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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
Mastering Revit Structure 2010 covers both the basics and the advanced features and functions. Written by a team of authors who are deeply involved with the Revit community, Mastering Revit Structure 2010 explains the tools and functionality in the context of professional, real-world tasks and workflows. With hands-on tutorials to demonstrate the concepts, Mastering Revit Structure 2010 is perfect for anyone who needs to learn Revit Structure 2010 quickly and thoroughly. Additionally, there is a companion Web site offers before-and-after tutorial files for downloading.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dear Reader
Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Thomas S. Weir
Jamie D. Richardson
David J. Harrington
Foreword
Introduction
What You Will Learn
The Mastering Series
Who Should Buy This Book
What's Inside
How to Contact the Authors
Part 1: Basics of the Modeling Environment
Chapter 1: Inside Revit Structure
Using the Graphical User Interface
Element Types and Their Organization
How Elements Are Organized
Project Views and Display
Graphic Standard Styles and Patterns
The Bottom Line
Chapter 2: Setting the Project Environment
Working with Project Templates
Project Information
Project Location
Project Units
Structural Settings
Rebar Settings
Options
Project Browser Organization
Transferring Project Standards
The Bottom Line
Chapter 3: Starting to Model Your Project
Importing and Linking
Linking a Revit File
Using Copy/Monitor
Coordination Alert
Interference Check
Setting Your Levels
Placing Your Grids
Working with the Extents of Datum Elements
The Bottom Line
Part 2: Developing Your Structural Model
Chapter 4: Structural Columns
Getting to Know the Column Families
Adding Structural Columns to Your Project
Adding Slanted Columns to Your Project
Using a Graphical Column Schedule
The Bottom Line
Chapter 5: Floor Slabs and Roof Decks
Creating Slabs and Decks for Your Project
Creating Floor Decks
Creating and Placing Roof Elements
The Bottom Line
Chapter 6: Walls
Placing a Wall in Your Model
Creating a New Compound Wall
The Bottom Line
Chapter 7: Structural Framing
Structural Framing Families and Properties
Adding Floor Framing
Adding Roof Framing
Adding Steel Braced and Moment Frames
The Bottom Line
Chapter 8: Forming the Foundations
Getting to Know the Foundation Tools
Working with an Isolated Foundation
Working with a Wall Foundation
Working with the Foundation Slab
The Bottom Line
Part 3: Documenting Your Structural Model
Chapter 9: Model Documentation
Drafting Tools
Datum Elements
Annotation Elements
Detail Elements
Typical Details Sheets: Creating and Managing
The Bottom Line
Chapter 10: Modeling Rebar
Placing 3D Reinforcement
Modeling Rebar with the Rebar Shape Browser
The Bottom Line
Chapter 11: Schedules and Quantities
The Scheduling Basics
What Are Calculated Values?
Material Takeoff Schedules
Employing Keynote Legends
The Bottom Line
Chapter 12: Working with Sheets
Getting to Know Your Sheets
Adding Information to Your Sheets
Creating a Sheet Index
Keeping Track of Revisions
The Bottom Line
Part 4: Sharing Your Structural Model
Chapter 13: Worksharing
Understanding the Worksharing Concept
Enabling Worksharing
Staying in Sync
Working with Worksets
Using the Worksharing Monitor
Maintaining Your Project
The Bottom Line
Chapter 14: Visualization
How Much Do You Need?
Defining the Right Materials
Starting a Rendering
Exporting for Outside Rendering
The Bottom Line
Chapter 15: Revit Structural Analysis
Configuring Structural Settings
Monitoring Your Model as You Work
Placing Loads
Exporting for Structural Analysis
The Bottom Line
Part 5: Advanced Topics
Chapter 16: Project Phases and Design Options
Working with Project Phases
Working with Design Options
The Bottom Line
Chapter 17: Standards: Increasing Revit Productivity
Get to Work?
Customizing Revit Structure to Save Time and Effort
Modifying Your Model
The Bottom Line
Chapter 18: Family Creation: Beyond the Provided Libraries
Creating Families
In-Place Families
Grouping
The Bottom Line
Chapter 19: Advanced Structural Families
Creating Tapered Steel Girders
Creating Bent Steel Beams
Adding a Wood Nailer on a Steel Beam
Modeling Wood Shear Walls
Developing Elevator Pits
Creating and Adding Steel and Wood Trusses
The Bottom Line
Part 6: Appendices
Appendix A: The Bottom Line
Chapter 1: Inside Revit Structure
Chapter 2: Setting the Project Environment
Chapter 3: Starting To Model Your Project
Chapter 4: Structural Columns
Chapter 5: Floor Slabs and Roof Decks
Chapter 6: Walls
Chapter 7: Structural Framing
Chapter 8: Forming the Foundations
Chapter 9: Model Documentation
Chapter 10: Modeling Rebar
Chapter 11: Schedules and Quantities
Chapter 12: Working with Sheets
Chapter 13: Worksharing
Chapter 14: Visualization
Chapter 15: Revit Structural Analysis
Chapter 16: Project Phases and Design Options
Chapter 17: Standards: Increasing Revit Productivity
Chapter 18: Family Creation: Beyond the Provided Libraries
Chapter 19: Advanced Structural Families
Appendix B: The Gallery Up Close
Mid-Rise with Multiple Structure Types
Modeling Techniques
Concrete Pan and Joist Structures
Projects with Miscellaneous Framing
A Campus Design
A Hollywood Studio Project at NBC Universal
The Historic Rose Bowl Locker Room and Media Center Project
A Church Project
A Student Housing Project
Final Thoughts
Color Insert
The Thomas Aquinas College Our Lady of the Most Blessed Trinity Chapel
The Emory Clinic
The Salvador Dali Museum
The Rose Bowl Locker Room and Media Center Project
The Sedgwick County Arena
Los Angeles Unified School District Central High School 16
The Georgia State University Library Transformation
University of South Florida-Visual and Performing Arts Teaching Facility
The Live Show at Universal
Tampa Museum of Art
The University Part Housing at Cal State Northridge
Index
Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe
Development Editor: Tom Cirtin
Technical Editor: Steve Stafford
Production Editor: Dassi Zeidel
Copy Editor: Linda Recktenwald
Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan
Production Manager: Tim Tate
Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley
Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde
Book Designers: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama; Judy Fung
Proofreader: Nancy Bell
Indexer: Ted Laux
Project Coordinator, Cover: Lynsey Stanford
Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed
Cover Image: © Pete Gardner/DigitalVision/Getty Images
Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-52141-0
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Weir, Thomas, 1950-
Mastering Revit structure 2010 / Thomas Weir, Jamie Richardson, David J. Harrington. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-52141-0
ISBN-10: 0-470-52141-4
1. Architectural drawing — Computer-aided design. 2. Architectural design — Data processing. 3. Autodesk Revit. I. Richardson, Jamie, 1975- II. Harrington, David J., 1966- III. Title.
