IMAGINiT Building Solutions Blog

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The IMAGINiT Resource Center offers a searchable index of our older posts, on-demand webcasts, tips and tricks, case studies, whitepapers, and more.

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[Infographic] Top IMAGINiT Clarity Tasks

[Infographic] How Does IMAGINiT Clarity Work?

Coordinate Confusion with Levels in Revit!

Coordinates are vital for many aspects of any Revit project. In fact, coordinates are a part of every Revit project, whether you intentionally interact with them or not. In most smaller projects, and even sometimes in bigger projects you may not even worry about coordinates… at least not that you intentionally think about. But there is one area of every project you do interact with coordinates, and that is with Levels. In a Level’s Type Parameters, you have the ability to set the “Elevation Base” to either Project Base point, or Survey point.

So, what does this mean? This will control the datum Revit uses to display the elevation of a Level.

The default location of the Project Base Point is in the same place as Revit’s Origin (or 0,0,0). If you move it, let’s say down in the Z axis, the elevation dimension on the Level will change (assuming of course, the Level’s Elevation Base is set to Project Base Point.)

note: previous to Revit version 2020.2 the functionality was the same, you just had to unclip the Project Base Point before you moved it.

This comes in handy when you need to set the construction datum to something other than 0’-0”. For example, if you want this to read 100’-0”, you simply move the Project Base Point down 100’ and voila!

If you edit the Level’s Type Parameters and change the “Elevation Base” parameter to Survey Point, the Level’s dimension will instead read based on the location of the Survey Point … Maybe!

This is where there is confusion, and you DON’T EVEN REALIZE IT! The truth is the dimension shown on the level is not actually using the Survey Point as its reference. The Level is actually using the current Shared Coordinate! If you move the Survey point (just as you did the Project Base Point), but leave it clipped, you are also moving the Shared Coordinate location, and in this scenario everything seems to be copasetic and working as intended.

BUT if you unclip the Survey Point, then move it, the location of the Shared Coordinate does not change and neither does the dimension of the Level! So, in fact, the Level’s dimension is not reading from the Survey Point as advertised! It’s actually reading from the the Shared Coordinate location.

This probably doesn’t make a difference in most Revit projects, and you may have never even dealt with this. But you might get frustrated or confused and think something is “broken” if you ever need to set the Levels to read from the “Survey point”, then unclip the survey point and move it to another location.

By the way, the same hold true for the Spot Elevation and Spot Coordinate dimensions!

Notice: Family Corruption in Revit 2020.2

Please be aware that the Revit Team at Autodesk identified a defect in the 2020.2 update/build that is corrupting families in some projects.

On February 4, the team published the notification on Autodesk's Knowledge Network (AKN) along with four suggested workarounds.  Here is the link to the article:  Family Corruption in Revit 2020.2

The team anticipates delivering a hotfix to resolve this issue very soon.  In the meantime, please take note of the workarounds in the above article should you encounter an issue in one of your projects.

Exploring Lighting and Energy Analysis Tools for Revit Part 1

Recently in a webinar for a client about Insight, the energy analysis tool embedded inside of Revit. Being an old hand at Ecotect and Green Building Studio as well as Visari, I ran into some questions about analysis tools in general and more specifically what is currently available at little or no cost.

This had me thinking about the nature of energy analysis in general as well as the 2nd and 3rd generation tools that are now available.

Get started using Insight with Revit
Insight for energy performance analysis is now built directly into Revit. You will find the tools available under the Analyze tab. These tools can help architecture firms meet sustainability goals, including the Architecture 2030 Challenge if they have subscribed via their local AIA.

The Insight tools for Heating, Cooling, Lighting and Solar are available via the Insight Download from your subscription web portal. If you have a Revit subscription, these tools are free add-ins.

These can help architecture firms meet sustainability goals, including the Architecture 2030 Challenge.
Out of the box, the Insight tools are set up for ease of use and analysis with one or two clicks. However, there are some settings you might want to look at to give you better results.

Selecting the Energy Settings will give you options to customize your analysis with more specific information. To understand how these settings are affecting the results, click here the link in the dialog box.

