The Path to BIM for Small Firms: February 20th Autodesk Webcast:

On Wednesday, February 20, 2008 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. PST, Autodesk is providing a webcast titled:

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Webcast: The Path to BIM for Small Firms

During the last 5-1/2 years, 85% of my Revit training and implementation projects; have been inside design firms with 5-10 design employees. Revit has afforded and empowered small design firms to do bigger, more specialized and profitable projects.

Here's an example (photo gallery) of a small East Coast design firm's residential project; that was designed in Revit and recognized by Architectural Digest.

Narofsky Architecture-Revit Project: Architectural Digest Recognition

Regardless of your business size, consider downloading this free, 62-page AIA Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Guide which provides insight on the integration of a BIM design process into the IPD process.

The Path to BIM for Small Firms Webcast Registration Site

Revit Architecture & Structure 2008 Web Updates Now Available

Autodesk updated the Revit Architecture 2008 and the Revit Structure 2008 product download sites.

Revit Architecture
Web Update SP2 build (20070810_1700):
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=9408083

List of Revit Architecture 2008 updates.

Revit Structure
Web Update SP2 build (20070810_1700):
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=9281007

List of Revit Structure 2008 updates.


There are two separate downloads; one for the single Revit product and one for the Revit Suites products (those products that come bundled with AutoCAD). Choose the correct product based on the product type you purchased.

Free Revit Structure Tutorials-Streaming Media Format

Free audio-video Revit Structure tutorials have been posted on this site. They are presented in a general overview format. Consider using them for your next company "lunch and learns" or to provide users/management with an idea of Revit functionality.

The site includes a Revit Structure Tutorials RSS/XML feed if you want to plug this link into your RSS reader. Your reader can monitor the site and alert you when new tutorials become available.

Currently the site has posted archived Revit Structure demonstration webcasts and these short overview tutorials:

Top Features

• Single Model for Both Structural Analysis and Documentation
• Bidirectional Associativity Between Model and Views
• Construction Documents Structural Details
• Import/Export in DWG/DXF/DGN/IFC and CIS/2 formats
• Bidirectional Links with Analysis Packages
• Multiple Materials
• Structural Parametric Components
• Multi-users Worksharing Interoperability with Revit Architecture

Auto-Rotating Revit Components: Revit Productivity Techniques

Revit provides two methods for rotating components as you place them into the project.

The easiest technique is to "tap" the SPACEBAR prior to placing a component.

Each time you tap the spacebar, the family component will rotate 90 degrees.

Use this same technique to place components parallel or perpendicular to building elements that are not on a 90-degree angle.

For example, as you insert a component, hold the cursor on the "linework" of an angular oriented building element or component.

While the linework is highlighted (not selected) by the cursor, tap the spacebar. The component attached to your cursor will pick up the angle of the reference object and will begin rotating at 90 degree increments, relative to the reference object's angle. The component is now parallel or perpendicular to the reference object.

The last method for rotating components prior to placement is located in the Options Bar.

Select the Component command and check the "Rotate after placement" checkbox in the Options Bar.

You can dynamically set the angle by picking a point on screen...or just start typing the value of the angle and press the Enter key. Done!

Revit Productivity Techniques: Assess Your Skillset

I'm publishing a productivity series titled; Revit Productivity Techniques. I have 6 techniques currently loaded into the blog auto-publisher; with several more almost complete. They'll be released every couple days.

As an instructor of 20+ years, I assess learners' skill levels prior to and during the course of every class. I have at least 15 base techniques-skills (outcomes) every Revit user should have when they leave my 3-day Revit Essentials class. These techniques will be published over the next few weeks. Consider using them for your own internal lunch and learns.

The first one will publish tomorrow, Friday, June 15th.

Until then, Happy Flag Day!

Engineering.com Provides 1GB Free Web File Sharing

A simple free registration on Engineering.com currently provides you with 1GB of free web-based file storage. Rather than emailing those large Revit project files, CAD drawings, image, specifications or spreadsheet files; simply post them to your Engineering.com project site.

Next step, provide your clients, staff, consultants, contractor or reprographics vendor with free permission-based access to your project site. Let the collaboration begin.

Engineering.com features engineering calculators, a university directory, national-international job postings, free downloads, library articles, job listings and a free engineering.com toolbar.

Feeddigest Links My Building Design Media Sources

I'm testing a web service called feeddigest to link the content I write for my company's
Architectural Solutions blog into this, my personal Revit JobCaptain blog.

My ASB blog content is posted on Revit JobCaptain main page, in the right margin of this screen; under Architectural Solutions Blog.

I posted a follow-up article to my original Our Home In Revit blog post; titled Designing A Greener Home With Revit on our company blog. I'll be taking this blog post's outline, photos, videos and Revit data I've created on the road soon as a "green educational" event.

A little about Feeddigest. If a web resource has syndication capabilities (xml/rss/rdf), take that link and enter it into Feeddigest. It creates javascript, vbscript or php source code that I can place into a webpage. As my syndication sources update, they update my html webpage.

I can blend several syndication sources into one feed. If I have two blogs, I enter both syndications URLs and Feeddigest creates a single feed from two blogs. I can also set key words/phrases and create a feed from multiple resources on a specific topic. So far, it's been pretty cool in my testing phase. It's free for 30 days and about $1 a month for an annual subscription.

I'm updating my Revit JobCaptain Lens and Home Planning and Design lens weekly with volumes of research and resources that eventually tie into my blogs. When I first started my 15 lenses, there were less than 5,000 lenses. At last count there are more than 100,000 Squidoo lenses.

A single page blog has limitations. Hopefully, my other web media sources will help you find content I've created or use that may be specific to your building design application.

Cheers!

Revit Placeholders: Key to Smooth Project Development

A placeholder is an object that you place into the building model; realizing that you will eventually revise, replace or remove it. I kick off many of my projects with a set of standard, conceptually-detailed placeholders. This will include doors, walls, window, tags, dimensions, equipment and data schedules. Placeholders may be 2D or 3D; they usually have simple graphics with some simple data attached to them. We usually name them as a Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, etc doors, windows or walls.

As the project progresses, we revise or replace the "Type" placeholders with descriptive family named components; "Single Flush" door, "Double Hung with Trim" window, "Exterior - Brick and CMU on MTL. Stud" wall.

From concept placeholders to final component families, BIM Standards should be reviewed and maintained throughout the project. In the elevations image below, I encountered problems as I replaced window types. Notice how the window head heights in Step B and D do not match the windows families in Steps A and C. I should have reviewed them against my BIM standards before I released them into the project.

To globally revise, edit or replace a placeholder; we must find and select every occurence of the object family in the project file. First, select an object, right click and pick "Select All Instances" from the shortcut menu. This selects all occurences of that object family on all levels.

Now you may have two or three choices for editing. All choices exist in the Options Bar above. Working from left to right, you can either pick the the Family Properties pull-down menu and change the family type. Or select the Properties button and revise the object's Family types in the Element Properties dialog box. Or you can choose the "Edit Family" button.

BIM placeholders that are properly created and managed willl cut the labor costs and project time. Thereby allowing the designer to do more with less effort.