NA2728.W42 2009
720.28′40285536–dc22
2009028750
TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Revit is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing Mastering Revit Structure 2010. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.
Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we're still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we're working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.
I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I'd be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we're doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [email protected]. If you think you've found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.
To my dad, William Weir, and my grandfather, Clayton Sanford. I wish they were here to see how my journey has turned out.
—Thomas S. Weir
An accomplishment like this keeps me thinking of the memories I have of my big brother, Shon Richardson. This one is for you; wish you were here.
—Jamie D. Richardson
To Mom, my lifelong cheerleader, I am grateful that you put up with me regardless of the issue at hand. My only wish is that you eventually read one of my books and forgive me for flunking English that one time.
—David J. Harrington
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my wonderful wife, Aida Gonzalez, for all the love and support she has given me this year while I worked all these odd hours writing this book. A wonderful photographer, she also took my photo! Thanks also to Sally, Dylan and Janice, and Josie and Steve. This is also for my grandson, Josh, so he knows that anything is possible if you are willing to work hard and really want it to happen. And as always I thank my mom, Estelle, for her constant and wise support.
I want to thank my colleagues David and Jamie for their great effort over these last six months in creating this text. There was no blueprint to follow since no other books on this subject have been published, but our combined creative forces made it happen.
I want to thank all my valued colleagues at Brandow & Johnston for supporting me through this venture. I want especially to thank Gabriel Lopez and Gautam Shenoy for their talented assistance in preparing the glossy color insert pages. I also want to thank our friend Paul Anderson for his assistance in preparation of the first chapter. And thanks to my colleague Ken Gebhart for letting me use his house model.
Thanks to Nicolas Mangon for helping create the last five amazing years, and to all the dedicated, imaginative crew at Revit Structure in Waltham. They are true revolutionaries in our field.
This whole venture also has to give a nod to the people at our publisher, Wiley, who gave us the chance and provided great professional editors who have helped us to craft a first-rate text.
—Thomas S. Weir
To my wife, Katie: I can't thank you enough for giving me the support I needed and for always being there to provide encouragement. A lot of things have been put on hold and my “to do list” has gotten quite large. I also want to thank my daughter, Avery, and son, Layton, for understanding why Dad was always so busy. I hope that someday this book along with my other journeys will inspire you to attempt things you didn't think were possible. Never have the “I can't do it” attitude.
Thanks to my fellow authors Tom and David for giving your time to help make this all a success. I have enjoyed working with both of you as well as strengthening our relationship in the process.
Thanks to Ericksen Roed and Associates for supporting me throughout my writing efforts and our Revit Structure user base for challenging me every day as well as maintaining great attitudes. You are the ones who help keep me motivated and encourage me to learn more.
Thanks to the Revit Structure team (the Factory). There are too many names to mention, but you have all listened to my comments and have provided support when I needed it.
Thanks to the AUGI forum community, and those who blog, for creating such a great source of information. It is great to see so many people sharing as well as expanding their knowledge.
Thanks to the entire Wiley team; you have been great to work with. I appreciated your comments and suggestions, and because of you I have become a better writer.
And finally, thanks to all of the other authors out there who are able to take the time to juggle their careers and family time as they author a book or any other form of literature. Doing this now for the second time has truly made me realize the sacrifices that are made to pull it all off.
This book has been another great experience.
—Jamie D. Richardson
I don't know how she did it, but my wife, Carla, surpassed my last book in the level of support and encouragement she provided this time around. She is the best wife a part-time author could possibly have! Once again, I need to thank all the kids for allowing me the time to write: Candy, Nicky, Kara, Ricky, Kaitlin, Kaylee, Krista, and Christopher. I am so happy I now have time to go into the pool! And as always I thank my dad, John, who even though he hasn't been here for over 14 years is still an inspiration for me to write about what I know.
To my fellow authors, Tom and Jamie, it once again has been a pleasant experience. To your credit it has been less challenging than before! Thanks for coming back for round two!
To my fellow coworkers at Walter P. Moore, thank you. I am the first to admit that what I know is because of the people I work with and the projects I work on. I am grateful to share the skills and knowledge I have gained while working with you all. Thanks again, Steve, you really helped me out a lot!
To Autodesk and the Revit Structure team, thank you. Your constant efforts to provide a solution to the structural field give us much to write about. It is fun modeling buildings and using your software to do it! Thank you again, Nicolas and Wai, for your support and answers.
