Autodesk Design Suites – Skip the Hiccups

This year Autodesk released several new bundles of software called Design Suites. You can learn more about these great deals here. 

As with any new thing, there have been a few minor hiccups that we have seen in technical support. Here are the issues and what you can do to avoid them.

Standalone:

• Software can’t be split between computers. If you have one seat of the Design Suite you can install all of the software on one computer. You can’t install some items (Navisworks and 3ds Max) on one machine and other items (AutoCAD and Revit) on another machine.  In these situations we would recommend either a second seat or to buy a network version for computers that would not be in use at the same time.

Network:

• Don’t install the software as a trial. There is the temptation to install the software right away, even when your network licenses have not been set up yet. With the various Design Suites the software you choose is installed all at once. It is much quicker than installing the software one by one, but once it is installed, there is no way to uninstall all of them. So, the trials that were installed to get you started sooner must then be uninstalled one at a time so that they can then be reinstalled using the network license information.
• Request network licenses for all of your software at the same time. When using the Design Suite licenses in a license file it needs to have the same issue date as the other licenses or it will cancel out the other licenses.
• Order the licenses in the order they would cascade. In order to avoid any potential issues we  recommend reorganizing the license file in the cascade order, for most companies this will be point product, suite, design suite; for example – AutoCAD, Revit, Revit Suite, Design Suite.  A cleaned up license file will have these parts:

Server Lines (SERVER, USE_SERVER, VENDOR)

AutoCAD Package and Increment

Revit Package and Increment

Building Design Suite Package and Increment

PList Increment (only the highest version found in your licenses, e.g. ’adskflex 1.000’)

• AutoCAD 2012 should be installed using the Design Suite product key. Only an AutoCAD 2012 with a Design Suite product key will pull a Design Suite license. As a result, you might end up with a user who has opened Navisworks and AutoCAD and is using two licenses. If you reinstall that AutoCAD and use the suite information, that user would then only use one license (from the Design Suite). This does not affect the AutoCAD verticals; Architecture, MEP, and Structural Detailing.

---

Jesika DiGregorio
Technical Support Specialist
Jesika received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon where she worked on construction of a student-designed structure. Her work experience includes Junior Designer at an award-winning firm specializing in architecture and land planning, and Intern Architect at a firm that provides services in planning, design, construction documents and construction administration for projects of all sizes. Jesika provides online and phone technical support to Ideate clients from the Ideate Authorized Training Center in Portland, Oregon.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning - live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

11.1.11::Civil 101: Civil 3D for Beginners

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

Get It. Know It. Use It.

Export Revit Object Styles as a List to Excel

One of the questions that came into our Support desk last week was: “How do we export Revit Object Styles as a list to Excel for standards documentation purposes?” Ideate BIMLink and Ideate Explorer for Revit allow you to export Revit Model Data into Excel but what about things like Line weights table, Object Styles etc?

One of the ways this can be done is by using a program called SnagIt which allows you to copy text from onscreen that can be pasted into any program such as MS Word or Excel. Try it; it’s a nice little utility!

---

Shruti Harve,

LEED AP, AEC Solutions Application Specialist
Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services. At Ideate, Shruti provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, 3ds Max, Ecotect and AutoCAD Architecture.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Classroom Training - Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

10.31-11.2::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
11.1-3::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
11.2-3::Portland
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics

Know your software. Sign up now!

Hand Pick from the Best and Brightest Tech Experts

Ideate Speakers to Present at Autodesk University 2011

This year, Ideate technical team is providing interesting and informative presentations at Autodesk University.  AU 2011 will be held from November 29 to December 1, 2011 at The Venetian in Las Vegas (http://au.autodesk.com).  

