First Look at Ideate BIMLink

Last week Glynnis Patterson, N.C.A.R.B., our Director of Services shared some insights gathered during recent focus groups for our in-development Ideate BIMLink - a tool designed to export Revit data to Excel where it can be easily modified, then pushed back into Revit. 

Here’s a partial list of the "Use Cases" for BIMLink developed during our Focus Groups:

• Export your Specialty Equipment of Door Parameters so that a non-Revit user can fill out the data using Excel
• Push calculated data, like occupancy loads, into your tags, with greater ease. Check out this short video to see what we mean.

• Clean up your templates by reviewing all parameter values (Type name and Type Mark for example) even while no instances exist. This one surprised me a little but when you're talking about pre-defining Type Marks, for the first time, it is amazing how painful it can be to edit each type manually within Revit...
• Gather data on hard to find fields like: Wall Orientation or Unconnected Wall Height

Thanks again to all the great firms who gave us their time and valuable input. Over the next few weeks we'll be sharing more videos of these solutions. Drop us a note to let us know what you think! bimlink@ideateinc.com

Where can you find out more about this exciting new Revit tool? Keep watching the Ideate Solutions blog for features and videos. And, we'll post the Ideate BIMLink website address here, along with a trial link, when we're ready to raise the curtain.

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Ideate BIMLink: See the Forest for the Trees

It was time to step back and take stock of our current programming effort, so last week we ran a few focus groups to learn whether Ideate BIMLink, an Autodesk Revit add-on, would be well received by our customers. Ben Bishoff, our Chief Software Programmer (and bottle-washer) wrapped up Ideate Explorer for Revit 2011 a few months ago and has been immersed in the depths of Revit data-mining ever since. We asked Ben to leave his programming lair and meet face-to-face with some customers in our Portland office to hear the unvarnished truth about our newest endeavor.

Ideate BIMLink, in a nutshell, has been designed to export Revit data to Excel where it can be easily modified, then pushed back into Revit. Some of our customers have become very sophisticated in their use of Revit. They've gone beyond the benefits of the coordinated graphical version of the model, and are beginning to really exploit the value of the non-graphical data. Ideate BIMLink liberates this Revit data and makes it more accessible via Excel.

Ben and I met 14 customers over two days to share information on how Ideate BIMLink works and to learn whether it would add value to their projects. Like all good customers, they beat us up a bit. They scoffed at a few of our notions, but also saw great potential in areas we hadn't foreseen, or had foolishly forgotten in our programming stupor. In the end we came away with some great ideas about what Ideate BIMLink can do.

- Glynnis Patterson, N.C.A.R.B., Ideate Director of Services

Glynnis is just one of the highly skilled team at Ideate, Inc. She 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 works with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and implementing best practices solutions. In her spare time Glynnis is a member of the Morristown Environmental Commission and builds Lego projects.

Stay tuned! Glynnis will be providing periodic updates on the Ideate BIMLink as the final product is honed and released.

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The Autodesk See the Advantage Virtual Event

See the difference. See the possibilities. SEE THE ADVANTAGE.

Deliver innovative, sustainable designs faster and more cost-effectively. Stand out from the competition and win more work. Make informed decisions that reduce waste and costs. It's all possible with Autodesk software.

Be among the first to see how the latest Autodesk solutions can help you See the Advantage in your project workflow. From the newest productivity features in the AutoCAD® family of products to the latest enhancements in the Autodesk solutions for BIM, Autodesk software helps manage complex tasks, support collaboration, enhance sustainable design, and increase design and documentation efficiency.

Learn more at the Autodesk See the Advantage Virtual Event, October 5th, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT. Attendance is free, simply register here.

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Mastering Revit Architecture 2011: Teresa Martin on Shared Coordinates

We really like the newly released Autodesk Official Training Guide Mastering Revit Architecture 2011 by Eddy Krygiel, Phil Read and James Vandezande.