To Willem Knibbe, our publisher, thank you for coming back for a revision to the book. Without your advocacy none of this would be possible. Special thanks to Tom Cirtin for your aid and assistance in polishing our gems!
—David J. Harrington
About the Authors
Thomas S. Weir
Tom is associate principal and director of BIM & CAD Operations at Brandow & Johnston, Inc., a consulting structural and civil engineering firm in Los Angeles, California. He has 30 years of structural design experience on numerous architectural-engineering building projects both large and small.
An early adopter of Revit Structure modeling software and a longtime modeling enthusiast, Tom continues to be in the vanguard of those seeking to help transform the AEC industry as it transitions into the new BIM design era. He is co-chairman and founder of the Los Angeles Revit Users Group, one of the most dynamic user groups in the United States. Tom also helped start the AUGI Revit Structural forum.
His first book is used widely for training, Autodesk Official Training Courseware (AOTC) Revit Structure 4 Essentials. Tom is a frequent lecturer on Revit Structure and building information modeling (BIM) and has taught classes at Autodesk University for the last several years.
Tom grew up north of Boston, Massachusetts. After high school and some college, he did a tour in the U.S. Army, leaving as a sergeant in the Military Police corps. He then studied at UMASS Amherst, where he received his BA in philosophy with minors in English and education. With few jobs available for philosophers, he went to engineering school at Northeastern University in Boston, got married, started a family, and eventually moved cross-country to California, where he began his 28-year tenure at Brandow & Johnston.
In his spare time Tom likes to camp with his family. Music and astronomy are his main hobbies. He likes to play all sorts of American roots music on his Martin D-18 guitar.
Jamie D. Richardson
Jamie is an associate and CAD/BIM manager at Ericksen Roed and Associates, a structural engineering firm based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has collaborated with several of the architectural firms in the Twin Cities on multiple Revit Structure projects. Jamie joined Ericksen Roed and Associates in 1996 as a structural designer and, over time, completely modernized its AutoCAD customization.
Throughout his 15 years of using Autodesk products, Jamie has been instrumental in the rollout of several versions of AutoCAD as well as the implementation of Revit Structure. His responsibilities include oversight of all Revit Structure production. Jamie has been a beta tester since RS2, an avid speaker on Revit Structure at Autodesk University, a contributor to industry publications regarding the use of Revit for BIM, as well as a contributor to the Revit Structure forums on AUGI.
His local Revit Structure involvements include being a member of the Minnesota Revit User Group (MNRUG), participating in other speaking engagements on building information modeling collaboration efforts, and mentoring students at local technical colleges.
Outside of work, Jamie enjoys spending time with his family at their cabin in northern Wisconsin. There he likes to fish, play on the water, and relax by late-night campfires.
David J. Harrington
David is a senior associate with Walter P. Moore and Associates, one of the premier consulting structural engineering firms in the United States. He has more than 22 years of structural drafting and design experience on projects ranging from the size of a convenience store up to an NFL stadium and convention center covering millions of square feet.
He has been working with Autodesk products since 1987, first starting with AutoCAD, later delving into 3D Studio, Architectural Desktop, and Tekla Xsteel (Structure). David has also been customizing the AutoCAD working environment with AutoLISP and other interfaces to aid in controlling and managing standards for Walter P. Moore. He began using Revit Structure at version 1 and conducts in-house training and customization for this application.
David has written or co-authored for many years. He created the PaperSpace newsletter produced by the North America Autodesk User Group (NAAUG), then by Autodesk User Group International (AUGI), and then began assisting in the editing arena and is the current technical editor for AUGIWorld magazine. Books he has worked on are Inside AutoCAD R14, Inside AutoCAD 2000, Inside AutoCAD 2000i, Inside AutoCAD 2002, Inside AutoCAD 2005, and Mastering Revit Structure 2009.
Back in 1994, David was elected to the board of directors for NAAUG, where he served as the local user group representative. Later he was elected as the AEC industry chair, then within AUGI was elected to the position of president, where he served from 1998 to 1999. Other major contributions during these times are the AUGI Guild, an email-based support system for Autodesk users, and the formalization of the Wish List into a web-hosted system for real-time voting.
He has also been an instructor at Autodesk's annual training event, Autodesk University, teaching classes on Revit Structure adoption and other Structure-related subjects.
David has lived nearly all of his life in the Tampa area of Florida. In his spare time David enjoys wine and an occasional cigar. Hobbies are limited to relaxing and computer gaming.
Foreword
When I was only five or six years old, I decided to become a structural engineer like my father. Every weekend, my dad would take me to visit the constructions sites he was working on. I enjoyed watching concrete being poured and rebar being bended and installed, and I was fascinated by the cranes, formwork, and cement trucks. As a teenager, I got my first computer and realized the power of programming and its ability to automate tedious work. I had a big dilemma: which career should I choose? Should I pick computer science or structural engineering? I decided to pursue both. My graduation thesis was naturally a mix of computer science and structural engineering. My passion for conceiving how I might be able to blend these two different fields of study led me to develop load distribution software for concrete structures. The software enabled engineers to presize concrete structures in a matter of hours and thus be able to evaluate the material quantities of steel and concrete. In realizing how fragmented the industry was in term of process, roles, responsibilities, and task automation, I then decided that I would spend my career trying to create tools to streamline the design-to-construction process. Over the past 20 years, I have been involved in the design of software for structural engineers, drafters, and fabricators in Europe and North America. I've worked on a wide variety of products that cover all areas of the structural industry, including structural modeling, structural analysis and design, steel and concrete detailing, and finally design of post-tensioned and precast concrete structures.
