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 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. 

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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.

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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

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AutoCAD MEP -- Takeoff Anchors

Consider the simple duct arrangement below. The duct has two takeoffs connected to it. The first was added when a branch was connected to the main run. The second was added independently using the “Add Duct Fittings” dialog (easily done using “Add Selected” with the first takeoff).

 

The takeoffs may look identical but they will be added with a different anchor.

 

Basic Anchor

Select the first takeoff that got inserted with the duct, right-click and choose “Properties” and navigate to the “Anchor” table in the Advanced panel of the dialog. Notice, how you can use this to adjust the position of the takeoff along the duct but not its vertical position. 

Takeoff Position Anchor

If you look at the “Duct Fitting Properties” dialog for the second takeoff that was inserted independently, you have a “Takeoff Position” anchor instead which as some additional options.

Within this dialog, we can set the anchor to position above or below the center of the duct. For example, the second takeoff is now positioned on the “Left” face with a 2 inch offset from the top of the duct:
  

One point to note; the “Left" ( or Right or Top or Bottom ) side of the duct is relative to the direction that the duct segment was drawn in.  
 

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Bill Johnson
Ideate 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 a 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.

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Hidden feature of InfraWorks: How to Create a Non-symmetrical Roadway Section

If you have been using InfraWorks for a while you would know that most roadway styles that come shipped with the software are for symmetrical roadway. There is not enough documentation on how to create a non-symmetric section and it is unintuitive. In this blog post I expose a little trick and this hidden feature.

So here a screen shot of the typical symmetric roadway section.



You want to go from the above to the following – No Passing zone…



Or a bike lane…



Now that I have your attention – here is how you achieve this:

In the Style Edit dialog box the Track Settings frame highlighted in red…



…has a few buttons at the bottom to edit/modify the roadway section. What is apparent is that if you select a row in the Right Group or Median Group and use the above mentioned buttons you can modify section. For example, add/modify lane/sidewalk width, etc.

Here is the important part – what is not apparent is that if you click on the row Right Group, not a row within the Right Group, you end up selecting the whole Right Group and then if you use the last button highlighted in red below…



…you get the Left Group…



Now you can modify this Left Group to create a section per project requirements. In the interest of time and simplicity I completed the left group as shown below. You can see the it has a bike lane.



And that’s it!

Now if you have not customized styles in InfraWorks look for my blog post about how create/modify styles in InfraWorks.
 

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Gaurav Bagga
Ideate 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

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Working with Parts in Revit

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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

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Ideate, Inc. Announces a New Update for Ideate Explorer for Revit

San Francisco, CA, 12/18/2014–Ideate, Inc., a multi-decade veteran Autodesk Developer Network member and Autodesk Gold Value Added Reseller today announced the availability of Ideate Explorer for Revit 2015.1. This Ideate Software solution includes enhanced functionality customers have requested, specifically a modeless interface. Now, users will be able to work in the Autodesk Revit and the Ideate Explorer for Revit environments at the same time. 

Ideate Software is a set of far-reaching Building Information Modeling (BIM) data management tools that help the Revit community clean up models, delete problem items, analyze files quickly, improve speed and accuracy in data flow, increase collaboration and overcome repeated workflow interruptions. 

This recent Ideate Explorer for Revit update provides BIM and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) managers, project leaders, facility managers, architects, engineers, and other users an enhanced tool for model auditing, power selection and model maintenance. With it, they can get a global view of model contents, and locate, isolate, modify and/or effectively delete unwanted elements from the Revit model.  

Ideate Director of Software Development Glynnis Patterson says, “This new release lets our customers delve both deeply and seamlessly into their Revit files, since they can now work in Revit and Ideate Explorer at the same time. We make sure our BIM data management solutions are robust and our updates meaningful and frequent. This new functionality answers a No. 1 customer request.”

Bob Palioca, President, Ideate Inc. says of the new Ideate Explorer release, “As our AEC customers ask for greater speed and fluidity in our Revit-based solutions, we respond. This point release is another leap forward in our ongoing commitment to our customers’ success.” 

Customers who tested the new functionality offered comments on the most valuable aspect of Ideate Explorer to their workflows. Marcus Roman, Associate/Architect for NBBJ, noted greatest value in “Being able to quickly see elements in the model and identify errors.” Andy Brahney, Senior Revit Technician at Ramboll UK said, “Being able to find which workset elements are on; this helps greatly with the QA process.” And, Dan Dankert, CAD/BIM Manager for Mead & Hunt acknowledged, “Finding lost and incorrect objects.”

Ideate Explorer for Revit carries a five star rating on the Autodesk Exchange Apps Store, and is available with a non-commercial free trial. For more information, call 888.662.7238, contact sales@ideatesoftware.com, and for support, contact support@ideatesoftware.com.

About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years’ experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM). As an Autodesk solutions provider, Ideate has offered quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries since 1992. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and operating Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) in California, Oregon and Washington, Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization. 

