REVIT Structure Learning Curve

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

2012-01-31T06:47:00.004Z

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

Updated free technology preview of Structure Generator for Revit Now Available

2012-01-19T06:38:00.002Z

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

2012-01-10T06:32:00.004Z

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

2012-01-07T07:55:00.002Z

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

12^th Meeting due 18^th January 2012

Bi-Monthly meeting Jan, March, May, July, Sept, Nov.

(B)

GRUG

Glasgow Revit User Group

7^th Meeting due last week February 2012

(C)

ERUG

Edinburgh Revit User Group

3^rd Meeting Dec 2011 Cancelled due to severe weather

2^nd Meeting was July 2011

(D)

BRUG

Bristol Revit User Group

5^th Meeting due Sept 2011 never materialised

4^th Meeting was May 2011

(E)

RUGL

Revit User Group Leeds

4^th Meeting was 23^rd November 2011

(F)

RUIG

Revit Users Ireland Group

3^rd Meeting was 7^th December 2011

2^ndMeeting 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

2^nd Meeting was 9^th 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

2011-12-21T09:44:00.001Z

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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

2011-12-21T06:51:00.001Z

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

Have a Great Christmas

eTransmit for Revit Update

2011-12-17T07:37:00.004Z

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

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000Z

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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

2011-12-13T06:39:00.001Z

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

2011-12-12T06:00:00.001Z

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

2011-12-08T06:00:00.027Z

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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

2011-12-04T16:00:00.000Z

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

2011-11-27T08:15:00.002Z

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

2011-11-22T06:00:00.002Z

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.

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

2011-11-18T09:12:00.004Z

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

Draft Revit NBL Content - Feedback 2

2011-11-17T06:51:00.003Z

I’m up to my ears in work, life the universe and everything so, I’m only getting to review Stephens feedback in the morning as I’m an early riser, here is what I posted over on the NBL Linked-In Group this morning:-

This reply is a cop out. Please actually demonstrate what COBie parameters are actually applicable to a wall construction, and which part of that construction.

If you Scope out your walls and then look at the COBie parameters you will see that very few are applicable. Stephen you have demonstrated your experience in programming, why would you flood a program with variables that you were never going to use?.

Revit is clunky anyway why make families heavier?

“For consistency” is not a good enough reason to do it, because its quick and dirty, and we have not had time to review what’s actually applicable and needed because we are working at speed to produce something, appears to be a more realistic driver for their inclusion.

I challenge your team to apply the COBie variable to standard traditional wall constructions and this pre-fabricated wall construction you site and demonstrate their usefulness in being included within the wall families.

Here they are ….

Colour

Constituents

DurationUnit

ExpectedLife

Features

Finish

Grade

Material

NominalHeight

NominalLength

NominalWidth

ProductionYear

ReplacementCost

Shape

Size

WarrantyDescription

WarrantyDurationLabour

WarrantyDurationParts

WarrantyDurationUnit

WarrantyGuarantorLabour

WarrantyGuarantorParts

SerialNumber

InstallationDate

WarrantyStartDate

TagNumber

BarCode

AssetIdentifier

Most of them are ideal for mechanical plant and items to be maintained, and no doubt this list is going to grow with time.

We at the pointy end don't always have the most up to date computers, some are waiting for the 3 - 4 year replacement program to hit us and with the current economic situation what was 3 years is being extended until real economic recovery takes place.
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Draft Revit NBL Content - Feedback 1

2011-11-16T13:07:00.004Z

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Looking at Stephens feedback over lunch, I have commented on the Linked-In Group as follows

R) – “Historic Walls are unlikely to be in the first release” IMHO you need to re consider this in order to make the UK System Wall Family worth adopting in the first place. Not all projects are new builds, there are more refurbishment projects going on at the moment than new builds.

In addition Feedback C) Re U-Values – Your Wall family needs to be built around historical wall configurations that have been used from Victorian times to present day. Yes you need to include wall configurations that meet U-values, there is zero value or benefit in providing wall configurations that will not. They can still be generic re the actual makes of materials used.

IMHO you need to look at the published literature by the likes of Celcon, Thermailte, etc and look at the current configurations that meet or exceed the current requirements and adopt those configurations in your library that are already actually being specified by Architects. With the BIM Academy’ and the NBS association with RIBA you have a direct path to that information; it would be folly not to take advantage of it. Carl has offered his list and I'm guessing David Light might share his list of wall configurations if asked.

Currently your range of names is extremely limited, so limited in fact that you have not scoping out all the materials that may make up a wall configuration which is a key element in compiling and creating a naming convention.

Even if you don’t actually have all the Walls in the first release you need to scope out and publish the list perhaps in a format like the spreadsheet that Ralph and I were using. David Light has posted that HOK did exactly the same as you are doing and wasted a heap of valuable time and money in the process, please re-consider and learn by his companies’ mistake because hindsight is an exact science.

Any salesman will tell you that unless you can clearly demonstrate the “Benefit” & “Investment Merit” to your prospect that has a “Requirement” you will never "Close" the sale which in your case is getting your system adopted by end users of Revit type systems.

New Revit Users in the UK need (have a Requirement) for a UK set of System Wall Families because Autodesk no longer supply one

Benefits of NBL Families – Time Saving is one but Only if they are complete and easy to understand and use, I’m sure Clare Watson will find you many more benefits for you, in fact I recall seeing a page on your web site about benefits somewhere.

But without that list of “Real” benefits you will not get that “Investment Merit” that leads a “Close” by adoption by the user base, even if they are FREE.
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Draft Revit NBL Content - Feedback

2011-11-16T06:30:00.004Z

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If you have read my previous post you will see that I did not believe that due time had been allowed for the NBS to gain a true measured review of the content released, however it has to be said that the feedback following the Monday meeting has been swift and Stephen Hamil has posted it on the Linked In Group

You will have to join Linked-In to access the group http://www.linkedin.com/ which is not a bad idea anyway

Due to it being released only yesterday I have only scanned over it and the additional posting regarding the new naming convention. The NBS needs you feedback in order to make this thing acceptable and adoptable by end users of Revit and the industry as a whole. Please add your thoughts to the Linked-In Group and threads.

Stephen Hamil • Feedback response

Firstly, a big thank you to all of those who downloaded our draft content and took the time to give us comment both on this forum and in private emails. I have tried to articulate our thoughts in the reply below, I also have posted some thoughts on library naming convention in a separate blog post.
http://constructioncode.blogspot.com/2011/11/naming-convention-for-national-bim.html

A. Should material parameters such as “thickness” be in the wall library names?
We believe material parameters should be included in the object library names where it provides differentiation between similar library objects. Please see naming convention blog post.

B. Have the objects been authored against Building Regulation requirements?
The documentation provided for the door objects shows that regulations have been referred to (see references to BS 8300). However, the end user of the objects will be ultimately responsible that any final project design meets the regulations. Our terms and conditions will cover this.

C. Will u-values be calculated for the wall constructions?
The overall u-value for a wall will depend on the proprietary products that are used in the final design. U-values may be included for proprietary wall constructions that we eventually publish, but we will not include them for the generic objects. We believe the end-user should calculate this on a project-to-project basis.

D. Will proprietary materials such as Rockwool be used in the generic objects?
No, they won’t, the generic objects will contain generic materials only. In this example “mineral wool bats” will be used for the launch content.

E. Is the NBL going to be a standard?
No. We hope that over the years that the NBL may become a de-facto standard as NBS specification clauses have become. But these BIM objects are simply a freely available resource that we hope users that like them will adopt.

F. Is IFC a file format that can be used for design?
I think Nick Nisbet has answered the IFC questions extremely well in the discussions so please see his answers. I’ll work on a blog post summarising some IFC thoughts in the next week or two.

G. Are COBie parameters really needed for wall constructions?
Some of them will not be relevant. Depending on the client requirements, on some projects, it is possible that none of them will be relevant. However, for consistency they have been included. Also, if you used an NBL wall object to build up a pre-fabricated wall construction then you may wish to complete the majority of these COBie FM parameters.

H. The object material names are hard to read – can they have a separator character?
Yes. We will introduce a “_“ between the abbreviated names. So “PFBBlck” will become “PFB_Blck”. Please see naming convention blog post.
http://constructioncode.blogspot.com/2011/11/naming-convention-for-national-bim.html

I. Can the list of abbreviated names plus explanation be put in the documentation?
Yes

J. Who is responsible for the accuracy and ownership of these objects when used on a project?
Our terms and conditions will cover this at launch.

K. Until you have more than just Revit objects, can you publish IFC content only?
For every object we will always publish at least IFC content. However, to create IFC content we believe we must choose one proprietary system to author it. The decision here was Revit and as such we will publish Revit objects. However, we will work together with the other CAD vendors to try and get other native content in too. We have met at least once with Vectorworks, Tekla, Bentley and ArchiCAD. We meet again with them next week.

L. What are the nbl_iCIMMaterial parameters?
These are for a research project that is currently internal. These will be removed for launch.

M. Should the library provider name really be the prefix to the object name?
We believe it should. This helps sort common items together easily when used in proprietary software. Please see naming convention blog post.

