FormIt v17 now has Dynamo integrated on it so we can include more data in our pre-design strategy. Just a reminder, FormIt is included in the AEC Collection. How to use Dynamo in FormIt Dynamo can be launched with no graph open by clicking at the Dynamo symbol or editing an existing script by clicking at the drop-down arrow beside the script. Be aware that when we save changes to this Dynamo script will modify just the file but will not modify any Dynamo geometry already placed in FormIt. If you are creating you own node, make sure you add the node BakeToFormIt so FormIt can read the script ..read more

1. 80% Rule: if you use something 80% of the time, it should be in your template file. Avoid putting everything in your template file, especially if you work on multiple project typologies.  You just end up filling your project with items you do not need and it’s not easy to go through and purge them out without taking everything.  Save your staff the hassle by putting in items that they use all the time and store other project specific items in another file that they can copy/paste from.  This keeps your project nice and lean. 2. Starting Page: if you zoom extents and you can’t read it, you ..read more

Let’s talk about data corruption in Revit. In this post I will look at these 4 points: File crashes before opening Crashes when opening a new view Looking for corrupt families Higher level investigation As always you should make sure you save a copy of your file for testing while trying to resolve corruption issues. File crashes before opening Sometimes a file cannot open because of a simple issue that can easily be overcome. Each of the following actions have the potential to get past a different issue. If your file crashes when you try to open it ask yourself: Can the file be opened with or ..read more

I am going to talk about file corruption in Revit. To keep things brief I will be doing a few separate posts on this topic. Today I will touch on 4 points: Initial Investigation First steps to resolution Common causes What if you can’t resolve it… Initial Investigation When you encounter an undesirable action or message from Revit is it important to take note of a few things. Ask yourself: What action did I attempt? What response did I get from Revit? Can you audit file? Make sure you save a copy of the file first as you will need to reopen to perform the audit action. If your file cannot be ..read more

3D visualization is an essential part of architectural illustration today. Renders allow you to communicate your vision and intent to clients and colleagues. This is why models or drawings are often sent out to be professionally rendered. This is an expensive but usually necessary process. However, it is possible to make high quality renders in-house using Revit or through the cloud. What makes a beautiful render? Like many things, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is in the nuance of the materials you select, the lighting, the details you choose to include, and any post-production edit ..read more

Recently we recommended the Properties+ addin for Navisworks which was updated to support Navisworks 2019. In addition to consolidating properties that may exist across different tabs in the properties window, it also provides a straightforward and consistent way to extract information from a model viewed in Navisworks. Recently, we used this method to extract element property information from Civil 3D elements so that we could recreate such elements inside of Revit. This method assumes that it is possible to first extract the location information from within the file or element. In our case t ..read more

A Family is a group of objects that form a building component such as a door, a wall, a window or a chair. All families are associated to a specific category and contain a set of properties (parameters) and a graphical representation associated to these properties. Understanding how to create and edit Revit Families is a must if you want to take your Revit skills to another level. Revit’s Family Editor has all the tools you need to create custom components for your Revit projects, and here you will learn 10 steps to master this environment. #1 – Understand family types There are different Fami ..read more

Autodesk’s release of 2019.2 included some interesting features that Architects should be aware of.  There were a couple minor improvements to the program itself, but it seems like a larger effort is being placed on improving the functionality of Revit alongside BIM 360. Day to Day improvements:  1. Zoom functionality in schedule views. This is pretty handy for large schedules or if you are using a hard to read font style. How to Zoom in/out for schedules: CTRL +  = Zoom in CTRL – = Zoom Out CTRL 0 = Zoom Reset Alternatively, you can hold down CTRL and use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out ..read more

Tuesday, Feb 26 | 9:00 am PST Webinar  | Hosted by Autodesk 62% of construction professionals transfer field data manually or via spreadsheets Why? They don’t have a platform to connect, organize and optimize their construction projects. Register for the webinar to learn how the other 38% of construction professionals are avoiding manual entry by using integrated construction software to: Improve communication between teams Eliminate data silos Ensure version control Organize coordination & issue resolution Register now > ..read more