Room Schedule Training Videos and more....

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It’s been some time since I’ve taken the time to punt around YouTube to see what useful stuff has been uploaded. I didn’t have to look very far….Here are some very nice videos that have been Uploaded by DesignInnovations on 23 Feb 2012

DesignInnovations are Enterprise Design and Innovations in Ellensburg Washington, and they post Instructional Videos and projects using SolidWorks Revit and Autocad. At the time of my review there were 254 videos on this channel, including examples of students works,

The Revit material appears to be Tutorials for IET 161, Architectural CAD class in Central Washington University's Construction Management Program.

Room Schedule Part 1, Creating the Schedule

This video describes how to create a Room Schedule for use in your various Revit projects. Uploaded February 23, 2012.

Room Schedule Part 2, Settings and Data

This video discusses some of the options associated with your new Room Schedule and how to add some data for your various Revit projects

Room Schedule Part 3, Data and Key or Room Style Schedule

This video describes how to add more data and how to insert and use a Key Schedule or Room Style Schedule in your Room Schedule for use in your various Revit projects.

Room Schedule Part 4, Data and Key or Room Style Schedule

This video describes more on adding more data using a Key Schedule or Room Style Schedule in your Room Schedule for use in your various Revit projects.

Room Schedule Part 5, Using Sheets and Inserting

This video describes how to insert a sheet and how to insert Project Browser items into that sheet for use in your various Revit projects.

Room Schedule Part 6, Using Sheets and Inserting Items

This video describes more on how to insert a sheet and how to insert Project Browser items into that sheet for use in your various Revit projects.

Room Schedule Part 7, Modifying Sheet Items

This video describes how to make modifications to inserted Project Browser items on your sheets in order to make them look neat and to avoid printing problems when using them in your various Revit projects.

Room Schedule Part 8 Sheets, Insert Room Sched. & Modification

This video describes more how to make modifications to your inserted Room Schedule on your sheets in order to make them look neat and readable when using them in your various Revit projects.

Autodesk BIM Free Training Material

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The Autodesk BIM for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Management Curriculum can be freely accessed from here.  

Click on the various Units on the right hand side of the page.
For example, Unit 1 contains links to various whitepapers.

You can view all of the Curriculum videos here.
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Autodesk Revit 2012 Video Tutorials for Interior Architects

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A nice find by Luke Johnson over on What Revit Wants - A weekly series of Video Tutorials (Over 10 Hours) focusing on Autodesk Revit for Interior Architecture (Designer) Students.

They appear to have been created by a lecturer whos' handle is JBattin83 - Click Here for his YouTube Channel, and it would appear that he is going to create 7 Videos on 3D-Studio Max next...

Week 01 - Introduction to the User Interface, properties and grid lines.
Week 02 - Creation of a model. Grid lines, walls, doors, windows and floors
Week 03 - Object styles, view properties, materials, patterns, ceilings, reflected ceiling plan

Week 04 - The creation of custom families and components.

Week 05 - Family types, parameters, custom wall types and curtain walls.

Week 06 - Part 1 of 2 reviews all of the topics covered in the first five videos.

Week 07 - Part 2 of 2 reviews all of the topics covered in the first five videos.

The last two videos also include file linking and importing, dimensioning, annotations, new sheets and schedules. Reflected ceiling plans and finish plans are also introduced.

Enjoy
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NBS's National BIM Survey 2012 is NOW available for download

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NBS's National BIM Survey has been released and reveals the latest BIM adoption figures.

Use this Link to Download

The annual industry wide survey, carried out by NBS, provides the most comprehensive and accurate picture of UK BIM (Building Information Modelling) and its growing influence within the built environment industry.

NBS's National BIM Survey was completed in late 2011 by nearly 1,000 construction professionals representing a range of business sizes and disciplines from across the industry including architecture, engineering and surveying.
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Over 200 RIBA members took were among the participants, making sure the views of the membership came across.
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Highlights of the findings include:
/78% agree the BIM is the future of project information, though how that future will look is uncertain, with 4 out of five agreeing that the industry is not yet clear enough of what BIM actually is

Almost a third (31%) of construction professionals are now using BIM – up from 13% in 2010

Three quarters of those construction professionals currently aware of BIM predict they will be using it on some projects by the end of 2012, and almost 19 out of 20 people expect to be using it in five years' time

More than 80% agreed BIM increases the coordination of construction documents, with 65% of those using the technology saying BIM delivered cost efficiencies

The report also features several articles form leaders in BIM developments, including:

01 Cover/ Contents Front Page

02 Advert for NBL

03 Introduction

Richard Waterhouse. CEO, NBS and RIBA Enterprises

04 BIM and the UK Construction Strategy

David Philp. Head of BIM Implementation, UK Government Cabinet Office.

