Showing posts with label Cesar Escalante. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cesar Escalante. Show all posts

January 7, 2015

Carriage Returns in REVIT Schedules

The term Carriage Return was originally coined after the lever mechanism used by old typewriters to return to the left and advance the paper to the next line.  In modern times, the concept seems to be used interchangeable between Line feed (LF) -the ASCII code (10) that move the cursor or a printer down one line (LF button in dot-matrix printers), followed by paragraph break or hard return.in current word-processing packages. Regardless of the terminology variation, when editing text notes or schedules in Revit you often need to add carriage returns. This is easily done by clicking the ENTER key.

The ENTER key breaks a text note.

Carriage returns in Schedules are a different story. Pressing the ENTER key while editing a cell in schedule would not create a carriage return, but close the edit mode of a cell. The widely known workaround is using the shortcut CTRL+ ENTER.
The CTRL + ENTER key combination would create a carriage return.

While CTRL+ENTER does work, editing the cell  to add the desire break is really cumbersome.  The schedule view would never display stacked lines, only single lines. The up and down arrow keys won’t jump the cursor to the paragraphs below, nor the PgDN or PgUP.  The only way to make edits across multiple paragraphs is by dragging the cursor to the right or left and clicking the forward or backspace as many times as needed to get to the appropriate character.

Dragging a selection of text to the cell border would move the cell string to a different paragraph line.
The drop down arrow selector on right side of the cell will reassign the text to either one of the paragraph and delete the rest. CTRL+ENTER would assign for each paragraph an independent choice. Do not use or you will have to retype the entire text note.

Do not use the drop down arrow selector in a multi-paragraph note. It will keep a single paragraph and remove the rest.
Troubling as it is, while editing multiline cells is possible, you cannot add an empty line at the end of the paragraph. The CTRL + ENTER combination at the end of a paragraph in a cell will not create a carriage return, a major formatting drawback and a long standing feature request… or is not?

We researched the issue and found a workaround reported by some users who were able to add an empty line by adding the ASCIII ‘empty space character’ code at the end of carriage return. (CTRL+ENTER followed by ALT+0160).  I was, for some reason, unsuccessful to make it work, at least on my installed RAC 2015 R2 version.

But one way I make this work (or faking it to work?) is by adding a parameter that creates an invisible narrow column with enough character values to force the return.  Here is the workaround:  I created a new parameter of the integer type, added a number of characters equal to the number of lines plus one, and reduce the column width to a single character.

Create a blank space at the end of a cell, add a parameter that create a narrow invisible column with a number of characters equal the number of lines plus one, and change the column font color to RGB 254-254-254.
RGB Color 254,254,254 will never print.

To make the column invisible, change the font color. Changing to color to true white directs REVIT to display it in Black, therefore, change color to RGB 254,254,254 which is technically a grey color so light that it would never print.  




For lengthy schedules with various paragraph lines per cell, this method would be somewhat tedious. The task, though, would be far easier if we could make the edits in Excel. Using Ideate BIMLink, you can export the data to an Excel Spreadsheets and add the ‘invisible’ characters there.
Edit all your keynotes descriptions in Excel, making sure you add manually the ‘carriage return’ where needed. In Excel, the carriage return is added manually using the ALT+ENTER combination.

The idea is to create populate the ‘invisible parameter’ with a total number of characters that equal to the amount of line spaces in a cell plus one. 

The process can be automatized using Excel formulas.  The formula parameters is explained below:
=LEN(C2)
Counts the total number of characters in a cell
=CHAR (10)
The Excel function of the ‘line feed’ (carriage return) symbol
=SUBSTITUTE(C2,CHAR(10),"")
Delete all the ‘line feed’ symbols in a cell (substitute them by ‘nothing’)
=LEN(C2)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(C2,CHAR(10),""))
Count the total number of ‘line feed’ symbols in a cell

The final formula to create a value that equal the amount of line spaces plus one is as follows:

=POWER(10,LEN(C2)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(C2,CHAR(10),"")))*10

-If the number of line spaces in a cell is 2 = 100
- If the number of line spaces in a cell is 3= 1000
- If the number of line spaces in a cell is 4 = 10000… etc.