N. Should the library provider name really be the prefix to the parameter names?
No, with hindsight we will change this now based on a number of discussions with other providers of BIM content. “nbl_FireDesignation” will be replaced by simply “FireDesignation”. Within IFC the parameters will be grouped in “NBL” property sets.

O. Should the IFC parameters contain descriptions?
Yes, our aim is to get this in for launch.

P. Should the IFC owner information be included?
Yes, our aim is to get this in for launch.

Q. Should the IFC rules for classification be followed?
Yes, our aim is to get this in for launch. We’ll also include multiple classification systems.

R. Will historic wall constructions be included?
This will be considered, but it is unlikely that these will be in for the first release.

S. Can embodied CO2 information be included?
We think that linking generic materials within BIM objects to carbon and capital cost information is a great idea. We’ve actually been working on this for a little while as part of a TSB funded project with a number of other companies. This project will be demonstrated at ecobuild in March 2012. So, not for launch, but watch this space.

More info on TSB ICAT project and members:
http://constructioncode.blogspot.com/2010/07/carbon-assessment-tool-project-icat.html

Finally, with respect to CO2, Alan – thanks for sending through the LRUG presentation from Arup. Very interesting.

Draft Revit NBL Content – Review Part 5

2011-11-13T08:15:00.012Z

Jumping into Part 5 of the Review and I’m feeling a bit like Agent Mulder out of XFiles.

“I WANT TO BELIEVE”

But what I’m really looking for is proof (so was Mulder get the link!) that the National BIM library will ultimately prove both useful and actually worthwhile using and adopting in someway, shape or form. Only time will tell.

Lets look a the terms used in building the description of the internal walls

Blk Blk = Block

DryLng DryLng = Dry Lining

Cavity Cavity = Cavity

Int …………Internal

Insul Insul = Insulation

MF MF = Metal Frame

PF PF = Partial Fill

Steel Steel

Timber Timber

TwinFrm Frm

Well there are only two additional terms used and those are

Int for Internal and TwinFrm which actually just has highlighted that I have been bolting the terms for steel and timber together with Frm for Frame

So Add Frm = Frame to the ultimate list.

Can someone please explain to be what a “Twin” Fame is because looking at the make up of the wall, I’m not getting it? I expected to see two skins of Stud work with an air gap – you know like a Party Wall construction.
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The next thing that strikes me is that there is no description for Party Walls yes they are Internal (well most of the time, apart from the external ones as defined under the Party Wall etc Act 1996) but they are special type of internal wall in that they have unique requirements with regards to the Building Regulations in terms of density and sound transmission these walls need their own identifier.

So I would suggest they are given one.

There are an awful lot of different wall construction missing from the examples provided. The NBS have not asked for users to help them establish a catalogue of typical wall construction used from Victorian times but they should do and ultimately make a complete practical set of System Walls for Revit and if they are going the IFC route then in that format as well.

Where are Victorian Solid Brick walls, the 1950’s and onwards Brick Open 50mm (2”) Cavity and Brick Party Walls etc?

On the subject of Bricks take a look at the width of a brick 102.5mm, Engineers would say Yes, Students would say Yes, Architects would say 102, 103, or 105mm, and so would all the block manufactures in their published work on U-Values.

It's clay and baked, the likelyhood is that its all those dimensions somewhere in the wall. This points to someone not really yet in the construction industry i.e students building the data for these families.

The list of UK Wall Types applies to the UK and construction industry and not just Revit and is a list of constructions and is thus platform neutral.

Regarding the “I” in BIM in and ability to put Crap in and get Crap out, why inflate the family with COBie parameters that are of no interest and more importantly use within a family. There appears to have been no thought given to this, one expects an answer “Oh well we were just showing that we can add parameters”, yep we know that!

As I’ve asked previously some one please look at the list provided in the NBS document nbl_WallUserGuide.pdf and actually explain which parameters are actually applicable to walls and why this information is of use, because I just can’t get the penny to drop on that one. It looks like information for information sake to me.

Taken from nbl_WallUserGuide.pdf

The following COBie parameters have been added to each wall family to be populated by

the user for producing COBie data schedules.

Colour

Constituents

DurationUnit

ExpectedLife

Features

Finish

Grade

Material

NominalHeight

NominalLength

NominalWidth

ProductionYear

ReplacementCost

Shape

Size

WarrantyDescription

WarrantyDurationLabour

WarrantyDurationParts

WarrantyDurationUnit

WarrantyGuarantorLabour

WarrantyGuarantorParts

SerialNumber

InstallationDate

WarrantyStartDate

TagNumber

BarCode

AssetIdentifier

Carl Collins of Arups presented the Geeky Side of Revit “Accurate Calculation of Embeded Carbon and Energy” at the Inaugural Meeting of LRUG on the 17^th March 2010

He took data from Inventory of Carbon & Energy (ICE) Version 1.6a by Prof Geoff Hammond & Craig Jones published by the University of Bath, created a parameter eCO2 added values to parameter for elements and showed an example of creating a column schedule and having the ability to determine the Column eCO2 in the schedule, and then framing eCO2 in a schedule, then the Slab. He then showed how that data could analysed and used.

That is truly useful information and worthy of including within the I of a BIM model and more importantly is in line with the governments ultimate aims with regards Carbon, not what is the barcode for a brick, plasterboard etc.

So as the limited time for review comes to an end...... there will be no more until the next release of material from NBS.

Strapline "The National Building Library - I Want To Believe"

Cue Xfile theme music for the outro.....

Draft Revit NBL Content – Review Part 4

2011-11-12T07:53:00.008Z

This Draft Content was released on the 8^th and they are having a meeting on the 14^th to discuss feedback. IMHO the NBS have not left enough time for people to even find out that the material has been release, let alone time to get sufficient feedback in order to make informed decisions on the way forward.

They seem to forget that it’s only BIM geeks like those people that have left feedback within three days of the release because we fit and pack these things in tightly around our working and private lives that are going to react and even we are having problems looking at the whole package within the existing timeframe.

(To be honest most of our wives are computer and revit / BIM widows during the evening – Now why would any man want to watch Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Eastenders when he can be playing with Revit)

I have pointed the lack of time out to the NBS and made a request for an extension of time, which has be ceremoniously ignored, and no justification for the rush given. Obviously milestone are more important than working in collaboration or in a BIM or IPD way!

To get the maximum amount of feedback for the NBS we could have announced the release of the Content for review at next weeks LRUG London Revit User Group meeting, other RUGs are also having meetings soon and could have done the same.

So if you are reading this please download the Content, have a quick look and get over to the Linked-in group and leave some feedback before Sunday.

OK I’m now looking at the Internal Walls and if I get time will try and post something over the weekend if I can fit it in around life the universe and everything else.

As you see I did finally find a picture of a Goldfish on a Push Bike ;0)
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Draft Revit NBL Content – Review Part 3

2011-11-11T07:02:00.005Z

If these reviews seem fragmented it is because I’m documenting my thought processes as I look at what has been offered to us to comment upon. It’s easy to be extract the urine and think some of the things I have printed when working through such material, and I’m sure that the Gumby’s, I mean development team have worked hard getting to where they are, but some times you can be too close and miss the obvious, I did (see FF & PF below).

Also they have to effectively communicate what they have produced and sell it to the end users. A typical example is the lack of a simple list or key to the terms used in the naming convention i.e. the list I have been establishing by inspection over the last couple of days, should have been included in the supporting documents.

Thank you to the kind soul that commented on Part 1 of my Review that FF and PF means, Full Fill and Partial Fill missed that one completely. Now going back to see why I thought PF meant Polyisocyanurate Foam Board, I can see that it only Partially Filled the cavity, thus that’s why the Brd was missing and it was an unhappy coincidence that the name also started PF.

Thus I feel that I have proved

1) The need for a Key to the terms used.

2) The rejection of Camel Case as a naming convention

On the Linked-In group thread Stephen Hemil has stated “We’ve also had comments already mainly about naming convention, so what is presented here will probably not be the final naming convention that is released. We’d also really appreciate comments on the depth of content within the objects and the functionality of geometric parameters.”

And on the Linked-in group he has also been stated that “* Regarding the naming convention, we will probably tweak again before launch. We'll plan to have something that is in-line with the current thinking in the BS 8541-1 draft as discussed in a previous thread.”

Now that being said it should not be a case of “probably tweak again” Surely (Don’t call me Shirley) the naming will have to be looked at again!

Also it have been suggested that “Well plan to have something that is in-line with current thinking in the BS 8541-draft”. This draft is has not even yet been published for comment and is not due until the 1^st December. Please learn from your mistakes and consult the end users before you alter this.

I have commented that “telling us that the naming convention is going to be based upon BS8541 Part 1 is about as useful as a pushbike is to a goldfish. How do we check that this BS is not being created by Numpties, and that it is appropriate for use before December 1st?”

OK I couldn't find a picture of a Goldfish on a Bike ............ any ideas why ;0)

And thus we are reviewing something that is going to be miles away from the final product, but anyway so that errors, miss understandings and feedback can be provided to the NBS we must continue.

