Modeling a building will be just like playing a game

Luke Johnson

There has been a lot of talk recently about real time rendering, about using game engines as visualization tools on BIM platforms, and generally about making an awesome 3D development environment that allows for instant and immersive presentation of the building model.

I don’t think that this environment exists quite yet – either the tools are too game oriented, or they are too building oriented.  We don’t have one tool that just hits all of the sweet spots.  But one day … one day I think we will.

Can you picture a day when work and play will be somewhat synonymous?  When the software you are using to design a building will allow instant visualization?  It will allow you to fully apply real environments, real weather, real materials – and see the effects in real time.  Navigation will be intuitive, first person, and fast.

There are a few tools and technologies that are getting there.  Below I have provided some links that talk about Unity 3D, Twinmotion and Showcase.  To be brutally honest, I have Showcase installed but I balk at the prospect of learning and implementing another tool – I want it to BE Revit.  Built in.  Don’t increase the amount of software in my ecosystem – reduce it.  Please.

I assume that the same goes for Revit, but passing by 3ds Max instead of Cinema4D.
http://archvirtual.com/2011/11/15/archicad-to-unity3d-and-more-about-revit-to-unity3d/

http://www.slideshare.net/stefanboeykens/using-3d-design-software-bim-and-game-engines-for-architectural-historical-reconstruction

Various real time visuals:
http://insidethefactory.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/11/realtime-rendering.html

 Image from http://www.flashscope.com/blog/unity-3d-new-dimension-for-game-development/

Top 7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Expect too much from Revit

Luke Johnson

Actually, there is only one main reason.  Biased and overly optimistic blog posts and marketing dogma do not really benefit long-term Revit adoption.  They often lead to inflated expectations.  These balloons of hope will eventually burst, resulting in tears and angst and general dissatisfaction. 

Revit is a powerful and useful software tool.  But it isn’t the answer to all of life’s problems.

Here is an example of what looks to be a ‘biased’ or super-positive post (with some affiliation to BluEnt).  I found a few of the comments quite funny (in bold below):

Autodesk’s Revit suite has the highest market share in the pie of BIM software industry, indicating its acceptance and popularity among the global fraternity of architects.

With Revit software, architectural designers can quickly sketch a rough layout of the floor plan, or make changes to the standard set of building designs and instantly let their customers preview their future homes.

 BIM authoring tool Revit software comes with a full set of parametric building design components.

3D modeling capacity of Revit architecture enables designers and drafters to easily identify the clashes and areas of congestion, and resolve them early in the process. It results in error-free and high quality construction documentations.


A total understanding by everyone on the project of what’s happening removes the design conflict and risks. 

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did.

Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Use Revit Building Information Modeling Software

Revit Makes You Happy

Luke Johnson

Well, it can make you happy. A lot of it depends on your attitude. Nice feel-good comment on Autodesk BIM Blog quoted below:

Revit also plays in your personal life a great role. Both agree, Matthias Spiss: “We often discuss until late in the evening on the creation of families and recognize that it is absolutely beautiful, in relationships and at work to have the same interests.”; Bernet Tanya: “Revit has made us happy 🙂 ”

Google Translated

Original post

Show only if Instance is cut – categories and workaround

Luke Johnson

Have you struggled with the Show only if Instance is cut option in the family element visibility settings.  Was it grayed out?

The following highlighted categories (wall hosted) have ‘Show only if Instance is cut’ option enabled, at the moment in Revit Architecture 2012.

Casework
Columns
Doors
Site
Structural Columns
Structural Foundations
Structural Framing
Windows

via
Revit Sticky Notes: 2D Symbolic Line & ‘Show only if Instance is cut’
(includes workaround)

Fix Import and Link DWG of Diameter Symbol Control Code

Luke Johnson

In AutoCAD, you can type %%c and it will get translated into a diameter symbol.  Other control codes may be found here.

However, I have found that this method does not import into Revit correctly.

Instead, you need to use the Alt+0216 code in the AutoCAD DWG file.  When this is imported or linked into Revit, the diameter symbol will display correctly.

You can use the FIND command in AutoCAD to quickly find and replace the offending %%c diameter symbols with Revit-friendly Alt+0216 diameter symbols.

Image and video below to demonstrate:

For related information, check out:
What Revit Wants: How to add symbols to Schedules and Text in Revit

This recent post by RevitKing has a nice list of the main codes you will use:
Revit.King’s BIM coordinator/ Revit Blog: Adding Revit text symbols like (diameter)

ƒ = ALT +0131
™ = ALT +0153
® = ALT +0174
© = ALT +0169
° = ALT +0176
± = ALT +0177
² = ALT +0178
³ = ALT +0179
× = ALT +0215
Ø = ALT +0216
÷ = ALT +0247

Tips for Good Revit model maintenance and better performance

Luke Johnson

Nice ‘checklist’ style post over at RevitKing.  Most things just come back to sensible modelling:
Revit.King’s BIM coordinator/ Revit Blog: Optimal performance for Revit!!!

One of the tips:
Create a family component instead of in-place families when possible, especially for repetitive components. Each in-place family has separate type attributes that Revit has to reference.

To implement this on an existing model, you could convert some of the in-place families to Component families using this method.

Free Autodesk Book – Imagine Design Create (not 446 mb)

Luke Johnson

If 446 MB is a bit steep for your Ipad, maybe an 18 MB PDF is more appropriate?
Download this .pdf version of the first Autodesk design book to view on your computer or tablet device.

Imagine Design Create (pdf – 17793Kb)

via
Autodesk – Book – Imagine Design Create

This is not exactly the same as the interactive Ipad app, but it seems much of the printed content is similar.  Here is a link to the free Ipad app:
Autodesk® Imagine, Design, Create
By Autodesk Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/autodesk-imagine-design-create/id479894743?mt=8

Musings on Autodesk's Develop or Buy approach

Luke Johnson

It’s not quite ‘Live Free or Die’, but Autodesk needs to acknowledge the dichotomy that exists between these two aphorisms:

  • Develop innovative software
  • Buy someone else’s innovation and integrate it into your own homogenous ecosystem

I enjoyed the following paragraph from SARUG:

One thing is very clear, Autodesk needs to seek out, listen and respond, through product development, to the end users of their products in order to prioritize and target improvements to their software.  Without that tactical approach they run the risk of client migration to another more responsive solution, (can you say “AutoCAD to Revit (pre Autodesk) circa 2000”) and will be relegated to buying innovative solutions rather than developing them and then having to deal with the two way communication issue anyway.

via
SARUG End of Year Meeting 2011 � Southern Arizona Revit User Group