links will be formed between beams and multiple neighboring columns, and
their creation are governed by parameters on both beams and columns.
Reinforcement Enhancements
• Reinforcement of spiral
• Reinforcement project units
• Reinforcement of slab edges
• First and last rebar sets are now suppressible in a project
• Additional hook bend radius for rebar
• Concrete Host Cover Reference has configurable object style
• Concrete Host Cover Reference Lines now remain in view when resizing and repositioning rebar
• Major Space is now a label category parameter for area reinforcement tags
Concrete Join/Cleanup
• Improved concrete end joins and cleanup for curved beam and variable beam profiles
Slanted Column
• Steel and concrete end position geometry and trim
• Beam to column joins
• Plan view placement
• Column end geometry position control when column is attached to a beam
• Cut column tangent to an attached structured floor
• Unattached column end cut appearance
Beam System Enhancements
• Specify beam direction with walls and beams
• Specify beam direction from an independent sketch line
• Remove a beam system while retaining beam elements
Truss Enhancements
• Bottom chord attachment to structural floors and foundation slabs
• Sketch chords on attached trusses
• Remove a truss family while retaining beam elements
Connection Symbol Enhancements
• New aditional load connection symbol families
• Ability to load and manage connection symbol families (from the Structural Settings dialog)
Subscription Advantage Pack
NoteThe following items were previously released exclusively to Subscription customers.
• Conditional Formatting in Schedule
• Element Section Area and Linear Weight in Schedules
• Span Direction Tool
• DWG Export enhancements (Index color and True Color support)
• Beam Coping for steel beams framed into joined beams and columns
• Text Formatting Shortcuts (Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, and Ctrl+U)
• Beam System Tags
• Split Walls with Gap
• Keyboard Shortcut UI
• Find and Replace Text in Notes
• Convert between Line Types: Model, Detail, Symbolic
• Export to DWG with correct RGB colors
• Linked File Performance Enhancements
• New API for slope angle and elevation for x,y location in given slab with choice of top and bottom
• Insulation Tool
• Beam Placement using 3D CAD Geometry
• Control beam length tolerance
• "A" and "W" User defined parameters to be available in Schedule Field
• Countrification Content for China, Russia, and Italy
• Structure Extensions:
• Interference of Reinforcing Bars
• Bridge Design Modules
Revit Extensions
• Shared Parameters Converter
• Model Review
• Autodesk Revit DB Link
• Wall framing enhancements:
• New method to choose the location of the studs (wall layers are exposed)
• Multi-selection of walls and openings
• Steel frame generator
• Reinforcement enhancements:
• Export and draw user-defined reinforcement or designed reinforcement in ASD
• Export and draw the formwork of element recognized by REX in ASD
• Exposed required reinforcement on beam and column extension
• Leverage new mounting part content with beam, column, and wall extension
• Provide content mapping tools to synchronize code dependent data shared between RST,
RSA, and ASD
• Generate rebar using shape codes
User Assistance (Documentation)
• Transition to Web Help, which includes improved search capabilities
• Streamlined Help reference content
• Short Tutorials in video format
• Additional Enhanced Tooltips
• New animated ToolClips
• Improved First Experience
Other Enhancements
• Custom elevation tag
• List sheets not in a project on drawing list
• Background images in renderings
• Repeat last command
• Sheet layout grid
• Removal of 4 core rendering limit
• Google Maps™ mapping service interface (Location dialog) lets you visualize project locations
It's a simple fact that any information in a computer is either contained in RAM (memory chips) or stored on a hard drive (a mechanical disk). It's another simple fact that RAM is fast and hard drives are slow, and the more often the hard drive is accessed, the slower your computer becomes. The problem with CAD applications is that they require so much RAM that hard drive access is frequent, and computer performance suffers as a result.
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I'm on the MEP end of things now, and realizing that what you have said is too true. Our Engineers look at Revit as another software to use much like CAD, they aren't looking at it as a new way of approach. For example, starting a project, everyone wants to start in CAD, then go to Revit, but then they are losing all the valuable information and time saved using Revit. Then other's say we will use CAD while there are a lot of changes going on, then when the plans get solidified by the Architect, we will create in Revit. I laugh and scoff, because Revit handles these constant changes much better than CAD, and thus we could save many man hours by using Revit.
Although I have found that the biggest time loss in Revit is the initial setup, getting everything to look like you want, getting your symbols and objects to display properly, and setting up an office standard. I wasn't around for the switch to CAD (well, I wasn't in this industry then...) but I can assume there was a lot of time lost for similar reasons. So when we have people complaining about the time it takes, we need to remind them that CAD looks the way it does because it has been refined across some 12 years or so of trial and error. For most of us, this is probably our 2nd or 3rd year (for the "experienced") and more likely our 1st year. So as this blog says, take the time to re-evaluate how we do things, get Revit to work for you and your Engineers.