How To Allow Duplicate Detail Numbers on a Revit Sheet (and yes it is #BadRevit)

Luke Johnson

Revit Wants you to have a unique Detail Number for each Viewport placed on a Sheet. This makes total sense, and allows you to trace from a Referencing View, through a View Tag (telling you which Sheet and Detail Number that View is on), and back again… The Viewport knows which Detail Number it is, and which Sheet is referenced from.

Ok, that is What Revit Wants. And in fact, it doesn’t allow you to have duplicate Detail Numbers,

detail%2Bnumber.png

… because that would be madness, right? Well, in some Architectural firms, they may have drafting standards which indicate something like this:

  1. We will reference Interior Elevations from our General Arrangement Floor Plan
  2. The View Tags will have letters a, b, c, d and so on for each Room
  3. These Interior Elevation views will be placed together on Sheets
  4. We will append the Room number to the Detail Number so that we can figure out which Elevation a is which…
  5. Meaning that there will be multiple Detail Numbers that could be the same on each Interior Elevation Sheet

I’m not going to speak to the validity (?) of this logic, but lets just say sometimes drafting standards from past ways of doing things don’t mix so well with Revit. How do we work around this problem?

I’m not so proud of this, but it is one of those hacks that just seems to work…

  1. Create the Viewport Title Tag with a Shared Parameter for the View Room Number, and the Detail number in one label together
  2. Use a special invisible character to make the Revit program think the Detail Number is different, when it appears exactly the same to human eyes… as I said this is bad Revit

How do you do step 2? Just copy one of these characters from your Character Map and paste it after the Detail Number that Revit doesn’t want you to have. So you type ‘a’, then press Ctrl+V to paste the special character in to the Detail Number parameter:

zero%2Bwidth%2Bspace.png

This is the Unicode character U+200B: Zero Width Space.

Oh, and have you ever wanted to get rid of that annoying question mark in a Revit Tag because there is no value? Just put in one of these Zero Width Space characters and it will go away 😉

Ok, bring on the Comments 🙂

 

Workarounds for Sharing Colour Overrides From Navisworks to BIM 360 Glue

Luke Johnson

Recently I had an issue sharing colour overrides from Navisworks to BIM 360 Glue. This has been ok for a while, but something broke. After some investigation, it turns out that one of the sub-Models in the Glue merged model was causing the problem.

I typically convert IFCs using the Link method, which results in DirectShape objects. It seems that one of the Architectural files that I converted this way from ArchiCAD to Revit and then to BIM 360 Glue was stopping the colours from getting baked into the BIM 360 Shared View.

To workaround this issue:

  1. Determine what problem model/s you have (possibly those converted from IFC)
  2. Open your Merged Model in Navisworks for BIM360
  3. Hide these problem models in Navisworks scene
  4. Run Appearance Profiler or otherwise apply colour overrides
  5. In the BIM 360 Shared Views pane, click New to make a new Shared View on BIM 360 Glue with the colours ‘baked in’
  6. Go to Glue desktop app and confirm the colours are working
  7. Then, Unhide the problem model here…
  8. And then make a new view in the desktop app
  9. This new view should have all models you want showing, and the colour overrides working ok.

On a related note, you may have seen this warning:

 
View in model is still processing and some items may not be overridden

It seems that this might put your Glue merged model in a dirty state? Try deleting all views with this message before trying to create Shared Views from Navisworks with colour overrides.

How To Display Multiple Instances of a Single Linked Revit Model In Different Ways

Luke Johnson

In Revit, each Link is bound to both a Type and an Instance. So you can have one Link ‘Type’ – relating to a single RVT file that is linked into the project. But it can be placed multiple times in the project, thus having multiple instances. In workshared projects, the Type and the Instance can belong to different Worksets.

Did you know you can use Linked Views to display two identical copies of the same linked model in different ways?

To add control, you should create 3 worksets – 1 for the Type, and 1 for each Instance, as shown below:

Then, set up two different Linked Views in that linked model. In this particular case, I want to use a model converted from ArchiCAD to a single Revit file. But I want to be able to separately load and display the Site objects, and the Building objects. So I have an Link Instance for each, and linked views for each. The whole rig can be seen in the image below.

Using the worksets, I can separately Load / Unload each Instance (closing a Workset unloads any Link instances on that Workset from memory). And using the Linked Views and Overrides for the Instance, I can display each instance as I like. I can also load both instances and show both in a ‘combined’ view.

Final note: Link Instances can be located in different positions in the Host model, and they can have different Shared Coordinates. Using the methods above, you have a lot of flexibility to be able to use a single linked Revit model in many different ways…

One Way To Work Quickly With Large Federated Revit Models

Luke Johnson

A federated Revit model is a model containing many Revit links, and they can be quite slow to work with. There are a few steps you can take to speed things up, and one of them is creating a set of fast view types and a related view template.

