Showing posts with label Autodesk Revit MEP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autodesk Revit MEP. Show all posts

January 22, 2013

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 weeks:
1.23-25::San Francisco
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
1.28-29::San Francisco
Navisworks Fundamentals
1.30::San Francisco
Revit for Project Managers Workshop
2.4-6::
San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
2.6-8::
Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

January 15, 2013

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
1.23-25::San Francisco
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
1.30::San Francisco

Revit for Project Managers Workshop
2.4-6::
San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
2.6-8::
Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

January 8, 2013

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
1.14-16::Sacramento
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.23-25::San Francisco
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
1.30::San Francisco

Revit for Project Managers Workshop
Know your software. Sign up now!

December 31, 2012

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 weeks:
1.14-16::Sacramento
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.16-18::Seattle
Civil 3D Fundamentals
1.23-25::San Francisco
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
1.23-25::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

December 24, 2012

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 weeks:
12.26-28::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.7-9::
Sacramento

Revit Architecture Fundamentals
1.14-16::
Sacramento
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.14-16
::
San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals
1.16-18::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
1.16-18
::
Seattle
Civil 3D Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

December 18, 2012

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 weeks:
12.26-28::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.7-9::
Sacramento

Revit Architecture Fundamentals
1.14-16::
Sacramento
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.14-16
::
San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals
1.16-18
::
Seattle
Civil 3D Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

December 11, 2012

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 weeks:
12.26-28::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.14-16::
Sacramento
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
1.14-16
::
San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals
1.16-18
::
Seattle
Civil 3D Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

November 14, 2012

Part 1: Loaded Type Has Been Renamed… to Protect the Innocent

Copy/Monitor Quirkiness Between Revit MEP and Revit Architecture

While researching an issue for an Ideate BIMLink customer, I ran into some quirky issues with the Revit MEP Copy/Monitor tool as it pertains to the copying of the “Architecture” families into the MEP project. 

Major Problem: My copy/monitored Revit Architectural families that show up in the Revit MEP project is not in the exact same location, nor does ALL of my parameter information come across and it does not get updated if I make a change!

To properly answer the above question we need to separate it out into its individual problem statements. 

Problem 1: Families are not in the same location. 

The reason for this is twofold. One is this statement from the Revit MEP help file itself: When copied, the host-based fixture type is automatically converted to a face-based fixture type in Revit. (The geometry of the original fixture family is copied to a face-based family in Revit.) This conversion enables easier hosting of these fixtures on surfaces in linked models. 

Family Changed From Ceiling to Face


The second has to do with how the Revit family itself was built. Most, if not all of the out of the box Revit MEP families were created with reference plans that are set to “act” or “define” the origin. Whereas not every Revit Architecture family has reference plans set that way. This is very apparent when a Revit Architecture family is swapped out for a Revit MEP family, as shown in the following video:

Family Changed to Type Mapping
 

As you notice in this particular video the height of the Revit Architecture outlet is 9.75" - which does carry over to the Revit MEP outlet, however, due to the way the Revit Architecture and Revit MEP families were built, the heights cannot be relied upon to match.

Problem 2: All of my Parameter information does not come across from the Linked model. 

This issue is a bit more problematic. One would assume that if a parameter exists on a Revit Architecture family then the information will come across into the Linked family. Alas, it is not to be, as demonstrated:

Family with Custom Parameters Copied


Problem 3: Parameters do not get “updated” when changed in the Linked model. 

When parameters are changed regardless of copy/monitor or type mapped – those changed values do not come through at all – only the initial copy/monitor will transfer the parameters and only those that are “type” and “system” – as noted. If the offset value (which is a parameter) is changed in the Revit Architecture file while item is copy monitored it does not cause the Revit MEP linked project to consider the fixture moved when using the Copy Monitor feature. Only if the fixture is “physically” moved (in the xyz) then Revit will generate a coordination warning.

Stay tuned because in December we’ll share information about using Ideate BIMLink as a way to push this instance data from the Revit Architecture to the Revit MEP file.



Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior MEP Application Specialist

Bill has over 20 years experience in applying AEC design solutions for large commercial companies. A graduate of Pasadena Institute of Technology, he has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill has also had the opportunity to act as Lead AutoCAD Designer for multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

October 16, 2012

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
10.22-24::Sacramento
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
10.23-25::
Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
10.29-30::San Francisco

Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
10.29-31::San Francisco

Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

October 9, 2012

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
10.22-24::Sacramento
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
10.23-25::
Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
10.29-30::San Francisco

Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
10.29-31::San Francisco

Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

October 2, 2012

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
10.9-11::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
10.22-24::Sacramento

Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
10.23-25::
Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

September 25, 2012

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
10.1-3::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
10.2-3::Portland

Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
10.9-11::Portland

Revit Architecture Fundamentals
10.22-24::Sacramento

Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
10.23-25::
Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

September 18, 2012

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
9.20::Portland
Revit Architecture Families
9.24-26::
San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
9.25-27::
Seattle
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
10.1-3::
Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
10.2-3::Portland

Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
Know your software. Sign up now!

