Creating & Showing Individual Wall Wraps at Wall Ends in Revit

As an application specialist who provides Autodesk Revit Architecture training and solutions for customers in the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner industries, I keep up to date on features that users in those industries would like would like to see in Revit software. One that I have heard users speak of for years is the ability to control Wall Wraps on each end of a wall and have those controls as Instance Parameters.

The wall wrap parameters exist as Type Parameter in a Wall Family, and there are no controls for end 1 and end 2. With wraps enabled, a freestanding wall will have wraps at both ends. Furthermore, if you want the same wall type to have wraps for some walls and no wraps for other walls, you must duplicate the wall type, so you can sort the Type Parameters out. For those of you who have dealt with this issue, you know it is unfavorable, because you are managing additional walls just so you can control the wall wrapping.

Until an improved feature is addressed in Revit, we have to resort to a workaround. Fortunately, there are a few workaround options out there. The one that I came up with uses the Door Family Template to create the wall wrap. Why use this template? Because families such as doors and windows have reference plane options that control wall wraps that allow us to create a workaround family to control wraps at each wall end, individually.

Here is a screenshot that highlights the steps for creating this family. I encourage you to give it a try and play around with your options. 

You can also watch my screencast, Control Wall Wraps at Each End of a Wall, on the Autodesk Knowledge Network.

Additionally, I created a Revit Wish list feature for individual Wall Wraps. If you are interested in voting for this feature, visit Autodesk Community’s Revit Ideas and vote for, Wall Wraps, Inserts, and Wall Layer Extension.

Thank you for reading! For more information on the software solutions, training and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate Inc. website.

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Sash Kazeminejad
AEC Senior Application Specialist 
Sash is a registered Architect and LEED Accredited Professional who holds a Master of Architecture from Montana State University. Sash’s experience includes project management, BIM management, and design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon. In addition to being a Bluebeam Certified Instructor, Sash is As an Autodesk Certified Instructor, Sash who provides Revit Architecture training and solutions for AECO firms. @sashpdx 

Why InfraWorks 360 is Worth Paying For

The time you save is worth the price of subscription.

As the ENI Manager here at Ideate, I have been working to help sort out some of the software details that went into effect with the transition to Autodesk AEC Collections and the retiring of Design Suites at the end of 2016. One of the larger changes that came with this transition was the packaging and offerings associated with Autodesk InfraWorks 360. Some customers have been asking if they need to upgrade to a full version, or if InfraWorks 360 LT is sufficient, and how they might better justify the cost involved if InfraWorks 360 is right for them.

If you're in that group wondering what version you need, the following might help.

Some of biggest differences between the full version of InfraWorks 360 and the LT version, based on this feature comparison, are the cloud collaboration and the Road, Bridge, and Drainage design features. However, the one function that has been worth the cost of upgrading, in my opinion, is the item listed as "Automate Model Creation." It doesn't seem like much, but it's the one feature everyone will use, regardless of industry or design focus. Not all customers will need Road, Bridge, or Drainage design, and maybe you don't have immediate plans for cloud collaboration, but you can use Model Builder.

Model Builder, listed as "Automate Model Creation" in the PDF matrix, automatically finds, downloads, imports, and stylizes existing GIS data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and OpenStreetMaps to create a functioning model of the existing conditions. If you can search for a place online—think Bing or Google Maps—you can probably find it in Model Builder. Without Model Builder, even the most experienced GIS users may take a few hours to search for, find, and download the right data from their favorite sources. At that point, the data still needs to be imported and stylized manually.

With Model Builder, the entire process from finding data to importing and stylizing in InfraWorks 360 is automatic, and it usually completes in 15 minutes or less. There is a maximum download area of 200 sq.km, but models can be combined after they are created.

For more details on the difference between InfraWorks 360 LT and InfraWorks 360, read my post, Flavors of InfraWorks.

It seems worth noting that the full InfraWorks 360 subscription gives you access to periodic updates that are released throughout the year. If you're wondering what's new in the latest release (v2017.3 at the time this post was written), here's a great article from the Autodesk team.

For more information on purchasing InfraWorks 360, or if you have any questions, please contact sales@ideateinc.com, we are happy to help.

Thank you for reading. For more information on the software solutions, training, and consulting Ideate provides, visit our website at www.ideateinc.com.