Ideate Software is a comprehensive set of far-reaching BIM data management tools. Ideate BIMLink powers the “I” in BIM, allowing users to pull data from an Autodesk Revit file into Microsoft Excel for fast and precise editing, and push the data back into Revit with equal ease. Ideate Explorer for Revit lets users search, filter, quantify and select to easily manage the 100,000+ elements in a Revit model. Both solutions help Autodesk Revit users solve problems in AEC workflows and help the Revit community leverage BIM to its fullest advantage. 

Autodesk, Autodesk Revit and ATC are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

This post was originally published on the Ideate Software Blog.

# # #

Average Estimated Illumination and Gradient Color Fill Plans

Using color to fill to indicate value in Revit MEP models can visually convey data in a meaningful way. For example, indicating average illumination with meaningful colors, red for high lux, yellows and oranges for mid lux, and green for low lux can help one make more sense of a model with a quick glance than having to reference and re-reference the legend when using neutral and/or non-ordered color fills. Follow this Revit MEP workflow to customize the color fill in your models. 

Place the color fill legend anywhere in the drawing area to describe the color scheme used in the view. 

1. Open a floor plan view or section view. 
2. Click Annotate tab Color Fill panel(Legend). 
3. Click in the drawing area to place the color fill legend. 
4. In the Choose Space Type and Color Scheme dialog, select the space type and color scheme, and click OK. 

If the color fill legend that displays does not reflect the color scheme that you want to use, do the following: 

1. In the drawing area, select the legend. 
2. Click Modify Color Fill Legends tab Scheme panel Edit Scheme. 
3. In the Edit Color Scheme dialog, select a different color scheme from the list, and click OK. 

You can also create a new color scheme in this dialog. 

In the illustration below is a typical Average Illumination color fill in Revit MEP. Although the legend indicates the lux level next to a color, the range of colors used is not particularly indicative of the value. 

A better representation would be to use a range from green, through yellow to red, as illustrated with this alternative color fill where green rooms have a low lux level and red rooms have a high lux level, and yellow is used for the mid-range: 

This can simply be set up by manually assigning colors using an RGB value. Let’s take a look at the RGB values of green, yellow and red: 

In order to change from green to yellow, we simply increase the R value incrementally from 0 to 255, then to change from yellow to red we simply decrease the G value from 255 to 0. Let’s consider a lux level range from 0 to 500+ and interpolate the appropriate RGB values: 

These can then be easily assigned to the Color Fill in the Edit Color Scheme dialog:

For more information visit our website at www.ideateinc.com

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Bill Johnson
Ideate 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 a 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.

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Phase Mapping Linked Revit Models in the Plan

Recently we had a support case here where all of the Phases were showing up in plan from a linked Revit Model and not being controlled by the current View setting in the Primary Model. The Primary Model and the Linked Model were created from the same Template with 6 Phases created with the same name in each. All of the Model elements were in the correct Phase and the all the Views were set to see only the Phase needed for that part of the project. What went wrong? Phase Mapping.
 
View the Autodesk Revit Help files for issues with phase mapping linked Revit models.

Also, for information on training and consulting for the various products Ideate services, visit our website at www.ideateinc.com

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Bradley Cooley
AEC Application Specialist
Bradley earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon, the Portland, Oregon campus, where his special research and design emphasis was on commercial production facilities including wineries, breweries and distilleries. Bradley’s professional experience has a design focus on build services for residential construction and environmental graphics. Within his community, he volunteers as a youth athletics coach. As Ideate's Services Manager and a Revit Instructor, Bradley provides Revit MEP training and support for AEC firms. He is based in the Ideate Portland, Oregon office.

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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

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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

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Using Filters to Hatch Cable Tray in Revit MEP

Display Filters & View Templates

In many system drawings there is a need to differentiate between different types of Cable Tray elements in coordination and dedicated electrical drawings.

Standard display of the Cable Tray using fine settings from the Electrical-Default template

In traditional CAD this was achieved by using different Layers and although we have similar methodologies in Revit via the System Styles where we can set colors and patterns by category there is often a need to show certain items, like cable tray differently, even though they may be of the same category.

The main reason for this paper is that I was asked today by one of my students, "What is the easiest way to hatch cable tray in Revit MEP to indicate the different types of cable tray that has been installed on a project." There are several ways this could be accomplished. You could simply use the Filled Region to manually hatch the cable tray. While this is the most simple, it is tedious and time consuming.

Method 2 would be to use Phases inside of Revit MEP. You could set up some phases and change the graphics of the phases to indicate the hatching. This is easy enough, but almost an over kill.

The method I ended up recommending is to just use View Filters. You can simply create a new filter and change the graphics of the filter to have the hatch pattern.

To this end I created a short video to share with my students and thought it might be helpful for others. Watch the video Here.

For more information visit our website at www.ideateinc.com

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Bill Johnson
Ideate 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 a 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.

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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

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Civil 3D Fundamentals

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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:

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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.

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Ideate, Inc. Publishes Ideate Software Presents: Spotlight on Aperte Design

San Francisco, CA, 11/25/2014–Ideate, Inc., a multi-decade veteran Autodesk Developer Network member and Autodesk Gold Value Added Reseller today announced the publication of its latest “Spotlight on” customer success profile featuring Aperte Design and its use of Ideate Software. Of specific focus is the firm’s use of Ideate BIMLink. 

