Creating Type Catalogs

Keep in mind that Type Catalogs have a very simple purpose; loading Families with many Types. They don’t read or change parameters automatically, you have to duplicate (type or cut and paste) the parametric information from the Family....The following is a re-post from this autodesk page...

Creating Type Catalogs

Type Catalogs assist you with the family selection process. You can sort through the catalog and load only the specific family type required within your project. This helps decrease project size and minimizes the length of the Type Selector drop-down list when selecting types.

See Using a Type Catalog for more information.

Although Revit includes a Type Catalog when loading structural families, you can create a catalog for any existing or user-created family. The type catalog is a comma-delimited .txt file.

Creating a Type Catalog

There are several ways to create a comma-delimited .txt file. You can type it in using a text editor like Notepad, or you can use database or spreadsheet software to automate the process.

As you create the type catalog, follow these rules:

• Save the type catalog file name with a .txt extension; the file must have the same name and same directory path as the Revit family, for example, Doors/door.rfa and Doors/door.txt.

• The left-most column lists types.

• The top-most row describes the parameter format. Format is columnname##type##unit.

• Use decimals.

• Do not use single or double quotes.

• Types are for length, area, volume, or other

• For Units, use only: inches, feet, millimeters, centimeters, or meters. Leave unit field blank for type other.

• Revit applies project unit settings to type catalog when loading family.

Example file:

,Manufacturer##other##,Length##length##centimeters,Width##length##centimeters,Height##length##centimeters

MA36x30,Revit,36.5,2.75,30,

MA40x24,Revit,40.5,3.25,24

• Revit applies project unit settings to the type catalog when loading families.

• You can export your project to a database using ODBC and download the element type tables in comma-delimited format.

Revit Network Hardware in Globe and Mail

Interesting article in the Globe about servers and Revit…

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/your-business/grow/advdell/out-with-the-old/article1747305/

ORUG Sept.29 Meeting Notes

We had a great time last week at the Ontario Revit Users Group. Big thanks to James Vandezande for coming up to T.O. to speak.

Notes Here

Supported Revit Graphics Hardware

The performance and stability of hardware acceleration in Autodesk® Revit® 2011-based products depends on the capabilities of your graphics hardware. For more reliable performance, we recommend that you use Autodesk-supported graphics hardware along with the supported driver version.

http://www.autodesk.com/us/revit/revit_graphics_hardware_list_June02.html

Revit Translation: Naming Families

There are so many names for 'Families' that it is confusing. I'm going to try and make sense of it here. I'll add on as I find new ones. Please feel free to comment:

Family: In Revit you can go to the Insert menu and 'Load Family'.

Components: Looks like this is what Autodesk is mostly calling 'Loadable Familes' inside of Revit.

Component Families: A variation of Components I've seen

Loadable Families: Refers to things like doors which you insert. Found this in the Autodesk 2010 Family Guide.

In-Place families: Nowhere in Revit, that I can see, does it ever say 'In-Place Families'. All I have found is Component-Model In-Place.

System Families: Also referred to as 'Types'.

'Wall etc' Types: System Familes. These can be loaded in through Manage-Settings-Transfer Project Standards

Styles: Sometimes this refers to annotation System Families. I've seen this describing Types as well.

Content: Usually refers to all Families in general.

Detail Components: Annotation Family

Symbol: Annotation Family which scales with the view

When it comes right down to it, pretty much everything is a 'Family' in Revit. I would like to see a little more consistency with these things. Not all the blame rests on Autodesk but I think that they are in a position to help this kind of thing.