In April of 2003, one year after Autodesk acquired Revit Corporation, I was hired by the founders of Revit to extend the product beyond simply an architectural-based product to a complete structural package based on the same principles. I remember when I used Revit technology for the first time. I was amazed by its parametric approach and the great potential for the structural engineering community. I was overwhelmed. I thought to myself, how do I get started? What do I include? On the positive side, I was starting with a blank canvas. The challenge for me was that I had no paint or brushes—or even subject! Through my past experiences, I've learned that that you should never design software for yourself. I also remembered a line from a product-management course that I had taken, which was simply, “Your opinion, although interesting, is irrelevant”! Not a very comforting thought, but probably very accurate.
With that in mind, I needed to gather information and input from potential users, industry experts, and engineers. I had to find people who could help me. I found myself chasing structural folks who were interested in Revit Technology in blogs and forums when I found Tom Weir from Brandow & Johnston in Los Angeles. I sent him an email to ask for his help. His reply was a resounding, YES, YES, YES! He reminded me that he had been in the industry for over 20 years too! Tom was an early user of AutoCAD V2.6 and Softdesk Structural. He has been a model enthusiast since the beginning. Given Tom's passion and energy, I jumped on a plane to pay him a visit. We spent quite some time reviewing his process and exploring his ideas. It was the beginning of a fruitful relationship that continues to this day, and in fact, Tom has been involved in every release of Revit Structure.
A few months later, I was put in touch with Walter P. Moore and Associates (WPM). We met to discuss software and technology. At WPM, all roads eventually lead to David Harrington. When it comes to technology, David has extensive experience on model-based technology and specifically Architectural Desktop. He is also a power user of AutoCAD. David and I had some very interesting discussions on how to move from an AutoCAD environment to a Revit environment. We still share the same passions and always continue our discussions each time we meet.
In June 2005, we launched the first release of Revit Structure. Even with such a young product, we immediately experienced tremendous interest from the community. I was invited to present BIM vision for structural engineers by Jamie Richardson from Ericksen Roed & Associates, Inc. Shortly thereafter, Jamie started working on multiple projects and rapidly became a Revit Structure expert. Jamie has made significant contributions in the development of the product.
In my opinion, these three authors are a virtual “dream team” of Revit Structure expertise and industry knowledge. They all share the energy, the passion, and even the emotion for Revit Structure. Combined with thousands of users around the world, they play a vital role for the continued success and future enhancement for Revit Structure to make it the best product for the structural engineering community.
With a tighter introduction of analysis in the BIM process, with the new simulation concepts based on analysis, with a more complete BIM including more data and details, and with more interoperability between the different disciplines (architects, MEP, fabricators, civil), we see a viral adoption of BIM within the structural community. We also know that we are just beginning a massive industry process change that will streamline the lifecycle of a project from design to construction and maintenance. Very few people have the opportunity to see their industry be transformed so dramatically. These are very exciting times and Tom, David, and Jamie are active contributors to this phenomenon.
I hope you enjoy this book. I know it will help you to become a more productive user of Revit Structure because it will open your eyes to new technologies and ideas while providing the vital tools necessary to design and build the greatest structures in the world!
Nicolas Mangon
Autodesk Building Industry Director
Autodesk, Inc.
Introduction
Thank you very much for buying this book. The three authors have been working tirelessly over many months to create something that will appeal to advanced and novice users alike. We are proud to say that this is a new edition of the first major book published on this subject.
Though the book is weighted toward the structural discipline, we think this book will also appeal to architectural and MEP designers and drafters as well, since much of the same functionality exists in all three Revit versions. We authors have all been early Revit adopters and have done scores of projects in real production over the past several years. We have taught Revit, written articles and blogs, and managed user groups, so we have a good idea of what you might want to learn. Coming from different regions of the country also helps give each of us a different perspective on the subject.
For the most part we focus on architectural engineering building projects rather than civil engineering projects. Most important, we have deliberately tried to filter the material through our experience both as project managers and as teachers. In that way we have attempted to distill the large amount of subject matter down to a manageable set of information so that you can focus on what will be most useful for you as you begin to tackle your own projects. So this book will not cover every single option of every single command and function that you find in Revit Structure, but it will try to point out the most useful items that the filter of experience has taught us you will need, and those are represented in real-world project scenarios.
For more on any of those items not covered you should refer to the documentation in the Revit Structure Help menu and tutorials. The documentation has gotten better and better in the last few years, and you need to refer to it often to keep learning in the most productive and efficient way.
If you are new to Revit Structure, a little bit of history is in order so that you are able to appreciate how far this program has progressed since it was purchased by Autodesk in 2003. At that time all of the tools you will learn about in this book were hard to use, if they existed at all. The original Revit developers focused on the architectural industry, and so the structural portions of the program were never fully developed. When Autodesk acquired the Revit product and company all that changed. Significant resources were allocated to get Revit development up to speed, and soon the Structural module was released. In a few short years Revit has become the 900-pound gorilla in the BIM world, and is the leader in this software market. With each new version of the program, and most notably when Revit Structure was developed as a separate application, it has become more complete in its capabilities. The developers at Revit Structure have constantly expanded its functionality. They definitely have been listening to the community of users and have worked very hard to provide new tools to us end users on a timely basis.
They get it! Autodesk invested heavily when BIM was in its nascent period and helped create the massive transformation that we see today in the AEC industry. Back in the 1990s when 2D computer-aided drafting started changing the industry, there were many drafters who said they did not need to learn it because hand drafting would always be available. By the late 1990s their jobs were all but gone. Today we are in a similar situation. Some say they do not need to learn about Revit Structure or BIM because there will always be 2D computer-aided drafting available. Those shortsighted people will soon suffer a fate similar to what the hand drafters suffered.
