Tag: ifc2x4

Improving your Navisworks Skills (book and other updates)

Luke Johnson

I am loving Navisworks more with every passing day.  A job doesn’t have to be a fully collaborative / coordinated project in order to get benefit from Navis.  Here is a collection of recent information and resources relating to Navisworks.  Hope you find something interesting!

Firstly, a link to the Navisworks updates page.

On Revit – Navisworks implementation generally:
“… contractor will import the Revit model into Navisworks and use Navisworks to ‘virtually construct the building’, creating construction sequences to ensure every element slots into place, almost like a jigsaw. Linking the model to packages like Microsoft project will allow digital construction monitoring against the project schedule. This is happening all over the world…”
via
http://revitst.blogspot.in/2013/08/revit-collaboration.html

Using Catalogues in Navisworks Quantification:
http://beyonddesign.typepad.com/posts/2013/08/using-catalogues-in-navisworks-quantification.html

Coordinating Models stored in Vault using Navisworks:

http://beyonddesign.typepad.com/posts/2013/08/managing-your-discipline-and-coordination-models-with-autodesk-vault.html

Up and Running with Autodesk Navisworks 2014
by Deepak Maini

I have been reviewing this book and I really enjoy its content.  It is detailed, comprehensive and easy-to-follow.  Highly recommended for those who are learning Navisworks or those who want to increase their proficiency and efficiency when using Navisworks… More on this book in a future post.

Downloads (via this):
Table of Contents
Tutorial files

Australia / NZ purchase page:
here

Amazon page for the Up and Running book:
http://www.amazon.com/Up-Running-Autodesk-Navisworks-2014/product-reviews/1482605279

Training course by Deepak:
http://www.cadgroup.com.au/community/blog/cadblog/index.php?showentry=330

4D IFC Importer for Navisworks Manage 2014
At this point in time, you can’t create products in Navisworks from the API, but if you import the IFC using the native importer (IFC2x3 only), then you can run my IFC enhancer (plugin can be downloaded from http://www.geometrygym.com/downloads ) which can generate the timeliner tasks and identify the ifc products by their unique identifiers.
Download:
ggNavisIFC2014x64 v0.0.02.msi (18th October 2013) Navisworks 2014
New plugin to extract 4d information from IFC files and convert into Navisworks timeliner.

Read more:
http://geometrygym.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/navisworks-4d-ifc.html

You can break Revit by making Room families

Luke Johnson

Part of knowing What Revit Wants, is also knowing what it Does Not want.  Sometimes, you can push the hack (or workaround) that step or two too far… and the result is unpredictable, buggy and kinda useless.

In the past, I have used various methods to create inplace or component families that are not ‘officially’ or natively available.  In this particular instance, I used the IFC round trip method to force the creation of an Inplace family with Category set to Rooms.  I also pushed this into a Component (loadable) family.

Great!  I have Room families.  But guess what?   The result is unpredictable, buggy and kinda useless.

In fact, if you open these projects, make some Room Separation lines and then try to place a Room, I would estimate that in 95% of cases, your Revit has already crashed.  The families will not accept a tag, and they won’t schedule.  They seem to just sit there, destabilizing your Revit environment.  So why post about it?  Well, basically so that you can add this workaround to the aforementioned list of something that Revit (currently) does not want.

I have provided both 2013 and 2014 versions for your download and testing here:
RVTs that will crash Revit

IFC Exporter for Revit 2013 updated to v2.9 (list of fixes in post below)

Luke Johnson
via email
You are getting this message because you downloaded a version of IFC Exporter for Revit 2013 or Revit IFC Export Alternate UI prior to March 29, 2013.  We have posted an update to the IFC Exporter for Revit, which you can get to using the links below:

IFC Exporter for Revit 2013 (v2.9):
http://apps.exchange.autodesk.com/RVT/Detail/Index?id=appstore.exchange.autodesk.com%3aifcexporterforrevit%3aen

Updates from version 2.8.1 are listed below.  Please upgrade to the newest version!  Please note that there is no update to the corresponding Alternate UI in this update release.

If you do not wish to receive upgrade notices, please reply and I will make sure you don’t get these notices in the future.

Regards,
Angel Velez
Senior Principal Engineer
Autodesk, Inc.


What’s new for IFC Exporter for Revit 2013 v2.9:

New Functionality:

– Add/fix property sets: Pset_SpaceThermalDesign, PsetSanitaryTerminalTypeToiletPan
– Add support for IfcBuilding Description and LongName.
– Add support for IfcBuildingStorey Name override, ObjectType, Description, and LongName.
– Allow exporting a Revit Assembly as an IfcSystem.
– Allow exporting a Revit Floor as an IfcFooting.
– Parameters in Revit no longer have to have the same base type as their corresponding IFC property. For example, an IFCTEXT property in IFC could now have a corresponding “Number” parameter in Revit.