So my little BIMmers here we go again ……. Back to the Future III, …..I mean Draft Revit NBL Content – Review Part 3

Recap and building the Key to the naming convention that should have been provided within the supporting document nbl_WallUserGuide.pdf (NBS / BIM Academy are you getting the hint yet?)

Listing in alphabetical order for easy reference and most people know the alphabet

Blk = Block

Cavity = Cavity

CBPBrd = CementBondedParticleBoard

ClayBrk = Clay Brick

DryLng = Dry Lining

Ext = External

FF = Full Fill

GypPlstr = Gypsum Plasterboard (I guessed Gyproc Plaster in Part 1 and 2)

Insul = Insulation

MF = Metal Frame

PF = Partial Fill

SteelFrm = Steel Frame

Stone = Stone

TmbrFrm = Timber Frame

OK I can’t resist but I’m guessing again that the 25mm Metal Frame is actually a top hat section resilient strip at joints so is the Steel Frame that is really Stud not made of Metal? Just asking don’t shot the Reviewer you asked for feedback ;0)

Some really basic and traditional wall configurations are missing from the list provided and there are some here that not having used steel studwork as an inner leaf on projects I can’t say if they are correctly specified (but I’ve done a little guessing above and asked questions). However what is missing is the thickness of the material with the name of the family.

For example from the spreadsheet that I put together and provided to the NBS well before the release of the current draft content. And I will start with …… the Key to Naming Convention

Here is the list that we (Ralph and I) started to build before the announcement that the NBS were going to produce the NBL and create UK specific System Wall Families

It should be noted that we were at the point where we wanted Architects to let us know what wall configurations they had actually specified over the last 15 years during the relentless changes in Part L of the building regulations in order to meet the ever increasing thermal requirements to reduce Carbon and save the planet.

So NBS I would suggest, and looking at the Linked-In thread so have others, that the dimensions need to appear in the naming of the family. So if you are actually going to act on the feedback you will have to review the naming convention

The more I’m looking at what has been offered up for review the more questions it’s forming in my mind.

Is one really expected fill in all those COBie parameters that the NBS have listed as being added to each wall family?

Most of the parameters don’t appear to build any useful information and the designers would not have the information anyway. Prime example is “ProductionYear” is that for the sand and cement in the render, the Bricks, insulation, Blocks the Metal Frame and the Plasterboard?.

Having supplied such useful (that’s being sarcastic, just incase you missed it) information to the Government exactly what are they going to do with it?

How has that piece of information improved the production information and the building of a project?

I’m looking for light at the end of the tunnel here, anyone out there with a torch?

That has to be it for Part 3 ……. Stay tuned for Part 4

(Same Time, Same Channel, and the Batman theme music is playing in my head……. ;0)

Draft Revit NBL Content – Review Part 2

2011-11-10T17:17:00.005Z

OK another day and back into the content what else is there to do between 6 -7 in the morning whilst having breakfast?, If you read Part I of this review you will see that I’m working through the naming convention trying to see how intuitive it is. So far I have established what the following terms in the camel text family names mean.

Recap and placing in alphabetical order

Blk = Block

Cavity = Cavity

CBPBrd = Ummmmm something Board

DryLng = Dry Lining

Ext = External

FF = I have not got a clue?

GypPlstr = Gyproc Plaster

Insul = Insulation

MF = Metal Frame

PF = Polyisocyanurate Foam Board

SteelFrm = Steel Frame

Stone = Stone

TmbrFrm = Timber Frame

In Part 1 of this review, I though that PFB = Polyisocyanurate Foam Board, but due to the camel text I had not realised that the B belonged to the Blk = Block and that it was just PF not PFB.

Looking into the family I have now discovered that

CBPBrd = CementBondedParticleBoard

So why is the Polyisocyanurate Foam Board just PF and not

PFBrd = Polyisocyanurate Foam Board

If you going to create a naming convention then it needs to have rules that are applied throughout and that are logical. The more I look at this the more one can see that it has not been scoped out and checked in any way shape or form.

SteelFrm = Steel Frame good and dandy but why use frame when it’s steel or timber Stud

One could use TStud and SStud now Stud is a well known building term.

So if you are going to use the term “Frame” call the Material a “Frame” as well

Lovely Jubbly ~ So looking at the Material the nbl_Galvanised Steel Stud (or Frame) is 150mm wide…… that is until you look at the properties

So looking at the Custom Parameters

The nbl_RevitMaterial is a Metal – Galvanised Steel Stud (ummm Not Frame) and wait for it

The nbl_iCIMMaterial is SteelGalvanisedFrame 142mm

Stud Frame Stud Frame Stud Frame…….. Mother please stop the room spinning…….. then as normality resumes

Then it hits me “Who stole the 8mm????”

Now I’m thinking 4/10 Do Better

Where is the Quality Control on what is being produced here? NBS please don’t expect the very few of us Computer / Revit / BIM Geeks to do this for you. The NBS really need to scope this out, rather than produce this poor level of information for review by potential end users

Until Part 3 of my review ………. farewell blog readers

Draft Revit NBL Content - Review Part 1

2011-11-09T21:11:00.011Z

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The NBS have released a preview of the first set of content for the National BIM Library which can be downloaded using THIS HYPERLINK see also Draft content now available for comment for the Linked-In site where you can leave your comments for the NBS.

This content contains a sub-set of door, wall and partition objects in IFC and Autodesk Revit 2012 format. There is a note stating that “We’ve also had comments already mainly about naming convention, so what is presented here will probably not be the final naming convention that is released. We’d also really appreciate comments on the depth of content within the objects and the functionality of geometric parameters.”

So the question is why release this for comment when the fundamental issue of a naming convention has not been addressed?

Here is one wall system family

nbl_ExtBlkCavityCBPBrdTmbrFrmInsulDryLngMF

These Basic Wall descriptions in Camel Text format are extremely difficult to read and need underscores, spaces or minus signs between to make them easier to understand. Camel text is fine for programmers using variables when writing programs, but is totally inappropriate for use as a description of a Revit system family.

Take a look below and see which ones are easiest to read

nbl_ExtBlkCavityCBPBrdTmbrFrmInsulDryLngMF

nbl_Ext Blk Cavity CBP Brd Tmbr Frm Insu Dry Lng MF

nbl_Ext_Blk_Cavity_CBP_Brd_Tmbr_Frm_Insu_Dry_Lng_MF

nbl_Ext-Blk-Cavity-CBP-Brd-Tmbr-Frm-Insu-Dry-Lng-MF

Let’s see if we can decipher the meaning of the descriptions and how intuative or not the naming is?

Ext = External

Blk = Block

Cavity = Cavity

Insul = Insulation

FF = I have not got a clue?

CBPBrd = Ummmmm something Board

TmbrFrm = Timber Frame

DryLng = Dry Lining

MF = Umm what can be on the inside face called MF

The order appears to be from outside face to inside face so why is MF behind the DryLng?

Looking at one of the example files it appears that MF = Metal Frame ….. So what about Dabs?
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Looking at nbl_ExtBlkCavityInsulFFBlk

Looking at the Edit Assembly dialogue I can’t see what FF is supposed to signify in the description?

The Material for the Thermal/Air Layer is nbl-RockWallBatts now that’s a trade name should it not be Mineral Wool?

The materials follow the same camel text format which would also benefit from the inclusions of spaces, hyphen, or underscores to make them more legible.

Aggregate Concrete Blocks as opposed to what?

We are once again on how to differentiate between Aircrete, lightweight, medium and dense concrete blocks see my blog post about Revit System Wall Families for the UK and their various properties and materials.
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Looking at nbl_ExtBlkCavityInsulPFBBlk

By inspection of the Materials one can see that PFB = Polyisocyanurate Foam Board

nbl_ExtBlkCavityInsulFFBlk

So looking at the Edit Assembly dialogue the Insulation is nbl_RockWallBatts

Now isn’t Rock Wool a trade name for mineral wool? and how does this equate to the FF in the description?

This is going to take a little time to unravel because it’s poorly put together and not correctly documented. What would have been excellent would have been a guide to the naming convention being used, even if it's going to be changed.

Ralph Pullinger and I were in the process of building a catalogue of all the different UK wall types when the NBL was announced and I was hopeful that the NBL would be constructed methodically, that currently does not appear to be happening.

Within the examples released there are many wall types that are not popular and basic traditional wall types that are missing.

The spreadsheet that I created scoped out all the various materials and forms of construction that have been used since the Victorian era. Once you have completed that task and have all that information then you can establish just what terms you actually need to build an adequate naming convention and a System Wall Family.

I provided our research to the NBS so why has this not been taken into account before the release of this content for review?
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Convert DWF to DWG using free tools

2011-11-08T06:44:00.003Z

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Here is a re-post of a great little process posted over at What Revit Wants by Luke Johnson, again I had to re-post this it's so good and I love FREE processes.
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CLICK HERE for the original Posting

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These steps helped me to leverage some data from a DWF file and convert it into vector data I could use in a DWG file:

Open DWF in Design Review
Print to PDF using CutePDF (this worked for me)
Open resulting PDF in Gsview (see this link)
Edit - Convert to vector format - dxf
Open DXF in AutoCAD or DWG Trueview
Save as DWG file

Hope this works for you.