What You Will Learn
In this book you will learn the basics as well as more advanced techniques used to create a BIM model for a structural engineering project using Autodesk Revit Structure software. You will learn how to prepare construction documents after you have developed your model and how to collaborate with others by linking models or exporting to AutoCAD. You will learn how to detail and schedule the elements in your virtual building. In the last portion of the book, advanced subjects such as standards, rendering, and creating structural families will add a new dimension to your knowledge and abilities.
What You Need
Some knowledge of Revit Structure will be very helpful. Some knowledge of how buildings are designed and constructed will be helpful as well.
The Mastering Series
The Mastering series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers with intermediate and advanced skills, in the form of top-notch training and development for those already working in their field and clear, serious education for those aspiring to become pros. Every Mastering book features:
The Sybex “by professionals for professionals” commitment. Mastering authors are themselves practitioners, with plenty of credentials in their areas of specialty.A practical perspective for a reader who already knows the basics—someone who needs solutions, not a primer.Real-world scenarios, ranging from case studies to interviews, that show how the tool, technique, or knowledge presented is applied in actual practice.Skill-based instruction, with chapters organized around real tasks rather than abstract concepts or subjects.Self-review test “Master It” problems and questions, so you can be certain you're equipped to do the job right.Who Should Buy This Book
All those structural, architectural, and MEP people interested in learning about Autodesk Revit Structure and building information modeling should read this book. The text is geared toward all levels, while trying especially hard to cover subjects beyond the basics that will appeal to mid-level and advanced users. Many real-world project scenarios are discussed as well as actual projects and how they were modeled.
This is a book by experienced, power Revit Structure users and not salespeople. If you are looking for a book that tells both good and bad about this subject without the sugar coating that sale types often give you, then this book is for you. We pull no punches and look under every rock in our effort to expose the underlying reality of the situation.
So if you are a Revit Structure novice, do not wait; dive in and join this exciting march into the future of building design. If you are a Revit Structure expert, you still will find many interesting concepts and procedures here that you might not have heard about before. Revit Structure rocks!
What's Inside
The chapters in this book are broken down into five parts that guide you from the moment you click on the program icon to first open the program all the way to advanced concepts such as family creation and design options. After covering the basics of the modeling environment, you move on to learn how to create a three-dimensional model. After that you learn to document and share your model with others. Finally you take an in-depth look at advanced modeling topics.
There is also a wonderful color gallery that shows off some of the many and varied design projects done by the authors. One of the most unique parts of the book is an appendix that goes into even greater detail in describing some of the gallery projects.
Here is a glance at what is in each chapter of Mastering Revit Structure 2010:
Part 1: Basics of the Modeling Environment
Chapter 1: Inside Revit Structure
The basics are described in this first chapter, such as the layout of the different menus and commands. You learn about the types of elements in the modeling environment and how to create and manage project views. Another important area that is examined is how to control the graphical display of your modeled elements in a project.
Chapter 2: Setting the Project Environment
Revit Structure, like any other program, has settings that help control the environment that you will be working in. Chapter 2 shows you how to develop different project environments through the use of templates. We discuss the various settings that are available to you as well as how the Project Browser can be organized so it can be managed. Then we discuss how content and settings can be transferred from one project to another.
Chapter 3: Starting to Model Your Project
Chapter 3 explores the basics of getting a structural model started. Importing and linking CAD data and linking Revit models are explained and demonstrated. Once these files are imported/linked into your project, we will show you how you can manage and benefit from them with the use of their Visibility/Graphic Overrides and tools such as Copy/Monitor and Interference Check. After that, you will learn one of the most important tasks when starting your model, which is how to work with levels and grids before and after they are in your project.
Part 2: Developing Your Structural Model
Chapter 4: Structural Columns
Before we start talking about placing structural columns in Chapter 4, we talk about the basic templates used to create them as well as the various parameter settings that are available to control their behavior. We explain things you can do after they are placed that will allow the columns to adapt to other changes in the model. Modeling slanted columns is a new feature in this version, so we will discuss the tools and methods used to model them. And last we give you an in-depth explanation of everything you wanted to know about the Graphical Column Schedule for scheduling columns.
Chapter 5: Floor Slabs and Roof Decks
In this chapter you learn to create many different types and shapes of slabs, floors, and roofs to add to your building model. Composite deck creation is covered as well. So-called flat roofs that really have minor sloping from ridges to drains are especially difficult to model. You will see how Revit Structure handles theses cases by using the sub-element tools.
Chapter 6: Walls
Walls are system families in Revit Structure and are given plenty of attention in this chapter since they are a fundamental element of most projects. How to create walls, how to place them into your model, and how to edit them as the design process evolves are all covered.
Chapter 7: Structural Framing
After creating the floor slabs and roof decks in Chapter 5, you now learn how to add support framing beneath them. Basic floor-framing tools are explored. Creating sloping roof framing is an especially interesting part of this chapter. You also explore framing families and their properties. We discuss how to add moment and braced frames to a project to round out this challenging subject.
Chapter 8: Forming the Foundations
Modeling foundations can be a broad topic and cover just about everything below or at grade that supports a structure. In Chapter 8 we will explore the creation of these various foundations, which may come in many forms, with the use of the foundation tools available in Revit Structure. These tools will be discussed in great depth starting from their family type (component or system) to how they behave and how you work with them when they are in your project. You will also learn that the foundation tools available may not always be used to model certain foundation types, and we will show methods that can be used to model stepped footing conditions.
