Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2015

Eddy Krygiel is an Autodesk Authorized Author and registered architect at HNTB Architects, where he implements BIM and has used Revit to complete projects of all sizes. James Vandezande is a registered architect, an Autodesk Authorized Author, and Principal at HOK, where he is one of the company s BIM leaders. Vandezande is also involved in developing the US National BIM Standard and the LOD Specification.

Introduction xxv
Part 1 Fundamentals 1


Chapter 1 Introduction: The Basics of BIM 3


What Is Revit? 3


Understanding a BIM Workflow 4


Leveraging BIM Processes 4


Visualizing 7


Analyzing 10


Strategizing 12


Focusing Your Investment in BIM 12


Staffing for BIM 13


Understanding Project Roles 14


Establishing a BIM Execution Plan 16


The Bottom Line 17


Chapter 2 Applying the Principles of the User Interface and Project Organization 19


Understanding the User Interface 19


Accessing and Using the Application Menu 20


Using the Quick Access Toolbar 20


Using the InfoCenter 21


Getting to Know the Ribbon 21


Using Other Aspects of the UI 25


Defining Project Organization 34


Introducing Datum Objects (Relationships) 36


Using Content 47


Working with Views 49


Highlighting Project Management 62


The Bottom Line 63


Chapter 3 The Basics of the Toolbox 65


Selecting, Modifying, and Replacing Elements 65


Selecting Elements 65


Selection Options 67


Filtering Your Selection 67


Using Selection–based Filters 68


Selecting All Instances 68


Using the Properties Palette 68


Matching Properties 70


Using the Context Menu 70


Editing Elements Interactively 71


Moving Elements 71


Copying Elements 74


Rotating and Mirroring Elements 75


Arraying Elements 77


Scaling Elements 80


Aligning Elements 80


Trimming or Extending Lines and Walls 81


Splitting Lines and Walls 82


Offsetting Lines and Walls 83


Keeping Elements from Moving 84


Exploring Other Editing Tools 85


Using the Join Geometry Tool 85


Using the Split Face and Paint Tools 86


Copying and Pasting from the Clipboard 86


Using the Create Similar Tool 88


Using Keyboard Shortcuts (Accelerators) 89


Double–click to Edit 90


Modeling Site Context 90


Using a Toposurface 91


Creating a Building Pad 99


Generating Property Lines 100


Cut/Fill Schedules 103


The Bottom Line 104


Chapter 4 Configuring Templates and Standards 107


Introducing Project Templates 107


Customizing Project Settings for Graphic Quality 108


Discovering Object Styles 108


Using Line Settings 111


Defining Materials 115


Defining Fill Patterns 124


Preconfiguring Color Schemes 130


Increasing Efficient View Management 132


Organizing Views 133


Creating and Assigning Filters 135


Using View Templates 137


Creating Custom Annotations 141


Introducing Tag Family Fundamentals 142


Creating a Custom Door Tag 143


Customizing View Tags 145


Starting a Project with a Custom Template 151


Strategies for Managing Templates 151


Aggregating Template Data 152


The Bottom Line 157


Part 2 Collaboration and Teamwork 159


Chapter 5 Working in a Team 161


Understanding Worksharing Basics 161


Enabling Worksharing on Your Project 163


Describing the Types of Worksets 165


Creating a Central File 165


Selecting a Starting View 168


Creating a Local File 169


Using Worksharing Usernames 172


Organizing Worksets 172


Moving Elements between Worksets 174


Managing Workflow with Worksets 178


Saving Work 179


Saving at Intervals 181


Loading Work from Other Team Members 182


Using Worksharing Visualization 182


Managing Workset Visibility in View Templates 185


Closing Revit 185


Disabling Worksharing 186


Understanding Element Ownership in Worksets 187


Understanding Editing Requests 189


Placing an Editing Request 189


Granting an Editing Request 191


