In case you did not notice this morning, I uploaded the application as promised.
http://jasongrant.squarespace.com/jason-grant-blog/2009/12/24/sheet-creator-application-for-revit.html
Have a Happy Holiday!
Watch my AU session on Revit API examples at my new blog.
http://jasongrant.squarespace.com
I have a session at AU this year that I am doing along with Michael Coviello from TRO Jung Brannen on API examples that we use in our work environment. We are looking another 1 or 2 great ideas for what would make your work in Revit easier, more efficient or just something you think is missing. Any ideas that get used will be shared with the Revit community so toss out anything no matter how trivial you think it is. I look forward to seeing many of you at AU and have a Happy Halloween.
In past Autodesk University events have you ever wished that you could influence what sessions you have to choose from? There is actually a venue to do so. For the second year, Autodesk is allowing the AU community to vote on their favorite session options for Autodesk University 2009. Your vote will help influence what classes there are and when they are scheduled.
Autodesk has been coming up with new ideas each week for why the "Ribbon" was a positive move. While I would like to believe all the new reasons for why Autodesk forced the ribbon, I still believe it came from some marketer's dream, that influenced corporate, which then became a movement requiring all software packages to look the same. They were going for a wow factor. The wow factor being that if something looks better then people will want it. This works for product design, sometimes websites but rarely on software. Below are some examples:
Product Design
People will buy electronics that have less features and costs more than another on the shelf simply because it is better designed and more visually appealing. When perusing the shelf or website they created a wow that separated this product from that. Design for this has a purpose and it works.
Websites
An overly designed "Wow" website with animated graphics and shifting/sliding of content and controls can actually make it more difficult to see the important information that the website is trying to reveal. While you may get more people wanting to look at the site, they are looking at your "Wow" and not YOU and what YOU can provide to them. The person who clearly states their core values and services on the front page, easy to read, will probably get a better business response.
Software
So recently I was trying out different DVD ripping programs so that I can copy my toddler's movies onto an external drive so that when he destroys the disk, I can just burn a new one. I had two serious contenders for my money and both were on full use trials. The first I decided to try was because they had created a Wow Factor in their User Interface design, the downside was that it actually did not work well. The burned DVD would automatically skip from chapter to chapter 50% of the time and you would finish the movie in seconds. So I tried the other which was a basic interface with nothing graphical about it and few buttons or options. It worked perfectly and did what it was designed to do. Which one do you think I spent my money on?
Today I will be completing the 4th day of Revit 2010 training for a new team that has never used Revit. While one of the premises for the new UI was that it would make it easier for new users to grasp, I actually believe that it is harder. With everything shifting and sliding, tools there and not there, go to this tab and then back again... the issues go on and on. There is no easy way to say when you want to do this you go here. Everything is in constant movement and revealing tools in different places. What is interesting is that I see more users who will probably go back to text commands (like Autocad) because tools like the copy button move all over the place and you are constantly having to think and search out the command. While there is nothing that can be done going forward with the UI since it is here to stay, I sure hope Autodesk makes some huge advancement in the tools for the next release. Otherwise, it is a "Wow" type interface which is hard to navigate, does not follow the flow of working on design projects and has many tools that still do not adequately perform the tasks that they are suppose to do.
I got an interesting RSS feed from http://dwf.blogs.com/beyond_the_paper/ today.
Autodesk is taking an interest in today's economic crisis where they will actually help those of you who are unemployed. Follow this link for more information http://students3.autodesk.com/?nd=assistance_home&lbon=1 and this one for a detailed .pdf explination http://students3.autodesk.com/ama/orig/Autodesk_Assistance_Program_Customer_FAQ-_FINAL.pdf
In one of my previous posts, I had thought it would be beneficial for the unemployed to be able to get a student version at a student cost for a 13 month license. Autodesk seems to have taken it one step forward and is offering the software free. This is a great move by Autodesk to show that they understand where the economy is and that they care about the users of their programs.
Check out the links above for more information.
