Encoding 64 bit Walkthrough – Codec and Solution!

Luke Johnson

Update: check out this page for the 64-bit Xvid codec

I previously described the difficulty of encoding walkthroughs on 64-bit Revit with any sort of compression codec. I did provide a workaround in this post.

However, in recent correspondence with Autodesk, a more suitable solution was revealed to me. Apparently, some users discovered that the Lagarith Lossless Video Codec works properly in Revit 64-bit. Needless to say, I was quite excited. After some testing, I can confirm that this codec works very successfully.

Here are the steps to get it working:

  1. Download the installer from here.
  2. Install the codec.
  3. Open a Revit walkthrough view.
  4. Export … Walkthrough.
  5. Follow the usual steps, but use the new codec you installed. The default settings worked for me.
  6. Wait for your walkthrough to export and check out the result!

DirectX Runtimes – download

Luke Johnson

As you know, support for DirectX is now an intrinsic part of Revit 3D hardware acceleration mode.

If you wish to install updated DirectX runtimes, go to this link (February 2010 version).

This may or may not help you if you are struggling with DirectX (Direct3D) related problems.

These runtimes are periodically updated. The June 2010 version can be found here.

Become a True Master of Revit

Luke Johnson

I received my copy of Mastering Revit Architecture 2011 yesterday, and it is truly an impressive tome! I don’t know of any other book that could so fittingly bear the designation ‘Revit bible’. At 1122 pages of Revit Architecture goodness, if it isn’t in this book you probably don’t need to know it.

I am particularly interested in the Revit Certification information. When I completed the Revit 2010 Associate and Professional Certifications, it was a real struggle to find quality information online. Well, having received the book, I don’t need to search aimlessly anymore. This book should certainly help you to prepare for and pass the Revit Architecture 2011 Certifications.

You may remember the ‘Tips and Tricks’ competition that the authors of the book held a while back, and that I was one of the winners. Here is the quote from the book (page 1069):
” What Revit Wants…is an online resource put together by Luke Johnson that is peppered with great tips and workflows with everything from tips on creating graphics to dealing with crashes. See www.whatrevitwants.blogspot.com “

If you want to become a true Master of Revit, it seems quite clear that this book will be part of that process. How can you get it? Click on this link or the image below:

And thanks Eddy, James and Phil for all your hard work, and for sharing your vast knowledge and experience.

Mimic Old Properties Dialog

Luke Johnson

Great tip from Troy Gates over at AUGI:

Default Re: Revit 2011 Properties Box VS. Project Browser
You could mimic the previous properties box by floating it over your working area and toggling it on and off with the keyboard shortcut (PP, VP or CTRL-1) or by closing with the X and reopening with right-click -> properties.

__________________
Troy Gates
Design Technologies Manager
http://www.lpainc.com
http://blog.lpainc.com
http://twitter.com/troygates

Support for non-Microsoft networks (Autodesk Support)

Luke Johnson

Issue

You want to know if Autodesk products are supported on non-Microsoft networks.

Solution

Autodesk products are designed to conform to Microsoft Network API standards. All other networks that are not Microsoft networks are considered third-party network connectivity products.For the Autodesk software to function properly, your network must provide functionality and performance consistent with the Microsoft network environment. This means that behavior not reproducible between a Microsoft® Windows® server and a Microsoft Windows client is considered a network product deviation, not an abnormality in the Autodesk software.
This is reposted from this support page.

V/G Dialog does not scroll when Overriding Category

Luke Johnson

In another post, I discussed the feedback form that allows you to make suggestions directly to Autodesk.

Yesterday, I made this suggestion:
When overriding a Category in view by using:
Select element
Right click Override – graphics in view
The resulting dialog should give focus to the relevant ‘line’. For instance, if I choose to override Railings, the dialog appears but the line for Railings is not visible – you need to scroll down to find this line in the V/G dialog. The dialog should automatically scroll and give focus to the appropriate line. Luke

And received this response:Thank you for contacting us with your feedback. When applying the override the category does get selected but the box does not scroll. It would be a nice touch if it did that action for you as well as selecting the category.
I will pass this suggestion along to the development team for further consideration.If you have a valid suggestion, I recommend that you click on the feedback form below and make yourself heard:

Want to Try Firefox 4 Beta?

Luke Johnson

It looks like Firefox 4 is going to have some very nice features, but they might be old news if you are an Apple fanboy.

To download Firefox 4 Beta (codenamed ‘Minefield’ hehe), go to this link.

Then, click on the OS version you are running (I clicked on tryserver-win32), and then download and run the appropriate ‘installer’ package.


I finished this post in the new version, so it seems to do the basics ok!

New Revit Families Guide for 2011

Luke Johnson

Wouldn’t it be nice if we got an update version of the Revit Families Guide?
Well, sadly, we don’t have it yet.


You can still access the 2010 version here and the 2009 version here.

I don’t know about you, but I would love an updated Families Guide for 2011.

Some of the information in this guide is invaluable. I have actually requested that Autodesk put together a comprehensive guide relating to Revit Categories (SR# 1-9298685321 – The help file does not describe the unique properties of each Category).

Here is an example of the information in the 2010 guide (this is copyright to Autodesk obviously):