Excitech Experience Issue 1 - Building on BIM

2011-11-01T10:33:00.000Z

Issue 1 is out now both in print and online. It contains a range of articles including:

Making Construction Products Suitable for BIM
Improving Revit Data Quality
Visualising BIM with 3ds Max
BIM at the Forum
Driving MEP from Design to Fabrication
Pell Frischmann GIS Case Study
Autodesk Suites
News & Opinion

Many articles and related white papers are CPD certified.

Click here for Issue 1 now.

Tekla Releases BIMsight 1.3 for AEC Collaboration

2011-10-31T17:13:00.001Z

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LEEDS, UK, Oct 27, 2011 - Becoming a part of the toolkit for construction professionals Tekla BIMsight continues to evolve and now offers improved collaboration tools for construction projects. As before, it is still the easiest BIM tool available for everyone in the construction industry to download and share over the Internet for FREE

Click HERE for more information and a link to download
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My First CAD Computer

2011-10-27T18:17:00.013+01:00

Here is my first CAD computer, we wrote the CAD software in house using HP Basic and it allowed Scaffolding Great Britian Ltd to design the temporary works to a bridge on the M25 in a day rather than two weeks manually, including a full schedule of all the components required to construct the temporary works.

I also recall the delivery of the 10Mbyte hard disk and Twin 8" Floppy Disk drive arriving. A fan was fitted into the room because of the heat it all generated

The 9845 was HP's high-end technical desktop computer of the 1970s until the introduction of the 200 Series in 1981. The 9845 was the first HP computer to incorporate a twelve-inch CRT screen. Previous computers had only one or three line screens. The large monitor of the 9845 made program debugging and program listing much more convenient. It also provided (optional) graphics display for the first time, with a resolution of 560 x 455 dots. The 9845A came standard with a built-in mini-cartridge tape drive (217K capacity). A second tape drive was optional as was a built-in thermal printer (80 characters wide, 480 lines per minute and graphics capable).

The 9845A shipped with 13K RAM standard, expandable to 62K. The computer came standard with four I/O slots and used the same interfaces as the 9825. The 9845S came standard with the additional tape drive, printer and graphics package. The 9845B replaced the 9845A in 1979. The original 9845B came standard with 56K RAM, expandable to 449K.

Click here to see this original green screen drawing the SINX/X function (file size 1.5 MB).

At the time these computers cost a fortune, later when completing my degree in Civil Engineering (1991/2) I found one at a car boot for £15 including a bag of thermal paper and 10 tapes, Ummm and it's still in my loft together with my CoCo, Spectrum, Amstrads (3No) and Tandy Model 100 etc.

For more details on this machine CLICK HERE

Here are a few more from my yester year collection that still live in the loft!.

Hours spent copying code from mags and writing your own programs with the old Spectrum.

I programmed the CoCo to "ask" my girlfriend at the time

(made it talk) "Will You Marry Me"

The result was she is my wife and tells everyone that I never actually

asked her to marry me, and that she has been a computer widow ever since then ;0)

The joy of having a disk drive .......I had two

I surfed the net or www before it was called the net or www with this one!

This one broke your back and looked like you were carrying a sowing machine around

Yes Mr Sugar - "Luggable" is a perfect description.

I spent an evening with Joanna Lumley after I sold her one of these, setting it up and giving some training.

She even made me a couple of cups of coffee.

Sometimes it pays to be a Computer Geek ;0)

Then on to MS Dos Machines

The Cloud is Dead Long Live the Cloud

2011-10-26T06:45:00.005+01:00

A very interesting article over on upFront.ezine NEWS #709

My View - I will wait and see, so far I'm underwhelmed at Labs I've tried.

I guess I'm a true reflection of the results of the survey by Steve Johnson Over at blog nauseam

How do you feel about CAD in the Cloud?
Survey: 69% concerned or frightened, 31% hopeful or excited.

Ralphs' remarks that "One marketing trick that old timers like Mr Johnson and I have repeatedly lived through is the claim that the Next Big Thing is inevitable, like buying pet food over the internet."

As a fellow old timer I can relate to that ;0)

Content Packs for Revit RAC & RST2012 Update 2 Now Available

2011-10-25T06:23:00.005+01:00

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I really worry about Autodesk at times, they release Update 2 for Revit Structure without the supporting documentation which arrives two days after, then three weeks after that someone finally realises that perhaps some users install their content on a server (what a novel idea!)

So finally three days ago The Revit Clinic post the announcement below:-

The Content Packs for Update Release 2 for both Revit Architecture and Revit Structure have been posted on their respective product pages.

To update the content, extract the .cab files to the same location as your installed
content.

Revit Architecture

Revit Structure

Come on Autodesk, put you brain in gear and try an co-ordinate this will you please, I could have done with this file weeks ago with the release of the Update not as an after thought!

6/10 Do Better!
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See

Update Enhancement List for RST2012 - 4th Oct 2011

Revit Structure 2012 Update 2 Ready - Well Nearly! - 28th Sept 2011

Autodesk Acquires UK's MAP for MEP

2011-10-21T09:35:00.003+01:00

Autodesk SAN RAFAEL, CA, Oct 20, 2011 - Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced that it has acquired Micro Application Packages Limited (MAP Software), a UK-based provider of CAD, CAM and estimating software that supports fabrication and construction for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) industry. MAP Software’s technology will be an important addition to the Autodesk Building Information Modeling(BIM) portfolio for MEP contractors and engineers. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.............read more here

City Beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri

2011-10-09T23:53:00.002+01:00

I've just watched this BBC 2 program, cracking use of 3D Surveying and 3D Modeling

The complex mix of expert archaeology, underwater robotics and state of the art graphics allowed the team to piece together the secrets of Pavlopetri, producing spectacular results.

Here, team from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics take us through how they worked to solve the puzzle of the city, using an autonomous underwater vehicle, the first time such technology has been used on this scale on a submerged site.

Throughout the night, the camera took stereo images under the water to judge the distance between the ruins on the sea floor. The robot captured hundreds of thousands of images, in order to build up a 3D model - allowing the team to create views that would be otherwise impossible.

The graphics team carefully built up a 3D map from the layout of the ruins and the uncovered artefacts. The final images of Pavlopetri reveal an intricate portrait of the city around 1600 BC; a city at its advanced peak.

There are a few short videos to be found on the BBC web site:-

City Beneath the Waves: Pavopetri [1:53]

How to reconstruct a Bronze Age City [5:33]

How to Rebuild Bronze Age Pottery [2:34]

The Ancient Buildings of Pavopetri [2:52]

Watch the whole program on

BBCi Player City Beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri [58:53]

RAC 2012 Certification Preparation Videos

2011-10-07T06:00:00.012+01:00

These videos automatically play, so I have linked the

images back to the course list on the AU2011 web site.

Find Bloated Families living in you Projects

2011-10-06T06:11:00.000+01:00

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Luke Johnson over at "What Revit Wants" has posted on how to find bloated families living in your projects and gives the process step by step with an example job.

Really worth bookmarking this one so thats why I've reposted here.
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Update Enhancement List for RST2012

2011-10-04T06:36:00.001+01:00

As Autodesk said a couple of days after Update 2 for Revit Structure was uploaded the Enhancement List has been posted. I can't see anything in there about all the templates being patched, what ever "Patched" actually means? as blogged about over at Revit Clinic

Update Enhancement List (pdf - 200Kb)

The trouble with BIM over at AEC Magazine

2011-10-03T23:34:00.002+01:00

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Published 01 October 2011

Written by Martyn Day

With the UK Government now mandating the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on its future projects, the AEC industry is facing sweeping changes in long established processes and collaboration practices. Martyn Day looks at the challenges of moving to BIM.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has had a lot of hype over the years, yet the industry has been slow to change or adopt this new technology. It is estimated that as few as 10 percent of firms in the UK construction industry use BIM software on their projects. This compares to approximately 60 percent in the USA.

While those in the private sector still have complete control over their choice of design methodology, the decision to enforce BIM on government infrastructure and building projects will force many firms to invest in new training and software. Without this they will not be included in future government contracts. This is without doubt an industry transformative decision. …………. more

Thanks to David Light for bringing it to our attention

Click here to read more of this very interesting, level headed, well written and thought provoking article on BIM
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AEC (UK) BIM Standard Launched for Bentley Building

2011-10-02T18:12:00.001+01:00

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KEYNSHAM, UK, Sep 30, 2011 - Today sees the launch of the latest document in the AEC (UK) portfolio: the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Bentley Building products. The standard is released to compliment the previous Autodesk Revit document, ensuring that consistent methods and approaches are available for the most common BIM authoring platforms. This Standard focuses primarily on adaptation of those standards for practical and efficient application of Bentley Architecture, Bentley Structural Modeller and Bentley Electrical and Mechanical Systems, drawing on best practice and proven workflows.