The data can then be reimported into Revit, forcing the ‘narrow’ column to wrap and giving you that magical carriage return space.

Watch a video on Carriage Returns on YouTube.





Cesar Escalante, AIA, LEED AP, CCCA
AEC Solutions Application Specialist

Cesar has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Central America in El Salvador, a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas, and is a CCCA (Certified Construction Contract Administrator). His experience includes roles as Project Manager and Project Captain at architecture firms in Oakland, California. As a member of the Ideate Tech Expert team, Cesar teaches Revit Architecture Fundamentals and provides client support and consulting. Cesar’s interest in the built environment includes his work as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Get it. Know it. Use it.





December 30, 2014

A B C D Elevation Marks

Ever wanted to assign the letters A B C D on every interior elevation tag?  Find a way to cheat the Revit interior elevation pointer behavior and display in sheets the interior elevations the way you want.

Add text to the interior elevation mark to achieve a consistent view designation letter for every orientation.
Add text into the interior elevation marks to display a consistent view designation letter on every orientation.
Sometimes, there is a need to dummify Revit to override the default behavior in order to achieve certain tasks. In the case of Interior Elevations, the Mark Arrowheads are hardcoded to report a unique designation in line: Revit cannot have redundant detail numbers in sheets. But we can cheat Revit by adding text into the Interior Elevation Pointer family that displays a consistent view designation to every interior elevation orientation.We would need to customize the Viewport and create a dummy view title using a Generic Annotation to aggregate multiple elevations into a single Title. Learn the workaround as well as the pros and cons of this method in the tutorial on YouTube. 

Cesar Escalante, AIA, LEED AP, CCCA
AEC Solutions Application Specialist

Cesar has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Central America in El Salvador, a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas, and is a CCCA (Certified Construction Contract Administrator). His experience includes roles as Project Manager and Project Captain at architecture firms in Oakland, California. As a member of the Ideate Tech Expert team, Cesar teaches Revit Architecture Fundamentals and provides client support and consulting. Cesar’s interest in the built environment includes his work as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Get it. Know it. Use it.





December 29, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Navisworks, and Ideate Software Classes


Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 
 
12.30::Ideate Software:
Revit Auditing with Ideate Explorer for Revit
12.31::Navisworks 201:
Clash Detection

1.6::
Revit 201
:
Converting Blocks to Families & Working with 2D Content in Revit
1.8::Revit 201:
Working with Wall Types in Revit
Architecture
1.9::Revit 201:
Scheduling 201
 
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.

December 22, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Navisworks, and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
12.23::Revit 201:
Working with Parts in Revit
12.30::Ideate Software:
Revit Auditing with Ideate Explorer for Revit
12.31::Navisworks 201:
Clash Detection

1.6::
Revit 201
:
Converting Blocks to Families & Working with 2D Content in Revit
1.8::Revit 201:
Working with Wall Types in Revit
Architecture
1.9::Revit 201:
Scheduling 201
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.

December 15, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Navisworks, Civil 3D, and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
12.18::Revit 201:
Getting Started with Presentations in Revit Architecture
12.19::Infrastructure 201:
Intersection Design Tool

12.23::
Revit 201
:
Working with Parts in Revit
12.30::Ideate Software:
Revit Auditing with Ideate Explorer for Revit
12.31::Navisworks 201:
Clash Detection
1.6::Revit 201:
Converting Blocks to Families & Working with 2D Content in Revit
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.

December 8, 2014

Classroom Training - Open AutoCAD and Revit Architecture 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.
12.11-12.12::San Francisco
AutoCAD Beyond the Basics
12.16-12.18::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

1.6-1.8
::Seattle

AutoCAD Fundamentals

1.6-1.8::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
1.13::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Families
Know your software. Sign up now!