Part 3: Documenting Your Structural Model
Chapter 9: Model Documentation
Now that you have the model up and running, you need to know how to add the notations to the various views you have created.
First you will study the datum elements and how they are added and controlled in your detail and section views. Next is a discussion of annotation elements such as text, tags, and symbols. You will examine how to add detailing elements such as detailing lines and filled regions to your views. Finally you will learn how to create a typical details library.
Chapter 10: Modeling Rebar
Most of the construction in the world is done in concrete, and so Revit Structure must have a very robust system to incorporate it into your virtual model and your construction documents. You will learn how to configure the rebar settings and then how to model 3D rebar. Then you will examine how 3D rebar is used and how new shapes can be made.
Chapter 11: Schedules and Quantities
To achieve a BIM solution, you will find that your ability to extract information from your model is crucial. Here you learn to do just that by creating schedules and material takeoffs. You will also see how to export schedules to Microsoft Excel. Legends are another type of schedule that is examined.
Chapter 12: Working with Sheets
In Chapter 12 we talk about creating sheets with title blocks to help organize your views and as a way to document your model. Title blocks usually include revision schedules, so we show you how to create and incorporate them into your sheets so Revit Structure can manage revisions made to the model. We also discuss creating sheet indexes and how the properties of views may change as they are placed on sheets.
Part 4: Sharing Your Structural Model
Chapter 13: Worksharing
Regardless of a project's size or the number of team members working on it, you still might want to switch from using a single-user file to a multiuser environment. In Chapter 13 we discuss when it might be right for you to enable worksharing and walk you through the steps to do so. We also talk about the typical workflow and the tools used to help you work and communicate with other team members.
Chapter 14: Visualization
After spending a considerable amount of time modeling your projects, you will want to gain admiration for the work. To do this you will need to render your projects! In this chapter you will learn how to evaluate what and when to model. From there you will explore the process of learning and operating the rendering engine mental ray in Revit Structure. Lastly you will uncover other options for extending your model use after you export it.
Chapter 15: Revit Structure Analysis
This chapter provides a close look at using the analytical model and related commands. You will learn how to configure the analytical structural settings and create loads for your project. You will examine how to place analytical load patterns onto your model. Finally you will learn how to import and export your virtual model from Revit Structure to structural analysis software.
Part 5: Advanced Topics
Chapter 16: Project Phases and Design Options
This chapter takes you to a new level of mastery in your ability to manipulate the model by adding phases and design options. You will examine a real-world example of a historic residence where existing and new phases had to be presented to the historical commission. Added to that were several different design possibilities. All this was done in one Revit Structure file.
Chapter 17: Standards: Increasing Revit Productivity
You have just upgraded to Revit Structure and started to create models. But have you thought about your old AutoCAD standards? Using the information in Chapter 17, you will learn what can and cannot be done easily in Revit Structure with regard to standards. Afterward you will delve into enhancing your work through Revit Structure customization. Then you will actually implement your new model standards and apply view overrides effectively.
Chapter 18: Family Creation: Beyond the Provided Libraries
Family creation surely will take you much deeper into understanding the power of Revit Structure. You will learn to create a footing step family and in-place families. Groups are another powerful tool that you will find indispensable in your work. These subjects will give you a whole new perspective on modeling.
Chapter 19: Advanced Structural Families
This chapter takes you to the next level of understanding of the family-creation process. You will study the development of several important structural families and how the families are used. Instead of building your elevator pit from scratch each time, you learn here how to develop an elevator pit family that can be inserted directly into your project.
Appendices
Appendix A: The Bottom Line
Every chapter ends with a collection of short exercises designed to reinforce the essential skills taught in the chapter. This appendix provides the solutions to those exercises.
Appendix B: The Gallery Up Close
This appendix expands and explains the development of some of the complex projects that are presented in the color gallery section. You will see how different project types are created using Revit Structure and what difficulties were surmounted.
How to Contact the Authors
Sybex strives to keep you supplied with the latest tools and information you need for your work. Please check the website at www.sybex.com/go/masteringrevitstructure2010, where we'll post additional content and updates that supplement this book if the need arises. Alternatively, you can go to www.sybex.com, enter Mastering Revit Structure 2010 in the Search box (or type the book's ISBN – 978-0-470-52141-0), and click Search to get to the book's update page.
Part 1
Basics of the Modeling Environment
Chapter 1: Inside Revit Structure
Chapter 2: Setting the Project Environment
Chapter 3: Starting to Model Your Project
Chapter 1
Inside Revit Structure
The Revit Structure interface is designed to be an easy-to-use, organized presentation of commands and drawing areas. The basic interface is highly configurable and can be adapted to fit most working needs that may arise as you interact with the computer in order to create a model. Multiple model views can be open at once so that you can see plan, section, elevation, and model views of an element side by side in the drawing area at one time.
This chapter will explore the interface and the arrangement of commands on the Ribbon with its tabs and panels, basic elements and their organization, as well as the types of views tools available to you in the Revit Structure workspace. The tools found here will be used to model and document your virtual structure and also help you to achieve a Building Information Modeling (BIM) solution for your project.
Underlying the graphical interface is a robust database that coordinates the graphical information through the use of a parametric change engine that controls the display of all elements in your project. In this way, a change in an element that takes place in a plan or a section view is immediately propagated to all views in the project, which in turn saves lots of time for you and allows you to focus on the design of the structure rather than the busywork of having to edit many views in order to correct one element, as occurs in most 2D drafting programs.
