Wiley Mastering Revit Architecture 2010
Contents
1. t cheat the documentation of your design Because the elements have properties based on real life constraints you ll find it difficult to fake elements within the design When you get stuck trying to resolve a roof condition it s most likely that you have a complex roof to solve You can t just fake the elevations and call it a day Of course in CAD based systems faking annotations has always been possible and has no doubt led to some messy construction administration work As you move into the BIM world be prepared to take on some early design challenges Figure 1 5 shows what appears to be a simple house model but it s more complex than it looks With Revit you model the dormers the trusses and the fascia and soffits You need to determine how the walls and roofs connect to one another and Revit is well suited to figuring these things out FIGURE 1 5 To build a BIM model you need to solve problems in 3D space from dormers to trusses Revit Lets You Leverage Other Tools to Support Your Workflow Other software packages such as SketchUp Rhinoceros Autodesk Alias Design Studio Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max are all excellent 3D modeling applications While they can produce either quick 3D concepts or conceptually complex geometrical shapes these modeling applications don t have the ability to document fully your design for construction nor can they be leveraged downstream Note though that even if these too2. In the BIM era 3D experience is the norm not the exception BIM and Process Change When moving to a BIM work environment you ll experience a change in process and workflow Perhaps the most immediate and obvious difference is that a traditional CAD system uses many separate files to document a building whereas a BIM project typically has only one file With CAD all the separate files are created individually and have no intelligent connection between them Each drawing represents a separate piece of work to be managed and updated through out the design process With such an unwieldy process the possibility of uncoordinated data and thus errors is very high The manual change management enforced by CAD is a tedious and error prone process that requires diligent project management and lots of red lines BIM provides a different approach to the problem rather than many files you work with one logical file With BIM all information is consolidated and networked together for you and the resulting drawings all relate back to a single underlying database guaranteeing an internally consistent model BIM AND PROCESS CHANGE 5 If you understand the basic premise of an integrated building model then you ll by now have realized that BIM removes the concept of drawing lines to represent objects Instead you build walls roofs stairs and furniture You model the building and its systems Figure 1 2 shows a 3D sectional view of a Revit model Y
3. Casework ol By View a Ceilings oO m By View Revit Columns a By View Curtain Panels 0 0 By Vew Curtain Systems O m By View Curtain Wall Mullions mi Detail tems _Doors Electrical Equipment _ Bectncal Foduree _Ertourese _ Fears Fumture Fumture Systems n baa fc aad a jc ai a iJ ig ay PPAF HF AIS He He Re Generic Models Lighting Fodures None Expand Al Ovemde Host Layers Cl Ct Line Styles Show categores from all decplnes Non ovemidden categories are drawn according to Object Style settings Object Syies Canca Hep Be prepared to work in much tighter more collaborative teams As soon as you enter the BIM multiuser world you absolutely need to be communicating with your team all the time The changes that you make in the model will affect the whole model and other people s work We think this is a great perhaps unintended consequence of moving into a model based design paradigm Anticipate that tasks will take different amounts of time when compared to a CAD produc tion environment You ll perform tasks in Revit that you never had in CAD and conversely some CAD tasks that took weeks such as chamfering and trimming thousands of lines to draw walls properly or making a door schedule take almost no time using Revit On the other hand some tasks may seem to take longer in Revit This may initially seem true but remember that as you re modifying or ad
4. That said no other application on the market delivers the advantages of BIM as well as Revit does Consider this for a moment most other architectural products in today s market are based on technology that is 20 plus years old whereas Revit is a new technology that was designed from the ground up as a BIM tool to specifically address the AEC industry From its inception Revit has had the goal of improving design communica tion coordination and change management It has a patented parametric change engine that is unmatched in sophistication It s also the leading software package in the international market Revit is not the only BIM package out there but we feel it offers the most holistic approach As you complete more projects with Revit you ll begin to understand some of its advanced functionality In this book we ll delve into advanced concepts and guide you through some really cool features We ll touch on the fact that Revit is now a technological platform that sup ports architectural structural and mechanical disciplines The fact that you can share a model with your structural and mechanical electrical plumbing engineers MEP without any inter mediate translation methods or change to the base environment is an exciting prospect and one that will continue to drive changes in process Where Can You Go from Here Building information modeling is a revolutionary approach to the design analysis and docu mentation of build