The AEC (UK) BIM Standards draw on guidelines from BS1192:2007 and other world-wide sources of BIM production methods. They do not replace, but instead to provide a practical implementation to any company seeking to adopt a working solution. Nigel Davies, chair of the AEC (UK) committee explains, “The importance of these standards cannot be underestimated. In the bigger picture of BIM development and standardization in the UK, the AEC documents are intended to align with British Standards and provide a working implementation of those codes. Our aim is to provide continual updates to align with the major initiatives taking place. Where guidance doesn’t yet exist, we help to bridge the gap between non-standardization and a unified framework.”

Of particular note in this release:-

Definition of BIM modeling workflows and co-ordination of collaborative working
Advice on separation of modeling data, reference use and procedures
Workspace organization
Object naming recommendations

If your company uses, or is considering the adoption of Bentley’s BIM authoring tools, this document will assist you in their configuration, installation and use.

To Download the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Bentley Building click here.

For more information, visit http://www.evolve-consultancy.com/.

Create FREE 3D Adobe PDF files from Revit

2011-09-30T06:00:00.002+01:00

Here is a little GEM that I saw a couple of weeks ago on What Revit Wants the reason for re-posting, well it tells you how to Create a 3D PDF files from Revit for FREE and I love the FREE appliactions plus when I want to find it again I know I have it here on my Blog.

Original Posting Create 3D PDF files from Autodesk Revit for free

Here is how to do it:

Close Revit
Download and install i-model plug-in for Revit (you will have to register)
Download and install Bentley View
Open a Revit project
Open a 3D view
In the Ribbon, go to Bentley - Publish as i-model
Open the i-model DGN in Bentley View
File - Print to PDF
Tick 'Print to 3D'
Click Printer button
Choose a place to save your file
Open the 3D PDF in Adobe Reader
Have fun navigating your Revit model inside a 3D PDF file.

Enjoy

Revit Structure 2012 Update 2 Ready - Well Nearly!

2011-09-28T22:58:00.006+01:00

Autodesk have just posted Update 2 for Autodesk Revit Structure 2012

It is available to users who have purchased a valid license for Autodesk Revit Structure 2012, Autodesk Building Design Suite Ultimate 2012, Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium 2012, Autodesk® Plant Design Suite Ultimate 2012, Autodesk® Plant Design Suite Premium 2012 or AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite 2012, and is subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that appears during installation.

For a list of improvements, please download the Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2012 Update Enhancement List: BUT read below

Update Enhancement List (pdf - 184Kb)

Note: Build Number can be found in the Update Enhancement List

Note: Enhancement list will be updated within two business days of Update 2 being posted to include Update 2 improvements.

In English - Don't bother downloading the Update Enhancement List, because as always we at Autodesk never complete software, updates or patches etc. as a one stop shop.

We (Autodesk) have decided to release this two days before we finish the Enhancement List or documentation, cos we don't have clue what's in there anyway ;0)
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Ummmm usually there is a Subscription Advantage Pack released about now, so is there or isn't there going to be one this year?

Hell ~ What do we pay subscription for, sure there will be, two or three weeks before they release 2013!

Revit is about BIM
BIM is about Information
Information is about good communications
Autodesk you are poor communicators
Your User Base expects and deserves better

6/10 Do Better

UPDATE it's now two days later and here is the file for Update 2

Update Enhancement List (pdf - 200Kb)
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Autodesk Cloud - Apps, Enhancements, Services

2011-09-28T06:30:00.004+01:00

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Autodesk Cloud, is a collection of more than a dozen web-based capabilities, products and services that enable customers to extend their desktops with greater mobility, new viewing and sharing capabilities, and more computing power, helping them better design, visualize and simulate their ideas.

In addition, Autodesk Subscription customers will now have exclusive access to cloud-based, high-performance rendering and design optimization, and enhanced collaboration capabilities.

Autodesk Subscription now provides 3 GB of online storage for each seat of software on Subscription for greater access to design and engineering documents, anywhere, anytime.

Read more Here
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Finally CSC Intergration Tool for Revit Structure 2012

2011-09-27T06:36:00.003+01:00

It's great to see that after six months from the launch of 2012 CSC have finally released their new BIM integration tool, Revit Integrator. This unique and free tool enables structural engineers and technicians to synchronize models between Autodesk Revit Structure and CSC's steel building design software, Fastrak, and concrete building design software, Orion.

Why has it taken so long and why is the download file size 10x that of previous versions, because CSC software also includes all the families it need to operate without having to rely on the families provided by Autodesk.

As Yoda would say "Worried Am I" yet another source of families to validate or worry about.

The link over at BIM and Beam is broken and gives a 404 error message so use This One to get to press release page about the software and This Link to get you straight to the download page.
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Autodesk® Design Review for iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

2011-09-25T06:00:00.005+01:00

Description

Expedite the design review process by viewing and redlining design files in the field. Autodesk® Design Review mobile app enables you to review Autodesk 2D and 3D design files directly on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. View, mark-up, and annotate drawings on the spot, reduce the need to carry around over-sized paper drawings, and enjoy an all-digital design review workflow.

✓View
• Open and view 2D and 3D DWF files from your Autodesk Cloud account
• Use multi-touch to zoom, pan, and rotate drawings
• View meta data and other details about elements within your drawings

✓Markup & Annotate

• Use simple and intuitive redline and markup tools to communicate changes
• Add text or comments using familiar callouts and drawing tools

Autodesk Inc. Web Site Design Review Mobile Support
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UK & Ireland Revit User Groups

2011-09-23T06:00:00.010+01:00

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	10^th Meeting due November 2011
(B)	GRUG	Glasgow Revit User Group	6^th Meeting due 19^th October 2011
(C)	ERUG	Edinburgh Revit User Group	2^nd Meeting was July 2011
(D)	BRUG	Bristol Revit User Group	2^nd Meeting was May 2011
(E)	RUGL	Revit User Group Leeds	3^rd Meeting due 28^thSeptember 2011 4^th Meeting due 23^rd November 2011
(F)	RUIG	Revit Users Ireland Group	2^ndMeeting was September 2011
(G)	MRUG	Manchester Revit User Group	2^nd Meeting due 9^th 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

NBS and The National BIM Library

2011-09-19T06:00:00.004+01:00

NBS is pleased to announce the development of the National BIM (Building Information Modelling) Library for the UK construction industry.

The National BIM Library, which will be accessible online and free of charge, will enable architects, contractors, interior designers and other construction professionals to locate and download generic BIM objects for a comprehensive range of systems and products such as walls, windows, doors, foundations, cladding and roofs.

The service, which will go live in November with the first set of objects, will be built up to become the primary source of standard and proprietary BIM objects.

By also publishing property definitions for all systems and products, NBS will also establish a common approach to quality standards across the construction industry, with a view to encouraging consistency and collaboration.

The development of the National BIM Library is the latest step in NBS's efforts to provide, share and maintain quality information for the built environment and by extension, support the growth of BIM as an information-rich database and highly effective business process. It also supports the launch of NBS Create, the groundbreaking new specification tool, which truly brings specification into the BIM arena.

The generic models will initially be delivered in IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) and Autodesk Revit formats with the intention of making content available through a variety of alternative formats as soon as possible.

The National BIM Library will also offer manufacturers the opportunity to have their proprietary objects authored to the new standard and hosted within the National BIM Library as well as other information sources such as ribaproductselector.com and the NBS itself. This will facilitate generic objects to be replaced at later stages of a design with specific manufacturer's objects once specified.

To register your interest in BIM object authoring and hosting, please email BIMobjects@theNBS.com.

To subscribe to our BIM Bulletins to receive the up to date information about the National BIM Library and regular BIM news, click here.

Project Neon for Revit

2011-09-15T09:08:00.000+01:00

Have you tried Project Neon? It’s a cloud rendering service. You can render your Revit (and AutoCAD) model online now, using Autodesk render farm. Then you can download the final result. It’s fast, free (at least for now) and you can use your valuable hardware and software while it renders your model.

If you’re interested try it here: http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/neon/
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GRAPHISOFT BIMx

2011-09-13T19:58:00.000+01:00

I would like to see this kind of app for Revit

GRAPHISOFT BIMx is an innovative, interactive, BIM communication tool for architects setting new standards for design communication and presentation in the AEC industry. BIMx now turns the iPad/iPhone into a full-fledged interactive building model explorer device as well.

More info:
http://www.gsbimx.com
http://www.graphisoft.com/products/bim-explorer/

Scott White & Hookins are looking for Revit Technician

2011-09-05T16:32:00.001+01:00

Technician - Structural/Civil

This is a great opportunity for someone who knows Revit Structure already or who is keen to rapidly develop their experience in this growing and exciting area.

We are seeking an enthusiastic Civil/Structural Engineering Technician with good AutoCAD and structural detailing experience to develop and promote our Revit capability throughout the practice. You would be able to work with Architects who are leaders in the BIM field on interesting and challenging projects, in a professional and supportive working environment alongside other Revit experts.

Main purpose of job

To work as a Structural/Civil Engineering CAD Technician on a wide variety of challenging and interesting projects covering many different construction sectors throughout the UK, including healthcare, commercial offices, education, retail, mixed use and residential schemes.

To help ensure that Scott White and Hookins provides a first class structural and civil engineering consultancy services.

To contribute to Scott White and Hookins’ vision and strategic objective to provide a fully integrated, high quality service to our clients in a friendly, professional manner and to reflect our passion for innovative and sustainable construction.

