Do you know much about Autodesk Vault?  Watch this quick video to see how powerful it can be in searching through your Revit family library:

 
Video via

‪Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Vault Collaboration AEC‬‏ – YouTube

A few links to help you:

  1. You can download Vault if you are on Subscription at this link.
  2. To get started installing and configuring Vault, check out the wiki.
  3. Autodesk Vault 2012 updates can be found at this page.

Here are some links to the current updates for Vault 2011 and Vault 2012:
Autodesk® Vault 2012
Autoloader Compatibility Update
Vault 2012 Client Update for AutoCAD 2010
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 – Autodesk Vault 2012 (Server) Support Patch
Vault 2012 Client Update for AutoCAD 2011
Copy Design Hotfix
API Log In Hotfix
Check In Performance Hotfix
Custom Numbering Scheme Hotfix
Multi Issue Hotfix
Vault 2012 Documentation
Civil 3D Object Based Security Removal – Server

Autodesk® Vault 2011
Migrated Inventor 2010 Content Center Libraries, for use with:
AutoCAD Civil 3D, Vault Add-In Hotfix
Security/Property Hotfix
Multi Issue Hotfix
Multi Issue Hotfix
Autoloader Hotfix
Multi Issue Update
Move File Hotfix
MSG File Property Extraction
Hotfix – To Get Untranslated Software Strings Translated (Vault)
Autodesk Vault 2011 Update 2
Office 2010 Vault Add-in
Hotfix – “show all version” checkbox unavailable in explorer (simplified chinese only)
Hotfix – Civil 3D MAPIINSERT
Hotfix – Multi Issue Hotfix
Hotfix – Title Block Property Hotfix
Vault 2011 Client Update for AutoCAD 2010
Hotfix – Localization Check Out Hotfix
Autodesk Vault 2011 Update 1
Hotfix – CIP Hotfix

Do you have some awesome in-place families that you would like to convert to normal Component families, so that you can load them into other projects?

Here’s how:

  1. Open the Project containing the In-Place family
  2. Edit the In-Place family
  3. Select all of the elements in the family
  4. Group all of these elements using the Create Group tool.  Give the Group a name.
  5. Select the Group
  6. Do not Finish Editing the In-Place family yet!
  7. Go to the ‘R’ button (Application Menu) – Save As – Library – Group
  8. You will notice that the filetype is RFA!
  9. Save the Group somewhere.
  10. You Component Family IS the file that you just saved.

 I’m sure there are limitation to this method, but I think it is very cool.

Here is a quick video:

Credit for this tip – KarelCAD support document

Are you sick of waiting ages for a Revit walkthrough to render?  Using this technique, you can cut your walkthrough rendering time in half!  Essentially, we make half the frames we need in Revit, and then use some post-processing software to interpolate extra frames.  Here is how:

  1. Create a rendered AVI walkthrough from Revit with HALF the frames you actually want.  In other words, this walkthrough will be twice as fast as the walkthrough you will end up with.
  2. Install Adobe After Effects trial
  3. Open Adobe After Effects.
  4. New – Project
  5. Drag the Revit walkthrough file into the ‘Project’ area
  6. Right click on the file in the Project Area – Interpret Footage
  7. Set Loop = 2 times
  8. Drag the file from the Project Area to the Composition Area
  9. Right click on the file in the Composition Area
  10. Effect – Time – Timewarp
  11. Ensure speed is set at 50 (that is 50%, or half speed)
  12. Composition – Make Movie…
  13. Adjust the Output settings to suit.
  14. Click ‘Render’
  15. View your new ‘slow motion’ walkthrough

I have found this technique to be effective on a very large, 1800 frame walkthrough.  You could further tweak some settings in the Timewarp effect to get better results.  You could even try slowing the walkthrough down further – although I anticipate that the output will degrade quite quickly once you go lower than 50% Timewarp speed.

Here is a video that describes the process:

Here are a few associated posts:
Distributed Parallel Rendering in Revit

Using Avisynth and VirtualDub to join BMP to AVI

If you try to open Revit 2012 and it stalls at the splash screen, you can try ending the process WSCommCntr3.exe by accessing it in the Task Manager and clicking ‘End Process’.

The video below shows the issue:

I think that the problem is definitely related to the WSCommCntr.  This is the Autodesk Infocenter, and it should be located at:
C:Program FilesCommon FilesAutodesk SharedWSCommCntr3lib

As I state in the title, stopping the offending process is only a temporary solution.  There may be some issue that you need to correct.  For instance, my Task Manager also showed WSCommCntr2.exe and I essentially also had to stop this process to get the Autodesk Infocenter to behave.

Feel free to comment if you would like your experience with the Autodesk Infocenter.

I have previously had other issues with Revit stalling at the splash screen:
SECSplashWnd error – Revit 2010 stalls on loading

Awesome post from Klaus over at:
Revit and Camera Match / FOV and Focal Length

He provides a family file and a step-by-step process for how to match a Revit 3D perspective view with a real life camera photo. There are some nice implications to this, especially if you want to use a real life photo as a background for a rendering or other visualisation. Thanks Klaus!

Note:  his post relates especially to a Canon EOS1000D (some tweaking may be required for other cameras).

via
RevitForum Blog: Best posts of the month of May 2011

Trimble Finland Oy, a subsidiary of Trimble Navigation Limited, has acquired Tekla.  This could result in some interesting products, as Trimble has a real focus on mobile technologies.  Watch this space…and read on for some more information.

Here is a quote from the press release on the Tekla website.

The extended offer period in the public tender offer by Trimble Finland Oy, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Trimble Navigation Limited, for all of the issued and outstanding shares in Tekla Corporation that are not owned by Tekla, expired on June 27, 2011.

via
Notification of a change in shareholding according to Securities Markets Act 2:9 – Tekla

And here is a pretty big claim made by Tekla at the above link:

Tekla Corporation drives the evolution of digital information models with its software, providing a growing competitive advantage to customers in the construction, infrastructure and energy industries.

So, who or what is Trimble?  Here is some more information:

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location: including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

via
Trimble Navigation Limited – Trimble Completes Tender Offer for Tekla Corporation

Great veteran’s tip from Steve.  He explains how to reset shared coordinates to an out-of-the-box setting by Acquiring Coordinates from a default Revit template:

Once two files are sharing coordinates you can’t really remove this relationship. If you remove the link and import it again (Auto – Origin to Origin) the relationship survives.


To truly remove (really more like replace) the relationship I use a new file that is based on the stock Revit template default.rte. I import this file and Acquire Coordinates from it instead. Revit can only acquire coordinates from one source file so using a “good” one “resets” it

via
Revit OpEd: Shared Coordinates and Copy Monitor