You will notice that the mode is set to Conceptual Masses and Building Elements. This is the default and recommended mode. The other settings are for legacy models and inputs.

By Selecting Edit, the user can access the default assemblies and exchange them for other options. You cannot add or delete these assemblies at the present. They are the out of the box options for those seeking a quick “how are we doing” analysis.

The intent of Insight out of the box is for those new to energy analysis or for those seeking some quick ball park numbers to guide their design intent.

Ideally, these tools are to be used during schematic design to help guide designers to more energy efficient outcomes.

Users can change the default assemblies by selecting the Edit button next to Conceptual Types.
Users can also edit the Schematic Type (and assemblies) directly below Conceptual Types.

The Schematic Types options lets the user define a building type and choose the defaults for analytical construction.

As an exercise, create a simple mass model to test the results. To get started with Insight you only need a few things in the model:

1. Levels – Defining your floor to floor heights
2. Location: Set your project’s location under the Revit Manage Tab.
3. Create a simple mass shape using the Revit massing tools.
4. Create mass floors.

That’s it.
From here you can get instant feedback on your design.

By adjusting a few of the settings within the Insight interface, I can see that my building can be designed to meet the 2030 Challenge.

Insight is primarily as pre-design tool for architects to get instant feedback on their initial designs. It is not intended as a post occupancy type of tool for measuring your final buildings energy use. At that point your metaphorical ship has sailed.

Trade In and Save 20% on Autodesk Software

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*Qualifying licenses are perpetual licenses with release year 2014 through 2019 that are not on an active maintenance plan.

 

Trade-in and save 20%

 

Ready to upgrade? Let us help! Contact us here. 

Utilizing Global Parameters for Sheet Grid Visibility

Are you having to hide sheet grids one sheet at a time? See steps below on how to globally control sheet grid visibility using Global Parameters in Revit.

In the Title Block Family:

1. Create a new Linestyle to be used for the Gridlines: Go to the Manage tab > Settings panel > Object Styles tool use the following settings or similar.

2. Add some gridlines to the Title Block using the newly created ‘Gridline’ linestyle: Go to the Create tab > Detail panel > Line tool and create gridlines as shown in the image below or similar.

3. Next, select the newly created gridlines. Then go to the Properties Palette > Graphics Section > Visible parameter and select the ‘Associate Family Parameter’ button as seen in the image below.

4. In the Parameter Properties dialog, create a new Instance parameter called ‘Gridlines’ with settings as shown in the image below.

5. While still in the Parameter Properties dialog, select the new ‘Gridlines’ parameter from the list. Then hit OK.

6. Save the Title Block family and load it into the Revit Project.

In the Revit Project:

1. Create a new Sheet. Select the sheet in the view window and then select the ‘Associate Global Parameter’ button as seen in the image below.

2. In the Associate Global Parameter, create a new Global Parameter called ‘Gridline Visibility’.

3. While still in the Associate Global Parameter dialog, select the new ‘Gridline Visibility’ parameter from the list. Then hit OK.

4. Repeat Steps 7 through 9 to create new sheets with the same associated Global Parameter for ‘Gridline Visibility’.

5. Now, you can manage the visibility of grids on all your sheets by going to the Manage tab > Settings panel > Global Parameters tool and checking/unchecking the ‘Gridline Visibility’ parameter.

Living with Revit Live in Your Architectural Workflows

So. Now you’ve done it. You’ve answered the pleading calls of your children or grandchildren for this crazy concept of Virtual Reality. They’re plastering these big goggles over their eyes that make them look like they are going scuba diving in the dark, to play video games. Those big goggles, are typically going to be either Oculus Rift or HTV Vive devices. In a nutshell, these electronics allow the user to immerse themselves in a digital environment; one that only exists in a software program. Now what if I told you that you could use these same goggles to help you not only win new business in construction, but also to provide services (and possible revenue streams) that you do not currently offer. What if I told you that you didn’t have to spend years learning complex new software to achieve this new, digitized reality? You can do that now with your existing Revit work flow and a little product that we like to call Revit Live.