I read a facebook status update the other day from a friend who was laid off from an architecture firm due to the economy. He wrote that while unfortunate, it is allowing him time to work on his exams, study for LEED and to learn this BIM thing. It got me thinking about how he would actually learn BIM. He could download the Revit trial, use books to train and try to learn it but what can you actually do in the 30 days of the trial version. Is 30 days enough to learn? When I first started on Revit, I had gotten a demo while at Autodesk University 2004. I had demos beforehand but you just start getting into it when the demo expires. The demo that they gave at AU 2004 was either a 60 or 90 day (can't remember). What I do remember is having adequate time to learn and start implementing it.
While pondering this, I thought about whether Autodesk could do something to help the numerous unemployed which would not cost much but could lead to significant gains for Autodesk's future. What if Autodesk could provide Revit to the unemployed using the cost structure of the Student License and also have the similar 13 month license? Of course, there would need to be some type of proof (unemployment check, call to the last employer or something similar). This would allow numerous individuals with the ability to learn Revit, become proficient and be more marketable. The benefit for Autodesk is that there would be many more users of the program for when the market rebounds. When these users go into their new jobs they will essentially be your sales force within those companies. Another senerio is that many of these individuals may end up starting their own practices. After seeing the benefit of Revit, what software do you think they would choose to buy when the license expires?
Something interesting to think about and I would like to hear some of your comments.
In one of my previous emails I may have been slightly harsh about the releases of Revit. In my mind, the time and energy spent on the UI is not worth while since not enough of the actual tools have been perfected enough yet to take the fustration out of day to day use. While I stongly believe that there are serious flaws in the workflow and use of the tools, the Revit team has been innovative on an actual tool that should help with the early design of a building. The conceptual massing tool is that innovation and is a great first pass at a Sketchup like flexibility to massing.
Kudos to the team that worked on conceptual massing. You are definately going in the right direction and I look forward to where you take it from here.
But my comment still stands... make the product work as perfect as it can and then pull some of the programmer's time away for other things. I know Revit as a whole can never be completely perfect but it CAN be a lot better.
With the economic downturn affecting many architecture firms, there is a movement to re-evaluate what they spend money on. One significant aspect of every budget is software. Do the companies who almost force you into subscriptions really give you the benefit of getting each new software release? Adobe gives you a comparison chart to help you evaluate what has changed and thus puts the power in your hands to determine if the software advances from the company warrant the payment for the upgrade. Autodesk will give you a feature summary but is that enough?
Another example of product version comparisons from Techsmith on Camtasia. They allow you to pick your version and have it compared to the current. Simple idea that most software companies do...
Sometimes I forget with simple "Service Packs" of any program, that they all should get adequately tested before installing on a mass of computers. So, we have a user that was having serious issues that the rest of their team was not having on a 180mb Revit file. Even though none of this user's issues were on the fix list I had hoped that it would resolve some of the issues until we could get the user a new computer. After installing the Service Pack 2, the user would have Revit close (without warning or error report) when they would attemp a save to central command. I had to do a system restore because there was nothing I could alter on the machine that would allow the program to save to central. Luckily, since we are switching out hardware so that the users will have Vista 64bit with Revit 64, I only installed the Service Pack (Web Update) 2 on one computer.
Just a reminder that you should always test before installing on too many computers. I almost forgot and if we were not changing out hardware I would probably have suggested installing it on 50 computers. That would have been a headache!
This could have been a system issue so I am in no way suggesting that you not use the new Revit update.
Autodesk has released the 64-Bit Revit and can be downloaded on the subscription website. A longtime dream of many has become a reality. We have a difficult benchmark within the office that takes about 2 1/2 hours on the 32-Bit Revit so I will let you know the results on the new version.
Thank you Autodesk!!!