Here’s how:

  1. Make a View Template called “No Model” and untick all the Model categories in that Template
  2. Make a set of View Types called “Fast Plan“, “Fast Section” and so on
  3. Set the View Template for those Types to the “No Model” template you created

Now, when cutting sections or making new floor plans using these ‘fast’ view types, the view will generate quickly without any model elements. Then, you can decide if you want to switch view templates / types to something more useful for coordination or documentation.

Reset Navisworks to Default Settings

Luke Johnson

If you have a Navisworks crashing or Navisworks not starting up problem, you might try resetting Navisworks settings.

Here’s how:

  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Type %appdata% in the address bar
  3. Rename the relevant Navisworks folder here with a .bak extension
  4. Start Navisworks

Note: You can actually get to the options from the start menu, even if Navis won’t launch…

 

There are other places that Navis may stash some settings. You may also want to check out:
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/navisworks-forum/apply-simulate-manage-default-settings-automatically/td-p/2778014

Upgrading Corrupt or Problem Models in Revit, and How to Fix Spot Elevation Not Detecting Linked Element

Luke Johnson

Ok, two unrelated issues here, but both are along the lines of “weird stuff that happens in Revit that can be fixed but doesn’t always make sense”. If you use Revit long enough, you will certainly come across issues like this…

Firstly, certain Electrical penetration families were not tagging for height when using Spot elevations. These elements were in a model, which was linked into another model. The fix? Super weird one. Try turning on Lighting Fixtures in your View (in the host model). Then, those spot elevations worked… Even though the penetration family was a Generic Model with Nested Mechanical Equipment inside a link file. I’m thinking this one was either an upgrade error, or perhaps the families had some earlier history as a Lighting Fixture?!?

Secondly, I came across a Structural Consultant Design Model in Revit 2015 that doesn’t want to upgrade to Revit 2016. This is due to some corruption inside various families. Here are a few things to try… along with the ultimate solution.

1) Try opening the model in the newer version of Revit with Detach and Audit ticked, and choose Specify from the Worksets dialog dropdown. If the Opening Worksets dialog appears, Close all the Worksets and press OK. Then, Detach and preserve worksets. You should see the Model Upgrade progress dialog.

This fails with the following error:
The file cannot be opened. There are too many elements missing in it. Please contact Autodesk Support.

2) Next steps are more detailed and resulted in a successful upgrade:

1. Open in 2015, with Audit and Detach, no Worksets open
2. Save As
3. Open in 2016, with Audit and Detach, no Worksets open
a. Delete families when prompted (as you can see, it is one problem Rebar family)
b.

c. Ok to mass errors:
d.

e. Click to resolve Join errors
f. 

4. Save As
5. Setup starting view…

And here are some model tidy-up steps that I did, just #GoodRevit with some Dynamo:
6. Make these worksets:
a. Hide-CADs
b. Hide-Topo
c. Link-Control
7. Move DWGs to workset by:
a. Getting Ids in Dynamo
b.

c. Group
d. Change Workset
e. Set workset invisible
8. Move Topo to workset and set invisible

9. Acquire Coordinates from Control Model
a. Copy / paste control model from current ST file to this upgraded one
b. Link neutral coordinate file
i. Acquire
c. Then acquire from BMGR control file
d. Save

Finally, sharing with team:
10. Save to Box
11. Open in Fed
12. Glue

Building A High Performance Portable BIM Workstation – Part 3 – Software Installation and Deployment

Luke Johnson

Setting up a BIM workstation can take some time. From unboxing to actually being ready-to-work you have to go through various ‘layers’ of installation, like:

  • updating Windows
  • installing major software packages
  • installing addins
  • installing useful system utilities that speed up your day

In a large, corporate IT environment, most of this is handled by an IT department, and usually these are set up as deployment images. However, in a small or medium office, you may have to do some of this work yourself.

With that in mind, I’m sharing my notes on the steps I took to get my Metabox portable BIM workstation up and running. I may start to put links against most of these steps as time allows, because I have posted about a lot of these programs before. Feel free to comment if you have any thoughts or advice.