Ideate speakers will be highlighted in such diverse topics as LIDAR and Point clouds, 2D to 3D transitioning, shop drawing creation in Revit, process integration of Autodesk Design Suites, and Lean Business Practices in BIM.  This diversity of topics, and depth of knowledge, is a tradition at Ideate, Inc. and highlights the high technical expertise of the Ideate technical staff. 
Autodesk University is known for showcasing the ‘best and brightest’ as presenters, and Ideate is proud of providing some interesting and informative sessions to AU 2011.

Here is a brief overview of each of the sessions:

LIDAR Data and Point Clouds: From Scan to Plan with AutoCAD Civil 3D: Session ID: CI3853

Matt Miyamoto, PE, Ideate Infrastructure Application Specialist

This lecture class is designed for the surveyor, engineer or planner who is interested in finding out more about the ground-mounted LiDAR scanning process.  Technological advancements have made it much easier for engineers and developers to gain access to LiDAR data.  In this class, we will take a look at some of the tools for LiDAR data collection, and discuss how ground-mounted data is collected, processed, and incorporated into a Civil 3D drawing via AutoCAD ® Civil 3D Point Cloud functionality.  Additionally, we will see how a Civil 3D Point Cloud object can be used to create an existing ground model for use in design or further evaluated in Autodesk Navisworks®.  If you’re interested in LiDAR technology, or have been working with LiDAR data and wonder where your data comes from, this class is for you. 

Shop Drawings in Revit: What? It Can Do That?: Session ID: SE2745

Ron Palma, Ideate AEC Application Specialist

Do you have a need to create shop or assembly drawings of building materials within Revit Architecture or Revit Structure? Have you been drawing 2D shop drawings in drafting views without the benefit of live views in the building model? Or have you created “live” views of your model and then resorted to visibility graphic manipulation to isolate what it is you are trying to document? If so, this class is for you. The class focuses on helping you create shop drawings of your designs using the new Parts, Assemblies, and Assembly drawing tools in Revit Architecture and Revit Structure 2012. 

2D to 3D: Transitioning Documentation from AutoCAD to Revit: Session ID: SE7280 –U (Part of AU 2011 Unconference Sessions)

Ron Palma, Ideate AEC Application Specialist

This unconference session will be focused on the transitions you must consider when moving from 2D documentation to 3D documentation. Additional topics will include making use of BIM in the structural engineering documentation process, how we may consider presenting designs and documents in new ways beyond the traditional 2D views, and considerations in getting other BIM team members involved in the integrated project delivery (IPD) process. 

How Suite It is! Leveraging Autodesk Design Suites from Schematic Design to Construction: Session ID: AB4384-P

Teresa Martin, Ideate Senior Application Specialist

This class will focus on using Autodesk Design Suites to leverage your workflow process from its humble napkin-sketch beginning to a means and method construction model as well as post-occupancy usage. We will discuss Autodesk Revit, 3ds Max Design, Navisworks, and Quantity Takeoff.

Adopting Lean Processes in BIM: Session ID: BO2507

David Haynes, AIA, LEED AP, Ideate Director of Consulting

This session is aimed at Business Owners, and Firm Principals to highlight the next step in BIM Business Transition

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has given architects, engineers, and contractors new tools and revised workflow processes that should translate to higher profits. Some firms are realizing gains and some are finding them elusive. This class will explore the issues involved and discuss how adopting Lean processes can increase profitability and efficiency, decrease issues, and create a better total “design and build” experience for the client. The class will explore how to translate success in Lean practices (mostly in the manufacturing world) to the service-oriented world of architecture and engineering. These changes in workflow and business practices require a new look at how we do project design and documentation.

Congratulations to these Ideate presenters to Autodesk University 2011. See you at AU2011 in Las Vegas. See Ideate at its Ideate BIMLink booth (#806).

eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning - live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

11.1.11::Civil 101: Civil 3D for Beginners

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

Get It. Know It. Use It.

Get a Sneak Peek at Future Functionality for AutoCAD!

