Thursday, June 14, 2012

Don't Want Walls to Join?

"Disallow wall join" by selecting the wall, Right click the control grip at the end you want to disallow and select the option in the pop-up context menu.

This is useful when you have two different walls meeting, for example an interior wall perpendicular to an exterior shell wall, curtain wall or storefront. You don't want them to join so that you can control their end points accurately.

Here is a link to a great graphic representation of the instructions.
http://bim4scottc.blogspot.com/2012/02/disallow-join.html

Join a Split Wall

How to join two ends of in-line parallel walls. Double click one of the shape handles.  Make sure that the wall ends allow joins (check by right clicking each shape handle).

http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?11927-Join-a-Split-Wall
(you may not be able to see the link without signing in)

Update: This only works some of the time so far. Other solution is to extend one wall and delete the other.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Alternate Design Schemes in Revit 2012

How to create and manage multiple design schemes in Revit using Design Options.
I'm starting at the source and will work out from there.
Autodesk's wiki help page for Design Options, contains links to pages describing each step of the workflow.

Design Option Overview -  Skim for a quick introduction to their use and move on to...

Design Option WorkflowRead thoroughly and explore links from this article.


Creating Design Option Sets - "begin the design option process by creating design option sets."

Setup Scheme and name design options as desired.

Moving Elements from One Design Option to Another - use copy / paste with desired "move from" and "move to" design option active.

Primary option is "same" as what is shown in Main Model.

You cannot select elements that reside in an option while you are in the Main Model. You can uncheck "Exclude Options" box (at right of bottom view control bar on screen) in order to select/modify any.

Setup views for each option, use visibility/graphics settings to show the desired option in each view.
Note: Views are for viewing only, to edit, you must activate the design option. Do this in either "Active Design Option" drop down box, one is under the Manage tab and one is at the bottom of the program screen in the middle of the Status bar.

Move element instances from model to design options using the "Add to set" button while in a view showing a specific option, door swings don't always disappear from the view you are in. It's just a temporary graphic glitch, revealing hidden once will correct the view.

Move elements from option to option using the cop/cut command and past to aligned (or similar). Note: elements pasted are set to "New Construction" under Phasing. Be sure to check their settings after you past. Especially critical for an existing TI project.

Dedicating Views to Design Options - Do this first before you start modeling / moving elements, it makes it easier to check your work and will help reduce brain damage.

"Pick to Edit" command accessed through the manage tab under the Design Options panel.






Friday, June 8, 2012

Storefront Repeating Mullion Spacing

Place storefront with equal mullions. Select desired storefront wall. Before placing, edit type, set vertical (horizontal too if needed) mullion spacing to desired distance (fixed, minimum or maximum), place storefront wall.

To edit/change mullion layout, select the Curtain Wall that you just placed, Edit Type from the Properties dialog. Change vertical mullion spacing to None.

Revit offers to automatically delete the grids and mullions in a warning popup after you click OK from the Edit Type properties box. Selecting "Delete Gridline" deletes the grid and associated mullion, selecting "OK" leaves them in place but makes them editable. Edit away!


Note: Don't forget Edit type effects all instances of that Curtain Wall in the project, not just the one that you originally selected.

Adding Rooms (Really! Only one at a time?!)


You place a room in bounding elements (or create boundary lines within the command) before you tag the room (insert room name/number/data labels).
The command is found on the Home tab, Room and Area panel, Room.


Note: They must be placed by picking each space one by one. It would be nice to place multiple rooms automatically somehow all at once and go back and edit them BUT there currently is not.
Here's a forum where this is discussed in some detail, http://www.revitcity.com/forums.php?action=viewthread&thread_id=26224
Guess we are stuck with adding this to the wish list.