06 BIM from the point of view of a small practice

David Miller. Director and Principal Architect, David Miller Architects

08 BIM Survey: Summary of Findings

Adrian Malleson Research and Analysis Manager, NBS

16 What will BIM mean for design fees?

Stephen Hamil Director of Design and Innovation , NBS

18 BIM collaboration and engineering – many heads are better than one

Hannah George Associates – ICT and Security Norman Disney & Young
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New UK Blog - Revit Sticky Notes

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There is a new UK Blog that has recently come to my attention, Its called Revit Sticky Notes (I like the idea behind the name) and it has been up since November 2011. In addition the Author has released some plugin's for Revit.

The Authors name is Rahul Shah and he is currently an Associate/Studio Design Technology Manager at Woods Bagot London studio. He also happens to be a fellow member of LRUG (London Revit User Group) http://www.lrug.co.uk/

Current Plugins on his blog include:-

• Calculate Occupancy Load Plugin
• Calculate Rentable Area Plugin

There is also a family for 3D Grid Lines

This Blog is going to be added to my watching list, and I suggest you may want to add it to yours.
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BIM and Beam - Three Buses in a Row ;0)

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It may be pure coincidence, however since my posting on the 31st January about the lack of effort and posting over at BIM and Beam since Wai Chu moved on from Autodesk from the five nominated Authors (The Famous Five), postings on BIM & Beam are now like London Buses. Nothing for ages then three all come along at once (usually one after the other and not side by side as the picture above).

Squeezed out into the blogger-sphere just after my posting and before midnight on the same day, actually making it two posts in January is  Autodesk ForceEffect Version 2.0 Now Available!

This posting is about a free app available for Apple iPad and iPhone from the iTunes App Store that allows engineers including structural engineers to model and simulate concepts. Real time solving capabilities provide immediate feedback on the performance of a design, enabling you to bring engineering to the point of the problem.

No Author credited for this posting which is a real shame because you don’t get to see which of the famous five suddenly burst into life. Nice posting, actually had something to do with structural engineering.

Then as if a Bear being poked with a stick.......

Two postings ON THE SAME DAY – Bly me!  

The first posting is about  Operating Systems support change for Autodesk products Reporting that there has been an important change to the way Autodesk are support Operating Systems for Autodesk products.  This change directly impacts the Revit family of solutions.  Please see the following link for the change and important details Microsoft Windows Vista Support FAQ, it says

Again NO AUTHOR CREDIT, So no answer as to which of the Famous Five Authors is alive, breathing and blogging?

Then as if to answer the question Pawel Piechnik posts  New structural content for Revit Structure is available straight after on the same day.

It appears Autodesk (Pawel) thinks that they have just uploaded some new country specific, structural .rfa content and templates in the Subscription Centre for you to download.

The delivery includes content for Brazil, Russia and Spain Yipppppeeee for them

However it looks like Pawel may have jumped the gun with his posting because three readers have reported that they can not find the material on the Subscription Centre and are requesting a hyperlink!

OK, ok, I know we asked for some action and more postings on your blog, but you could have scheduled the posting for a couple of days in the future, to make it look like you are continually active on our behalf, or at least ensured the material was actually there before you told the world about it......

I know we the User and never happy :0(   The Headmaster now says  "6/10 Better". Now a plug for things UK based ;0)

Autodesk have asked for feedback about what’s missing out of the box for the UK users, so unless you actually helped Paul Oakley gather feedback for Autodesk – don’t complain if when a similar package arrives for the UK it does not have in it what you would like.

Nuff Said

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ANZRS v3 now available!

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Its only 6 months ago that ANZRS the Australian and New Zealand Revit Standard Version 2 was released, changes to ANZRS are not expected to be frequent, as the ANZRS Committee understand the effort required to adapt to new standards and practices.  However, they wish to always keep the feedback gates open, and it is feedback from those who have contributed so far that they understand more of how ANZRS can be even better!

The ANZRS committee have kept significant changes to a minimum, as promised, but have worked hard to take all your feedback into consideration and to present a new pack that would be easier to navigate, more helpful and hopefully more practical to implement – to whatever extent you wish to.