This is a special invitation for Autodesk customers in the San Jose area. Join the AutoCAD User Experience team to test drive some new, in-progress AutoCAD functionality, and share your feedback and suggestions. This Sneak Peek highlights new features for people who work on AutoCAD from multiple computers or different locations – such as using different workstations, or switching between the office, home, or working out in the field. CAD Managers and day-to-day AutoCAD users of all levels are welcome to attend. 

This free, three-hour event is coming up in San Jose on October 27th. There is a morning and afternoon session available. Participants will receive a $50 gift card and small gift as a thank-you for their time. 

To sign up, please take this brief survey so we know your user profile. Seats are limited and we can’t guarantee a spot to everyone who fills out the survey. We’ll confirm your event registration by email. 

If you have questions or want to learn more about the events before signing up, contact Shari Nemerovski, shari.nemerovski@autodesk.com.

Classroom Training - Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

10.31-11.2::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
11.1-3::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
11.2-3::Portland
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics

Know your software. Sign up now!

Revit and the Future of Application Software

A few weeks ago I presented and demo’ed the new AutoCAD for Mac 2012 at the Portland Pioneer Square Apple Store. It was a good presentation and it’s exciting to see more and more Mac users interested in Autodesk products like AutoCAD and AutoCAD WS. One question that inevitably always comes up during these events is, “When’s Revit coming to the Mac?” The quick answer – I don’t know. The more in depth answer – does it even matter?

Look at where application software is headed. No longer running an app on a single OS on a single device is cutting it in the workplace these days. And because of this there’s a shift towards on demand software or software as a service, SaaS, application software delivered as its needed.

As an interim solution 3rd party software developers such as VMware, Citrix, and Parallels have become very popular. Each of these remove the requirements needed to run programs with specific requirements such as hardware and operating system, and allow the applications themselves to be run on virtually any type of device.

For a true software as a service application take a look at Google Docs. Google Docs is a Microsoft Office-esque suite of apps for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Never mind the fact that it’s free. Instead look at how it’s delivered – over the internet. A word processing document created on Google Docs is accessible anywhere with the common denominator being an internet browser; running on a PC, Mac, or a home grown machine you built yourself; using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. Delivering applications like this instead of installing them on individual computers tackles the major hurdles traditional application software developers are facing today.

1. Mobility – I’m not just talking about smartphones and tablets, but also simple tasks like users using more than one machine. I use my PC at work, come home and hop on my Macbook Pro. Users expect to work within a seamless application environment and do not want to be bothered with compatibility issues.
2. Collaboration – Instead of an application being built to include a collaboration segment; SaaS apps are built on a collaborative foundation. They’re meant to be accessed simultaneously from multiple users working together in real time from anywhere on any device.
3. Hardware Resources – Even fairly basic programs, I’ll use Microsoft Office Suite again as an example, have significant hardware requirements. SaaS apps are naturally light as they’re dependent on the bandwidth required to deliver them.

The software as a service idea comes back to that buzz word everyone’s recently been talking about, the “cloud.” But it’s not the entire cloud, it’s merely a piece, but an integral piece nonetheless.

So if I were Autodesk, which I’m clearly not, I don’t think I would use valuable time and money to develop an application that would be dedicated to a single platform. Instead I would be focusing on developing Revit to run on any device that I open it from; no matter the operating system, web browser, or hardware specifications. It would be a light and nimble app where collaborating with others in geographic locations is quick, easy, and seamless.

We’ll see what happens. Who knows, Revit for the Mac could be right around the corner. But keep in mind we are in a time where the way in which we work is changing dramatically. Just as we have changed our tools must also adapt.

---

Derek Wielkopolski
Technical Support Manager/Application Specialist
Derek holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island. He is experienced working within the AEC industry from concept design through construction administration for both small and large scale projects. As Ideate’s Support Manager he ensures a timely and quality response to support requests and questions. Follow Derek on Twitter: @dwielk

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Study in Success - California Lottery Wins Big with Integrated Project Delivery

Ideate is proud to announce publication of its latest Study in Success entitled California Lottery Wins Big with Integrated Project Delivery.