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Navisworks, Infrastructure, and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
12.9::Ideate Software:
Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink
12.11::Revit 201:
Revit MEP and Low Voltage Systems


12.18::
Revit 201
:
Getting Started with Presentations in Revit Architecture
12.19::Infrastructure 201:
Intersection Design Tool
12.23::Revit 201:
Working with Parts in Revit
12.30::Ideate Software:
Revit Auditing with Ideate Explorer for Revit
12.31::Navisworks 201:
Clash Detection
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.

December 2, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Infrastructure, and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
12.4::Revit 201:
Roofs in Revit Architecture
12.5::Infrastructure 201:
Section Sheets - Code Set Styles


12.9::
Ideate Software
:
Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink
12.11::Revit 201:
Revit MEP and Low Voltage Systems
12.18::Revit 201:
Getting Started with Presentations in Revit Architecture
12.19::Infrastructure 201:
Intersection Design Tool
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.

Classroom Training - Open Revit, AutoCAD, and AutoCAD Civil 3D 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.
12.8-12.10::San Francisco
Civil 3D Fundamentals
12.9-12.11::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

12.11-12.12
::San Francisco

AutoCAD Beyond the Basics

12.16-12.18::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
12.6-12.18::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!

Pump(k)in' Up!

Halloween provided us inspiration to put our Revit family skills to work. Find the process of creating a fully parametric pumpkin using a single point adaptive component and a divided path. This tutorial was presented at the November 14 Redwood Empire Revit User Group.
 
You can create a parametric pumpkin by nesting a repetitive single point adaptive component into a tiny circular divided path.

It’s always been in the back of my mind every Halloween day. How to create a fully parametric pumpkin? The concept was very simple. Create a single ‘wedge’ component and array it. The challenge was that you can’t create polar arrays as we know it in the Mass environment because the command ‘Array’ simply does not exist here. The other challenge is with partial elliptical profiles. Unlike Arcs and Splines, partial ellipses are rigid to control intuitively because the start and end ‘nodes’ will not reshape the ellipse size after placement. So I had to drive the ellipse size via parameters. 
 
Dragging the ends of a partial ellipse will not change the ellipse size.

I created a polar arrays of components using a divided path on a circle with visible nodes, and nesting a single point adaptive components as a repetitive component, and viola!

Find the explanation along with the video tutorial Here:




Cesar Escalante, AIA, LEED AP, CCCA
AEC Solutions Application Specialist

Cesar has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Central America in El Salvador, a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas, and is a CCCA (Certified Construction Contract Administrator). His experience includes roles as Project Manager and Project Captain at architecture firms in Oakland, California. As a member of the Ideate Tech Expert team, Cesar teaches Revit Architecture Fundamentals and provides client support and consulting. Cesar’s interest in the built environment includes his work as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Get it. Know it. Use it.





November 24, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Ideate Software, Revit, and Infrastructure Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 
11.25::Ideate Software:
Ideate BIMLink
for Revit MEP Projects
11.26::Revit 201:
Coordinating Revit Architectural Mode for Consultants
12.4::Revit 201:
Roofs in Revit Architecture
12.5::Infrastructure 201:
Section Sheets - Code Set Styles


12.9::
Ideate Software
:
Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink
12.11::Revit 201:
Revit MEP and Low Voltage Systems
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.

November 17, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Infrastructure, and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 
11.18::Revit 201:
Site Tools

11.24::Infrastructure 201:
Object & Label Styles
11.25::Ideate Software:
Ideate BIMLink
for Revit MEP Projects
11.26::Revit 201:
Coordinating Revit Architectural Mode for Consultants
12.4::Revit 201:
Roofs in Revit Architecture
12.5::Infrastructure 201:
Section Sheets - Code Set Styles


12.9::
Ideate Software
:
Revit Project Managment with Ideate BIMLink
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.