Visit the website, register and download version 3.  

Q: What's happened at BIM and Beam? - A: Nothing Much

Since Wai Chu the Ex Product Manager for Revit Structure left Autodesk, five people have been allocated to take over his Blog BIM and Beam. And it has to be said it looks like they are just names because since Wai's departure there have been very few posts

4 Post in November (I think Wai was still with them then)
0 in December
1 by the skin of the teeth in January, about a non Revit specific Autodesk Blog in French for god sake.......

The individual who are supposted to be supporting what was a good Revit Structure resource are

Brian Haines
Gary Wyatt
Pawel Piechnik
Sarah Hodges
Tomasz Fudala

So there should be at least Five (Revit Structure Specific) postings a month if you only do one each guys

Two of you are supposed to be specifically taking over and sharing Wai's responsibilities on our behalf. Please introduce yourselves formally on the Blog and at least make it “look as if you” are supporting Revit Structure and it’s users. Because at the moment that isn’t the impression the blog is projecting…

Consider this a kick up the rear from your readership

4/10    See Me ... Do Better ! – The Headmaster ;0)

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Updated free technology preview of Structure Generator for Revit Now Available

Over at It's Alive in the Lab Scott Sheppard have just announced that the Updated free technology preview of Structure Generator for Revit is Now Available.

Structure Generator for Revit is a free technology preview that provides a connection between "massing models and objects created during conceptual design" and "structural elements such as beams, column, walls, and plates."
// Learn more abour Structure Generator for Revit on Autodesk Labs
Software Development Manager, Pawel Kociolek, gave Scott Sheppard an updated installer which he has made available for download. Pawel also noted what's in this update of the technology preview:

• Capability to generate trusses
• Capability to generate secondary beams
• Capability to assign default sections for secondary beams and diagrids
• Enhanced capabilities (i.e., different settings for X and Y directions) during grid definition
• Enhanced error reporting
• Corrections of reported problems

Autodesk conduct technology previews to get Revit User feedback. The technology preview is active until April 1, 2012. At that time, Autodesk need to take the feedback they have received and decide what to do next. Your can help them with that decision by sharing your thoughts at labs.revit.generator@autodesk.com or the discussion forum.

Help Autodesk to develop these items and you might just end up with what you want....
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VEO - Must See Teaser Trailer Video

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You will feel like Johnny 5 after watching the Teaser Trailer Videos and you will definitely need "More Input"

M-SIX State on their Linked-in Company Page

"M-SIX is building VEO™, a cloud-based platform for use in the design, construction, and operation of buildings and other structures.

We have partnered with some of the largest AEC firms in the United States to help us understand their needs and to stress test VEO with large, complex projects. In addition to refining our technology, we are paying a great deal of attention to the "anthropology" – the collaborative workflow.

When connected inefficiently, the tools used in Building Information Modeling add as much friction and complexity as they do valuable insights. Connect these capabilities with a smooth, realtime workflow in which all decision makers have the information they need when they need it – then you will have a solution. Then you will have VEO."

Go Watch 

"GET INPUT" and Blown Away !

"Beautiful VEO™"


This is one program I want to have a play with.

I only hope it's as good as the teaser trailer video.

UK & Ireland Revit User Groups - Jan 2012 Update

View UK Revit User Groups in a full screen map - Click the map location indicators above for links to web sites and linked-In groups 

(A)

LRUG

London Revit User Group

12th Meeting due 18th January 2012 Bi-Monthly meeting Jan, March, May, July, Sept, Nov.

(B)

GRUG

Glasgow Revit User Group

7th Meeting due last week February 2012

(C)

ERUG

Edinburgh Revit User Group

3rd Meeting Dec 2011 Cancelled due to severe weather   2nd Meeting was July 2011

(D)

BRUG

Bristol Revit User Group

5th Meeting due Sept 2011 never materialised   4th Meeting was May 2011

(E)

RUGL

Revit User Group Leeds

4th Meeting was 23rd November 2011

(F)

RUIG

Revit Users Ireland Group

3rd Meeting was 7th December 2011   2nd Meeting was September 2011 Currently looking into setting up regional groups of Revit Users Ireland, to cater for people who can't make it to the quarterly RUIG meetings in Dublin.

(G)

MRUG

Manchester Revit User Group

2nd Meeting was 9th November 2011

(H)

RMUG

Revit Midland User Group

Linked-In Group - No actual meetings arranged yet

(I)

NERUG

North East Revit User Group

Linked-In Group - No actual meetings arranged yet

AutoCAD WS on Kindle Fire

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Autodesk have to announce that AutoCAD WS is now also available for Kindle Fire through the Amazon App Store!

