Revit Live: Explore Your Model

Transform your Revit models into interactive visualizations you can step into and explore with Revit Live! 

This cloud-based software allows you to move around your model, from outside to in, up and down stairs, and through doors that open when you approach them. You can also easily explore the model from any height; view it from the perspective of a toddler or wheelchair user. It even comes with options to control the time of year and day, giving you a good idea of how your structure will appear in different light and weather conditions.

It’s easy to convert your Revit files into Revit Live. Simply create a 3D view that contains the things you want to see in Live. Click a button, and all your content is carried over, including materials, lights, and Rich Photorealistic Content (RPC) Families – no need to rework anything. Your terrain model will be extended to the horizon to produce a robust 3D landscape. Then it’s easy to move around and present with the simple click and drag method and by using the mouse wheel.

One of the most promising features of Revit Live is non-Revit users can really get a feel for your design without owning Autodesk Revit Software. All they need to do is download a free 30-day trial of Revit Live.

Options for exposure control and animations are available in Stingray – but I will save that for a later post.

For now, check out the accompanying video to this post to see Revit Live in action. 

For more information on the software solutions, training, and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate Inc. website.

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Jim Cowan

AEC Senior Application Specialist

Jim Cowan’s extensive AEC design industry experience, Autodesk design solutions expertise, and status as an Autodesk Certified Instructor have made him a sought after university curriculum developer, instructor, and presenter. Jim’s areas of expertise include eLearning, interoperability between solutions, and overcoming barriers to the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Educated in Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot–Watt University and in Landscape Architecture at the University of Manitoba, Jim has a special focus on sustainability issues: daylight analysis, sun studies, lighting analysis, modeling buildings, and conceptual energy modeling (models with shading devices). You can learn more from Jim on his YouTube Channel.

Revit or FormIt for Massing?

Revit and FormIt each have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to Massing. As an AEC Specialist at Ideate, I am deeply familiar with both. Here I highlight the differences and provide examples of how you can get the best of both worlds by using them together.

Revit lets you use parameters and organic forms in creating masses. However, it is not very intuitive when it comes to creating families. It requires a plan for content creation and someone with advanced skills in Family creation.

FormIt 360, on the other hand, is very intuitive and easy to use, but has no parameters to drive content form. It does create forms categorized as “masses.” FormIt files (*AXM) can be converted to Revit files and the default “masses” can be used for energy analysis and By-Face creation of Revit elements.

These two products can also work together, giving you the benefit of intuitive modeling in FormIt, and the ability to swap FormIt forms, or “masses,” for true organic masses in Revit, when needed.

Revit masses representing activities can be assembled to create a school proposal.

FormIt Groups can be easily modeled to create forms categorized as masses and convertible to a Revit mass in Revit. FormIt 360 Pro is a product in development so its features are evolving day-by-day.

A FormIt Group is used to pass changes along in a project file and to separate components. It is like a Family (Revit), Block (AutoCAD), Component (Sketchup), and a Cell (Microstation), but is editable inside of the project file.

While intuitive, FormIt also involves some planning around controlling visibility, managing groups, creating content as separate AXM files, working with Materials and Scenes, and more. Reviewing an application’s features is not enough. You need to understand how best to apply those features.

Watch my video, Revit or FormIt for Massing?, for a demonstration on how both products can be used together to leverage their strengths, as outlined below.

Revit:
+ Data rich (parameters)
+ Parametrically driven
+ True Organic Forms

FormIt:
+ Intuitive modeling
+ Familiar functionality (Sketchup)
+ Interoperability with Revit

For more information on the software solutions, training, and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate Inc. website.

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Jim Cowan

AEC Senior Application Specialist

Jim Cowan’s extensive AEC design industry experience, Autodesk design solutions expertise, and status as an Autodesk Certified Instructor have made him a sought after university curriculum developer, instructor, and presenter. Jim’s areas of expertise include eLearning, interoperability between solutions, and overcoming barriers to the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Educated in Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot–Watt University and in Landscape Architecture at the University of Manitoba, Jim has a special focus on sustainability issues: daylight analysis, sun studies, lighting analysis, modeling buildings, and conceptual energy modeling (models with shading devices). You can learn more from Jim on his YouTube Channel.