For more information and an application form CLICK HERE

RECRUITMENT AGENCIES NEED NOT APPLY

Project Spark ........ Teething Problems ?

2011-09-02T07:04:00.002+01:00

All excited I have downloaded and installed Project Spark which could be called Revit LT but isn't because although it uses the same file extensions it's not directly compatible with Revit file Doh....

On booting for the first time I get two error messages

Then

Checking the Paths under Options

So off to look at Wikihelp, Find information about where the spark templates should live which is the same location as RST and RAC so then off to my hard disk under C:\ProgramData\Autodesk I have the RST 2012 but now also have RLT with no file structure below but no Spark (Ummm which is kind of Revit LT)

Is this a UK or World install cock-up on Autodesks part or just my install?

The people that created the Wikihelp for Spark on this matter must have edited the Revit one (sensible) but they forgot to alter the icon used in the top right corner.

Off then to the Autodesk Spark Discussion Group to report back my findings as Autodesk need feedback on this latest Lab offering and I have posted the above at http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Project-Spark/Where-are-the-templates-for-Spark/td-p/3144862

I did not notice that my "cock up" had automatically been replaced by four **** up on posting! "Neat feature" I just hope no one with a dirty mind does not think that I used the F -Word which my Mum said I should never use in public ;0)

Shame you can't get back to edit a post on their group once submitted....

I'm really trying to get my head around Autodesks game plan with Spark, ok ultimately they are a business and will want to make money off a LT version of Revit - but why not be honest and not try to hook a load of people to help you develop and bug fix the product before it's no longer free and you are then expecting the hooked users paying big bucks for a cut down product ( AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT)

Ummm I'm an ex Generic CAD user..... that product that was bought by Autodesk and marketed as AutoCAD LT before they actually released AutoCAD LT and they then asked me if I would like to pay £99 for the pleasure of cross grading a month after having just paid £99 for the pleasure of upgrading my Generic CAD because it had more compatibility with AutoCAD...... £99 was a lot of money in those days <VGB>

I wonder how long it will be before its just a "little bit of history repeating itself"

So as too an answer to where the templates should be ...... Once I get one I will post it below here

POST UPDATE

Ummmm a bad install thinks Autodesk, re-install it is the advice...... So I installed at work but I actually opened up the options and ensured that Metric Content was selected

In fact there are three screens of options

And the copy at work installed A-OK
Back to the home copy and Control Panel to Repair and it knew that the templates and content had not been installed, a ticking content as above screen shots from the work install and hay-presto fully working software with content.

Now the content is saved in a folder under c:\programdata\autodesk\RLT

Ummm so why not call Spark what it is Revit LT ?

New Technology Previews Project Spark and Storm

2011-09-01T19:56:00.004+01:00

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You may have seen around that two new technology previews have been released around BIM. Project Spark is now available to try out. David Light has written a concise overview on his blog, Project Spark - quick overview.

Also, if you want to learn more about Project Spark at the up coming AU, Harlan Brumm, of Revit Clinic will be teaching a class on Spark at the conference. He will also be joined by the product manager for the technology preview.

There is another technology preview on labs that worth checking out. Project Storm is a technology preview that provides cloud-based structural analysis to structural engineers using Revit Structure. Check out the post over on Its Alive in the Lab for all the details. I've downloaded and about to play but you must ensure that you have installed RST2012 Update 1 before installing Project Storm.

Education Community BIM Workshop

2011-08-30T06:23:00.001+01:00

Autodesks' Inside the Factory Blog are excited to announce the launch of the Autodesk BIM Workshop.

This online experience was created to help prepare the next generation of architecture, engineering, and construction management students for professional practice. The site has an abundance of learning material, videos, and exercises designed to educate on BIM and sustainable design practices along with Integrated Project Delivery concepts.
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Revit Application Store

2011-08-23T06:00:00.014+01:00

Thanks to Gregory Arkin over at BIMBoom Revelution for pointing this one out Click Here to pop over to the ApplicationStore to download the Revit Apps

AutoCAD WS Mobile App - Update 1.3

2011-08-20T06:00:00.007+01:00

It's time to take a look at the new features that have been added to the latest release of the AutoCAD WS for mobile app, AutoCAD WS 1.3.
AutoCAD WS for mobile is available now for iOS on the App Store and for Android in the Android Market.

App Store - http://autode.sk/adicd2
Android Market - http://autode.sk/i7iqoa

The new features added to the app for version 1.3 include:

- Layers support
- Accurate input of distances and lengths
- Area measure tool
- File Management

Towards a new Uniclass

2011-08-19T06:00:00.002+01:00

In this short article, Construction Project Information (CPI) reports on the current state of play in the development of a new and dynamic Uniclass.
CPI promulgates Uniclass (which includes the Common Arrangement of Work Sections - CAWS) nationally. CPI committee members comprise representatives from RIBA, RICS, UKCG, ICE, CIBSE, CIAT and CIOB.

CPI established its Uniclass Working Group in 2006, to consider proposals for revision of the Tables in Uniclass. This has resulted in the release of a new Table, Z, for CAD, and the development of a Uniclass Online Tool for generating layer classifications from the Uniclass tables and for requesting new classifications.

Tables under review within the Working Group include those for Construction Entities (Table E), Elements (Tables G and H) and Work Sections (Tables J and K). It has been agreed that the Elements Tables should be combined, and that the Work Sections Tables should be combined.

NBS has contributed particularly to the review of the Work Sections Tables, through its reworking of Table J (CAWS) in order to support the new NBS. The NBS proposals have been endorsed in principle by the Working Group, but have yet to be endorsed formally by the CPI committee itself.

The work that NBS has done on Work Sections has also led to proposals from NBS for the unifying of Uniclass, which could affect all the Tables eventually, but would affect just the Facilities (D), Construction Entities (E), Spaces (F), Elements (G and H), Work Sections (J and K) and Products (L) Tables to start with. New Tables might also be developed as a result of this proposal, e.g. for Activities. Again, these proposals have been endorsed in principle by the Working Group, but have yet to be endorsed formally by CPI itself.

AutoCAD for Mac so when will Revit for Mac be released

2011-08-16T18:46:00.000+01:00

Autodesk announce Autocad 2012 for Mac at 5pm GMT Today

So when will there be a Revit for Mac?

Could this be the death of the PC as we know it!

AUGIuk Revit Camp - Call for Speakers

2011-08-13T15:37:00.004+01:00

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Below is a Cross post from the AUGIuk Web site

AUGIuk are hosting a one Day Revit Camp comprising 75min classes covering Revit Core, Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP. The format of classes will be that similar to Autodesk University and also used in the AUGIuk Design Academy.

If you are interested in speaking at the AUGIuk Revit Camp, you're invited to submit a proposal by 30th October 2011. We welcome submissions from experienced presenters or those with industry knowledge in either the Core Revit product or one of the Revit Vertical products.

Please submit a proposal to the Chairman of AUGIuk Paul Oakley via email at:- Paul.Oakley@AUGI.com

Class Proposal Guidelines for AUGIuk Revit Camp

Classes should help differentiate AUGIuk Revit Camp from other ATC or similar training that are available. Classes should be focused on specific aspects of the software and classes must not be a product demo. Attendees are seeking classes that will help them overcome practical design and workflow challenges in their day-to-day work.

AUGIuk Revit Camp offers attendees a unique opportunity to learn new ways to streamline processes using Autodesk solutions.
What to Include in Your Proposal:-

Class Outline
Speaker biography

What Makes a Proposal Successful?
A good proposal should successful focus on one or all of the following elements:

State-of-the-art tools, tips, and techniques that represent best Revit practices in the various disciplines.
Personal and team productivity-boosting solutions for common day-to-day tasks and issues faced by attendees.
Specific methods to improve concept-to-completion cycles: workflow, collaboration, productivity, and overall efficiency.
Focus
Business considerations and strategies for evaluating, adopting, and maintaining new technologies.

Many attendees are requesting more classes that cover advanced topics. We therefore invite proposals with more challenging content that will engage and benefit "power users"; that is, professionals with five or more years of industry experience.

SAMPLE PROPOSAL

A sample AU proposal which shows the type of sessions we are looking for:

Real World Problems - Real World Revit® Solutions: Model Management

1.5 hr. Class Skill Level: Intermediate

Target Audience/Who Should Attend: Intermediate-level users of Revit
Using real-world solutions as examples from real-world Revit® problems, this class will introduce core concepts for successful Revit model management. See why the proper setup and use of the correct template is a critical first step to a successful Revit project. Learn how to intelligently manage data between several disciplines and still maintain modelling accuracy. Explore the principles of file linking, exchanging data between linked files, and coordinating building locations, and how to avoid and resolve conflicts between building systems and design teams by strategizing work division between Revit models (or within a single model). See why your production quality is only as good as your IT strategic goals, and how your PC specifications may affect the bottom line on a project.