5. a view as a pair of glasses that can filter what you see but the underlying model is still there all the time A wall in Revit interacts with other walls to produce clean connections and appropriate levels of material abstraction It connects to floors levels and roofs forms rooms and defines areas Windows and doors placed in a wall move with the wall that hosts them when that wall is repositioned Deleting a wall will delete all windows and doors in that wall and all dimen sions associated with the wall If you move a level expect floors roofs walls plumbing and electrical features to also move as their parameters change Keep the interaction of elements in mind especially in multiuser scenarios where your changes to the model will affect many views at once Duplicating Views Takes Two Clicks With Revit you can duplicate floor plan views quickly allowing you to generate plans as in progress working drawings others for presentation purposes and still others for final construc tion documents CDs Note that this is very different from making a copy of a drawing of a floor plan duplicating does not create any copy of elements in a model what happens is that you are simply duplicating a view of the model and you can have as many different views of the same model as you wish 8 CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING BIM FROM THE BASICS TO ADVANCED REALITIES Revit Fosters Problem Solving An advantage of a BIM methodology is that you can
6. imagine The focus moves from 2D abstractions to integrated model delivery It s now possible to detect spatial clashes between the multitudes of complex systems in the building You can know with confidence whether ductwork will interfere with the structural steel long before construction starts IDENTIFYING THE ADVANTAGES OF BIM The goal of reducing errors and smoothing out the construction process is driving firms to be more efficient effective and productive With BIM all the plans sections and elevations are derivative representations of the model producing these drawings is no longer a set of isolated repetitive and discontinuous tasks A data rich model also means that more analysis and itera tive searching for optimal solutions can occur early in the design process As detail is added the model becomes an increasingly accurate representation of what will actually be built The model itself can be used to generate parts lists shop drawings and instructions for industrially produced elements for the fabrication process If you can send a digital file that can instruct machines to produce components the need for traditional annotated drawings might disappear entirely The ultimate benefits of BIM are still emerging in a market primed to change radically the way buildings are designed and built A shift in process and expectation is happening in the architecture engineering and construction AEC world with private and public sector
7. BIM FROM THE BASICS TO ADVANCED REALITIES Coordination with BIM is now required for many buildings to come into existence BIM is extremely useful for complex projects such as Daniel Libeskind s Denver Art Museum with its extreme geometric configuration Figure 1 1 Integrating the mechanical and structural systems into a 3D model is essential to completing a building of this complexity Exact spatial organiza tion of structural members could be modeled which in turn led to fewer field errors and fewer requests for information In addition parts could be sent directly to fabrication from the model eliminating the need for 2D drawings entirely FIGURE 1 1 BIM makes it pos sible to build more complex buildings with fewer errors Denver Art Museum Daniel Libeskind Let s not leave out some of the more pleasurable aspects of BIM that go beyond all the tech nical economic and ecological benefits With a 3D model you can expect to see changes in how you interact with your team and your clients and in the way you produce presentations No longer are you stuck with using 2D drawings or outsourcing to create perspective images You ll find yourself working with your team in close quarters sharing a model and exploring it together With your clients you can now take them through the building in full 3D from the beginning The experience of working with and visualizing 3D space can t be overemphasized and people enjoy it immensely