The Kindle Fire is now joining the huge family of Android and iOS devices running AutoCAD WS and allowing you to take your designs with you anywhere you go. Use your Kindle Fire to view your drawings, edit them and share them with your colleagues.

If you just got a Kindle Fire for the holidays, download the app and tell Autodesk what you think.

Christmas for Engineers

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Not my work, something that was emailed to me and I thought I would share...

Have a Great Christmas

eTransmit for Revit Update

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eTransmit for Revit is a free* technology preview of an add-in application for Autodesk^® Revit^® Architecture 2012, Autodesk^® Revit^® Structure 2012, and Autodesk^® Revit^® MEP 2012 software.
For best results, installing Revit 2012 Web Update 1 is recommended. With eTransmit for Revit, you can:

• Copy and detach a Revit model and associated files to a single folder for internet transmission. This removes the typical error messages when you copy central files using the operating system.
• Locate dependent files automatically and include them in the transmittal folder, helping to reduce the possibility of error. All dependent files are automatically converted to use relative paths so the dependent files can be located by the model.
• Choose to include related dependent files such as linked Revit models, CAD files, DWF™ markups, decal images, and external keynote files. You can transmit any Revit (.rvt) model that has been upgraded to be compatible with a 2012 Revit software product.
• Transmit models that are using file-based worksharing or server-based worksharing. eTransmit for Revit will also work with non-workshared Revit models.

Common uses for eTransmit

• Internal archiving
• Sending deliverables to clients
• Model exchange between consultants/partners
• Model cleanup
• Sharing models between disciplines

What's new in 1.1?

In July we conducted a user survey to gather feedback from users who had tried the technology preview. One of the things that we heard very clearly is that there were a number of people who were experiencing problems using the initial version. Based on this, our biggest focus for version 1.1 was fixing issues. For a complete list of what is in 1.1, you can review the release notes and known issues, but highlights include:

• eTransmit will no longer crash when you try to create a transmittal on a network drive.
• The progress bar now updates correctly when there are errors and warnings (previously it gave the impression that the transmittal had failed when there were only warnings).
• You can now use eTransmit even if you have one or more models open.
• Unfortunately, transmitted models still do not open correctly if you double-click on them from the operating system. To open a transmitted model correctly, use Revit's file open command.

Availability

The technology preview will operate until June 30, 2012.

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/revit_etransmit/.

Download

You will need your User ID and Password, pop over the the Labs Page to download

Help Autodesk out

See how well the eTransmit for Revit technology preview works for you, and be sure to tell Autodesk what you think by following the feedback link

You can also post comments on the Between the Lines or It's Alive in the Lab blog.
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Finding the Postcode and Location Plan

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Ok, I've had an email saying your maps articles are all well and good if you know the postcode. For some of the work I deal with for example Party Wall, it's kind of important to have the full address, especially for undertaking land registry searches to establish the Building Owners and Adjoining Owners details.

So I pop over to the Find a Postcode function on the Post Office web site at http://www.postoffice.co.uk/postcode-finder

There are Four little search filelds

OK I actually know the building number and the post code as this is my work address, but for this example assume I don't. So above I have only entered the building Name, Street and Town - then click on the Find Postcode and........

 The full postal address including post code and a nice little location plan to boot!

Enjoy.

Unlocking BIM Data - Echo

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Pop over to Revit ST and you will find a link to a white paper from Authors

Simon Taylor FRICS– Principal, Questant Inc., Project Controls and Risk Advisory Services

Christopher Bailey FRICS – Vice President, Chief Cost Planner, Lend Lease, New York

The introduction says

"A paper to introduce the concept of developing an industry standard coding structure for application to 3D design systems to create increased value from Building Information Modeling (BIM). It describes, by reference to the data that can be stored in the model, where the flow of data to ‘downstream’ management and analysis systems and databases is broken, and how the inclusion of standard coding will enable beneficial use of model information, and produce the value of BIM that is not currently available."

So a "thank you" to Glenn Jowett for finding this one
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Environmental Agency Maps

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Continuing on Information and Maps as a theme this posting is about the Environmental Agency web site and maps.

The Environment Agency is an Executive Non-departmental Public Body responsible to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and a Welsh Government Sponsored Body responsible to the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development.