Class Objectives

After attending this class, you will be able to:
Outline a strategy for maintaining a good template file
Manage template setup for both internal Revit data management and traditional analog production requirements
Develop a workflow strategy for projects with multiple models
Determine appropriate multidisciplinary work environment: linked vs. singular model
Communicate effectively on key IT issues and effective strategies that relate to managing Revit models
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Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie)

2011-08-12T06:00:00.002+01:00

For anyone interested in taking BIM into FM

Course 1, Part 1.
Course 1, Part 2.
Course 1, Part 3.
Course 1, Part 4.
Course 1, Part 5.

UK Revit System Wall Families Update...

2011-08-10T15:09:00.002+01:00

There is now a spreadsheet, a kind of starter for 10, on the AUGIuk Revit Architecture Localisation forum

Please add wall configurations that you have been using to this thread at http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=132040

Here is a typical wall construction from a recent scheme I have worked on:-

25 x 125 ThermoWood Cladding

42 x 42 Horizontal battens
21 x 50 Vertical battens

Breather membrane

100mm medium density block
100mm cavity filled with mineral wool
100mm light weight block
20mm Plaster

The more feed back we get from you the better the end result will be.

Revit System Wall Families - UK Localisation

2011-07-31T08:27:00.005+01:00

Ralph Pullinger and I are looking at developing a UK Based System Wall Family Template, and we require your help. But in order to do so you will need a little background information and briefing on the kind of information we need to know.

During the composition of a presentation entitled “Family Planning ~ First Encounters” for the ninth meeting of LRUG the London Revit User Group, I contacted Ralph Pullinger Autodesks’ Structural Technical Specialist, Northern Europe about the disappearance of the GRBENU_Walls.rvt system file from the Autodesk Web site and a long discussion about the need for Autodesk Revit localised family content took place.

For those of you that are not aware of what the GRBENU_Walls.rvt was, I blogged about it way back in January 2008. The naming convention for this system had problems in that it was not documented and was not consistent in the use of upper and lower case, spelling and use. However it was a good first attempt at creating a UK and Europe Wall System Family.

So our mission is to create a new UK Wall System Family and here is the brief and pre-requisites, it:-

· Must satisfy historical, current and future needs

· Be flexible

· Have a naming convention that is clear and easy to understand

· Be consistent

· Include material properties (the I in BIM) weight, thermal, strength etc.

· Be properly documented for the end user.

The manufactures literature from both block and insulation manufacturers have provided many forms of wall make ups that will achieve or exceed the Building Regulations Part L U-values of the day, however we would like you to contribute by providing information about what forms of walls constructions have been and are currently actually being specified and used on real live schemes.

Thus we will be able to construct a UK Wall System family that is true representation of UK building practice.

This ties in quite nicely with the fact that AUGIuk working in conjunction with AUGI have arranged for Revit Localisation (OK they used the “z” instead of the s) UK Forums, which have just been set up under the AUGI Revit Forums.

Localisation Discussions related to localisation or regional issues of Revit Architecture.

Localisation Discussions related to localisation or regional issues of Revit Structure.

Localisation Discussions related to localisation or regional issues of Revit MEP.

Architecture Thread on this subject see http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=132040
Structure Thread on this subject see http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=132039

The Building Coder - Revit API Training Material

2011-07-29T01:58:00.000+01:00

Jeremy Tammik over at The Building Coder has just posted that:-

"The Revit 2012 API training material that we use for our ADN trainings is now available online to the general public from the Revit Developer Center. Here is a direct link to it, with no guarantee that it will remain valid in future.
It includes three subfolders:

Labs
Presentation
Sample Drawing

These are the Powerpoint presentations used for the training:

0_Revit_Programming_Training_Class.pptx – Overview
1_Revit_API_Intro.pptx – Basics
2_Revit_UI_API.pptx – User Interface and Events
3_Revit_Family_API.pptx – Family API

The labs parallel the three main presentations:

1_Revit_API_Intro – Basics
2_Revit_UI_API – User Interface and Events
3_Revit_Family_API – Family API "

To read more Click Here to get to the original posting.

The London Revit User Group ran an evening about Revit API's a few months ago, so this may be of interest to those members that attended the evening.
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AUGIuk Revit Camp - Call for Speakers

2011-07-28T14:41:00.001+01:00

Call for Speakers

Wednesday 1st February 2012 – London Venue
AUGIuk are hosting a one Day Revit Camp comprising 75 min classes covering Revit Core, Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP. The format of classes will be that similar to Autodesk University and also used in the AUGIuk Design Academy.

If you are interested in speaking at the AUGIuk Revit Camp, you're invited to submit a proposal by 30th October 2011. We welcome submissions from experienced presenters or those with industry knowledge in either the Core Revit product or one of the Revit Vertical products.

Please submit a proposal to the Chairman of AUGIuk Paul Oakley via email at:- Paul.Oakley@AUGI.com

Click Here to read the rest of the posting on the AUGIuk web site

I Am Proud to be an IEng-ineer

2011-07-27T09:14:00.000+01:00

You may have seen in The Structural Engineer and the IStructE monthly newsletter that the IStructE are supporting the Engineering Council in their campaign to raise the profile of Incorporated Engineer (IEng) registration.

The Engineering Council has now launched a series of IEng logos and an email signature to be used by Incorporated Engineers. The email signature is designed to promote your professional status while also raise awareness of IEng.

While the signature is designed to be used on email the Engineering Council are also happy for you to use it elsewhere such as business cards, letters and online profiles.

Please visit the Engineering Councils news section to find out more information about the Engineering Council campaign. Engineering Council launches initiative to up IEng registration.

Autodesk_Revit_Structure_2012Update_1_Content

2011-07-16T17:02:00.003+01:00

As has been documented on my blog the

install did not give you everything it should have. Autodesks’ immediate fix, was to recommend installing the USA metric families. This does not provide everything.

Previously I reviewed what you should get and what’s missing once you have downloaded the USA Metric and created what should have been installed in the first place.

Autodesk have now release Autodesk_Revit_Structure_2012Update_1_Content (zip-33.4MB) which is strangely available from the Autodesk Revit Structure Services & Support Page – Product Download page and not Updates page, where one would logically expect an Update to be?

The structure within this Guide has been based upon :-

What installed in UK RST2012

What installed as a US Metric Library

Cross referenced with what was in RST 2011 UK Install

Material within the Content Update 1 released on the 10^th July 2011 is shown as ü

Content not included in Update 1 released on the 10^th July 2011 is shown as û

Click Here to download this Guide in Adobe pdf format.

Whilst I applaud Autodesk for actually providing a list of content within the RST2012 Update 1 Content package they still have not explained why this content is included in the Update etc. In the main it appears to be an attempt to provide the missing templates that did not install for the UK and other countries

There is one family that is not template related i.e. the Rebar Shape 33 – that is contained within Update 1, however none of the material removed or missing from the rest of the library that is documented in my library guide to 2012 posted on my blog on the 15^th April is included within Update 1

My constant request to Autodesk over the last five years has been:-

Each folder should have a basic *.txt file that should contain the following:-

Number of files in the folder

Number and Names of Files Deleted ~ (with some explanation of why they have been removed)

Number and Names of New Files Added~ (with some explanation of why they have been added)

Number and Names of Files Modified ~ ( or updated and why?)

Where Manufactures specific content is supplied it would be useful to have a hyperlink to their web site or information within the familiy, that is after all what the I in BIM is all about!

Revit is about BIM
BIM is about Information
Information is about good communications
Autodesk you are poor communicators
Your User Base expects and deserves better

6/10 Do Better
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Announcement from MRUG - Manchester Revit User Group

2011-07-11T09:27:00.002+01:00

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MRUG - Manchester Revit User Group
Subject: Announcement from MRUG - Manchester Revit User Group

We just wanted to make you all aware of the progress Manchester Revit User Group is making;

Dan and Gavin of Cundall have done an excellent job of setting up the group, and have been kind enough to ask Peter Taylor of BDP, Gary Royle of AECOM and Rob Clark of Cadassist onto the committee (or managers as LinkedIn calls it).

So the MRUG committee are currently as follows;

Dan Woodman, Senior Structural Technician at Cundall
Gavin Bonner, Principal Structural Technician / BIM Coordinator at Cundall
Peter Taylor, Technology Support Manager, BDP
Gary Royle, Associate Partner, CAD Manager, AECOM
Rob Clark, Revit / BIM Specialist and Senior Structural Technician, Cadassist

I'm sure you will agree that this is a very strong committee in terms of resource and knowledge which has representation in all the disciplines. We are understandably excited about getting started! If you would like to get involved in a more "hands on" manner, please do let us know!

The committee are trying to get together over the coming weeks to arrange our first MRUG meeting. We will keep you up to date with progress.

In the mean time, please do invite your colleagues, contacts and friends onto the group. Further, please do make any suggestions, this group is all about participation.

All the best

MRUG
Posted By Rob Clark.

Out of the Box UK Templates ~ Guide to What's Missing

2011-07-08T07:00:00.005+01:00

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I reported about the problems with Revit Structure not installing and missing content back on the 15th April - What can best be called a work-a-round from Autodesk was to suggest that UK users install the USA Metric Library and harvest what was missing see my post on the 17th may about Loading Missing Content

This process does not provide everything, below is a review guide of what you should get and what’s missing once you have downloaded the USA Metric and created what should have been installed in the first place.