File Formats Compatible with Revit

File formats which are compatible with Revit:

Import

Vector:
.rvt Revit Project
.rfa Revit Family
.adsk Autodesk file ie. Civil 3D terrain
.ifc BIM Interchange from ArchiCAD etc...
.dwg AutoCAD and others
.dxf CAD Interchange
.dgn Microstation 2D
.sat ACIS Solids
.skp Sketchup
.dwf Autodesk viewing and markup file

Images: Decals, Materials etc.
.bmp
.jpg
.jpeg
.png
.tif

Export

Vector:
.rvt
.rfa
.adsk
.ifc
.dwg
.dxf
.dgn
.sat
.dwf

Images: 3D Views
.bmp
.jpg
.jpeg
.png
.tif
.targa

other:
.html Room Reports
.txt comma delimited schedule
.avi Walkthrough video, Solar Study

Virtual Architecture Interview

For some weekend fun you might be interested in this fascinating interview. This takes surrealism to a new level. An interview done in Second Life of real-life and virtual architects. Odd thing is, it feels so natural. Of course, Revit plays a big role...

Click Here to View

ORUG Meeting Sept.29 Meet the Author!

Please join us at the next Ontario Revit User's Group meeting September 29th. Come and meet James Vandezande, a co-author of the top selling 'Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011'. James will be talking about his varied experiences with Revit and other BIM software in 'My Journey with BIM'.

Click Here for ORUG Invitation

Pre 2011 Link Draw Order Workaround

Issue:
You are working in Revit MEP 2010 or lower.
You link in an architectural background Revit link.
When you look at the view on the screen, your lights are on top of the greyed out architectural t-bar ceiling.
When you print, the grey ceiling lines are on top of your lights (black lines).
There is no draw order control for linked Revit files.

Workaround:
Try changing your printing setting to Raster. Print-Setup Button-Hidden Line Views-Raster Processing.

Note: Looks like this has been fixed in 2011.

AEC Edge - Latest Issue

Steve Stafford and Co. at AUGI worked hard to get this issue out. I was happy to be able to contribute an article. It's on p.8 called "Design Your Own Sustainable Adventure: Combining Energy and Cost Analysis with Revit". Please let me know thoughts.

Revit Annotations- Video Explanations

Annotations work great in Revit but are a little confusing to set up. I would love to see Autodesk simplify the making and editing of annotations, maybe with some kind of consolidated interface.


Text Style: Controlled in the PROJECT FILE.
This is only for the notes and titles. You do this by editing an existing instance into your new style.

Dimension Style: Controlled in the PROJECT FILE.
These are made from the Settings-Annotation drop down menu. You can also duplicate and edit an existing dimension. The text style for the dimensions is controlled from the dimension style editor.

Text and Dimension Video

Level Head: Controlled in a FAMILY FILE and the PROJECT FILE.
This is an Annotation Family. You have to open it and edit the text inside the family. To find the file name of the family you want to edit; click on a level-properties-Edit/New-Other-Level Head (you just have to write it down or memorize it). The level linetype is controlled in the PROJECT FILE by clicking Properties-Edit/New-Line Pattern.

Grid Head: Controlled in a FAMILY FILE and the PROJECT FILE.
The same as Level Head. The grid linetype is controlled in the PROJECT FILE by clicking Properties-Edit/New-Line Pattern.

Levels and Grids Video

Section Bubble: Controlled in a FAMILY FILE and the PROJECT FILE.
Again, these are an Annotation Family. They consist of two families which have to be edited separately. One would be the bubble and one would be the tick mark at the other end. The section linetype is controlled in the PROJECT FILE through Object Styles-Annotation-Section Line.

Callout Bubble: Controlled in a FAMILY FILE and the PROJECT FILE.
These are similar to Section tags but only have one family. The callout boundary line is controlled in the PROJECT FILE through Object Styles-Annotation-Callout Boundary.

Elevation Bubble: Controlled in the PROJECT FILE.
The Settings dropdown menu-Elevation Tags and edit away.

Section, Elevation and Callout Video

Schedule Text
How could I forget? The schedule text style is controlled in the PROJECT (.rvt) and more specifically in the view properties of the individual schedule. Right click in the schedule view and choose ‘view properties’ then ‘appearance’. You can select the fonts, sizes etc. You’ll see the changes only when the schedule is dropped onto a sheet. (The font’s etc will not show in the schedule view only on a sheet.)