The subject of the study is the California Lottery Headquarters. The Ideate developed Study in Success details how the technology-reliant process of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) facilitated the successful creation of the six-story, 155,000-square-foot headquarters project throughout the phases of design, fabrication, and construction.

As a green building project, the California Lottery Headquarters project was to meet standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It was also the first IPD mandated project for the California Lottery. The project partners – LPAS Architecture + Design, Buehler & Buehler Structural Engineers, Inc., Interface Engineering, Architectural Glass & Aluminum and Otto Construction – formed a collaborative IPD alliance. Ideate, Inc. assisted with training and consulting in Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions including software, technical support, training and consulting.

Excerpts from California Lottery Wins Big with Integrated Project Delivery

According to AGA Project Manager David Peck, “When we would come to the weekly IPD meeting, we would have as many as 30 items to discuss. And, each issue would be discussed. None would linger past two weeks. We see this as a double win. The separate trades don’t wind up having to explain added costs because there are no added costs. There’s no finger pointing. And the owner gets exactly what is expected and paid for.”

Gregory Jones, Project Architect, LPAS, remembers, “Ideate provided us with focused training on how best to translate the design effort we had done in SketchUp to Revit. From this great starting point, we were able to overcome the challenges of modeling a very complicated curtain wall and ultimately our efforts were rewarded in receiving the AIA Divine Detail Award for the way we were able to resolve the curving and stepping planes of the curtain wall.”

“With the IPD process, we were able to shave two months off the schedule.” —Brady Smith, Principal, LPAS

The project was completed under budget and ahead of schedule and is on track for LEED Gold certification.

Download the Study in Success from Ideate’s Case Study library.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

One of These Things is Not Like the Other!

Recently,  I received a Support call regarding Ideate BIMLink.

The customer was distraught because he exported all his data using Ideate BIMLink and when he tried to import back to Revit 2012, he was presented with this error:

Unable to Import Excel Spreadsheet. Excel Columns Do Not Match Link Properties

I racked my brain for a moment, made a few calls and we all agreed that it could have been one of two options.

1. After exporting from Revit, The columns have either been reordered, or deleted in Excel.

--OR--

2. After exporting from Revit, The Ideate BIMLink link definition has changed.

In talking with the customer, I narrowed it down and found out that he had reorganized the Excel workbook to use in a presentation (Option #1). This was the root of the issue. But how do you fix it? Or better yet… how do you avoid it!? Let’s first understand what actually happens here.

Ideate BIMLink relies on the fact that when the link is exported, the columns will stay exactly the same as its initial state. You may replace the values of the columns but the order and organization of the columns and rows really need to stay put! This way when you import the data… Ideate BIMLink knows where it needs to go.

Great, so how do you avoid this? Let’s say that you are like our customer and need to create a presentation from your Ideate BIMLink data.

Here’s how: Excel Links.

Using a feature that has been in Microsoft Excel for some time now, you can reference data from an entirely different workbook. A visual example:

Image Credit: Microsoft

You can see here that the Data from “source.xls” is being pushed to “linking.xls” using the  excel links function. In cell “C5” the formula is “=[source.xls]Prices!A4” This references the worbook, worksheet and cell and pastes its value into our new cell.

To read more about Excel links, check out this page from Microsoft’s website.

Using this functionality allows us to leave the raw data from Ideate BIMLink alone (allowing us to import/export at will) and create a new presentation workbook that stay up-to-date to leverage our data. A very easy and valuable way to handle this situation.

Thanks for reading!