Announcing Revit Architecture Families - Online Training

Hi Folks, IX here, 

A lot has been happening in the Ideate world. Since my last post, I’ve been promoted to AEC Team Lead, but more importantly we’ve successfully launched a new virtual training platform. By extending our quality educational offerings online, we are able to keep up with the evolving demands of our industry. The Ideate team has worked hard to create a best-in-class virtual training experience for our students, including the completion of our recording room (lovingly known as the BOX).

Today, I’m proud to announce our next online open enrollment class offering: Revit Architecture Families. 

I can just hear you saying…. WHAT? An online Revit Architecture Families class?

How did Ideate come up with that?

Well, let me tell you the story. I kid you not, there I was one Friday night going home on MAX after a long week of working with the team and transitioning into my new position. I was winding down listening to Journey (Steve Perry NOT the other guy) when my cell rang. I looked down to find it was Bob Palioca calling. Well he’s the boss, so I can’t just let it go to voicemail, right? 

Here’s how the conversation went:

Eugene:

Hi, Bob, What’s up?

Bob:

Eugene! I’m out taking a walk around the neighborhood and a thought just came to me. What do you think about taking our very successful Revit Architecture Families classroom training and offering it as an online class? You know, Eugene, families are an integral part of making a successful transition to Revit and BIM!

Eugene:

You’re right Bob one of the many keys to a Revit model is the ability to create intelligent, parametric families. Creating usable/workable families in Revit could be considered the backbone of a successful model. I’ll look at the team’s schedule and see who would be the best fit to take on this project.

Bob:

No, No. I want you to take this on and run with it start-to-finish.

Eugene:

Okay I can do that. This will be a fun project to take on.

Well, okay, it didn’t happen exactly like that, but you can’t deny that creating usable/workable families in Revit is a must for a successful Revit Model and project deliverables. Plus, offering this class in an online format just makes good sense. Building on the success of our virtual Revit Fundamentals courses, the online Revit Architecture Families course focuses on the fundamentals and best practices of building usable/workable families for Revit Modeling.

Before I get into the actual Revit Architecture Families – Online class, though, let me tell you a little about how our online training works. 

Our training is broken down into four distinct sections:

• Topic Description/Lecture

• Topic Demonstration

• Topic Exercise

• Topic Assessment

Each section will be covered roughly 25 minutes, allowing the student to focus on the material in bite-sized chunks.

The Revit Architecture Families – Online class will be taught over two, four-hour, days. This will allow users to spend a half-day in training, with time left to focus on day-to-day tasks. 

Topics covered will include:

• Working with Solid and Void Forms

• Working with Reference Planes

• Tackling Project and Shared Parameters

• Guidelines for Family Organization

Now, looking to the Future. Our first Revit Architecture Families – Online class is scheduled for next week, December 15th & 16th. 

Additional online training opportunities include Revit for Interior Architecture, Revit MEP Families, Revit MEP Beyond the Basics (Project Set Up & Workflows), and AutoCAD Advanced. Needless to say, this is a very exciting time for our training department. 

I’m looking forward to teaching our inaugural Revit Architecture Families- Online class and I hope to see you there!

Cheers,

IX

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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Eugene O'Day, IX
AEC Senior Application Specialist
Eugene A. O’Day, IX, with more than 25 years of architectural and mechanical experience, offers a trained focus on all things Revit and BIM. Teaching is a passion of his. Eugene has been an instructor in undergraduate degree programs, has traveled worldwide teaching Autodesk solutions to major corporations, has taught at accredited ATCs throughout the Northwestern region, and is a frequent and popular instructor, speaker, and presenter for AUGI® CAD Camps, Revit – and related product user groups. He has also been a trusted public school district advisor on new drafting instructor hires. At Ideate, Eugene provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and AutoCAD. Eugene is also a Revit Architecture Autodesk Certified Professional.