Revit Live is purpose built to immerse the viewer in the Revit project, even if they have no model navigation experience or have ever even seen the construction drawings of your project. Consider the architectural renderings that you are used to providing your client. They might not fully appreciate the construction drawings, but they understand the image. Now multiply that still image by the entire project environment. You have the opportunity to lead your customer down design options that they didn’t know they had. You might even gain a better understanding of spatial relationships between your Revit components in the process! With Revit Live, you aren’t just giving your customer a pretty picture. You’re giving them a memorable experience with their project!

So how does all of this work?
Live comes in two forms. The plug-in Editor for Revit is one option. With a simple button press, you can upload your project to the Live Cloud Service, where it will then become active in the Live Editor. From there, you can create your own interactive or animated walkthroughs, or simply go ahead and publish it to the Live Viewer, a free downloadable app for the PC or mobile device. Due to the size of the files, I would recommend against using it on a smart phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Examples of interactive architectural models in the Autodesk Revit Live editing software.

The project file gets downloaded, and opened in the app by your viewer. How it gets controlled and exactly how they see it, depends on what sort of device the app is installed on. However, the basic commands carry across all platforms. Camera views can be imported, rearranged, or added to those that come straight out of Revit. Real-time solar studies can be performed using the sun positioning sliders. Also, upon selection of the element, it’s Revit properties are shown. This is single-handedly one of the best-selling points when you are communicating your material and assembly choices to customers!

It is also extremely useful for construction crews, as often the information they need is available at the touch of a finger. Literally! Imagine that your QA director or even a jobsite superintendent needs to verify what a ceiling height or angle is supposed to be. He can pull this up on his tablet, scroll to the location as though he were playing a video game, and select the ceiling. Everything he needs to know about that ceiling is right there in full context to its surrounding Revit elements. Maybe they need to know what is supposed to be in a conduit run? Done. Manufacturer’s cut sheet? Provided the manufacturer included that PDF as a property on their Revit element (and most do), that is also done. No more hunting down the correct document before walking the jobsite or coming back to the trailer to find it. Instant answers, when your construction personnel need them the most. If they have a VR station within the trailer, then any changes being made to the Revit model can be quickly viewed and the constructability confirmed by relevant personnel- as though they were testing it out with actual materials at the jobsite. Better understanding, reduction of jobsite waste, what’s not to love?

Even more, the Live Editor plugs right into Autodesk’s new gaming engine called Stingray. With Stingray, you can create interactive animations such as doors opening when you approach, vehicles operating on the jobsite, and more! Your imagination really is the only limit with it. You can even upgrade the default texture maps that Revit used to create an even more aesthetically pleasing environment. Once you are done, just toss it back into the Editor for publishing to the Viewer, and you’re ready!

With the pace of visual technology taking off within construction, you would be remiss to not give Autodesk Revit Live a try and see how it can add value to your business too!

Part of a Different View

By Kenniston Crane

Have you ever looked at an assembly, maybe even a wall assembly, and wondered exactly how it would be built with the layers on top of layers?

Many manufacturers typically provide such cut away views of their products. Maybe you were wondering how you might be able to capture that perspective for your own detailing. It’s actually quite easy in Revit when dealing with Parts. Let’s take that wall for example:

 

When we have a typical system family type made of layers, such as this wall type from the OOTB Revit Architectural template, we can quickly extract those layers to be individually manipulated- even in a 3D view.

 

Simply select the element, such as the wall shown here (at left), and scroll over to the Modify tab. On there will be the Create panel, as you can see below. Select Parts.

 

And instantly the element is broken apart by individual materials, much like it is assembled. These individual materials can then be selected and even edited, to some extent. 

All while maintaining a connection to the original set of properties. This means your schedules remain intact. You keep the utility of the information stored within these properties, but now you can show them in a whole new dimension!

However, in order to individually manipulate these materials, you’ll want to have the ‘Show Shape Handles’ box checked on each material you intend to manipulate the display of.

Simply push and pull the familiar handles to adjust for your needs. You can even hide some (such as the air gap shown).

From there, it’s only a task of noting it up like you would a typical 3D view.