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Matt Miyamoto

ENI Manager & Senior Application Specialist

Matt is an ENI Manager and Senior Application Specialist in Ideate, Inc.’s Seattle office. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed Civil Engineer. Prior to joining Ideate, Matt worked as a civil engineer, using Civil 3D on a variety of projects including site development, roadway improvements and infrastructure design. With over 10 years of experience in the civil engineering industry, Matt now provides training, consulting, technical support, and implementation strategies for organizations transitioning to Civil 3D. Matt is an Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI), as well as an Autodesk Certified BIM Specialist: Roads and Highway Solutions. Additionally, Matt is and Autodesk Certified Professional for AutoCAD, and AutoCAD Civil 3D. He can be found on twitter as @MattM_PE

The Flavors of InfraWorks 360

During a recent round of customer visits, I was pleased to hear questions about Autodesk InfraWorks 360 and its features. Many of those questions revolved around what exactly our customers had access to, and what the differences between the available versions were.

Over the years, InfraWorks has seen a number of name changes, feature updates, additions, and modifications. And, unlike other Autodesk applications, the software is not on an annual rollout, meaning new features and functions are released throughout the year via periodic product updates.

Before I really get into it, though, here is some background information:

1. InfraWorks 360 IS NOT a serial number based application.
2. InfraWorks 360 IS a product entitlement assigned to an individual user's Autodesk account by the contract holder or software coordinator. 
3. InfraWorks 360 can be installed on any 64-bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 OS system without a serial number.
4. A user's Autodesk Login activates the features and functions when the program is launched.
5. Version updates are released periodically throughout the year, unlike the annual releases of other Autodesk products. The current version at the time of this post is 2017.3.
6. User accounts and entitlements may not be shared per the license agreement.

Diving in, as of January 2017, you have two options for InfraWorks 360:

Option 1 - InfraWorks 360 LT 

Previously, the "LT" version of InfraWorks 360 was included as part of the now-retired Design Suites, and it has limited or “light” functionality compared to the full version of InfraWorks 360.

It should be noted that the LT version is no longer available for purchase, but can be accessed by customers who have an existing and active maintenance subscription for Autodesk® Infrastructure Design Suite Ultimate edition, Autodesk® Infrastructure Design Suite Premium edition, or Autodesk® Building Design Suite Ultimate editions.

This means if you are an existing customer with an active subscription for one of the older suites, you are entitled to InfraWorks 360 LT. If you are a current subscriber of the new AEC Collection, you have access to the full version of InfraWorks 360.

Option 2 - InfraWorks 360

This is currently available as an individual product subscription or as part of the AEC Industry Collection from Autodesk, and it includes access to all features and functions of the product.

As of the 2016 release of InfraWorks 360, the once “a la cart” Road, Bridge, and Drainage design modules are now included as part of InfraWorks 360, at no extra cost. Learn more about this change.

Here's a handy PDF, Autodesk InfraWorks 360 vs.Autodesk InfraWorks 360 LT Comparison Matrix, highlighting the differences between InfraWorks 360 LT and InfraWorks 360.

To find out what version of Infraworks 360 you’re currently running, launch the program and open one of your models.  Click on Settings and Utilities, then Application Options to access the About dialog.  The version you have is listed on the upper left corner of the About information.  If you are on subscription, you can download and install the latest version of Infraworks 360 through the Autodesk Desktop App.  Please note, Infraworks 360 models are version specific, so updating to the latest version will also prompt you to upgrade any existing models the next time they are opened.

There it is, now you've got a breakdown of the two remaining “flavors” of InfraWorks 360 and how (or why) you have access to a particular version. 

If you have LT and want more information on purchasing a full version of InfraWorks 360, please contact sales@ideateinc.com.

Thank you for reading. For more information on the software solutions, training, and consulting Ideate provides, visit our website at www.ideateinc.com.

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Matt Miyamoto

ENI Manager & Senior Application Specialist

Matt is an ENI Manager and Senior Application Specialist in Ideate, Inc.’s Seattle office. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed Civil Engineer. Prior to joining Ideate, Matt worked as a civil engineer, using Civil 3D on a variety of projects including site development, roadway improvements and infrastructure design. With over 10 years of experience in the civil engineering industry, Matt now provides training, consulting, technical support, and implementation strategies for organizations transitioning to Civil 3D. Matt is an Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI), as well as an Autodesk Certified BIM Specialist: Roads and Highway Solutions. Additionally, Matt is and Autodesk Certified Professional for AutoCAD, and AutoCAD Civil 3D. He can be found on twitter as @MattM_PE