The structure below has been based upon :-

What installed in UK RST2012

What installed as a US Metric Library

Cross referenced with what was in RST 2011 UK Install

Click Here if you would like this document as an Adobe pdf

I have fed this information back to Autodesk.

Because of the suites becoming available they are now also looking at the way they install and provide the library when you are installing all three Revits side by side. If you are a regular visitor you would have seen my posting on the 4th June about a Short Family Content Survey this was not open and available for very long.

For those that want a glimpse of the possible futures for Revit families below are some screen shots from the survey

Victor Meldrew Moment - Fixing England 's Economy

2011-07-07T13:03:00.002+01:00

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Saw this, loved it had to share it:-

Dear Mr. Cameron,

Please find below our suggestion for fixing England 's economy.

Instead of giving billions of pounds to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan..

You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 10 million people over 50 in the work force.
Pay them £1 million each severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire. ~ Ten million job openings - Unemployment fixed

2) They MUST buy a new British car. ~ Ten million cars ordered - Car Industry fixed

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage. ~ Housing Crisis fixed

4) They MUST send their kids to school/college/university. ~ Crime rate fixed

5) They MUST buy £100 WORTH of alcohol/tobacco a week ~ and there's your money back in duty/tax etc.

6) Instead of stuffing around with the carbon emissions trading scheme that makes us pay for the major polluters, tell the greedy bastards to reduce their pollution emissions by 75% within 5 years or we shut them down.

It can't get any easier than that!

P.S. If more money is needed, have all members of parliament pay back their falsely claimed expenses and second home allowances

ReVVed - Revit Extensions

2011-07-02T06:04:00.002+01:00

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My Padawan (Rikki) who has now left me and is now in training with a much larger multi-national company pointed me in the direction of this nice little collection of FREE extensions.

ReVVed is a collection of Revit extensions that have been designed with the draftsperson in mind. ReVVed turns repetitive tasks into one click commands. These commands work with architecture, structure and MEP flavors of Revit. Commands like:

Merge Text - merge multiple text notes into a single note.

Change Case - changes the case of selected text notes to a user specified case. (Upper, lower, mixed)

Web Link - opens a web browser to the URL stored in Revit components.

Polyline - adjust the total length of end-to-end lines. (Like travel distances, great for checking out exit routes for Fire Escapes)

Open Folder - opens Windows Explorer to the folder where the project file is located.

Project Commander - store critical information about the currently open project in a handy place.

You can download ReVVed 2011 or ReVVed 2012 for FREE over at the PKH Lineworks Web Site .
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Time Travel Again - Back to the 80's

2011-06-30T20:56:00.001+01:00

I've just lost 31 years and I'm 22 again.......

A quick trip down to the local supermarket to pick up a new windscreen wiper and as always I look at the Budget CD's and there it was.

A mixture of Solo in Soho and Philip Lynott Album plus some rare tracks ....20 Tracks for £3

As it says on the back cover of this cracking collection Phil Lynott was the leader of Thin Lizzy he was a musical hero, master songwriter and majestic singer, yet as this collection of solo hits, album tracks and rare b-sides proves he was much more.

And yes I am enjoying the magic it's like having my original record collection back
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Government thinks there are Too Many Architects

2011-06-27T06:52:00.000+01:00

"RIBA president Ruth Reed says she has been told the government thinks there are too many architects in the profession."

OK I've always said this myself, we could get all the bad ones, line up 5 against a wall and shoot them daily until the number of good ones increases ;0)

Joking aside this is serious stuff for Architectural students to read more CLICK HERE
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Autodesk University AU2011 - Newsletter

2011-06-23T06:27:00.006+01:00

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AU 2011: Hot Topics, Expanded Curriculum, Innovative Technologies, New Business Strategies

I’m very pro Autodesk University (AU) as a powerful resource for information, in a presentation I’m drafting for the next LRUG meeting I point to various classes & labs that can be downloaded in a variety of formats.

Last year there were serious problems with attending virtually, and I’m really hoping that lesson have been learnt and that measures are in place to ensure everything actually works this year. I’ve submitted this as feedback to AU and I hope to get some kind of reply and assurance, as it’s nice to know that as a customer you are being listened too.

For those of you that are new to Autodesk and perhaps Autodesk University, below is repost of the current newsletter details.

Click Here to visit the AU web site and register as a member
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Autodesk University (AU) is where architects, engineers, and designers come together annually with industry and technology leaders to better understand new technologies, exchange best practices, and form new business strategies— and this year is no exception.

Expanded Curriculum

Technical product training remains a key focus, but AU 2011 is moving well beyond tips and tricks to offer more for advanced users, senior designers, business leaders, and workflow and process strategists.

“This year we asked for very specific types of classes, and our speakers responded,” said Joseph Wurcher, AU program manager. "So, for example, we are emphasizing classes that show you how to combine Autodesk products to streamline your workflows and processes, using the right tool for the right job."

The expanded curriculum of more than 800 classes and hands-on labs includes new classes on:

Design leadership
Innovation strategies
Web, cloud, and mobile technologies
Workflows and process

Visualization
Sustainability
Change management

Whether you are interested in lean manufacturing, automotive design, or building information modeling, you will find a great selection of tightly focused classes this year.

Leveraging Film Industry Techniques to Tell a Story

A schematic or drawing just isn’t enough anymore. Your clients want to see and experience a design before they pour an ounce of concrete. AU 2011 features two tracks focused on design visualization and storytelling. Learn how to leverage digital entertainment techniques for use in conventional AEC and manufacturing designs.

"We will be highlighting new supercool game development technology," said Wurcher, "to show how this technology can be used to develop more realistic walkthroughs and product demonstrations. For example, Autodesk® Mudbox™ is an excellent tool for creating human figures to populate visualizations."

Processes, People, Workflows, Business Strategies

"This year, we have even more content for senior designers, design technology managers, business leaders, and workflow and process strategists,” Wurcher noted. "It can make it easier to get approval if you bring management along."

AU 2011 will feature classes to help leaders manage change and bring in more business. How do you encourage innovation among your staff? What strategies can help you be successful in today's market? How do you manage a transition to Autodesk® Revit®? How will mobile products and cloud computing affect your company?

We are also expanding the Design Technology Management Conference, which will be held immediately prior to the AU conference in Las Vegas. This year's event includes a Sunday night keynote and networking session, followed Monday by a full day of classes and unconference sessions designed to help you manage technology and the people who use it.

AU 2011 Registration Opens in Late August

Early Bird registration opens August 30. You can save you and your boss up to US$500 by registering early. You also get first pick from the AU 2011 class catalog.
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Manchester Revit User Group is Forming

2011-06-21T06:00:00.007+01:00

MRUG - Manchester Revit User Group

Are a free Autodesk Revit user group that meets to share tips and tricks, best practices and discuss the Autodesk Revit software and its impact on the AEC community.

Join them on Linked-In
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Revit Users Ireland Group - Meeting No.1

2011-06-20T06:17:00.003+01:00

Revit Users Ireland Group are pleased to announce thier first group meeting (see details below). Please try to attend, and share this with any of your colleagues.

Below is a LinkedIn “event link”, to register your interest:
http://events.linkedin.com/Revit-User-Ireland-Group-Meeting-No-1/pub/698427

Date: 29th June 2011

Time: 6.30-8.30pm (registration, coffee/tea at 6pm)

Venue: The Maxwell Theatre, Hamilton Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2
(entrance off Westland Row, opposite Pearse Street Station)

Getting There:

Dart/Rail – Pearse Street Station
1.2km from Green Line Luas (St. Stephens’s Green Stop) - 15 minute walk
1.2km from Red Line Luas (BusAras Stop/Connolly Station) - 15 minute walk

They will gathering in the Gingerman Pub (Fenian Street) afterwards, for some networking/socializing.

Good Luck with your first meeting Guys!
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Government Construction Strategy Report Published

2011-06-16T13:14:00.003+01:00

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now emerging as a common requirement on both public and private sector projects alike. Only recently, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to make savings of at least 20% across all public sector construction projects and that BIM is to be mandated to help drive more efficient cost benchmarking.

Standards are currently being drawn up with a view to roll out BIM on public projects in 2012.

Please Click Here to access the full government report dated May 2011, and just released.

STL Exporter for Revit 2012 is Released as Open Source

2011-06-15T06:25:00.001+01:00

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I've just found this and need to share....

From the company that spend so much time in court righting for the rights and the ownership to the dwg and dxf format, Autodesk has donated the STL Exporter for Revit to Open Source under the LGPL 2.1 license. The source code, latest builds and user/technical documentation will be available at the following site. You will be able to view and edit the source code to suit your needs.

This is something Autodesk has never done before with an add-in/plug-in/app for Autodesk Revit or any other Autodesk product. (See MapGuide for the first Autodesk contributed open source project.)

The code hackers and tinkerers among you are probably saying “cool! – now I can play with it and make it suit my needs”.

The skeptics among you are probably saying “Autodesk is trying to dump responsibility for this thing on the user so they don’t have to support it”. To the skeptics I would recommend you read on. ...... Click Here to visit the whole posting over at BIM Apps.
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