---

Matthew Nelson
MEP Solutions Application Specialist
Matthew has a deep understanding of Autodesk products. He studied Mechanical Engineering at SUNY Stony Brook. He has been a BIM manager and CAD manager for a leading international consulting services firm utilizing AutoCAD MEP, Civil 3D and Revit MEP. During that time, he focused his skills on understanding the dynamics of inter-discipline coordination on large scale civil and building engineering projects. At Ideate, Matthew provides training and support for Revit MEP, Navisworks and AutoCAD MEP. @MNelsonIdeate

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Classroom Training - Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

10.11-13::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
10.12-14::San Francisco
Civil 3D Fundamentals
10.14::Portland
Revit Architecture for Project Managers Workshop
10.17-19::Portland
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
10.19-21::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

When Civil 3D and Vault Attack! How I Resolved a Fatal Error.

Guest post by James Lucas Jensen, P.E.

FATAL ERROR: Out of Memory – Shutting Down

This message means nothing to the average Civil 3D user because it does not share any useful information about the cause of the error. Unfortunately, we all see this error at some point. The purpose of this article is to show how some detective work and outside-the-box thinking can track down and resolve this problem.

In my case, the error occurs while attempting to check in a proposed surface drawing. The file isn’t particularly large or complicated, but it certainly has its share of data referenced into it. Various attempts to bring back previous versions of the drawing, audit and purge, and all the typical tricks don’t help. No matter what I do, I continue to get this fatal error during check in.

I set out to recreate the entire proposed surface drawing from scratch. In a new drawing from our company template, I begin the task of bringing in all the alignments, profiles, etc. Before rebuilding my corridor, I attempt to add the file to the Vault.

FATAL ERROR.

Eh? From my brand new drawing? Confused, I check out another drawing with many of the same data references. I attempt a check in.

FATAL ERROR.

No way. Is my entire project dying? Is my workstation infecting everything I open? Now I’m almost afraid to do anything. I try checking in one more drawing before I get our IT people involved. I open the alignments file and everything looks OK. I watch with one eye barely open as I attempt the check in.

No fatal error.

Well, that’s something, right? Could a single corrupt file somewhere be causing this? What’s generally data referenced into a proposed surface drawing? Alignments, profiles, sometimes pipes, existing surfaces, etc. I begin the process of open/audit/purge/save on every drawing that has data referenced into the proposed surface drawing.

Suddenly, a particular profile drawing won’t open. When I try to open it, I get the same error. The exact same error! I can’t open it. I can’t insert it. I can’t XREF it. I can’t recover it! No matter what I do, I get this Out of Memory error. Looks like it’s time to find another solution to this problem.

I create a new drawing from the template and data reference in the alignment and profile. At this point, I’m 99% sure that this drawing will crash during check it in.

BUT…instead of doing that, I promote the profile in the drawing and audit. There are four errors. My worthless proposed surface drawing is safely in the Vault, so I manually get into the Vault Working Folder (VWF) and delete out the profile drawing. I paste my new drawing (of the same name as the old) into the VWF, then attempt to check out the file.

“The VWF version is newer than in the Vault.” Of course, I choose not to revert to the version in the Vault. So now the new drawing is on my screen and functioning fine. Time to check in and test the deception.

The check in works and Vault doesn’t ask me to share the profile (because it had already been shared before). Could it be that perhaps the Vault thinks that my red herring is the real deal? There’s only one way to find out. I then opened my proposed surface drawing and attempted to check in. Eureka! It works!

So the real problem was not in the proposed surface drawing but a profile drawing referenced in it. Methodical and meticulous elimination helped me identify the problem and a simple audit and tricking the Vault to check in the file resolved the error.

Phew! Take heart! Be patient! It works!

---

James works for Phillippi Engineering and has 10+ years experience in the design of commercial sites; roadways; storm water collection, conveyance and detention systems; water distribution systems; sewer collection systems; master plan and infrastructure studies; preparation of construction drawings; construction and contract administration; cost estimating; and technical writing. In 2008, James led the company wide implementation of Civil 3D and Vault. PEI has never looked back. James works regularly with Civil 3D 2011, Vault 2011, AutoTURN 8, Storm and Sanitary Analysis 2011, WaterCAD V8 XM, and Impression 3.

