© 2011 Autodesk
WARNING! This may void your Manufactures warranty: Dissecting Revit Content with the ProsSteve Germano – Director of Technical SalesBryan Novotny – Senior BIM DeveloperParley Burnett – BIM Development Manager
© 2011 Autodesk
Class Summary
The world is shifting head first into Building Information Modeling (BIM), and a wave of Revit MEP content is being produced by manufacturers. Knowing what to look for and what your models should contain can make or break your company's workflow. This class will serve as your MEP content crash course and you will learn how to separate the good Revit MEP content from the bad.
© 2011 Autodesk
Who is ?
Sister Company with JBA Consulting Engineers Headquartered in Las Vegas, NV MEP / Tel-Data / Life Safety / Security /
AV Design Firm
Company Vision – “Optimizing the Building Lifecycle” BIM Content BIM Applications
© 2011 Autodesk
Speaker Bio
Steve Germano – Director of Technical Sales 8 Years of HVAC Mechanical Engineering Design Implemented Revit into worldwide MEP firm Using Revit MEP since its inception
Bryan Novotny – Senior BIM Developer 8 Years of Manufacturing Mechanical Design Part design Inventor / Solidworks / Pro-E
Parley Burnett – BIM Development Manager 4 Years Architectural Design Background Designing with Revit Architecture since 2005
© 2011 Autodesk
Learning Objectives
At the end of this class, you will be able to:
Identify a high quality BIM Model
Identify key factors that make the transition from ‘Generic’ to Manufactured easier
Identify key factors that really hinder project performance, Myths vs. Facts
Apply additional little-known tricks to your content creation workflow
© 2011 Autodesk
Who is Developing Standards and Where are they?
Government Sectors
Agencies and Organizations
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Can’t Find the Standard you Need?
At a minimum refer to the Autodesk Metadata Style Guide
Visit online hosting sites such as Autodesk Seek
© 2011 Autodesk
Why Aren’t You Using Manufacturer Based Content?
Imported, Non-Revit Geometry - No Visibility Options - No Linking of Materials - Effects Project Performance
• Lack of Meta-Data - No Data? - Improper data/data types
• Content Providers Lack of Industry Knowledge-Hosting Behaviors, Incorrect Data Types, Incorrect Family Categories etc..
© 2011 Autodesk
Why Aren’t You Using Manufacturer Based Content?
• Over Modeled Geometry-Revit Models are NOT Fabrication Drawings
• Too Many Parameters or Un-Organized Parameters
• Scheduling Conflicts - Lack of Standardized Parameters
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Advantages When Using Quality Manufacture Content
• Time Saving
• Swap nested annotation symbol to firm standard easily
• Accurate Data/Geometry
• Highly Customizable Content
• Visibility Settings/Graphics Configured to Work Within a Project
© 2011 Autodesk
Solid Geometry vs. Void Extrusions
MYTH - Voids use up more file size Voids use exactly the same file size Only add file size when voids CUT solid geometry
SCENARIO:One solid shape uses 20 KB.Copy the solid and make it a void. Together, they now equal 40 KB.Cut the solid with the void. Family now equals 60 KB.(We saw an average increase factor of 1.5)
© 2011 Autodesk
Imported CAD vs. Native Revit Geometry
Many say NO to imported CAD, but for the wrong reasons. Imported CAD uses LESS file size AND loads faster Materials CAN be assigned through imported CAD layers.