8. Chapter 1 Understanding BIM From the Basics to Advanced Realities In this chapter we ll cover the principles of a building information modeling BIM approach and summarize how BIM differs from a traditional 2D computer aided design CAD process We ll explain fundamental characteristics of Revit how Revit delivers the benefits of a true BIM tool and why Revit is the tool best suited for a process motivated by an integrated and collaborative practice In this chapter you ll learn to Identify the advantages of building information modeling Know what to expect from BIM Identifying the Advantages of BIM The production of design documents has traditionally been an exercise in drawing lines to represent a building These documents become instruction sets an annotated booklet that describes what the building should look like when complete The plan section elevation and detail are all skillfully drafted line by line drawing by drawing sheet by sheet Whether physical or digital these traditional drawing sets are composed of annotated graphics where each line and text is part of a larger abstraction meant to convey design intent so that a building can eventually be constructed By and large this is still the reality we face today but the process of creating these drawings is being fundamentally changed as a result of BIM Let s put this into an historical context for a moment and briefly walk through the evolution of architec
9. The promise of BIM lies in the ability to visualize and understand how a building participates in these complex networks how it performs how it will age and how it will accommodate and adapt to dynamic economic and spatial requirements BIM AND PROCESS CHANGE 13 Revit along with a change in process can change the way you do business structure your office present ideas to clients win new jobs and ultimately build a new architecture Armed with the skills you ll develop in this book you ll be able to take Revit to the edges of creative expression and maybe create something as ambitious as the skyscraper in Figure 1 9 FIGURE 1 9 Taking Revit to the edges of creative expression Image courtesy of Phil Read 14 CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING BIM FROM THE BASICS TO ADVANCED REALITIES The Bottom Line Identify the advantages of building information modeling The traditional architectural design tools you ve mastered are probably serving you well New software and a new con ceptual model of the building process will inevitably involve some adjustments so they need to provide significant benefits Master It What are some of the advantages of using BIM over traditional CAD tools Know what to expect from BIM A BIM project is based on a single centralized database of information You need to anticipate how that change can affect workflows based on more independent functions Master It How can your work process be affected by the ad
10. cked walls Figure 1 4 shows the assembly options embedded in the type properties of a Revit wall BIM AND PROCESS CHANGE 7 FIGURE 1 4 The Element Prop Leta mia ties dialog b Type Exterior Brick and Block on Mtl Stud erties dia 0g ox Total thickness 350 0 Samele Height 6000 0 of a wall contains many powerful Spats EXTERIOR SIDE features allowing T eaa a Wiel detailed editing of a sorry Concret A the wall assembly 5 cE B aie a B Themal Air Layer Misc Ar Layers 76 0 ima LLL 4 Membrane Layer ArBarierAirinil 0 0 cA S Substrate 2 Wood Sheathing 19 0 vw 6 Core Boundary Layers Above Wr 0 0 z_ Suuctue 1 Metal Stud Layer 1520 Fy a Core Boundary Layers Below Wr 0 0 18 Membrane Layer Vapor Moisture 00 ica MO Finish 2 5 Gypsum Wal Boar 13 0 aha INTERIOR SIDE Insert Delete i Down Default Wrapping At Inserts Ak Ends Do not wrap z Nome Modify Vertical Structure Section Preview only zj Medley Merce Redos SHEEP T ld Peigi Levers Spit Recon Revesls Window Capture Test cy Views Floor Plan Modfy tyre Preview gt gt Tencel Help Elements Interact with Other Elements All the Time Remember there is one model and many ways to look at it called views no matter in which view you change the model the change will immediately be updated in all views And in each view you have total control over what information you want to display Think of
11. ding something in plan you re also adding it in section elevation and detail Be prepared to discover and embrace new tasks with BIM that were never part of a 2D workflow In Revit you ll often feel as if you are working in traditional types of 2D views just keep in mind that it s still a 3D model Moving walls windows and doors in plan feels like a 2D operation but of course it s not If you ve never worked in a model based environment it can be jarring at first to see the drawing you ve been working on change as a result of an edit ina different view As we mentioned this becomes even more dramatic when you start working in a team and sharing a model You ll learn that preventing movement of elements becomes just as critical as being able to edit elements in the model Pinning down grids levels and exterior walls will become part of your workflow especially in larger projects with many users working ina single file 12 CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING BIM FROM THE BASICS TO ADVANCED REALITIES Revit Is the Most Advanced BIM Application Revit is the most technologically advanced BIM application and it s under highly dynamic development What began as a single tool for architects has expanded into a platform that is the base for the structural and mechanical disciplines as well The evolution of the Revit software platform will continue As with any new technology you ll run into problems get flustered and no doubt pull out some hair
