Revidiot

Revit Local User Group

2006-06-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

The third Wed. of each month there is a Revit user group that meets at Avatech Solutions in Tampa, Florida. The upcoming meeting will be the third one and it promises to be a good one. There should be folks from the Revit development team as well as more attendees than the previous 2 meetings. There is always FREE pizza and beverages. Thanks to Avatech Solutions for supporting this group and lending space and food.

7880 Woodland Center Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33614
Phone: 813-496-8882
Toll free: 800-706-1000
Fax: 813-496-8871
e-Mail: info@avat.com

Maps by www.expediamaps.com

Directions:

From the airport, head west on Veterans Expressway. Take the first exit (Waters Ave.) Head east (right) on Waters Ave, go past Anderson and the railroad tracks. Make a right into the Woodlands Office Park, and follow the road around to the back to 7880.

From Dale Mabry Highway, take the Waters Ave. exit. Head west on Waters and make a left into the Woodlands Office Park.

The Project

2006-06-13T06:40:00.000-05:00

Fig.1: The overall building with units linked

Well here is the project (Fig.1) I have been working on for the past 2 months. This is the first real project I have done in Revit. In version 1 or 2 I did a couple of small houses. During this project I have done D&D for another small house. Our firm actually specializes in large, custom residential estate homes. This large project is new for us but we have experienced people on the team. So far I am basically the only one working on this project in "CAD". I did have help laying out the basic units but the guy isn't experienced in Revit. He is one of our top CAD guys so I feel it is only a matter of time before he starts cranking if given the opportunity.

The way I set up this project is to create the building shell in one .rvt file (Fig.1) and create the units in another .rvt file (Fig.2) and link them. We have encountered several problems that need to be addressed. More on that later...

Here are several images of the project as it currently stands. Suggestions, comments, criticisms and smart remarks are all welcome and encouraged.

Fig.2: The unit file

Below are images of the unit mix, I have tried to manage the duplicated units with groups but have lost an enormous amount of productivity farting around with that business. One of my biggest wishes for Revit is that they fix groups or provide another mechanism to handle repeated information.

Sweep Error

2006-06-05T17:15:00.000-05:00

I tried creating a sweep along a parapet wall (Fig. 1). Granted the parapet wall has had its profile edited and there is a curved section. This should be a very simple thing to do. It is not...at least for this idiot it isn't. Revit did generate a wonderfully USELESS error message though.

Fig.1: The path is actually the heavy black line.

Stairs Show Differently in Plan and Section

2006-05-23T11:25:00.000-05:00

Problem:

In creating a simple stair, the junction at the top of the stair and floor appear correct in plan (Fig.1). The stair is set to end with a riser.

Fig. 1: Plan of stair - floor junction

In section however (Fig. 2) the junction is shown incorrectly. The problem is that in plan Revit shows the front edge of the stair tread nosing as the riser.

Fig. 2: Section of stair - floor junction

Fig. 3: Visibility Graphics for Stairs

Unless I am missing something, which I probably am, to get Revit to display this junction correctly you must not have nosing on the stairs. I don't see a way in the Visibility Graphics settings (Fig. 3) to control the display of risers and nosings. This sucks as I need nosing on my stair treads. I will investigate this further and solicit comments. When I have arrived at a "work-around" I will post it as a solved problem or "Hic-up" at www.revidiot.com.

I am Revidiot

2006-04-23T08:46:00.000-05:00

I think I have taken a bigger bite than I can chew. I am the CAD manager at a small architectural firm which usually does high end residential work using AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop. We landed a multi-story, mixed-use building contract, I suggested we take a look at Revit. Suddenly, I find myself creating hellical parking ramps, arched curtain walls, trying to figure out Revit's error mesages and having an enormous amount of fun. The powers that be have approved training, but that isn't until June. In a way this is good, by then I should have enough experience to ask some questions. In the mean time I have turned to the avenue that earned me an education good enough to get me into a CAD manager's position; newsgroups. The Revit NG's and forums on the various Revit sites are filled with brilliant, generous folks. To you guys I say "thanks!" though words truly can't express my gratitude. It is great when a problem is encountered, posted, replied to and finally solved. It makes me look like less of an idiot. Well, maybe not but it makes me feel like less of an idiot.

What I want to do here and at www.revidiot.com is to address the problems that I encounter as I learn and use Revit in a real world environment. I want to share solutions, tips, explanations and maybe a few families that I create. I am not trying to duplicate what is already out there. For example while I may post a video or two, I have found www.dgcad.com to be the site for Revit (and ACAD & ADT) training videos. I can't compete nor will I try. Obviously www.revitcity.com is the site for Revit content. Again, I can't compete and won't try. While Revidiot is a novel concept I think you will find that I really am an idiot, A Revidiot.

It is so nice to look forward to going to work again. Revit is truly that much fun for me. In my mind it is what architectural design and drafting software should be, should have been. I was skeptical when Autodesk bought Revit but they have taken good care of Revit. It is a good thing that there is that much money behind the product. It can only make it better. When the upgrades are shoved up your ass it just makes a proctology exam a little bit easier. Oh wait we are on subscription never mind. Well its off to the office. I get to work on a 6th floor pool that cascades into a 5th floor spa. In Revit, it is still fun. How cool is that?

-Revidiot