I tweeted this today and I thought it was worth a repost here for all the Facebook and LinkedIn followers…

There are no LODs.

There are only:

  • Design Models,
  • Construction Models, and
  • Operations Models

What does the above statement mean?

Firstly, that if you are going to try and standardise something you need to make it simple and practical. Secondly, the content of a BIM dataset is best described by its current purpose. It won’t always be a Design model. Once it starts to become a Construction Model, the Design Model needs to die or be used only for crude reference. And once it becomes an Operations Model, it may need some extra data added, but it will likely need a lot of Design and Construction junk removed.

Don’t try and make a model that lasts forever, for every purpose, and then attempt to standardise that as a point-in-time deliverable with some ridiculous metrics.

Make the BIM standards simple, practical, and closely tied to the current purpose of the model.

I have posted about WhiteFeet Tools a few times over the years, it is an impressive toolkit.

You can register and download the 2018 version here, and you can try it for free for 60 days.

  1. Fill out the form
  2. Follow the link in the email
  3. Scroll down to Download / Agree terms link
  4. Download from next page

 

Here is basic list of what’s included:

A. Sheet Manager: Links to an Excel file. Creates or updates sheets in Revit as a bulk editing process.

B. Revit-Database Link: Connect to either an Access or a SQL Server database and synchronize data in both directions.

C. Model Builder: Import and export Revit elements in a way that allows geometry exchange with other programs.

D. Area & Mass Tools: Placing unplaced areas; creating solid forms from areas; and counting the floors in a mass object.

E. Room Tools: Placing unplaced rooms; creating rooms from areas; and, creating solid forms from rooms.

F. View Tools: Creating views from rooms; tagging views; exporting images from views; and, creating sheets from views.

G. Parameter Tools: String and number manipulation; relating data between object types; and, importing and exporting of model data.

H. Family Tools: Exporting detailed information about families, symbols and tags; importing parameters; and, batch processing families.

I. Schedule Tools: Working with schedules and key schedules with Excel; editing instance values; creating a table and type schedule.

J. Management Tools: Displaying the various forms of classification use with families; and, managing attachment links.

 

The second post in this series is focused on the Project Browser. The first post in the series described how to get your user interface and lab environment ready…

Note:

Please open Revit, and open the rac_advanced_sample_project.rvt

Please download and import the supplied KeyboardShortcuts.xml

KeyboardShortcuts

You can download the rac_advanced_sample_project here

 

Let’s learn about the Revit Project Browser…

If we use the Project Browser effectively, we will be better and faster at Revit.

 

Search:

  • Use Project Browser Search – always

 

Search Exercise:

  • Switch to Site view
  • Search for “shrub” in the Project Browser (right-click to start the search command)
  • Place some more Planting around the carpark

 

Keyboard shortcut tip: try pressing Q for Move

 

Type Properties:

Type Properties Exercise:

  • Right-click on a Type in the PB to get to Type Properties…
  • Try it for a shrub type
  • Edit the Height
  • Remember: we can double-click on the shrub to jump to type properties

 

Family Preview:

Notice the Preview for supported types!

Click Preview button next to a Shrub type to try it

Surprising how many families are supported with this preview feature…

 

Type Deletion:

Right-click on multiple Types to Delete them all at once:

Type Deletion Exercise:

  • Try selecting Roof – Steel Bar Joist – Steel Deck – EPDM Membrane
  • And
  • Stair – Carriage – Carriage – Paint – 50 mm Width
  • And deleting both types at once

 

Browser Organisation for Sheets:

You can Filter Sheets in the Project Browser by the “Print Set” – that is, by saved sheet selection.

Sheet Browser Exercise:

  • Type BO to start Browser Organisation without mouse
  • Change Sheets to By Set
  • Check how that works
  • Click OK
  • Change back to All

 

Right-click for multiple ‘new’ commands

Sheet:

Legends:

Schedules:

New Schedule Exercise:

  • Make a new Wall Schedule with this method
  • While you are it, add a calculated value for Average Wall Ht like this:
  • Then pick one of the Walls and Highlight in Model
  • Then immediately pick the Section Box tool from the QAT
  • The Set Workplane to the wall (QAT)
  • Add dimension (QAT), to verify the schedule results

 

Right-click in the Project Browser:

Right-click Families node to Save All Families:

Right-click Revit Links for New Link and Manage Links:

Right-click a Sheet to Add a view:

Right-click sheet exercise:

  • Make a new A1 sheet with right-click in the PB
  • Add View
  • Add newly created Wall Schedule – will be too big

 

Revit Links:

You can Unload for yourself or everyone from the Project Browser:

 

Family Management:

Did you know that the Project Browser Families node provides access to more than just traditional component families?