Revit MEP Families – Diamonds in the Rough

I bet everyone asks the same question when they start to learn Revit: What is a Family?

When you start a new Revit file, you have the option to choose from Project, Family, Titleblock, or Annotation Symbol. It is easy to understand what Project, Titleblock, and Annotation Symbol are without further explanation. But what is a Family?

Families are the components you use to build your model, such as walls, windows, and doors. For the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) disciplines, Families are items like Mechanical Equipment, Electrical Equipment, and Lighting Fixtures. Each Family can have multiple types of components comprised of differing sizes, materials, or parameter variables.

One of the many keys to mastering Autodesk Revit MEP software is the ability to create intelligent, parametric Families for your content libraries. It's not as easy as simply building a 3D model. Parameters, and the valuable data they contain, make up one of the more powerful functions at the core of Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Autodesk Revit-based software products. The information contained in parameters is of special interest to MEP engineers, and any user who learns how working with parameters in Revit MEP affects project workflow, construction documentation, and the transfer of valuable data.

Recently, we started to receive more requests for training specifically related to Revit MEP Families. With the expansion of our virtual training program, now is the perfect time for us to introduce a new course focusing on those Revit Families specific to MEP projects and designers.

Scheduled over two, four-hour virtual sessions, our Revit MEP Families class will show you how to use the modeling tools in the Revit Family Editor. You will learn the process of creating intelligent parameters to properly control family dimensions, behavior, and visibility. Additionally, we will teach you how to make sure your Families "play nice" with other elements in your model.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this class, you will be able to:

• Employ the modeling tools found in the Family Editor
• Determine the correct Family template on which to base custom content
• List various types of Revit parameters, and explain how they affect your documents, workflow, and time
• Use parameters in the Family, and Project environment
• Work with nested Families
• Apply Revit MEP Connectors and understand how data flows between elements
• Understand Lookup Tables, and how to use them in conjunction with Revit MEP families of certain categories

So, whether you are looking to create that amazing Family that behaves and prints exactly the way you want it to, or want to customize an existing Family to your project needs, mastering the art of the parametric Family is a huge productivity booster, and it’s a lot of fun, too!

Join us for our first Revit MEP Families class on November 21st-22nd. Class times, and additional registration details can be found on the Ideate, Inc. website.

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Bill Johnson
Senior Application Specialist MEP/AEC Solutions
Bill has over 25 years experience in applying MEP & AEC design solutions for large commercial companies, this has led to actively developed Autodesk® Revit® implementation strategies, techniques, and procedures for architectural and MEP companies. He has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill is an Autodesk MEP Implementation Certified Expert, and has been the Lead Designer for several multimillion dollar communication sites, which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans, and equipment layouts. He graduated from the Pasadena Institute of Technology and has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

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.

8.30-9.1::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

9.8-9.9::Seattle
Revit MEP - Electrical Fundamentals

9.9::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Families

9.13-9.15::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

9.13-9.15::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals

9.19-9.28*::Online
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
*Course is scheduled over 6 (4 hour) non-consecutive virtual sessions.

Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com.

e-Learning - 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.

5.19::Ideate Software:
Revit Model Management with Ideate BIMLink 

5.20::Revit 201:
Converting Blocks to Families & Working with 2D Content in Revit

5.24:Revit 201:
Revit Import into 3ds Max

5.25::Ideate Software:
Ideate BIMLink for Revit MEP Projects

5.27::Revit 201:
Getting Started with Presentations in Revit Architecture

6.1::Ideate Software:
Introduction to Ideate Sticky

6.9::Ideate Software:
Auditing Your Project with Ideate Explorer

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.

5.19::Portland
Revit Architecture Families

5.24-5.26::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals

5.24-5.26::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

5.24-5.25::San Jose
Civil 3D for Surveyors

6.1-6.2::San Jose
Revit MEP - Mechanical Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com

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.