Ideate Software is a set of far-reaching Building Information Modeling (BIM) data management tools that help the Revit community clean up models, delete problem items, analyze files quickly, improve speed and accuracy in data flow, increase collaboration and overcome repeated workflow interruptions. 

San Francisco, California-based Aperte Design, headed by Revit Specialist BIM consultant Nancy McClure, CSBA, LEED AP, works with multiple design teams to define workflow processes that leverage software tools to streamline tasks, which in turn allows teams to spend more time focusing on their designs. On projects ranging from government research labs to grand scale transit-oriented housing developments, McClure integrates Ideate BIMLink into many workflow processes, from early stage Programming through to documentation data management. 

McClure notes that with the help of Ideate BIMLink, she is shifting teams away from isolated design tasks to workflow methods that leverage data more globally. She explains, “Ideate BIMLink breaks down key category barriers in Revit, allowing project data to be broadly referenced without duplication and risk of error.” 

Bob Palioca, President, Ideate Inc., says about the shift away from tedious, error-prone data entry toward higher value design tasks, “It is a source of great delight to know our Revit-based solutions are helping our customers continually improve and enhance their Revit workflows. “ 

Ideate has published “Ideate Software Presents: Spotlight on Aperte Design” online. Download the Customer Spotlight Success Study.

Ideate BIMLink carries a five star rating on the Autodesk Exchange Apps Store, and is available with a non-commercial free trial. For more information, call 888.662.7238, or contact sales@ideatesoftware.com.

About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years’ experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM). As an Autodesk solutions provider, Ideate has offered quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries since 1992. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and operating Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) in California, Oregon and Washington, Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization. 

Ideate Software is a comprehensive set of far-reaching BIM data management tools. Ideate BIMLink powers the “I” in BIM, allowing users to pull data from an Autodesk Revit file into Microsoft Excel for fast and precise editing, and push the data back into Revit with equal ease. Ideate Explorer for Revit lets users search, filter, quantify and select to easily manage the 100,000+ elements in a Revit model. Both solutions help Autodesk Revit users solve problems in AEC workflows and help the Revit community leverage BIM to its fullest advantage.

Autodesk, Autodesk Revit and ATC are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

This post was originally published on the Ideate Software Blog.

# # #

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

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Civil 3D Fundamentals

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Revit Architecture Fundamentals

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Ideate Software Reception at Autodesk University 2014

Register For the Reception Here! 

Customer Appreciation Reception:
As an Ideate customer, you are invited to attend our Ideate Software user group meeting and customer appreciation event during AU 2014.

Please join us for a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception the evening of Tuesday December 2nd, at the beautiful Aureole Las Vegas in the Mandalay Bay Resort. We look forward to spending the evening celebrating a great and productive 2014, with plenty of BIM chat as well. 

Tuesday, December 2nd 2014 
8:00pm-10:00pm 

Aureole Las Vegas (map) 
Mandalay Bay Resort 
3950 Las Vegas Blvd South 
Las Vegas, NV 89119 

Come See Ideate Software Booth at Autodesk University 2014: 
Thank you for your continued support of Ideate Software. We look forward to seeing you at AU in December. Join us at booth 164 to check out the new developments with Ideate Software and how it can enhance your Revit workflow. 

Event: Autodesk University (AU) 2014 
Where: Booth 164, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada 
When: December 2–4, 2014 

For more information: View the full invitation. Register here. 

Ideate Software keeps you on the leading edge of BIM.

This post was originally published on the Ideate Software Blog.

Going from the Field into Revit via Ideate BIMLink

Many Ideate BIMLink customers are leveraging coordinate data in new and exciting ways. In an earlier blog post we wrote about taking Revit data from the BIM and into the field and now, with the newest version of Ideate BIMLink (for both 2014 and 2015), we have added the ability to go from the field and into the Revit model. This means that the surveyor can go out and locate the actual spots for footings, columns, etc., and import that via Ideate BIMLink to update the model information to match the as-built surveyed data. 

‘Out-of-the-box’ content to support going between the field and the Revit model with coordinate data.

The “Generic_Model-Survey_Pts” link is just one of the out-of the box samples that ships with Ideate BIMLink and can be found within the Construction Links folder as shown. This link supports a workflow which exploits the new ability within Ideate BIMLink to relocate Generic Model and Mass elements by directly editing the XYZ values. 

Use Ideate BIMLink to edit the XYZ values of Generic Model instances to locate survey points within your Revit model:

 

Work-plane based Generic Model elements have editable XYZ values.

This process is documented within the online help topic. Let us know what you think AND also how else you’ll be leveraging your Building Information Model data with this new functionality! 

This post was originally published on the Ideate Software Blog.

About the Author

Glynnis Patterson, NCARB – Director of Software Development 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 Software Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients worldwide, developing, and consulting on solutions to Building Information Modeling challenges. In her spare time Glynnis does volunteer work for eclcofnj.org and growitgreenmorristown.org. @GVPinNJ