Titleblock Text
Titleblocks are a FAMILY. The text inside of a family is controlled within that family. Its styles do not automatically get imported into the project.

Tags

Tags are a Family. These are made externally of the project file and loaded in. You can click directly on them and choose to 'Edit Family' and load them right back in. Don't forget to

Text In Annotation Families
Text in Annotation Families are only editable in the individual family. As an example, if you were to decide to change all your text from Arial to RomanS you would have to go into each Annotation Family, including Titleblocks, and change the Text in those.

Schedule, Titleblock and Tag Video

Better Way of Importing CAD into Revit-Continued

Here's a valued opinion to my previous post.

Andre from BIMSolutions....

Yes, this is the best approach so far. The reason I have been using this method initially was not even related to speed but to end with a problem that I faced back in 2007. At that time I had a team using Revit and another using CAD in a sort of hybrid project. I had CAD files linked directly into the Revit central file. As the CAD users kept updating their CAD files, the central file would see the changes exactly as if someone was working directly in the central file. When a local file tried to save to central, a warning would pop up saying that the central file had changes in more than shared coordinates and could invalidate the local file... To solve that, I first use this method: Xref the CAD files into a blank CAD file which was then linked into the central file. This worked well because the changes were now being done in the CAD file A which was Xref'd into CAD file B. Because no one opened or saved CAD file B, the central file wouldn't be affected and still show the changes.

Then later, with improvements on how to manage Revit linked files, I started to use this option you are suggesting and I'm happy with it so far. Just more management since before I could control layers of the CAD files directly in the main model and now I have to unload the linked file, open it to do the changes and then load it back... Also, letting the team know that trying to delete one line of the CAD files will delete all CAD files, since it is all one link... (Another tip is to create a design option and put your Revit link there. People won't even be able to select it and accidentally move or delete it, unless they know how to edit design options or realize they have to uncheck that option "Exclude Options" at the bottom of the screen...)

Anyway, the same approach can be used with elements like furniture: link your main Revit file into a blank file and add the furniture there. Then link the furniture file back into your main model. No need to carry furniture in your main model...

By the way, for the linked CAD files, the only way to make this work is to show the link by linked view. Also, all this works with 2D CAD files. I tried once with a 3D CAD file and wasn't successful making it to work.

Andre Carvalho

Vice President - Implementation Strategies

---

b i m s o l u t i o n s inc.
Building Information Modeling · Integrated Project Delivery

15 Polson Street · Toronto, ON · M5A 1A4
Phone: 1 (800) 413.7992 · Cell: 1 (647) 378.2728

E-mail: acarvalho@bimsolutions.ca

Better Way of Importing CAD into Revit

As most experienced Revit users know, importing CAD files into Revit can sometimes cause problems. Why? Because many CAD files are not properly made and contain errors, extra info, links of their own etc. While doing some prep work on the CAD files is good, it doesn't eliminate the problems.

I extracted the following nugget from the new Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011, known lovingly as MARA to some. Paraphrasing 'One way to manage many CAD references in larger projects is to create a separate Revit project containing only the linked data.' You will probably need to use the Visibility/Graphics override in order to see the CAD file in question but still, awesome. I can admit that I haven't done this in practice so let me know what you think...

Revit 2010 Crashing on Startup

I found another thread about Revit Crashing on Startup which can be found below.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Revit-Structure/Random-Crashes-in-Revit-2010/m-p/2582907

Is Revit crashing on startup?