Blank Family 10,000 Instances0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Imported CADRevit Drawn
KB
Imported CAD modelNative Revit model
CAD GeometryProject File Size (10,000 1x1x1 boxes) = 5,420 KBRevit GeometryProject File Size (10,000 1x1x1 boxes) = 9,128 KB
© 2011 Autodesk
Imported CAD vs. Native Revit Geometry
Real reasons: Autocad files are often over modeled/detailed for Revit’s purpose. Materials not set through traditional method No flexing Visibility: all or nothing Stability
© 2011 Autodesk
Nested Families
MYTH - Any nesting beyond 2 levels will kill your family
Our test:
Structure:Parent Family (288 KB)
Level 1 (288 KB)Level 2 (288 KB)
Level 3 (288 KB)… Level 8 (288 KB)
Testing Variations: Only Geometry Geometry with linked parameters Geometry with types
What was Tested: Load times Project file size Project performance observed
© 2011 Autodesk
Nested Families – Project File Size
1 N
este
d Le
vel
2 N
este
d Le
vels
3 N
este
d Le
vels
4 N
este
d Le
vels
5 N
este
d Le
vels
6 N
este
d Le
vels
7 N
este
d Le
vels
8 N
este
d Le
vels
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
Only GeometryGeometry with Linked ParametersGeometry with Types
KB
© 2011 Autodesk
Nested Families – Load Times into Project
1 N
este
d Le
vel
2 N
este
d Le
vels
3 N
este
d Le
vels
4 N
este
d Le
vels
5 N
este
d Le
vels
6 N
este
d Le
vels
7 N
este
d Le
vels
8 N
este
d Le
vels
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
20.0
Only GeometryGeometry with Linked Pa-rametersGeometry with Types
Sec
onds
© 2011 Autodesk
Things to avoid - ARRAYS
ARRAYS
BAD! Affects load times, responsiveness
Family File Size (KB)600
650
700
750
800
With Arrays
No Arrays
Load Time (s) into Project0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
With Arrays No Arrays
KB
Sec
onds
© 2011 Autodesk
Things to Avoid - GROUPS
GROUPS
BAD! Affects file sizes
Time to Load Into a Project (s)0
40
80
120
160
200
Ungrouped Geometry
Grouped Geometry
Family File Size (Kb)0
500
1000
1500
2000
Ungrouped Geometry
Grouped Geome-try
KB
Sec
onds
© 2011 Autodesk
Things to Avoid – 3D TEXT
Family File Size (Kb)0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
With One Sentence of Model TextWith out Model Text
Time to Load Into a Project (s)0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
With One Sentence of Model TextWith out Model Text
KB
Sec
onds
© 2011 Autodesk
Formula Performance
WRONG WAY:if(AND(Condition1, Condition2, Condition3), True,if(AND(Condition1, Condition2, Condition4), True, if(AND(Condition1, Condition5, Condition6), True, if(AND(Condition1, Condition5, Condition7), True, etc….))))
RIGHT WAY:if(Condition1,
if(Condition2,if(Condition3, True,if(Condition4, True, False)),
if(Condition5,if(Condition6, True,if(Condition7, True, False)),
False)),False)
© 2011 Autodesk
Exploding Families
Live demo…
The problem: difficult to edit stacked geometry
The solution: exploding families
© 2011 Autodesk
Hidden Nested Family Geometry
The problem: difficult to hide nested families
The solution:
Before: Modules above patch panel are technically hidden, but visible in the family
After: Modules above are still there, just not visible
Set the visibility of nested family geometry to a new yes/no parameter. Then, inside the parent family, map this parameter to the same one you would the ‘Visible’ parameter.
© 2011 Autodesk
Visibility of Voids
Live demo…
The problem: Can’t hide void shapes
The solution: Move it so it doesn’t intersect!
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3D Error Messages
Live demo…
The problem: Can’t control user selections (other than types)
The solution: Output 3D Text Error Messages
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Look Up Table Switch
The problem: fittings don’t “flip” when pipe orientation is changed
Two Solutions:
1) Add rows to look up table for opposite configurations2) Change formulas to look for both configurations
EXAMPLE:Parameter = if(and(ND1/ND2 Configuration Not Found, ND2/ND1 Configuration Not Found), Default Value, if(ND1/ND2 Configuration Not Found, ND2/ND1 Value, ND1/ND2 Value))
© 2011 Autodesk
Clearance Areas
Tip: use solid geometry to identify areas that should remain clear of any other geometry in the project.This will enable powerful collision detection
Other considerations: Only visible in 3D Assign subcategory: Clearance Areas Symbolic lines to represent it in plan/section views YES/NO parameter to turn on/off Depth should default to industry standard
© 2011 Autodesk
Snap-in-place families
Live demo…
The problem: Difficulty in assembling products
The solution: Make it easy by improving references for Snap-in-place behavior
© 2011 Autodesk
Autodesk, AutoCAD* [*if/when mentioned in the pertinent material, followed by an alphabetical list of all other trademarks mentioned in the material] are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions & Answers