I was wondering how long it would take for Autodesk to finally have solid Revit Blog. The wait is gone and I look forward to seeing what insight can come from constant, more relaxed, topics of discussion from the source. Written by Harlan Brumm, he lists this on his bio:
"As the Global Technical Lead for Revit Architecture within Product Support, I train our support staff on the technical side of the software and I help solve pesky Revit problems. I also help to author white papers and technical solutions on our Knowledge base."
The site called The Revit Clinic describes itself as Preventative and Rehabilitative BIM Care. With a start of about one post every three days he is off to a great start with some interesting topics.
A blogger that I enjoy reading has changed the name of his blog in the hopes of getting better stats. The name was changed to Zooming with Revit. It used to be “Life’s too short to drink cheap wine.” Great name that's really memorable but even more memorable is the great posts that are created on this blog. If you get a chance, bookmark his site... The more hits the more likely he will keep blogging. Ohh... and the site has more than just Revit on its posts.
I was browsing the web and found this site. While it mostly has Green Building articles it has the potential to be a very interesting Revit News site.
Check it out! http://www.revitcommunity.com
Recently, I rendered my first Revit model in Autodesk 3ds Max. While I had extensive previous experience with Autodesk Viz, I had only used AutoCAD models in the Viz environment. I have rendered many Revit models in Accurender within Revit and have been able to tweak the settings enough to get very decent models. On this rendering though, we wanted to create a nightime rendering and that was something that you can not create well in Accurender.
I was thrilled at the easy transfer from Revit into Max. While you have to export to AutoCAD first, when you bring that file into Max it allows you to select items by object. This project had three buildings, thus three linked files, and by being able to select the similar objects of each building allowed me to go from Revit to finished renderings in one day. Mix the easy use of the Revit/Max combo with ArchVision's RPC objects (People, Trees and Cars) and you can go from simple to amazing.
I am soon at the end of the 30 day trial that they allow from the download at the Autodesk website but I will be highly recommending the purchase of this product for our company. I will also try a copy of Viz to see if the operability is the same and will report back to everyone once I have reviewed it.
This has always puzzled me and wanted to find out if anyone else out there felt the same. When setting up a project you do not always know what project north will be on new construction project. The default orientation though for Revit is set to Project North.
So, basically to get things setup correctly from the beginning I have to put in the property coordinates from the surveyor, test out options to figure out the building orientation, rotate the entire project so that it lays out correctly on the sheets, set the view properties to True North and then finally go to Tools > Project Position / Orientation > Rotate True North.
Is it me or is this set backwards? Does anyone out there have a good reason why it is acceptable as it is currently set-up? Is this something that the Revit development team can fix? Kinda like the Ceiling misspelling on a tab that took them a few releases to fix.
It seems as though in the last month, USG has developed an amazing amount of information able to be downloaded for use in Revit. You can find it at http://www.usgdesignstudio.com
This includes Wall Types, Acoustic Ceiling Tile and their Specialty Ceilings. As you can see below they have a simple search tool for the wall types depending on the what you are looking for. You can choose by material, interior or exterior, fire rating, STC rating and the framing type.
After you have made your selections you can download a Revit file that includes multiple versions of the wall types fitting your search criteria. It shades the insulated walls in yellow and the non-insulated ones are white. You can change these to fit your standards but it makes it easy to distinguish between the types.
You can then create schedules utilizing the impressive amount of information provided if desired or just use it for your reference when creating partition type drawings or specifications. This information includes URL, Fire Rating, Fire Test #, USG Fire Test URL, STC, Sound Test #, UL URL and Specification URL.
Also, if you think this is impressive you should also check out the ceiling information. It is great that manufacturers are now focusing their efforts on Revit rather than just AutoCAD or dxf.
What is the best way to show millwork on a construction set?
One of the tasks at Colin Smith Architecture that we have struggled with in Revit is how to create millwork legends. Our goal is to make each set of construction documents that we produce better than the one before it. Millwork is a place that we are trying to improve. Sometimes you want to show a section of millwork but have trouble navigating through all the elements in the floor plan to show a good view. Below is an image of an example that we have created that we are integrating into all new projects. We use this to create and show traditional paneling, benches (Mudroom), beadboard paneling, wall base, crown molding, chairrail, and window & door casings. 