Installation Order – from unboxing to System Image:

  1. Windows 10 Pro (preinstalled)
  2. Sign in with a new, temporary, local user admin
  1. Do Windows Update Fix (see below)
  1. Setup E: drive (secondary large HDD, change drive mapping)
  2. Login with Microsoft (personal Id)
  3. Place OneDrive onto E: drive
  4. Change PC name
  5. Move Windows Downloads folder to E: drive
  6. Samsung Magician install – test speed of SSD. Very nice.
  7. Install Office 365 64-bit (work Id)
  8. Login with both Ids
  9. Change OneNote backup storage location to E: drive
  10. Delete previous Windows installations using Disk Cleanup
  11. All Windows updates again
  12. Box Sync install
  13. 3dconnexion software install
  14. Ccleaner install
  15. Teamviewer install, setup, login
  16. Set Desktop Scaling to 150%
  17. Revit 2015 install (not entire suite) from IDSU2015 media, perpetual license
    1. Transfer activation via Export / Import to Autodesk Id
    2. Confirm activation
  18. Building Design Suite Ultimate 2016 (subscription)
    1. Revit 2016
    2. Navisworks 2016
    3. AutoCAD MEP2016
    4. Raster Design
    5.  (not entire suite) via Install Now
    6. Confirm activation
  19. Infrastructure Suite 2017 (subscription)
    1. browser download method
    2. Revit 2017
    3. Navisworks 2017
    4. Civil3D 2017
    5. Raster Design
    6. Confirm activation
  20. Install Revit 2016 SDK R2
  21. Download and install latest version of Autodesk Desktop App
  22. Install Locate32
  23. Change Desktop App storage location to secondary drive?
  24. Autodesk Updates
    1. 2015 Updates

2016 Updates

  • Revit 2016
    • Revit 2016 Release 2
    • Revit 2016 R2 Update 6 Fixes
  • AutoCAD MEP 2016
    • AutoCAD MEP 2016 Service Pack 1
  • Navisworks 2016
    • Navisworks Manage 2016 SP4
    • SP4HF1
  • AutoCAD 2016
    • AutoCAD 2016 Hotfix 4

2017 Updates

  • Revit 2017
    • Revit 2017 SP2 Fixes
  • Autodesk Vehicle Tracking 2017
    • Autodesk Vehicle Tracking 2017 SP1
  • Recap 360 Pro 2017
    • Update 2 v3.0.2.12
  • Map 3D 2017
    • Map 3D 2017 SP1
  • AutoCAD 2017
    • AutoCAD 2017 SP1
  • 3DS Max 2017
    • 3DS Max 2017 SP2

Install BIM 360 Glue desktop app

Install latest Glue addins (Revit 2015, 2016, 2017)

Bit of a strange dialog box menu disappearing issue… so:

  1. Reinstall Chipset drivers
  2. Install Extreme Tuning Utility (for CPU overclock)

Had to manually remove ‘old’ Bim 360 glue addin from 2016 install, %programdata% location

Navisworks Exporter updates

  1. Navisworks 2016 R3 Exporter install
  2. Tested ok

Revit addin install:

  1. RTV Exporter
  2. Bonus Tools
  3. Unifi
  4. Revitlookup?
    1. All versions?

Uninstall Dynamo 0.9.1 (from 2017 install)Install Dynamo 1.1Install Autodesk ScreencastInstall Revizto

  1. Download building models

Set up Outlook

Install Firefox

Install Github Desktop

Install 7-zip https://sourceforge.net/p/sevenzip/discussion/45797/thread/3097bf8b/

Install Bluebeam Revu and activate

Reinstall Box Sync (due to some sync errors)

Install FreeFileSync

IFC Exporter Addins for Revit

  1. 2016
  2. 2017

Install Tekla Bimsight

  1. Move BIMsight storage location to E: drive

Properties+ addin for Navisworks

  1. Version 2.1.0 covers 2015, 2016, 2017

Install Advanced RenamerExport the ‘currently installed programs’ list from CcleanerInstall NotePad++

  • XML tools plugin
  • Use Language – XML for dyf etc editing.
  1. Install Paint.Net
  2. Install drivesnapshot
  3. Ccleaner – cleanup, empty recycle bin etc
  4. Revizto
  5. Create system image – done


Windows Update Fix
All Windows Updates

  1. Failed!
    1. And rolled itself back
    2. And wifi died
  2. Reset the pc using Windows Reset
  3. Connected to Lan port (no need for drivers)
  4. Internet problems so:
    1. Download all metabox drivers (1.8 Gb)
    2. Install Chipset
    3. Install Killer Wifi (2 x reboots)
    4. Killer BT (1 x reboot)
    5. Airplane mode utility (1 x reboot)
    6. Intel Management Engine interface
    7. Control Centre Utility (1 x reboot)
    8. Now, use Fn + F11 to turn off sleep mode.
  5. Almost thought wifi was working, but then…
    1. IRQL_ error again, BSOD
    2. Reboot BSOD
    1. Reset PC again!
    1. Now, use this page first https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
    2. Download 3gb and update
    3. Multiple restarts
    4. Finally windows is up to date

Other software installed:

  1. Install BD writer software
  2. Install imgburn
  3.  Install Collaboration for Revit 2016
  4. Install Killer network software (updated)