And, we're especially pleased to see that our own Ideate Tech Expert Teresa Martin is quoted in the Shared Positioning description:

In the collaborative process of sharing information via linked models, the coordinated positioning of each model is of paramount importance. Agreement on a common coordinate system and origin must be included in every project's BIM execution plan to ensure accuracy. This section will help you develop a fundamental understanding of the coordinate systems within Revit so you can configure and manage them in your projects. For a more complete history of coordinate systems and various examples of using them within Revit, we recommend the following class material from Autodesk University 2009, available at http://au.autodesk.com/:

• AB118-3 Finding Your Way Around Shared Coordinates, By Teresa Martin, Ideate Inc.

• AB9114-1 Autodesk Revit Collaboration: Shared Coordinates for Projects Big and Small, By Steve Stafford, AEC Advantage, Inc.There are two coordinate systems in a Revit project:project internal and shared. Each system has essential features and limitations.

Project Internal Every Revit project has an internal coordinate system referred to in several places as Project. You can find this reference in the type properties of datum measuring objects such as levels and spot coordinates as well as in the settings for exporting CAD files. The project coordinate system cannot be changed and your model should be constructed within a one mile radius of the project origin. The true origin in Revit is referred to as the Project Start Up Point and the Project Base Point can be reset to this point by setting it to unclipped, rightclicking on the icon and selecting Move To Start Up Location.

A complementary component of the project internal coordinate system is the view orientation of Project North. This setting is the default and can be found in the View Properties of any plan. We strongly recommend that your model is created in an orthogonal relationship to project north or as you expect the plans to be oriented on a typical sheet. Your project's actual relation to True North will be established via shared coordinates.

Shared Coordinates According to Ideate's Teresa Martin, "shared coordinates are simply a way for the project team to utilize the same definitive work point." In other words, the shared coordinate system consists of a single origin and true north orientation which can be synchronized between models and even AutoCAD drawings.

- Excerpted with kind permission from author James Vandezande

For the ultimate real-world reference for Revit Architecture, pick up your copy of Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011.

To learn more about Revit from the Ideate Tech Experts, join Ideate Training.

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Green Building Studio: What is it? How do you get it and use it?

What is Autodesk Green Building Studio?
This innovative web-based energy analysis service can help architects and designers perform whole building analysis, optimize energy efficiency, and work toward carbon neutrality earlier in the design process.

With faster, more accurate energy analysis of building design proposals, architects and designers can work with sustainability in mind earlier in the process, plan proactively, and build better.

• Whole building energy analysis software — Determine virtual building’s total energy use and carbon footprint
• Design alternatives analysis — Consider alternatives to improve energy efficiency
• Detailed weather analysis — Extensive weather data available for project site
• Carbon emission reporting — Emissions reporting for nearly all aspects of the building
• Daylighting — Qualification for LEED® daylighting credit
• Water usage and costs — Estimated water use, in and outside building
• ENERGY STAR® scoring — Scores provided for each design
• Natural ventilation potential — Summarizes mechanical cooling required and estimates hours design could use outdoor air to cool the building naturally

Are you entitled to Autodesk Green Building Studio?
The web service is a benefit available to customers that have any of the following products on Autodesk Subscription:

• Autodesk Revit Architecture
• AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite
• AutoCAD Revit Architecture Visualization Suite
• AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite
• Autodesk Ecotect Analysis
• AutoCAD MEP
• AutoCAD Architecture

Read Questions and Answers for Autodesk Green Building Studio Subscription Entitlement to learn more about getting your copy.

How do you use Green Building Studio?
Our Green BIM Basics [i] course is an introduction to the use of BIM tools for creating sustainable and ultimately carbon neutral designs. The focus of the class is on creation of quick models for energy and lighting analysis utilizing Revit, Green Building Studio, and 3ds Max Design software. You will learn how to combine BIM and various analysis tools to create collaborative and sustainable designs throughout the entire building lifecycle. Learn easy ways to create quick study models, integrate LEED tracking and lighting simulations into their preliminary designs. And this class qualifies for Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) credits!

[i] When you see this symbol, it indicates content developed by the Ideate Tech Experts, exclusive to Ideate, Inc. Follow these links for detailed course description and registration info.

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