Revit - Multi-line Workaround for Generic Annotations

In this Revit Architecture 2010 Training video, we’re going to take a look at a workaround for creating multi-line annotations. This simple workaround was developed for annotations with leaders that tend to move as the text descriptions lengthened.

Revit - Using Display Settings From a Linked File

In this Revit Architecture 2010 video, we show how to pass through view-specific elements from a linked into a host file.

Revit - Pattern Based Curtain Panel Family

In this Revit Architecture 2010 Training video we’re going to take a look at the pattern based curtain panel family.

Meet Up at Autodesk University

Autodesk University is coming up (December 1 - 3 in Las Vegas) and I will be all over the place!

I will be teaching two classes, one that will show anyone interested in parametric design the powerful new Conceptual Design Tools in Revit Architecture 2010 (Class ID: DV9210-2) and another on Parametric Design Modeling with Autodesk 3ds Max (Class ID: AB114-4). I will also be presenting at the Pecha Kucha event - a fast-paced visual conversation where a diverse group of creative thinkers show 20 compelling images for 20 seconds each - and will be a judge at the Cut&Paste Design Slam.

If you’d like too meet up and grab a drink or some dinner please shoot me an email at d.fano@case-inc.com. Hope to see you at AU!

Useful Revit Blogs

Useful blogs and resources discovered while researching Revit related issues over the past six months.

Revit - View Range and Orient to View (3d from 2d)

In this Autodesk Revit 2010 video tutorial we’ll talk a bit about View Range and how to adjust the settings so that your views cut at a certain depth.

Autodesk Revit 2010 - Parametric Louver System Series Part 4

In this Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 video tutorial, we will create a shared parameter to generate a curtain panel schedule that drives the spacing of the louvers through a spreadsheet-like format (Revit schedule).

Autodesk Revit 2010 - Parametric Louver System Series Part 3

In this Revit Architecture 2010 video tutorial, we will nest our parametric louver system within a curtain panel family, so that it becomes a parametric panel system that can receive different louver counts.

Autodesk Revit 2010 - Parametric Louver System Part 2

In this Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 video tutorial, we will create a line based family to host the louver family.

Autodesk Revit - Parametric Louver System Part 1

In this Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 video tutorial, we begin the construction of a parametric louver system. This louver system will be embedded in a curtain wall family by arraying generic model component family that is within a lined based family.

CASE’s Autodesk Curriculum has been published online!

CASE recently wrote a Conceptual Design Curriculum for Autodesk, discussing concepts, techniques and strategies most beneficial to users for creating conceptual designs using such platforms as 3DS Max, Maya, and Revit. This curriculum is now available to download from Autodesk’s website.

Revit 2010 – Publishing Shared Coordinates + Named Views Across Linked Files

In this video, we quickly talk about the role of model structure in linked file systems through the topic of shared coordinates. We also walk through how to, and what the effects are, of publishing coordinates. Finally, we introduce and explain the concept of ‘Named Views’ and how these work with our linked file structure.

SketchUp 7 - Tools, Plugins, and Scripts similar to Rhino, Max, Maya, and Revit

Highlights of SketchUp - This post contains links to several useful videos on SketchUp7’s new tools as well as some interesting plug-ins. Several of these plug-ins and scripts offer tools similar to those in Revit, 3ds MAX, and Maya.

Revit - Solar Radiation Technology Preview - Part 2

This is the second video tutorial in a series exploring the integration of geometry creation and solar radiation analysis in a variety of platforms. The video utilizes the new Solar Radiation Technology Preview, available from Autodesk LABS.

Revit - Solar Radiation Technology Preview - Part 1

This is the first video tutorial in a series exploring the integration of geometry creation and solar radiation analysis in a variety of platforms. The video utilizes the new Solar Radiation Technology Preview, available from Autodesk LABS.

Revit 2010 - Splitting Faces and Painting Materials

In this Revit video, you will learn how to split a face of your geometry and paint a material onto the newly created face without it affecting your line weights.

RDB Link Tool for Revit Family

Autodesk has announced that a new RDB Link Tool for Revit Family is available to download online from Autodesk Labs.

Solar Radiation Technology Preview in Revit

Autodesk has announced that the new Solar Radiation Technology preview is available to download for both Revit Architecture and Revit MEP.

Revit Architecture 2010 and 2009 - Explanation of Coordinate Systems Side by Side

In this video I walk through the workflow of understanding the relationship of the default Revit coordinate system (both in Revit 2009 and 2010) to your geometry, and show how to overwrite that coordinate system as well as making sure that the new system pushes through to exported files.

IFC from Rhino through Revit

In this Rhino 3D/Revit 2010 video we will explore the workflow of exporting geometry from Rhino through Revit and exporting as an IFC file.

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 Conceptual Design- White Paper

CASE was commissioned by Autodesk to develop an exercise and author a white paper, demonstrating the new conceptual modeling tools for Revit Architecture 2010.

Revit - Custom Profiles in Curtain Systems

In this video tutorial we will cover how to make custom mullion profile for a curtain system in Revit Architecture.

Revit Model on Your iPhone?

This is in no way a farse. I saw this myself and it’s pretty amazing! Ian wrote a custom exporter for Revit to break the model down into smaller chunks the iPhone could handle. It’s still only working on his phone but with a little more work he may be ready to launch for Alpha/Beta soon.