  5. 1-jpg-5367785

  6. Install Onetastic (for OneNote macros etc)
  7. Install Dynamo Studio

  8. 2-5758332

  9. Install Google Chrome (For Flux.io etc)
  10. Install JDK 64 bit

  11. 3-8519654

  12. Install Bimserver:
  13. bimserver-1.4.0-FINAL-2015-11-04
  14. bimserverjar-1.5.55
  15. Install Adobe Flash Player
  16. Install Oculus software
  17. Install Vive software
  18. Install Irfanview
  19. Install Unity
  20. Install Enscape
  21. Install Wix https://wix.codeplex.com/releases/view/624906
  22. Install Q-Dir

Other errors and notes:Boot error fix:

  1. Received the winload.efi error
  2. Disabled UEFI boot
  3. Restart
  4. Enabled UEFI boot
  5. Restart
  6. Working again

XTU Update error:

4-9006891

 

C:\ProgramData\Intel\Intel Extreme Tuning Utility\Temp
Or

Making Curved Mullions that Can Be Scheduled In Revit

Luke Johnson

Interesting question raised by Rene Pellicer Garcia on LinkedIn recently:
I found that I just couldn’t make real Revit curved mullions (of the right category, schedulable, measurable, etc). Best I could do was a geometry that looks very mullion-like, but can’t schedule it, measure it or quantify it…

It is one of those situations where there are many ways to accomplish the same task, and those methods could include:

  • Traditional family modelling
  • Adaptive components
  • Dynamo
  • Non-typical modelling (railings, structural framing etc)

I decided to give it a go with the Adaptive Component method. Here’s how I attacked the problem:

  1. Created an adaptive profile family
  2. Nested that into a 3 point Arc Mullion Adaptive family, and hosted it on the arc reference line
  3. In the Arc Mullion Adaptive, made the main mullion form from the profile and the arc
  4. Created a rig of Reference Lines to host the Arc Length Dimension
  5. Used some hosted points on the Arc as intersected references for the Arc Length Dimension
  6. Made a shared, instance, reporting parameter on the Arc Length Dimension

    https://wrw.is/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/family2Brig.png

  7. Loaded that family into the Mass form family
  8. Placed it with 3 point click placement
  9. Selected the Instance and used Repeat command to make it into a Repeater
  10. Did similar for horizontal mullions
  11. Noticed some places where it ‘broke’ – mostly where the Arc Length Dimension flips inside out or goes straight — considered making a ‘straight’ version of the family for these locations?
  12. Made a schedule, filtered by Type Mark, showing these Arc Lengths

    https://wrw.is/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/project.png

  13. For the purpose of Identification, made a quick Dynamo Script to auto-populate the Mark parameter:

https://wrw.is/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/dynamo2Bmark.png

I’m sure my solution is not perfect, but it is one way of attacking the problem. It could be finetuned to be more robust and provide a nice modelling output.

You can download my modified sample file here, containing the adaptive components.

LinkedIn discussion:
Creating schedulable curved mullions in Revit

Building A High Performance Portable BIM Workstation – Part 2 – Going Meta

Luke Johnson

What specification did I end up with?
(Read the previous Part in this series to see how we established some baseline specs)

After checking out a few different manufacturers and comparing pricing, I decided to go with a Metabox rig.

Here are the details:
Metabox Prime-X P870DM-G

  • 17.3″ 4K QFHD 3840×2160 IPS WVA Matte 60Hz (100% SRGB) NVIDIA G-Sync LED
  • NVIDIA GeForce 980 (GXX) Extreme 8GB GDDR5 VRAM with G-Sync
  • Intel Core i7-6700K Processor (8M Cache up to 4.2 GHz)
  • 64GB DDR4 2400MHZ (4 x 16GB)
  • Samsung 950 Pro 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 2TB 5400RPM Slim line HDD
  • Killer 1535 AC Low Latency WIFI and Bluetooth

As you can see, it meets the following requirements:

  • 64GB RAM
  • High end desktop gaming graphics (not mobility)
  • High end consumer CPU
  • PCIe M.2 SSD

Here are some of the other things in the box:

  • External USB Slim Blu-ray Reader/Writer Optical Drive
  • Win 10 Professional 64BIT License & Media – Installed & Ready-Out-Of-The-Box
  • 2 Year Metabox Platinum Care Onsite Pickup Protection
  • Power DVD Bluray & DVD Playback w/ Burning Suite

And here is what it looks like when compared to a Surface Pro 3 (my previous site office rig):

A__B017.jpg
Metabox Prime-X P870DM-G

I’ve been using this system for serious work for about 2 months…

  • How did I set it up, and
  • How does it perform?

We will consider these question in future parts in this series.