IMAGINiT Building Solutions Blog

AutoCAD Layer States through Xrefs

By Jordan Mussett, IMAGINiT Building Solutions

If you are not using layer states, you are missing out on the ease of managing your layers in a more global sense. Additionally, layer states can be set up in the files that you are xreffing in to provide more consistency with less work. The aim of this post is to inform of common pitfalls.

First, this is how this example project was set up, it is very simple. There is one Model File that is in one folder and one Sheet File which has the Model File xreffed into it.

First, create the Sheet file and xref the Model File into it. Then jump to the layout tab and create viewports for what you need to see. In this case, I will create two, one for the furniture plan, and one for the architectural plan. For a little housecleaning here, set the scales the same in these viewports, place them on a non-plot layer, and lock the display. They can look exactly the same to start, which is ok. They will probably be a little messy, that’s ok too.

These two viewports will need to be set up differently and I can create a layer state in the Model File to do that. Now the instructions will shift to the Model File.

In the Model File, I will create a layout tab also. This layout doesn’t have to have a title block or anything special in it. The viewports in here will be used to create the layer states that will be used in the Sheet File and that is all.

It is in the best interest of the drafter to create the layer states here in the Model file because there will be fewer of them and they will be more easily updated. If layer states are created in the Model Tab, that is fine but you will not be able to apply multiple layer states to viewports without continuously globally rearranging your layer states.

I will make layout based layer states, one for the furniture plan, and one for the architectural plan. Be sure to activate the viewport first. The VP freeze and VP color are the areas where we want to make these changes. The regular kinds of overrides will be applied, door and window tags to architectural and furniture tags etc., to the furniture plan.

 

Notice that is says “Layout” under space. This is the key, this will allow you to apply multiple layer states to different viewports on the Sheet File. Here is the part that is tricky. When applying the layer states in the Sheet File viewports, you will not be able to see which layer states are model based, and which are layout based, they all say “xref”. This is why it is a good idea to place descriptive information that will help you in the description field.

Now, jumping back over to the Sheet File, be sure to activate the viewport in the layout before applying the layer state. Most of the time, if the layer state was made correctly in the Model File but applied incorrectly in the sheet file, nothing will happen. If applied correctly in the Sheet File, the individual viewports will have the ability to look different from one another.

Since they all say Xref under Space, look to the description (see image above). This will let me know which ones are to be used in the viewports. The end result should be clean looking plans with less clicks.

Some layers are off from layer state to layer state and other layers are modified to “halftone” them, like the sink in the architectural plan.

Note: You can annotate wherever you like (sheet or model) but utilizing annotative text, dimensions, and multileaders through the viewport will provide more control.

Building Lifecycle Trends Workshop

Recently we've been talking a lot about the gap between BIM and facilities management and ways to bridge it. We get a lot of questions on this topic, so we're taking the information on the road.

Our BIM and facilities management experts will be leading a moderated discussion in seven cities next month. We'll talk about the information in a project from its inception to a building tear-down. Your voice should be part of this discussion! We hope you'll join us in one of these locations:

Calgary, AB - March 12
Toronto, ON - March 13

Dallas, TX - March 18
Seattle, WA - March 18

Baltimore, MD - March 24
New York, NY - March 25
Boston, MA - March 26

The event runs from 8:30 - 11 AM, and we'll provide breakfast as well as two experts - one on BIM and one on facilities management - to lead the dicussion with owners, architects, engineers and contractors. Reserve your seat now.

Not in your area? Let us know if you'd like to see this event come to you, or if you have any questions you'd like to ask.

Copy/Monitor Realities - Revit Family Origin

By Jordan Mussett, IMAGINiT Building Solutions

There are normally several key families that need coordination via Copy/Monitor from discipline to discipline in a Revit project. This post will focus on plumbing fixtures like toilets. The architect is responsible for the overall layout of the bathrooms. Namely they need to design within accessible design standards. The engineer isn't as worried about placement as they are worried about the sizes of pipe connections, pressures, slopes, and so on. The tool to help the engineer navigate this situation is Copy/Monitor with Type Mapping. This allows the engineer to use their own fixture family with a full complement of connectors and rich parameter data while monitoring the placement of the toilet which is being driven by the architect. The engineer can set the tool up to provide an alert if the toilet is moved by the architect.

If Copy/Monitor is being used for plumbing fixtures for instance, be sure the origin lands at the same place family to family. MEP designers generally like to set the origin of their families in the corner so that the mouse pointer is directly over the corner of the object while deciding on placement. Typically, architects like the origin of an object to be directly in the middle. This is for practical purposes as well. If there are several different sizes, the family will grow or shrink from a central point. The differences aside, if the origins are different, the Copy/Monitor will appear to not have worked and cause confusion.