Their principal aims are to protect and improve the environment, and to promote sustainable development. They play a central role in delivering the environmental priorities of central government and the Welsh Government through our functions and roles.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which came into force on 1 January 2005, anyone may request information from a public authority which has functions in England, Wales and/or Northern Ireland.

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs) came into force at the same time as the Freedom of Information Act 2000. They clarify and extend previous rights to environmental information,

The example below is a postcode search looking at Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea

So if you are looking to buy a property near a river or the sea you can do your own research on this subject

CLICK HERE to visit the Environment Agency Map Resource

But its not only the Risk of flooding that can be researched, click the down arrow under “Other topics for this area…” and you get this interesting little list.

Here is a view of the same area with regards to Landfill

And here is the information re Pollution

So pop over to the web site and have a poke around you may be surprised just what’s on your doorstep ;0)

CLICK HERE to visit the Environment Agency Map Resource
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Geology of Britain Viewer

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I came across a website that might be of interest to you if you wish to find out the geology for any particular location in the UK.

Try clicking on following link: http://maps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyviewer_google/googleviewer.html

All you need to do is type in the place name or postcode in the white box at the bottom Right Hand courner and click ‘Go’.

If you double click on any of the coloured area on the maps it tells you the bedrock formation and superficial deposits (if any).

Enjoy ;0)

I Blinked And I Missed AU Virtual 2011

I was kind of looking forward to this year, especially after last years fiasco, so those of you that managed to find the time to attend virtually, I hope it worked this year?

I had done my planning really early; I had downloaded all the class descriptions and highlighted those that looked to be of interest.

 I had highlighted the virtual stuff, looked for friends and people I know who were going to present, I’d searched the list for Revit Structure, Revit Structural Suite, Revit Architecture and Revit Architectural Suite.

There is always a lot more under Architecture, and a lot of it is relevant to Structures and MEP.



So due to being busy in both my personal and working life, I blinked  miss Autodesk University, and then I ended up feeling a little like Muttley from Wacky Races cursing to myself indistinctly.

So all I can do now go into squirrel mode, and use my list to harvest all those very useful Revit classes that are to be found on Autodesk University Online!

Click Here to go to AU Online

I may be a bit early with my harvesting because at the moment you can only get Session Handouts and Presentations, but very few Screencast and Podcast have made it to the download pages just yet.  

These normally start arriving a week or two after Autodesk University, so I will pop back in a couple of weeks and pick up the missing resources.

Help Paul Oakley, help Autodesk, help you, and new users

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It's great to see that at least two people on the GRUG user group will feed information back to Paul Oakley see posting below.

When Ralph Pullinger and I were looking for actual wall configurations that have been specified and used over the last 15 years and asked for the UK Revit Users help and assistance we were surprised at the lack of feedback and the general level of apathy that existing users exhibit.

Users out there have the knowledge and experience of what they have actually had to source or create because the out of the box were content lacking. It’s a list of those families that Paul needs so that new users and perhaps older users who have not happened upon an item that is missing yet don’t have the pain of searching various sources or making their own.

By not helping Paul help AutoCAD help Revit Users, you are not keeping your commercial advantage, you ARE just inhibiting the development of the program and BIM generally. Also if you don’t help, then you can’t really complain about the lack of content in the future.
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New to BIM and Revit visit this web site

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After years of difficulty explaining to people what Revit is and the impact BIM will have in shaping our future Ben Fox the Director of igs decided to put together a brief blog with plenty of short videos on the topic.

He hopes in writing and collating the videos for this blog, is that the information provided will assist in explaining to clients, management and anyone else, what Revit is and how it fits within a BIM process.

View the blog here: www.whatisrevit.com

Nice one Ben, it's a very well constructed resource.

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Revit UK Content - What's Missing? What's Needed?

This is “Your Opportunity to have your say”….

Paul Oakley has been requested to put forward a list of issues to Autodesk relating to the Revit 2012 UK Localisation.

The report to Autodesk is intended to report what’s wrong with the “Out of the Box” UK Content plus also what the UK Users would like to see

This includes

Templates          

                What should be in them & What not?

•       System Families(Walls / Roofs /Floors / Railings etc.)

•       Materials / Property Sets etc…)

•       Parameters (Schedules / Annotation / Tags)

•       Anything Else…

                Families:-

•       Types

•       Parameters

•       Annotation

•       Etc….

Any suggestions or  comments please forward to: Paul Oakley

Paul@Oakley-cad.co.uk or paul.oakley@augi.com

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