Revit - Family Basics, Modeling a Stool

In this tutorial I make a simple parametric stool in a generic family. I cover Working with reference planes, parameters and establishing constraints.

Revit - Nested Families

We nest a generic family in a curtain panel and use the length and width of a single panel to drive the the amount of extrusion of each panel.

Revit - Scheduling Explained

This Revit Architecture 2009 video tutorial covers how to create and control schedules. In this tutorial we schedule different wall types to manage the quantities of a buildings facade.

Rhino - Autocad - Revit - Linking Complex Form to Drive Massing

The basic logic in this tutorial is to create a tower which has geometry too complex to build in Revit. We then pass it through AutoCAD to export a closed solid .dwg with layers. As of now Rhino only exports .dwg files as meshes,

Revit - Using Tags to Drive Instance Parameters

This Revit Architecture 2009 video tutorial covers how to use tags as drivers for parameters rather than just for display. The idea here is to use “working tags”.

NYC Revit User Group Presentation

A few students and I were invited by James Vandezande to speak at this weeks NYC Revit User Group Meeting . We presented the work from the workshop and discussed a few different ways to use Revit. You can follow the students work on the forum.

Revit - Scheduling Curtian Panels with Conditional Statements

This Revit Architecture 2009 video tutorial covers how to use conditional statement when scheduling curtain panels. The techniques put forward in this video are done in an effort to avoid making different families for one curtain system. By using techniques like these, one can manage variable parts within one Revit Family while making it easier to manage a schedule.

Revit - Scheduling with Conditional Staments

This Revit 2009 video tutorial covers how to add parameters for scheduling and tagging. In this case the objects being scheduled are parking spaces. The problem was that by default Revit is able to schedule the “count” of objects. In this case I wanted to schedule stacker parking which meant every parking component equaled 2 spaces.

Revit - Missing Grids in Elevation

So…. Have you ever had the problem where your grid lines will NOT show up in elevations?!?!?! This is of course after you have checked your VG settings and maximized 3d extents, still NOTHING! Chances are the elevation view is not perpendicular to the grid lines. In most cases this makes sense, how is the program going to know where you want to intersect the infinite planes of the grid lines. In this Revit tutorial I establish the point of intersection as the siteboundary and grid line intersect.

Revit - Parametric Truss System - Part 1

This Revit video tutorial shows how to array a series of voids to create a changing truss system. Rather than thinking of the modeling in components what we are doing here is modeling a solid and using Revit’s cut geometry tool to slice a solid into stick members.

Revit - Shared Parameters and Scheduling

This video tutorial gets into the basics of creating shared parameters in Revit and how to create schedules to access them. In this tutorial, scheduling is meant to be used more as a spreadsheet interface for driving the model and not so much for putting schedules in a drawings set. That being said, this video covers the basics of making a schedule which one could easily then place on a sheet.

Revit - Student Project - Angled Stone

This video is from an open help session with student to work through some of the problems they are encountering making advanced Revit Families. This group is building a wall system that builds up from these angled stones. Ideally as they change the angle and height of each stone the wall system would get taller. The intention was for students to get a sense of how we can trouble shoot some of the issues Revit throws back at us.

Revit 2009 - New Feature Sweep Blend

Revit Architecture 2009 is out and has some pretty cool new features. The first one I’m posting about is Sweep Blend. I cant think of a better way to explain it than saying imagine taking the blend tool and combining it with the sweep tool. It’s pretty much just that. Like in the blend you pick to shapes “profiles” to blend between except now you can do it along a path. This video covers the basics of how it works.

Revit - Student Projects - Spider Clip

These video are from an open help session with student to work through some of the problems they are encountering making not so regular Revit Families. I stumble a bit with some of these models but it was meant to be a trial and error session. It was important for students to get a sense of how we can trouble shoot some of the issues Revit throws back at us.

Revit - Modeling Operations

This tutorial covers the different methods of creating 3d geometry in Revit. I explain the pro and cons of using solid extrusion, Blend, Revolve, and sweep. These are explained within a massing object but apply to all families.

Revit - Faced Based Families

This tutorial covers how to make face based families, change a family category, and make voids. face based families are pretty handy for a few reasons. A big one though is that they do delete when you erase the host object (this is not the case with wall based and floor based) Also they are easy to move around, re-host and rotate.

Revit - Radial Geometry w/ Reference Lines

This tutorial covers how to use reference lines to constrain or drive radial shapes. In the past I have found this to be tricky when using Reference plane but with a reference line it is quite easy. I dont get too much into adding parameters but one could imagine using a length parameter to drive the length of the reference line as well as the ellipse.

Revit - Exporting DWG - Solids and Mesh

This video covers the process of exporting DWG files from Revit. We export a DWG file as a solid for Rhino and I explain the process for exporting Meshes.

Revit - Line Based Parametric Array

This tutorial covers using a line based family to make a parametric awning. As the line is drawn longer you get more awning members. It covers using formulas in families as well as nesting one family in another. I’ll probably make this again but for now it should work.

Revit - Angle Parameters

This tutorial covers how to add angle parameters. In this case we put them in a curtain panel to break from such an orthogonal grid. Here are they a tilted mullions but one could imagine using a curtain system just and a construction grid then using face based families for more complex systems on top of the grid.