Bug Fixes:
– Add material associations for FabricSheets.
– Change the precision given in IFCGEOMETRICREPRESENTATIONCONTEXT to VertexTolerance/10 (about 1/1600″).
– Create local placement closer to geometry for many Family-based instances.
– Don’t create orphaned IFCAXIS2PLACEMENTs with invalid IFCCARTESIANPOINT references.
– Ensure that the IFCFACEOUTERBOUND for an IFCFACE with more than one boundary corresponding to the boundary with the largest area.
– Export rooms, areas, and MEP spaces when exporting 2nd level space boundaries, even if they aren’t part of the energy analysis model (like gross design areas).
– Fix duplicate GUIDs for some columns split by level that had instance geometry.
– Fix issue where elements in assemblies would not be related to building storeys if the parent assembly were marked as not exported.
– For properties where they are defined with a different Revit parameter name and IFC property name, if the Revit parameter name is not found, look for the IFC property name.
– In the case where linear grid lines were grouped into 3 distinct direction sets, and 2 of the directions were orthogonal, the 3rd set of grid lines would not be exported. This has been fixed.
– Only export beam/column/member quantities if “QTO” export is chosen.

– Use IfcRelAssignsToGroup, not IfcRelAggregates, for IfcZones; stabilize IfcRelAssignsToGroup GUID.

IFC Exporter for Revit 2013 updated to version 2.7

Luke Johnson

IFC Exporter for Revit 2013 | Autodesk Revit | Autodesk Exchange Apps
or
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ifcexporter/files/2013/IFC%20Exporter%20for%20Revit%202013%20v2.7.0.msi/download

Apparently this is version 2.7.  I may be wrong, but there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to check the ‘version’ on Autodesk Exchange Apps.  If you download the MSI, you can check the properties of the file, where you will see that the digital signature is timestamped:
‎Wednesday, ‎23 ‎January ‎2013 10:39:38 AM

You could also check the IFC Exporter page on Sourceforge:

From the documentation:
The source code for this application is available on open source, at the SourceForge project : http://sourceforge.net/p/ifcexporter/home/Home/
This application is a good complement to the IFC Exporter UI client app, also available on the Exchange store. However, it is not required to get the latest version of that application when installing this application. Nor is it required to use this alternate UI when getting the latest IFC Exporter UI.

More info:
24th January 2013, version 2.7.  Read more at BIM Blog
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbimblog.typepad.com%2Fautodesk_bim_blog%2F2013%2F01%2Fifc-exporter-v27-for-revit-2013.html&hl=en&langpair=auto|en&tbb=1&ie=UTF-8

Adaptive Components from Grasshopper to Revit via IFC – it CAN be done!

Luke Johnson

Now here is something cool – Jon Mirtschin of Geometry Gym has been working on an IFC importer add-in for Revit (my previous post here) (current version 0.0.23 download direct here, or source page here).

What made me go ‘wow’ today was this: using this add-in, you can take an IFC file and import it as a Generic Model Adaptive Component in Revit 2012.  You can select the points and adjust it just like ANY Adaptive Component – but it came from Grasshopper via IFC!

Here is how to do it:

  1. Download and install the add-in
  2. Upon opening Revit 2012, you can see the add-in under External Tools – Geometry Gym IFC Importer
  3. You will need to email Jon to get a license XML file.  Paste that into the appropriate folder.
  4. Now, run the Geometry Gym IFC Importer again.
  5. Download, then select the IFC file that Jon provided today (see below)
  6. Click ‘Proceed’ then wait a bit
  7. The IFC will now appear as a bunch of Adaptive Component instances that you can select and modify!

Here’s the Grasshopper model, and here’s the IFC file.
via
Geometry Gym: Generative Adaptive Component

In fact, there is some serious 3rd party development happening on the Grasshopper to Revit front – check out:
http://www.grasshopper3d.com/group/gh-revit

Something Revit 2012 can do better than 2013 (at the moment) is…

Luke Johnson

importing IFC2x4.  Thanks to Geometry Gym, and Jon Mirtschin in particular, an IFC importer add-on for Revit 2012 is under development that aims to support IFC2x4 with nurbs profile / perimeter exchange.

Jon says:
I’m developing the Revit addon to import these files as the functionality is not available in the native importers. I haven’t built for Revit 2013 yet, but if you have Revit 2012 and want to try, the installer is available from http://www.geometrygym.com/downloads
via the comments at:
Geometry Gym: NURBS GH to Revit

And here is the link to the current build of the IFC 2×4 importer for Revit 2012:
ggRevitIFCx64 v0.0.11.msi (24th April 2012)
Note, Revit 2012 64 bit Addon to import IFC files.
This is an early public release for initial feedback and comment. Addon undergoing rapid development. Please use with care and send suggestions and observations.
(from http://ssi.wikidot.com/downloads)

Image from Geometry Gym

Here is an excerpt showing how IFC2X4 RC2 improves geometry capability:

Geometry
Additional entities are added to the geometry resources. (1) The definition of manifold boundary representation has been enhanced to include advanced B-reps, based on NURBS. Therefore b-spline surfaces and b-spline curves are added. (2) The curve bounded surface based on bounding p-curves (curves defined in the parametric space of a surface) is added to allow any surface to be bound; it was restricted to only planar surfaces before. (3) Tapered solid of extrusion and tapered solid of revolution are now included to define simple taper, restricted to one section and to topological similarity of the start and end profile. (4) A fixed reference swept area solid is added to define an advance sweep along a directrix with a fixed orientation of the profile. The swept disk solid has been simplified by implicit start and end points on the directrix. (5) Elementary surfaces have been enhanced by incorporation or cylindrical surfaces. 

From http://buildingsmart-tech.org/ifc/IFC2x4/rc2/html/annex/annex-e/IFC2x4-RC2_whats-new.htm