For example, you can use the Project Browser to quickly select different types of Filled Regions:

System Family Management and RevitLookup Exercise:

  • Select All Instances of Concrete filled region
  • There should be 1
  • But where is it? In a workshared project we would see the view workset.
  • Go to Add-ins
  • Revit Lookup – snoop current selection
  • Find the OwnerViewId
  • Copy the Name
  • Use Search in Project Browser
  • Found it!

 

In Part 3, we will have a closer look at Revit Keyboard Shortcuts.

I’m excited to share this release with you, because it has some amazing improvements. Here are my top 3 new features:

  1. Visibility control of Linked Models. Basically, you can now turn individual models on and off like you would in Glue or Navisworks, and you can override colours! Those colour overrides can be saved into a viewpoint or issue. This is a massive enhancement.
  2. Phases Support like Revit. There are some really nice visual effects possible, now that Revizto can show you Existing and subsequent phases, along with various phase filters. This opens up a range of new possibilities for sharing and discussing work in and around existing buildings. You can now ‘markup’ a demolition phase directly in the model, and assign issues to get items resolved quicker.
  3. Clickable Links on Sheets. For sheets you export from Revit, you can now immediately jump to the related views by using the view symbol hyperlink, just like you would in Revit.

As you can see, the integration with Revit is getting tighter. This means Revizto is now even stronger for fully in-house review workflows, like model review and drawing markup within an Architectural firm. Of course, Revizto remains my favourite way to handle coordination for large multi-discipline teams, whether that be design coordination or services coordination tasks.

This image shows how you use the new Objects dialog to select ‘Links’ and then override the colours and visibility of each linked model:

What’s new in Revizto 4.4 release:
– Ability to color code links, categories and levels. New “Objects” dialog.
Visibility control of linked models and individual objects.
Phases support from Revit.
– Tag management system for the Issue Tracker.
– Clickable links on sheets.
– Console app for getting XLS reports from the Issue Tracker.
– Ability to attach new file formats to issues. The complete list of supported formats: pdf, txt, csv, xls, xlsx, doc, docx, jpg, png.
– Interface improvement. 3D tab: reconfigured toolbar.
– Brand new installer. Minor updates will come through as patches, containing only the differences and therefore being much less in size.
– Rhino support (direct plugin in Rhino).

Here is a direct link to the release build, or you can download from here:

https://storage.googleapis.com/builds.revizto.com/MSI/Revizto(x64)-4.4.39337.msi

Here is the release video, which goes over the new features:

While I’m at it, here are the resources from my BILT session on Revizto, which included a preview of 4.4:

BILTANZ2017 Revizto Handout

BILTANZ2017 Revizto Presentation

BILTANZ2017 Keynote Presentation

This recent announcement revealed some new features coming to 3dsMax 2018.1, primarily a real-time VR engine in Max based on Stingray. This page has the steps to install it. Basically, you install update 2018.1, then install Max Interactive:

Here are some ‘facts at a glance’ coming from Autodesk:

What’s the news with 3ds Max 2018.1?

Autodesk 3ds Max 2018.1 now includes 3ds Max Interactive, a real-time engine based on Autodesk Stingray. This new 3D to VR workflow is designed to provide 3ds Max users with a new way to create interactive and virtual reality (VR) experiences. It is included with the 3ds Max 2018.1 update.

 

Who is 3ds Max Interactive designed for?

3ds Max Interactive is a real-time engine for design visualization specialists based on Autodesk Stingray. It can be used in a number of different contexts but its focus is on helping to simplify the process of turning animations, such as architectural visualizations, into stunning virtual reality experiences.

 

How does this relate to Autodesk Revit Live?

Autodesk is committed to creating VR solutions for the widest spectrum of users.  Last year we rolled out Autodesk Revit Live, the powerful, easy-to-use cloud-based visualization service for architects that transforms Autodesk Revit models into VR experiences in one click. Autodesk Revit Live is designed for architects who require a solution to quickly explore, understand, and share Autodesk Revit designs on their desktop or in virtual reality.  The new VR tools in 3ds Max 2018.1 we are announcing today are aimed at design visualization specialists working to produce high-end, photoreal experiences. With the new 3ds Max to VR workflow, we’re shoring-up data drudgery with capabilities like support for translating materials from the popular V-Ray renderer in 3ds Max to VR – freeing visualization artists to focus on the part they care most about: creating stunning imagery.

 

How much does 3ds Max Interactive cost?

3ds Max Interactive is available to all current 3ds Max subscribers – either as a standalone product, or as part of an Autodesk industry collection – at no additional cost. It cannot be purchased separately.

Links:

Process Explorer is a free and very powerful task manager that let’s you really see what is going on with your system… One of those things every IT person should have in their toolkit. You can get it here:

 Download Process Explorer (1.8 MB)

from this page

and here’s how to find out which process or program is locking a file or directory in Windows:

Go to Find > Find Handle or DLL. In the “Handle or DLL substring:” text box, type the path to the file (e.g. “C:\path\to\file.txt”) and click “Search”. All processes which have an open handle to that file should be listed.