To succeed in this venture, you will need to add many tools to your tool chest. Imagine a construction worker who goes to work with only a hammer and a screwdriver. In all likelihood the worker will not be able to get much accomplished. So to get started, you need to add the necessary tools to your own tool chest so that you can work effectively in the virtual model-building environment.
Once you have learned the basics of the various display and modeling tools available to you in Revit Structure, you will be ready to move on to the actual modeling process in the subsequent chapters of this book.
In this chapter you will learn to:
Use the graphical user interfaceUnderstand the types of elements in the modeling environmentCreate and manage project viewsControl the graphical display of elements in a projectUsing the Graphical User Interface
When you double-click the Revit Structure 2010 icon on your desktop, you will first see the Recent Files window. This window shows projects and families on which you have recently been working. Click one of the existing file icons to open it, click Open to browse to a different project file, or click New to start a new project (see Figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1 The Recent Files window is the first window you see when you open the Revit Structure box
If you click New under Projects, Revit Structure puts you into the main project graphical user interface (GUI). If you click New under Families, you start the family creation process. If you click New Conceptual Mass under Families, Revit Structure puts you into the brand-new-for-this-release conceptual mass interface. We'll discuss more on each of these subjects as you proceed through the book.
The Revit Structure GUI (see Figure 1.2) is task oriented, with a compact footprint and semirigid structure. The task-oriented layout and grouping of like commands make project management and modeling within Revit Structure logical and efficient. The compact footprint of the GUI is due in large part to the lack of excessive toolbars and dialog boxes, which tend to clutter other platforms. This allows a large area in which to work and view the model. The location and size of most GUI components remain as you left them when you restart Revit Structure, making the interface somewhat friendly to user customization.
Figure 1.2 Default GUI with its intuitive display of commands
This version of Revit Structure has altered the GUI (see Figure 1.2) considerably from the previous version that contained a Menu bar, toolbars, Options bar, Type Selector, Ribbon, Project Browser, drawing area, View Control bar, and status bar. For seasoned users this will take some getting used to, but it is a significant improvement over the older interface. Revit Structure 2010 now has a Ribbon instead of the toolbars and menus that were previously used. Autodesk is now using this design for its other products as well. Going beyond similar appearances, the larger idea is that, for instance, a Trim command in one program should look and function similarly in all Autodesk programs to make it easier for users to work with multiple programs.
The Ribbon
The Ribbon is the central location for accessing the commands and tools that you will be using. Each tab contains multiple related panels and tools. The standard Microsoft Windows–based Ribbon (see Figure 1.3) is located near the top of the GUI and provides direct access to commands and settings available in Revit Structure. Keyboard shortcuts can also be used to display specific commands. For more information on the adoption of the Ribbon, go to the Autodesk website.
Figure 1.3 The Ribbon is an easy-to-use arrangement of most commands.
By clicking the small button (arrow) at the top-right end of the Ribbon you can change the way the Ribbon is displayed:
Minimized to display panel titles onlyMinimized to display tabsExpanded to display the full Ribbon with tabs, panel titles, and command iconsOptions Bar
The Options bar (see Figure 1.4) is located between the drawing area and the Ribbon and displays options specific to the active command or selected element(s). These options can be huge time-savers by negating the need to dig through a dialog box or launch another command. Even experienced users can increase productivity by keeping a watchful eye on the constantly changing Options bar and making use of the controls provided. The location of the Options bar above the display area makes it easier for the eyes to notice changes. You do not have to keep glancing up and down as much as you do in other applications with a command line at the bottom.
Figure 1.4 Keep an eye on the Options bar as its command options change.
Let's move on now to begin exploring some of the other important areas on the graphical user interface.
Application Menu
Click on the big purple R at the upper left, and you access the Application menu (see Figure 1.5). It houses frequently used commands for file management, such as exporting, publishing, and printing. On the right side you can display either a list of recently accessed files or currently open documents. At the bottom is the Options button, which when clicked opens the Options dialog box so you can configure notifications, user names, and journal file cleanup. For users familiar with earlier versions, this change is important because this information used to be found as part of Settings → Options.
Figure 1.5 The Application menu
Wish Granted Courtesy of the Options Bar
Both beginning and experienced users of Revit Structure alike have uttered, “I wish Revit Structure could…” or “I wish Revit Structure had…” among other colorful expressions. These wishes can often be granted by simply looking to the Options bar. The following graphics illustrate the many looks of the Options bar during the execution of a single modeling command.
When you first invoke the Slab command, the default placement method is Pick Walls, and the Options bar shows various default options, as shown in the following graphic:
If you click the Align icon, the Options bar will change, as shown here:
When you finish the slab and select it in plan in order to modify it, the Options bar shows editing controls:
As you can see, the Options bar had three radically different configurations, each loaded with context-specific controls that in many cases cannot be found anywhere else. In most cases, after you initiate a command you will want to look to the Options bar.
Quick Access Toolbar, InfoCenter, and Help
Adjacent to the Applications menu you will find the Quick Access toolbar, also known as the QAT (see Figure 1.6). Besides the default buttons that you find there, you can add or remove your most frequently used tools by right-clicking on a tool. You can also alter the QAT by clicking the Customize Quick Access Toolbar option at the top of the list (see Figure 1.6). The toolbar can also be repositioned below the Ribbon for easier access if so desired.
Figure 1.6 The Quick Access toolbar
At the right side of the GUI along this bar you will find the InfoCenter and Help commands. The InfoCenter provides easy access to automatic update notifications, user groups, and other external learning resources that you may want to consult. Help offers access to help topics, tutorials, and other online resources you may need. One important item in the Help section is “Where Is My Command?” This provides you with a way to find out where the commands in Revit Structure 2009 are located in Revit Structure 2010. This will come in very handy for those users used to the old interface.