5.6::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Families

5.9-5.10::San Francisco
Revit MEP - Electrical Fundamentals

5.10-5.12::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals

5.19::Portland
Revit Architecture Families

5.24-5.26::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals

5.24-5.25::San Jose
Civil 3D for Surveyors

Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com

Classroom Training - Open Revit, AutoCAD and 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.

4.12-4.14::Sacramento
Civil 3D Fundamentals

4.12-4.14::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals

4.12-4.14::Sacramento
AutoCAD Fundamentals

4.14::Seattle
Revit Architecture Families

4.26-4.28::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com

Revit MEP Revisit #1 -- Easy Editing of Type Catalogs from Revit Using Microsoft Excel

A type catalog is a simple list with a range of type parameter values for a Revit family that has a considerable variety of sizes, usually a dozen or more options. Typical examples include Windows, Doors, Columns Beams and a wide range of MEP components too.

For this blog I will be using the “Supply Diffuser” family that is included with the out-of-the-box Mechancial-Default Revit MEP template file (refer to Fig. 1).  However, no matter what disciple the catalog relates to, the type catalog is a text file with the same name as the family it accompanies. It must also reside in the same directory as the RFA family file except it will have a “.TXT” extension. To add extra options one could always add extra lines of text in a simple text editor like Notepad or Notepad ++, but judging where to start typing or which values to copy is not always obvious, especially with a large number of values with long entries, if you make any mistakes you can break the catalog!

Fig. 1

Now, this particular family “Supply Diffuser”, does NOT have a type catalog with the family.  That is not a problem. For this example, I will navigate to the Revit Application Menu (the big blue R), click on the “R”, navigate down to the “export” selection and then select type catalog. This will export the current built-in family types to a text (.txt) file. Refer to Fig. 2. 

Fig. 2

Simply save this text file to the location where your family is (or will) reside.  For this exercise I created a folder for both my family and text file. Below is the example of the confusion of trying to read or edit the type catalog text file in Notepad. Refer to Fig. 3.

Fig.3

So, instead of the above, I am going to use Excel to add extra definitions like more sizes and other varying Type Parameters. To do this take a copy of the TXT file, this is the type catalog file. Taking a copy is advised just in case mistakes occur! Start the Excel application We want to start a blank spreadsheet and import the shared parameters text file into it. Refer to Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

We can do this by setting the following Opening and Import Data Options:

• Open
• Choose a Blank spreadsheet
• DATA
• From text
• Locate file
• Import
• Delimited
• My data has headers
• Comma only delimiter
• Text qualifier none (check preview)
• Next (few times)
• Finish
• Make sure that the start is at the A1 range
• OK

Refer to Figs. 5 through 8.

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Hitting OK will bring the catalog in to an easily editable Excel Row and Column format.  For the screen shot below I zoomed my sheet out.   

Fig. 9

After performing the needed edits and additions, simply save the file out to CSV format (Comma Separated Value). Remember and make sure to rename the extension (or better yet copy to a .txt format). Double-check the name of the file, it has to have the same name (as the family it relates too) and put it in the same location as where the family is located. If the family already has a catalog file, it is wise to rename the old catalog as FILENAME.OLD just in case!  Also ensure you close down Excel afterwards to remove any Windows File Locks.  Start Revit, and open a project and load the desired family, Revit will automatically look for the accompanying catalog and will display the additional family types and modified parameters that you added from Excel. 

Thank you for reading. For more information on Revit MEP and other Autodesk products, and information on training and consulting for the various products Ideate services, visit our website at www.ideateinc.com.

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Bill Johnson

Senior Application Specialist MEP/AEC Solutions

Bill has over 25 years experience in applying MEP & AEC design solutions for large commercial companies, this has led to actively develop Autodesk® Revit® implementation strategies, techniques, and procedures for architectural and MEP companies. He has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill is an Autodesk MEP Implementation Certified Expert, and has been the Lead Designer for several multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He graduated from the Pasadena Institute of Technology and has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.