The way to discover the origin of a family is as follows. Select an instance of the family (either one) and click “Edit Family”. Within the family, there are normally at least two Reference Planes. In the properties, at the bottom, there is a check box for “Defines Origin”. There can only be one Reference Plane in each major direction to be able to define the origin.

 

In detail:
Check each Reference Plane:

Defines Origin is checked here,

Defines Origin is checked here also,

Means that the Family’s origin should be right in the middle on the fixture side of the wall. Now visit the other fixture to check the Reference Planes and which define the origin. Once they are matched up, the families should land right in place when they are Copy/Monitored.

It will also cause fewer problems for the Copy/Monitor process if both families can have the same kind of hosting. Face based hosting is the most versatile in my opinion.

XREFs in ARCHIBUS - Keep it Clean

Our facilities management support team created many how-to documents available in the ProductivityNOW Portal.

Externally referneced files (XREFs) sometimes happen to show as background to the data you're viewing in ARCHIBUS. It's a good idea to clean that XREF drawing first, if you can. This how-to whitepaper shows you 8 tips to make things run smoother, cleaner and faster. This is especially handy when viewing, publishing and printing.

This whitepaper is available on the ProductivityNOW Portal. Registration is required for viewing, but free.

Fix for Structural Analysis Toolkit 2015 Error in Revit

By Carl Storms, IMAGINiT Building Solutions

If, like me you have been receiving an error related to the Structural Analysis Tool Kit 2015 over the last few weeks since installing Revit 2015 Update Release 6, a fix is here.

 

The image above is of the offending error, and basically it happens because the Structural Analysis Toolkit 2015 was installed before the Revit 2015 Update Release 6 was installed.

Autodesk has just released an updated version of the Structural Analysis Toolkit 2015 that can be downloaded free from the exchange site.

You need to uninstall your current version in order to install the recent one.

Revit - Secret Workset

By Jordan Mussett, IMAGINiT Building Solutions

As a designer doing visualization work in Revit, how do you keep all site elements and entourage from being seen by other disciplines using the Architectural Model? If I create people and plants and coffee mugs in the project, the other designers working on construction documents probably aren’t going to be too happy that they are showing up and need to be hidden. The other disciplines that are using your model as a background probably won’t be too thrilled about the “extras” that you have dropped into the project for visualization purposes.

The solution is within the worksets, but maybe you hadn’t stumbled upon it yet.

I will go ahead and create all the necessary elements for a rendering, cars, RPCs, mock light sources, etc. Then go to the worksets dialogue and create an “Entourage” workset. Be sure to uncheck the box that says “Visible in all Views”. This ensures that each new view that is created in the project, that workset will be off. Place all of the objects that are part of the visualization effort on the created workset.

 

Now all of the objects I created for visualization can be turned off with one check box. The Visibility Graphic Override Dialogue for each view should look like this.

By unchecking “Visible in all views” in the workset setup, we changed how the objects on this workset are displayed globally.

Now what about the linked model?

The same can be true in the MEP model. If I create the same workset, the same way (the name has to match exactly) the entourage elements will be globally off on the MEP side too. Enjoy headache free visualization!

Revit 2015 User Interface Tips and Tricks

By Veredith Keller, IMAGINiT Building Solutions

Learn how to use and customize the user interface to increase productivity and simplify your workflow.

These Tips and Tricks include how to customize the Quick Access Toolbar, how to change the look of the Ribbon, moving Palettes, changing double-click actions and Tab Switching Behavior. This also covers making Keyboard Shortcuts and more.

 

Why Connect FM and BIM?

Connecting facilities management to BIM (and vice versa) is a hot topic these days. Just go to any big conference and you'll see several presentations for owners on the importance of BIM or on the AEC side, how to provide information that an owner would or could use.

Many times, it is hard for owners to understand the value of BIM outside of the construction and design cost savings because they are unfamiliar with the ability that BIM provides to bring data directly into a facilities management system.

At IMAGINiT, we see both sides of this coin. As we help owners with facilities management needs, we understand what information is useful to them after project hand-off. Helping design and construction firms, we understand the importance of not including too much information to avoid model bloat.

To help both AEC firms and owners, we have created the FM and BIM Connection Service. This is the first service offered from the newly created Building Lifecycle Management team - a combination of the (formerly) Rand Facilities Management group and the IMAGINiT Building Solutions experts. We're excited about our ability to bridge the gap between BIM and FM.

Learn more about the FM and BIM Connection Service.

View the on-demand webcast: Expanding Revenue by Linking BIM to Facilities Management.