Project Browser
The Project Browser displays all of the views, families, groups, and Revit Structure links in a Windows Explorer–style format and is on the left side of the GUI (see Figure 1.7). The views in the Project Browser can be sorted, grouped, and filtered in a variety of ways depending on how you want to organize your project. The organization will be discussed more fully in the next chapter.
Figure 1.7 Project Browser
The Project Browser can be docked on the left (its default location), top, right, or bottom of the drawing area. You can also undock and resize it by left-click-dragging any of its borders to act as a floating dialog box. The Project Browser will remain in its location and size once you restart Revit.
Drawing Area
The drawing area (see Figure 1.8) is where all open views are displayed. Multiple views of several projects can be open at one time. Project templates and families can also be open in a single session of Revit and displayed in the drawing area. You can arrange all of these open views in the drawing area by using the window controls in typical Windows fashion. All the view controls you would expect are on the right side of the View tab on the Windows panel a tab, including: Tile, Cascade, Replicate and Switch Windows, which perform as you would expect.
Figure 1.8 The drawing area contains all your open views, which can be arranged in many ways.
Having many views open at once, though, can lead to a slower program response. The Close Hidden Windows command is quite important in managing the performance of Revit, especially when you are working on large or complex projects. With one view maximized in the drawing area, this command will close all but the last active view of each project, project template, and family that are currently open.
If your open views are all maximized in the Revit drawing area, it is easy to quickly have numerous views of a project open at any given time without noticing it. Since Revit updates the display of all open views in real time, you can imagine how this might rapidly become a performance issue. Frequent use of this command is highly recommended, and it is a good candidate for addition to your keyboard shortcut list.
Presentation GUI
While most will find the default interface more than adequate for daily use, a few simple modifications can drastically change the look of the GUI to better serve other purposes or user preferences. The following graphic shows the interface with the Ribbon minimized to show tabs only and a floating Project Browser. This clean look is great for viewing and working with the model while in meetings with the design team and/or clients.
Nice Postage Stamp Collection
I got a new PC recently and was working on a rather complex healthcare project. Impressed with the improvement in performance compared to my previous PC, I had not been paying attention to how many views I actually had open. The PC slowed considerably (a several-second pause instead of the expected near-instantaneous response) while I was attempting a rather routine procedure. It was not until I tiled my open views a few commands later that I realized what the problem was: too many open windows! They looked like a bunch of postage stamps. As I began to use the Close Hidden Windows command, as shown in the following graphic, my PC's performance returned to normal.
View Control Bar
The View Control bar (see Figure 1.9) is located on the bottom left of most views. The controls found on the View Control bar are for commonly used view and element display properties. They permit easy access to these features without having to open the View Properties dialog box. Each button expands when you select it and displays several context-specific settings. These are the eight buttons on the bar:
ScaleDetail LevelModel Graphics StyleShadowsCrop Entire View On or OffCrop a View RegionTemporary Hide/IsolateReveal Hidden ElementsFigure 1.9 The View Control bar makes it easy to control the view display. Detail Level choices—Coarse, Medium, and Fine—are displayed in this graphic.
Working views can change from minute to minute, for instance as you change between coarse and medium detail modes, so it is very convenient to have the View Control bar nearby for easy access to the controls.
Status Bar
The status bar is located at the very bottom of the GUI. The text on the left of the status bar will do the following:
Display the name of a highlighted elementDisplay prompts and/or additional information regarding the active commandList the shortcuts that are available for a given sequence of characters, which can be navigated using the arrow keysDisplay the progress of a time-consuming processAt the very right of the status bar is an element selection counter, which will display the number of elements currently selected in the model. The Filter command, the small funnel icon, can also be accessed there to refine the selection set.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are one of the most powerful ways to increase your overall speed and productivity when using Revit Structure. Shortcuts enable you to launch commands directly from the drawing area without having to move your cursor. That significantly reduces mouse travel, saving time and your wrist. Many shortcuts are already defined, and you can create others for nearly all commands available on the Ribbon. Shortcuts are displayed when you hover over a tool and wait for the tooltip to appear. The shortcut is displayed in parentheses on the right side of the tooltip. To add a new shortcut, you open the KeyboardShortcuts.txt file in your text editor (see Figure 1.10), which is usually found in C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010\Program. Editing the file is simple and straightforward.
Figure 1.10 The KeyboardShortcuts.txt file
Shortcut Menu
The Shortcut menu provides quick access to useful commands directly related to the element or object being highlighted or to view controls. As previously discussed, right-clicking on GUI objects displays a menu that controls how they are displayed:
Right-clicking in the empty space of a view displays a menu (see Figure 1.11) with view navigation commands and access to the properties of the view.Figure 1.11 View, framing element, and wall element context menus
Navigation Bar
The Navigation bar appears in the upper right-hand corner of the drawing area and offers access to tools that help you navigate through views using Zoom commands, the Steering Wheel, and the Cube (see Figure 1.12).
Figure 1.12 The Navigation bar at right accessing the 2D Steering Wheel
Now that you have had a good look at the basic Revit Structure interface and command layout, let's explore the various elements that these commands create and manage in the creation of your building project.
Element Types and Their Organization
One of the important things to understand about Revit Structure in its approach to modeling is that it is object (an element) oriented rather than line based as in traditional 2D drafting. Instead of drawing a series of lines on a flat sheet to represent a column, you go to a virtual library, load a column element, and then place it in your virtual working space. That column displays in every view. In addition to modeling elements, other element types are available to help you document your design, as we will discuss in this section.