12. eers were added to the process as need for special ized knowledge of building systems grew No longer could the architect expect to produce a few simple drawings and have a building erected Complexity in building systems demanded greater amounts of information and this information was delivered in the form of larger and more complex construction document sets Architects today find themselves drafting producing details working with a wide range of consultants and still having to create sketches for contrac tors in the field in order to resolve the complexity of construction assemblies The traditional production of plans sections and elevations continues to this day but with far more drawings than in the days of Palladio At the same time we ask these questions Will all these drawings be necessary in the near future Will the adoption of BIM lead to new ways of communicating the design new delivery methods new forms of construction and new roles for the architect Can a shift in technology lead to a shift in thinking about the building process Building Information Modeling Fast forward to the present context and the advent of building information modeling The pro duction of drawings is now streamlined by creating a digital 3D model composed of virtual building elements These elements are loaded with data that describe not only geometry but also material fire rating cost manufacturer count and just about any other metadata you can
13. ge visibility You can t add to or alter this list which means every project enjoys the same level of visual predictability And of course with an integrated model you don t need to worry about referencing other drawings to keep the drawings up to date and in sync BIM Is More than a Technology Approach It s a Change in Process One of the powers of Revit is the ability to work in a single file environment where the design and documentation of the building happens on a holistic model This can be a disadvantage if it isn t taken seriously Users who are quick to make changes without thinking about how such changes will ripple through the model can cause unintended problems Revit is a parametric modeler that maintains relationships between building elements to streamline the design pro cess For example deleting a roof underlay in a view doesn t just delete the roof in that view it deletes it everywhere in the model You need to think before you delete that wall or ignore that warning message FIGURE 1 8 The Visibility Graphic Overrides dialog box contains the entire range of BIM AND PROCESS CHANGE 11 Visibility Graphic Overrides for 3D View 3D Model Categones Annotation Categories imported Categones Fiters_ Design Options F Show mode categones in this view Visibility rone ae sds eee F a category is unchecked it wil not be visible Areas P g fe By View elements used in
14. ig in to the Family Editor and explore your creative side We ve seen many beautiful families and clever tricks put to use that make Revit fun to use Figure 1 7 shows a curtain wall system with nested panels and attachment clamps As we ll discuss in Chapter 5 and reinforce in Chapter 10 creating such families isn t too difficult and requires no programming or scripting knowledge Using 3D modeling tools and parametric dimensions you can create reusable and dimensionally flexible components for any architec tural element By taking your time being patient and tackling problem solving you ll be pro ducing custom content in no time 9 10 CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING BIM FROM THE BASICS TO ADVANCED REALITIES FIGURE 1 7 Using the Family Editor you can model intelligent part assemblies Revit Does Away with Layers and X References If you ve already made the jump into Revit then this will already be obvious rather than user defined layers you use an intelligent architectural classification system to manage visibility graphics and selection This may seem stringent at first but once you get the hang of it you ll see the benefits Because a building model is an assembly of meaningful to be built objects you control the visibility and graphics of those objects using a rational list of well understood categories This also makes it easy to select similar elements and edit them Figure 1 8 shows the list of classifications that mana
15. ings that takes full advantage of modern day computational technology At its core BIM manages the flow of information throughout the lifecycle of a building design process allowing you to experience the building before it is built Using BIM from early conceptual design through construction documentation and into construction administration and beyond it s possible to better predict plan and execute the complex task of creating architecture to meet today s demanding requirements The flow of information in this new world consists of virtually all imagined inputs that go into a building design the gross area of the building its impact on the environment the number of windows doors and plumbing fixtures the cost of materials the size of heating and cooling equipment you name it All this information is stored in a digital model a virtual 3D database chock full of information primed for extraction analysis and representation The input turns into output in the form of coordinated document sets that can be shared across multiple disci plines and that serve as a centralized design management tool for an entire project The AEC industry is at the cusp of a major shift in technology and the resulting impact on building and by extension the greater environment will be revolutionary We can no longer build without considering the impact of the building without considering the building as part of a larger network of interconnected flows