If so, you may want to look at this thread:
http://discussion.autodesk.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=774015
You could try two things:
UI State.dat may be corrupt- More information on this is here:
http://revitclinic.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/revit-2010-ui.html
or here:
http://dorevit.blogspot.com/2010/04/revit-10-crashing-uistatedat.html
Short answer:
To reset the ribbon and Quick Access toolbar, rename or delete the UIState.dat file located in the following folders:

For Windows XP:
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010

For Windows Vista/ Windows 7:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010

Or a CommCenter file may be corrupt: From the information here:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=15145616&linkID=9243099

This can occur because of a conflict with a Communication Center file. Delete the following file, if present on the workstation at the following location:

Windows XP

Autodesk Revit Structure 2010
c:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010\ENU\Components\WebServices\WSCommCntrData.xml

Windows Vista \ Windows 7

Autodesk Revit Structure 2010
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010\ENU\Components\WebServices\WSCommCntrData.xml

Revit Architecture 2011 Certification

Simplicity is great! The official Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 training guide and exam prep guide is now available in one book:

Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 [Paperback]
Eddy Krygiel (Author), Phil Read (Author), James Vandezande (Author)

Here's the Autodesk Exam Preparation Road map pdf.

The book is not yet available in Canada but I have mine on pre-order. Knowing the authors, I'm absolutely sure of their level of skill, detail and commitment. Here's their blog, it's a great read.

Update: Just got mine in the mail, looks good!

Point Known - Laser Measurements into Revit (Revit OPED)

Point the laser, draw a wall in Revit...

This seems like a great solution for building surveying, on-site measuring, as-built measuring or whatever you may call it. I saw this on Steve Stafford's blog http://revitoped.blogspot.com/.
Worth a watch:

Can't Get Network License Error 15.370.?

Just encountered this issue for a Maya install but it applies to Revit etc. Plus the error was just 15.370.00 not 15.370.36. The fix still worked.

You configured a machine to be a network license server and then installed an Autodesk product on the same machine. When you launch the product, it tries to check out a network license and fails.

On Windows, the FLEXnet Finder dialog displays and, when dismissed, is followed by a license error dialog displaying the error code [-15.570.36]. In the Mac OS, a license error dialog displays the same error code but it does not display a FLEXnet Finder dialog.

This happens on all operating systems where an IPv6 stack is installed.

Solution

The following steps should allow the client to find the server and check out a license file:

Windows:

1. Get the IP address of the machine (by typing “ipconfig” command in a CMD window or by getting it from the LMTOOLS “System setting” tab).
2. Open the hosts file located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc.
3. Add the IP address and hostname to the hosts file, e.g., “111.222.333.444 machine_name”.
4. Save and close the hosts file.


Full Autodesk Doc:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=14077688&linkID=9240697

Mound Shaped Curtain Wall

Because you've always wanted to do this...

I've combined some tools into one, two part, video, as requested:

Mound Shape using Conceptual Massing Tools
Applying a Surface Pattern to a Mass
Creating a 'Curtain Panel Pattern Based' family


Part 1

Part 2

Revit 2010 and 2011 Not Getting License

All of the Autodesk 2010 and 2011 products have a propensity of corrupting the cascadeinfo.cas file. This file is directly related to the obtaining of a license from LMTools. We have found that when Revit can't find a license from the server you need to do the following:

WorkAround

The current workaround it to rename/remove the corrupt CascadeInfo.cas file following these steps.

1.
Return any borrowed licenses
2.
Check in any checked out licenses and exit all Autodesk products
3.
Rename or delete the corrupt CascadeInfo.cas

The CascadeInfo.cas file can be found in the following locations:

Windows XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\Adlm

Windows Vista and Windows 7:

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Adlm

Mac:

/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Adlm/.config

Here's the full Autodesk technical document:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13894457&linkID=9240817

other links:
http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-2010/autocad-2010-crashes-at-startup/m-p/2523880

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Installation-Licensing/Error-5-412-0-Error-4-132-0/m-p/2521683


One word of caution. This may cause your corresponding AutoCAD product to crash on startup. We are looking into this and I will post when I get an answer for this.