CDV Systems Video Review

I have recently went through the instructional videos "TLC AR01 TFER - The Family Editor Revealed ". This is found at http://www.cdvsystems.com/

The videos are well organized into 68 vignettes based on topic. The content is accurate and concise. There are also some tips and tricks which the help files don't tell you, these are gems. The only faults that I found was that the audio volume was a little low and the video size had to be adjusted for each of the videos. The price is $30 for each download which I would say is quite reasonable.

Ontario Revit User's Group

Plan to attend the inaugural Ontario Revit Users Group Meeting with guest speakers from KPMB Architects and Phil Read from Autodesk.

When: Wednesday, October 25th 6:30pm to 9:00pm.

Location: Alice Fazooli's, 294 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON

Agenda

Reception: Join us for hors d'oeuvres and drinks at 6:30.

Introduction: Meet the Ontario Revit User's Group Organizers and dedicated volunteers who are leading the Revit wave in Ontario.

Revit - Cross Country Checkup: This year has shown tremendous gains in the adoption
of Revit. Caesar Ruest from Autodesk Canada will report on who, where and how Revit is being used across Canada.

ORUG Member Presentation: The Revit team from KPMB Architects will discuss their experience with using Revit on the Manitoba Hydro tower project.

Guest Speaker - Phil Read Speaks on Design Iteration in Revit: Phil is a Revit implementation architect with Autodesk and works directly with firms in training, project implementation, and establishing best practices. Phil holds Bachelor of Science degrees
in Communications and Architecture, as well a Master of Architecture degree from the University of North Carolina and has over 13 years combined experience in the engineering and architecture fields.

Q & A: Use this great opportunity to ask questions about your use of Revit.

Registration: Please email your interest in attending to Jay Polding at jpolding@cadmicro.com.

Change a Revit Mass Name

Here's how to change the name of a Revit mass object.

1. Go to the Families listing in the Project Browser
2. Find Mass
3. Find Instance, right-click, rename!

Detailing in Revit

Many people who haven't used Revit claim that it doesn't do detailing well. They are wrong in two areas:

1. Revit doesn't 'do' details, a person does. It seems obvious enough but just because you have the ability to cut sections through components doesn't mean that section will know the specific conditions that you need to communicate...
2. Revit does have a robust set of detailing tools that enable you to draw BETTER details than AutoCAD.

You need to ask the following question before you start detailing:

1. Should I model this in 3D, 2D or both?

These questions help you answer this:

a. Will this condition be visible from any other views?
b. Is this a generic detail that is used over different projects, or is it specific to this one only?
c. How far are we into the design, will this part of the building change drastically?

An good example is a door section.

Will you see the structural lintel and flashing from other views? No, draw it in 2D on top of the section/callout view.
What about the connection to the wall, insulation, frame extrusion shapes etc? Again, no. Draw it in 2D overtop of the section/callout view.

Will I see the masonry lintel from another view? Yes. Model the lintel in the door family in 3D so it shows correctly in sections and elevations.

If the door manufacturer has sent their own pre-engineered detail in AutoCAD just import that file into a Drafting View and link it to a callout. Why 'reinvent the wheel'?!