16. l based framework such as Revit guarantees that a change in one view will propagate to all other views of the model As you shift elements in plan they simultaneously change in elevation and sec tion If you change a level height all the walls and floors associated with that level update automatically and adjust their base height length to the new condition If you remove a door from your model it s simultaneously removed from all other views and your door schedule is updated automatically This unprecedented level of coordination allows designers and builders to better control and display information ensuring higher quality and a leaner process The immediate access to 3D visualization of the building and its spaces makes it much easier to understand and communicate the building design One model can also contain many variations Design Options any of which can be explored at any stage in the design process Integrated design and documentation keeps the data centralized and coordinated This in turn leads to live and up to date schedules and quantity take offs That information can then be used to make decisions early in the design process reducing risk and cost overruns Not only that but with the coordinated BIM model you can start running energy analysis solar studies daylight simulations and egress analysis much earlier in the process allowing you to iterate through design decisions earlier not later 3 4 CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING
17. ls are not BIM they can still play a role ina BIM workflow many architects use them to generate concept models that can then be brought into a BIM application and progress through design analysis and documentation If you prefer to work with other tools for concept modeling doing so isn t a problem When the design starts to gel import the geometry into Revit convert the imported conceptual models into real building elements and start taking advantage of BIM FIGURE 1 6 2D details can be drawn directly over the 3D model allowing you to add much more information to the model BIM AND PROCESS CHANGE Finally not everything in a Revit model is modeled in 3D You can create pure 2D drawings drafting views and details in Revit import existing CAD details and reuse details from other Revit projects Revit Allows You to Draft The tools may be a bit different than those in AutoCAD or any other drafting application but there is nothing you can draw in CAD that can t be drawn in Revit By using the intelligence of Revit families you can build your details into individual components thereby embedding draft ing elements into the 3D object Figure 1 6 shows an example of a detail drawn entirely in Revit ko Lowe ee The Family Editor Is a Powerful Tool Most elements families in Revit are made with the Family Editor and can be built with incred ibly powerful behaviors Don t be afraid to d
18. option of BIM
19. ou can see that the model incorporates fa ade elements floors roofs parapets curtain walls and materials All this information is modeled and must be designed as it is to be built You then add information to the drawings to explain the model in the form of parametric tags and keynotes Although the end result is still a set of printed lines you rarely draw these lines This concept of modeling is so simple and matches more closely the process of building design that you as an architect are familiar with that you ll get used to the idea in no time FIGURE 1 2 The BIM model keeps you honest and focused on solving the design problems of a model rather than managing lines Revit is excellent at managing changes and keeping your model interconnected Unlike CAD the intent of BIM is to let the computer take responsibility for redundant interactions and calcu lations leaving you the designer with more time to design and evaluate your decisions With a BIM tool such as Revit be prepared to change your expectations of how to use design software Remember you are modeling a building now not drafting lines You re doing what you do best solving complex spatial problems 6 CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING BIM FROM THE BASICS TO ADVANCED REALITIES Revit Encourages Creativity Revit s tools are clustered in easy to access ribbon tabs that have collections of logically grouped tools Most of these tools will get you where yo