September 17, 2012

Ideate BIMLink and Revit MEP Space Type Modification

In Revit MEP in order to properly mine the Building Model for Energy information you need to verify the building, space, and zone information, and view graphical representations of the spaces to verify space boundaries and volumes. One of the most time consuming tasks of verifying, assigning and correcting space type information can be quickly done in Ideate BIMLink.

As an example, in Revit MEP the most direct way to verify, assign and/or correct Space information is by manually selecting the space and then making the appropriate changes in the Space Properties Dialog, as shown:


Within the above Properties dialog box, once the Space Type area has been selected, it will open a completely new dialog box titled the Space Type Settings from which you will be able to select the appropriate Space Type:

A more visual way to accomplish the above on more than one space, is to create a Space Type schedule and then make the changes directly in the schedule itself, which will then reflect directly in the building model, but again in selecting the Space Type in the schedule, it will then open up the Space Type Settings dialog box to apply the appropriate Space Type:


In either of the above cases the average time to select and change two (2) spaces from the default <Building> definition to a completely different definition is roughly 20 seconds. So, if we extrapolate that number , the average time for changing 200 spaces is 2000 seconds which works out to be roughly 30 minutes. This value must be changed if correct Energy Analysis information is to be expected from the Spaces and Zones.

The same process in Ideate BIMLink would be roughly 5 minutes and it does not have to be an individual who is accustom to Revit it can be someone who is comfortable with Excel and editing.

I will now demonstrate how easy it is with Ideate BIMLink to export out the Spaces with the appropriate information, edit the values in Excel, then simply re-import the information back into Revit MEP.

The one and only Caveat to using Ideate BIMLink to do this work is that you should take note before hand of what the name of the Space Type is in the Space Type Settings dialog box. The reason for this is that when the value gets exported through Ideate BIMLink, the name of the space type gets translated into numbers. For example the default value in the Space Type selection of <Building> is translated by
Ideate BIMLink to be the value of -1, whereas the value of Active Storage is 1. The value of Active Storage - Hospital/Healthcare is 2, and then so on. I found it quite easy to have a spreadsheet with the names and appropriate incremental numbers next to it.

In this video I have already created a Space Type schedule and will then use Ideate BIMLink to export out the values. Then I will open up the exported excel spreadsheet, make my changes then re-import the results back into Revit MEP.




Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior MEP Application Specialist

Bill has over 20 years experience in applying AEC design solutions for large commercial companies. A graduate of Pasadena Institute of Technology, he has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill has also had the opportunity to act as Lead AutoCAD Designer for multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

September 12, 2012

Revit MEP Tip - Single Column Panel Schedules

When Revit MEP introduced the concept of panel schedule templates that enable you to control the appearance of electrical panel schedules. By default, Revit MEP will display the panel schedules in a style that has two columns, with odd numbered circuits on the left and even numbered circuits on the right, to emulate the physical layout of panels:

In order to display the circuits in a single column with each row representing an individual circuit there are a number of changes that need to be made.

Modifying the Panel Family

The panel family controls which style of panel schedule will be used in the report. To change, this, select the panel in the project, right-click and select Edit Family:


Within the Family Editor, change the value of Panel Configuration in the Properties palette from Two Columns, Circuits Across to One Column:

Use the Load into Project tool to push the family definition back into the main project.  

Creating New Panel Schedule Report

Then before you can use the new configuration, you’ll have to delete existing panel schedules based on that panel family – to do this, locate them in the Project Browser, right-click and select Delete:

Then simply create the panel schedule again with the Create Panel Schedules tool:

This time the panel schedule will have a single column, as illustrated in this example:

Editing Panel Schedule Template

In this example, there are a couple more adjustments that need to be made. For example, you may want to replace the phase column headers from “A,” “B” and “C” to “L1,” “L2” and “L3” respectively, and we can increase the number of circuits from 21 to 24, to match the slots/ways on our panel.

These changes need to be made in the panel schedule template. To know which template is being used, select the appropriate schedule in the Project Browser:

Then note the Template setting in the Properties palette (in this example “Branch Panel 1”):

Then from the Panel Schedule Templates tool on the Manage ribbon, select Edit a Template:

From the Edit a Template dialog, select the appropriate Panel Configuration (e.g. “One Column”) and then choose the Template from the list (e.g. “Branch Panel 1”), and choose Open:

This will then take you into the Modify Panel Schedule Template interface:

To change the column headers, simply select them and enter new values:

To change the number of circuit rows, select the Set Template Options tool from the ribbon, and change the value for Number of slots shown (e.g. 24):


The additional rows will be added to the template, then select Finish Template from the ribbon to save the changes. In order to see the changes, it is then necessary to delete the original panel schedule report (via the Project Browser) and then once again use Create Panel Schedule to re-write the panel schedule with the new template.





Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior MEP Application Specialist

Bill has over 20 years experience in applying AEC design solutions for large commercial companies. A graduate of Pasadena Institute of Technology, he has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill has also had the opportunity to act as Lead AutoCAD Designer for multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

August 28, 2012

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
9.5-7::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
9.10-12::San Francisco
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
9.24-26::
San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

August 27, 2012

Revit MEP Fittings and Allow Slope Adjustment

It must be the alignment of the stars or some such phenomena that I worked my way through a Revit MEP Fitting issue on a Ideate support customer case earlier this week, only to find that a few days later that David Butts (Gannett Fleming) and David Pothier (Autodesk) blogged about Revit MEP Fittings and Slope Adjustments.

In my case it was a Revit MEP out of the box WYE fitting on a sloped pipe that just would not connect correctly for the client. I found upon “editing” the family that the Revit MEP “connectors” had been set to Fitting (for the life of me I still do not know truly why) and had no ability to set Slope Adjustment.

So, the variable lets you establish whether pipe attached to the connector can be sloped. If you do not select the box, then when you apply a slope to pipe that is connected to the connector, you will receive an error message that the angle between the elements is too great, and the pipe will become disconnected from the equipment.

If you draw sloped pipe from a connector that allows for slope adjustment, the Pipe Connector Tolerance angle defined in the MEP settings of your project will determine the maximum angle that a sloped pipe can enter a connector. If the angle is exceeded, a straight run of pipe and an elbow fitting will be drawn from the connector prior to the sloped pipe.

Here is a short video showing how and where to make the change on a Revit MEP fitting.




Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior MEP Application Specialist

Bill has over 20 years experience in applying AEC design solutions for large commercial companies. A graduate of Pasadena Institute of Technology, he has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill has also had the opportunity to act as Lead AutoCAD Designer for multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

August 21, 2012

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 weeks:
8.23::San Francisco
AutoCAD Update
8.27-29::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
8.28-30::
Portland
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
8.28-30::
Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

August 16, 2012

New Revit Multi-Case Study Released by Ideate, Inc.

Ideate, Inc. has published a new entry in its Study in Success series entitled, “PAE Consulting Engineers Creates Built Environments that Give Back.”

The study details how the PAE Consulting Engineers, Inc. (PAE) firm, a provider of mechanical and electrical engineering, technology services, and architectural lighting design, made the leap from 2D to 3D design technologies. It also highlights five specific projects as case use examples.
“Scott Bevan, Electrical Engineer, Senior Associate at PAE, explains in more detail the initial impetus to adopt and implement Revit MEP by saying, ‘Part of the motivation – even before cool projects started coming in – was our clients. They had made the transition to BIM. They needed us to use Revit.’”
Five featured project summaries delineate ways in which Autodesk Revit enabled PAE to meet and exceed U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other sustainability standards: 

Bullitt Center – Headquarters for the Bullitt Foundation, Seattle, Washington; Pursuing: Living Building Status, Net Zero Energy, Net Zero Water, Architecture 2030
“Among the Bullitt Center’s many sustainable features are a 245 KW PV system, composting/micro-flush toilets, a closed loop vertical geothermal heating and cooling system, and grey and rain water reclamation. PAE Mechanical Engineer Justin Stenkamp says, ‘We used Revit to model composting toilets on all six floors, and we used Revit to model grey water system that pipes to wetlands.’”
PGE Park Stadium Conversion and Addition, Portland, Oregon; now Jeld-Wen Field; Awarded: USGBC LEED Silver. In its 2012 Design Awards program, the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter (AIA San Francisco) has named the Jeld-Wen Field Renovation as Merit Award winner, Architecture, with PAE Consulting Engineers receiving recognition as Mechanical Engineer on the project.
AIA SF calls the project “an urban planning success story balancing contemporary architecture with the historic character of a 1930s building. This sustainable development embraces its history and fully integrates a sports venue into the urban fabric, resulting in the most intimate, exciting and authentic soccer facility in the United States.”  

Portland State University (University Pointe at College Station) Housing, Portland, Oregon; Pursuing: USGBC LEED Gold
 “‘PSU College Station was also an excellent project for Revit MEP because of the sheer scale,’ says PAE Mechanical Designer Chris Morgan. ‘Revit was a great tool for the student housing area. We could fully detail each student area or room and multiply as we needed – a dozen – or hundreds of times.’”
Trillium Creek Elementary School, West Linn Wilsonville School District, West Linn, Oregon; Pursuing: USGBC LEED Gold
“Among the building’s sustainable features are rainwater reclamation, passive cooling, occupancy sensors, daylighting, a wind turbine, and photovoltaic panels. As Chris Morgan explains, ‘PAE contributions to this project help give students and staff the opportunity to implement green systems and to discover ways to contribute to energy and water conservation within their school.’” 
Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Office Building Renovation, Portland, Oregon; Pursuing: USGBC LEED Platinum
As innovators and early adopters, PAE embraced 3D design technology. Ideate, Inc. provided PAE with a broad and deep solution for adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Autodesk Revit MEP. Read the entire Study in Success: www.ideateinc.com/ideas/case

August 14, 2012

Classroom Training – Open Revit 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 weeks:
8.27-29::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
8.28-30::
Portland
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
8.28-30::
Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!