In this case, by creating an axon of the millwork (or Architectural Woodwork depending on your nomenclature) we can show how this wall paneling should be constructed including both inside and outside corners. We can also create detail sections both vertically and horizontally through the modeled wall. So that this does not schedule in your project or is an anoyance in your plans, we have created a "Administrative" phase that is after the "New Construction" or "Complete" Phase. We use the Administrative phase to create elements that we want shown on the construction set but that do not scheduled for the construction work. We then created wall sweeps and integrated details thin those sweeps to create the wall paneling and other millwork items. We downloaded the autocad profiles from a local company around us (Andersen & McQuaid) and convert the autocad linework into profiles that we can use as wall sweeps.
I have been hard at work at Colin Smith Architecture, Inc. developing the way we use Revit and making our deliverables outstanding within the architecture community. Our first year of using the product revolved around learning the product and how to create a full set of construction documents without utilizing AutoCAD. After the first 3 projects (about 6 months in) we were able to stop using AutoCAD and get a decent set out of Revit. Now, as we approach our 3rd year of using the product, our focus has been on productivity and precision. Below are some images of current projects where we are now pushing the limits of custom families, sweeps, modifications, and repeating elements. As we continue to develop the construction documents from project to project, we see the improvements during the construction administration phase. Drawings are more coordinated, explain the project better to the client and contractors, and thus the end product of the construction is almost exactly as it was designed.
Architectural Home Addition to a 1900's Home
The first thing I hear when I tell someone that I use Revit is “Really… I heard it is great… But” and then the second part that always follows is “Is it hard to learn”. The simple answer to that question is No but it depends on what you have already learned. If you have never used any type of CAD program then I believe that it would be the easiest program to learn. If you had AutoCAD or ADT background then I believe it will be a little harder because of all the bad habits, shortcut keys, customization, and workflow that we learned along the way. It took me months to stop using the space bar as enter or the escape key.
Some of the differences are:
Layers – Revit has none since you control objects (Doors, Windows, Plumbing Fixtures, and many other categories) It is great to be rid of all of those layers. No longer do you turn off one layer and something else goes off that you did not intend.
Shortcut Keys – Revit also has some but you can not easily alter them like in AutoCAD. This is good because it was really annoying when I went to another co-worker’s computer and I could not do simple commands since they changed them. Shortcut Keys also are not as needed in Revit since the layout of commands are easier to get to.
Customization - As I mentioned before you can not customize as much as in AutoCAD but it is really a good thing and this is the quickest thing you get over.
Workflow – This is the biggest difference and too much to explain effectively. Basically, in AutoCAD you draw in 2D, ADT you almost draw in 3D but very difficult to use, and in Revit it is very easy to do work in 3D but sometimes you need to decide what is worth the time to do 3D and what you can just do more quickly in 2D. The power in the workflow comes from things like the details knowing where they are on sheets and the keys renumbering themselves when they get moved and automatic scheduling of anything you want to schedule.
So what about Learning it?
Basic Commercial buildings are easier to learn on then Basic Residential buildings but it is all fairly easy to learn either way. Revit was designed for Architects by Architects so the program controls revolve around Architecture and thus makes it much more user friendly. AutoCAD was designed for mostly machine drafting and then for some reason became the basis for most architects.
The problem with the learning curve comes from when you want to add a lot of detail to the interior and exterior elevations. If you try to do this all in 3D you will have to invest a lot of time. When first starting, I would suggest creating your floor plans and schedules dynamically and then using the dynamic elevations as an underlay and draw 2D linework over it. Then turn off the dynamic element and you will have a clean elevation. Once you have a couple projects done then try experimenting more. Make every project better then the one before it and never stop pushing the limit of the program. It seems limitless, so keep pushing until you find that limit and then tell Autodesk if you did find one. I have found things that could be improved but not anything that stops me from getting a great end product.
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