20. owners beginning to demand BIM models as part of the delivery package The shift from traditional 2D abstractions to on demand simulations of building performance usage and cost is no longer a futuristic fantasy but a reality In the age of information rich digital models all disciplines involved with a project can share a single database Architecture structure mechanical infrastructure and construction can be coordinated in ways never before possible Models can now be sent directly to fabrication numerically controlled machines CNC bypassing the need for traditional shop drawings Energy analysis can be done at the outset of design and construction costs are becoming increasingly predictable These are just a few of the exciting opportunities that a BIM approach offers Designers and contractors can begin to look at the entire building process from preliminary design through construction documentation into construction and rethink how buildings come together The whole notion of paper based delivery may become obsolete as more players adopt up to date accurate digital models With the Revit building information model a parametric 3D model is created that produces traditional building abstractions such as plans sections elevations details and schedules The drawings produced aren t discrete collections of manually coordinated lines but interac tive representations or more accurately different views of a model Working in a mode
21. r time however architecture became more and more academic as building typologies solidified and under the influence of Beaux Arts tradition classical reconstructions on paper and in model form became part of the formative education of the architect The design profes sion began its gradual separation from the building trades The notion of design process and iterative problem solving became critical attributes of a design professional in many cases superseding knowledge of construction means and methods With modern architecture solving abstract spatial problems accommodating program matic elements and experimenting with new materials became driving forces The machine age and the promise of mass production were idealized and fully embraced Le Corbusier s 1887 1965 romantic vision of steamships and automobiles inspired a new generation of archi tecture and buildings became increasingly machine like Consider all the office towers and commercial office parks that have emerged each with internal mechanical systems to keep them operational As buildings continued to grow in complexity both technically and programmatically the architect grew more removed from the act of physical construction Modern materials such as steel and reinforced concrete became prevalent and complex building systems were introduced In turn the production of more detailed drawings became a legal and practical requirement Structural engineers and mechanical engin
22. tural design and documentation A Brief History of Design and Documentation Andrea Palladio s Four Books on Architecture trans Robert Tavernor and Richard Schofield MIT Press 1997 presents an amazing array of drawing techniques that show buildings cut in plan and section and even hybrid drawings that show elevations and sections in one drawing You can see hints about construction techniques and structural gestures in the form of trusses arches and columns These representations were meant as simplified expressions of a project and often they were idealized versions of the building not necessarily how the building was built The drawings were communication and documentation tools themselves works of detailed craftsmanship In those days 14th 17th centuries the architect was brought up in the tradition of building and 2 CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING BIM FROM THE BASICS TO ADVANCED REALITIES had integral knowledge of how buildings were constructed Palladio like many other architects of his day grew up as a stonemason Building techniques were deeply embedded in the construc tion trades which in turn spawned the great architects of the time Other master masons and sculptors who were also architects include the likes of Filippo Brunelleschi Giovanni Bernini and Francesco Borromini These architects are often referred to as the master builders because they were involved in all facets of the design and construction of buildings Ove
23. u need to go with minimal effort For more complicated conditions be prepared to put your creativity to use Remember Revit is a 3D modeling application that will let you build almost anything you want For example if you can t create the wall or roof you want with the explicit Wall or Roof tool you can create your own custom shaped walls or roofs using the Model in Place tool This tool lets you make a 3D solid geometry of the wall that you can then assign to the Wall category and that will behave and schedule as a regular wall Figure 1 3 shows an example of custom designed railings curtain walls and structural elements all possible for a creative and engaged designer These custom elements participate in the underlying data structure of Revit making them schedulable and quantifiable FIGURE 1 3 A Be creative and work out your design solutions in3D Every Element in Revit Has Properties Throughout the design process of a project you ll often need to adjust elements and change the model Get used to the idea of clicking the Element Properties button to make interactive changes to the model Better yet map Element Properties to a keyboard shortcut A member of the Basic Wall family for example has properties like width height bearing or nonbearing demolished or new interior or exterior fire rating and material You can even define how layers wrap when inserts are placed in the wall add integrated wall sweeps and build sta
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