November 12, 2014

A B C D Elevation Marks in Revit

Add text into the interior elevation marks to display a consistent view designation letter on every orientation.
Sometimes, there is a need to dummify Revit to override the default behavior in order to achieve certain tasks. In the case of Interior Elevations, the Mark Arrowheads are hardcoded to report a unique designation in line. Revit cannot have redundant detail numbers in sheets. However, we can cheat Revit by adding text into the Interior Elevation Pointer family that displays a consistent view designation to every interior elevation orientation. We would need to customize the Viewport and create a dummy view title using a Generic Annotation to aggregate multiple elevations into a single Title. Learn the workaround as well as the pros and cons of this method in the video tutorial.


Cesar Escalante, AIA, LEED AP, CCCA
AEC Solutions Application Specialist

Cesar has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Central America in El Salvador, a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas, and is a CCCA (Certified Construction Contract Administrator). His experience includes roles as Project Manager and Project Captain at architecture firms in Oakland, California. As a member of the Ideate Tech Expert team, Cesar teaches Revit Architecture Fundamentals and provides client support and consulting. Cesar’s interest in the built environment includes his work as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Get it. Know it. Use it.





November 10, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Infrastructure and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 
11.12::Ideate Software:
Revit Auditing with Ideate Explorer for Revit

11.13::Revit 201:
Stairs and Railings in Revit
11.14::Revit 201:
Revit Import into 3ds Max Design

11.18::Revit 201:
Site Tools
11.24::Infrastructure 201:
Object & Label styles
11.25::Revit 201:
Ideate BIMLink for Revit MEP Projects
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.

November 3, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Infrastructure and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 
11.5::Revit 201:
Project Setup for Revit MEP

11.6::Revit 201:
Revit Server
11.11::Infrastructure 201:
Analysis for Master Planning

11.12::Ideate Software:
Revit Auditing with
Ideate Explorer for Revit
11.13::Revit 201:
Stairs and Railings in Revit
11.14::Revit 201:
Revit Import into 3ds Max Design
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.

October 27, 2014

Classroom Training - Open AutoCAD, Revit Architecture & Revit MEP 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.
11.3-11.4::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
11.4-11.6::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals
11.4-11.6::San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
11.11-11.13::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
11.11-11.14::Sacramento
Revit MEP Fundamentals
11.18-11.19::San Jose
AutoCAD Beyond the Basics
Know your software. Sign up now!

October 20, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Network License Manager, and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 
10.21::Revit 201:
Residential Construction in Revit Architecture
10.23::Revit 201:
Revit for Interior Designers
10.24::Ideate 101:
Network License Manager

10.29::Revit 201:
Getting Started with Roof Framing in Revit Structure
10.30::Ideate Software:
Revit Project Management with
Ideate BIMLink
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.

Classroom Training - Open Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, and AutoCAD 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.
11.3-11.4::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
11.4-11.6::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals
11.11-11.13::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
11.11-11.12::Sacramento
Revit MEP - Electrical Fundamentals
11.12-11.14::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
11.18-11.19::San Jose
AutoCAD Beyond the Basics
Know your software. Sign up now!

October 13, 2014

eLearning - Upcoming Revit and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 
10.14::Revit 201:
View Properties - Controlling Visibility
10.15::Ideate Software:
Revit Auditing with
Ideate Explorer for Revit
10.16::Revit 201:
Phasing A-Z
10.21::Revit 201:
Residential Construction in Revit Architecture
10.23::Revit 201:
Revit for Interior Designers
10.24::Ideate 101:
Network License Manager
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.

Classroom Training - Open AutoCAD, Revit Architecture, and Revit MEP 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.
11.3-11.4::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
11.4-11.6::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals
11.4-11.6::San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
11.11-11.13::Seattle
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
11.11-11.12::Sacramento
Revit MEP - Electrical Fundamentals
11.18-11.19::San Jose
AutoCAD Beyond the Basics
Know your software. Sign up now!