Import Street Centerline from GIS Data Straight to a 3D Model

So you import GIS data into AutoCAD or Civil 3D to get AutoCAD lines and use it for design and analysis. What if you could import the .SHP file and get a 3D model instead! What if you could click a button to import existing street centerlines for a project and get a 3D Model of the roadway including the curbs, sidewalks, medians, striping, as well as street lights, and with the 3D palm trees in the median, etc. all rendered and ready to for a presentation. Is this really true? Yes, it is.

Introducing Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2012
This is just one of the features of this new software released by Autodesk. I wanted to share this with you as I am learning and exploring.

 
This image shows Google Image and Google Surface imported in Civil 3D 2012 and then brought into Infrastructure Modeler 2012. The surface was imported via Land XML and the image as Raster Data Source.

This image shows the next step which contains the street centerlines data imported from GIS data either as a .SHP file or from .SDF file. In this case, I imported county wide GIS data into Civil 3D and then exported an SDF file for the project area which I then imported into Infrastructure Modeler.

Infrastructure Modeler is perfect for Master Planners. You can model existing infrastructure by importing LandXML data from Civil 3D, FBX data, SHP files from GIS data from ESRI. Or import detailed models from Revit and 3ds Max. Sketch roads, railways, city furniture in 3D and communicate the visually rich infrastructure proposal with relative ease.

---

Gaurav Bagga
Infrastructure Solutions Application Specialist

Gaurav is a well rounded Application Engineer and Project Manager for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 15 years experience in construction industry and has been helping numerous small, medium and ENR 500 firms maximize their CAD investment for the last ten years. Gaurav is an Autodesk Certified Instructor and Autodesk Civil 3D Implementation Certified Expert. He has taught at several conferences, CAD Camps and Autodesk University. He has taught AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Land Desktop and Map 3D to thousands of students and helps Ideate develop the Infrastructure Services curriculum and courses. With his extensive CAD technology background he helps Bay Area engineering and surveying firms analyze and improve their design and drawing production process thereby improving productivity and the bottom line. Follow Gaurav on Twitter: @BeGeez

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Classroom Training - Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:

10.10-12::San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
10.11-13::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
10.12-14::San Francisco
Civil 3D Fundamentals
10.14::Portland
Revit Architecture for Project Managers Workshop

Know your software. Sign up now!

Ideate Explorer for Revit - Auditing Key Notes

This was a great question that our Support team fielded last week about Keynotes. Ideate Explorer for Revit can easily handle this kind of request along with finding other hard-to-find items such as Revision Clouds, hidden DWG Imports, Model Lines, Text.

Question: Can Ideate Explorer for Revit tell you where keynotes are used? It would be very handy to see a list with each keynote and all the sheets it’s used on.

Answer: Ideate Explorer for Revit can help you find all the keynotes. Here’s a step-by-step on how to find and review your keynotes.

 

1. Index the “Entire Project” as shown; with Ideate Explorer 2012 this should take less than one minute, even with files that are 250 MB+. 
2. Select the Checkbox next to the “Keynote Tags” as shown. This is the same as selecting every Keynote Tag in the project. 
3. Select “Current Selection” as shown. This will clear the Results window of extraneous information. 
4. Change the View dropdown option from “Category” to “Instance List” as shown. At this point you can double-click on each item and Ideate Explorer for Revit will open up the view for reviewing/editing purposes OR you can export the list. 
5. To Export this list, right-click and select “Export to Excel.”

 

Give it a try! Download a free Trial of Ideate Explorer for Revit. What’s in your RVT?!

---

Glynnis Patterson,
N.C.A.R.B. – Director of Services
Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and implementing best practices solutions. In her spare time Glynnis is a member of the Morristown Environmental Commission and builds Lego projects. @GVPinNJ

Get it. Know it. Use it.