Relinquishing Permission 192


Using the Worksharing Monitor 192


Collaborating in the Cloud 193


The Bottom Line 195


Chapter 6 Working with Consultants 197


Preparing for Collaboration 197


Managing the Coordination Process 198


Using Linked Models in Revit 202


Agreeing on Shared Positioning 202


Using Project Base Point and Survey Point 205


Using Worksets to Organize Linked Models 211


Summarizing the Benefits and Limitations of Linked Models 213


Using Linked Models – Two Exercises 214


Using the Coordination Tools 217


Using the Copy/Monitor Command 218


Using the Copy/Monitor Command – An Exercise 220


Using the Coordination Review Tool 222


Using the Coordination Review Tool – An Exercise 224


Using Interference Checking in 3D Coordination 225


The Bottom Line 228


Chapter 7 Interoperability: Working Multiplatform 229


Examining Interoperability on a BIM Curve 229


Inserting CAD Data 230


Using Predefined Settings for Inserted CAD Data 230


Importing vs Linking 232


Using Options During Importing/Linking 233


Manipulating Inserted CAD Data 234


Using Inserted 2D Data 238


Setting Options for BIM Conversion 238


Using CAD Data in Other Ways 239


Linking Details 240


Using Inserted 3D Data 242


Using CAD Data as a Mass 242


Using CAD Data as a Face 243


Using CAD Data as an Object 246


Exporting CAD Data 248


Preparing for CAD Exports 249


Exporting DWG Settings 251


Exporting 2D CAD Data 256


Exporting 3D Model Data 258


Exporting to SketchUp 258


Using IFC Interoperability 261


The Bottom Line 267


Part 3 Modeling and Massing for Design 269


Chapter 8 Advanced Modeling and Massing 271


The Massing User Interface and Functionality 271


Creating Mass Geometry 274


Creating an In–Place Mass 275


Placing a Mass 280


Creating Mass Floors 281


Scheduling Masses 282


Massing Surfaces 285


Using Freeform Building Massing 289


Dissolving and Rebuilding 296


Creating Formula–driven Massing 303


Creating a Generic Model Mass Family 304


Creating a Complex Mass Family 316


The Bottom Line 324


Chapter 9 Conceptual Design and Design Analysis 325


Analysis for Sustainability 325


Creating a Conceptual Mass 326


Modeling an Adaptive Component 327


Building the Massing Framework 333


Energy Modeling 338


Conceptual Energy Analysis 339


Energy Analysis Setup 340


Running Energy Analysis Simulations 345


Refining the Conceptual Analysis 349


Detailed Energy Modeling 356


Exporting to gbXML 357


The Bottom Line 362


Chapter 10 Working with Phasing, Groups, and Design Options 363


Using Phasing 363


What Can You Phase? 366


Implementing Phase Settings 368


Illustrating the Geometry Phase 373


Using the View Phase 376


Creating and Using Groups 382


Creating Groups 382


Modifying Groups 384


Creating New Groups 385


Excluding Elements within Groups 387


Saving and Loading Groups 389


Creating Groups from Links 391


Using Best Practices for Groups 392


Making Design Options for Design Iteration 394


Creating Design Options 395


Editing Design Options 397


Viewing and Scheduling Design Options 398


Removing Design Options and Option Sets 399


Combining Phasing, Groups, and Design Options 402


Phase 1: Demolition 404


Phase 1: Proposed 405


Phase 2: Demolition 407


Phase 2: Proposed 408


Scheduling 410


Using the Design Option Tool 413


The Bottom Line 416


Chapter 11 V isualization 417


Explaining the Role of Visualization 417


Understanding View Controls 418


Setting the Detail Level 419


Working with Graphic Display Options 421


Working with the Section Box 432


Understanding Analytic Visualization 433


Project Parameters 434


Setting User–Defined Parameters 437


Identifying Design Elements 440


Setting Solar and Shadow Studies 441


Understanding Photo–realistic Visualization 443


Rendering Sequence and Workflow 443


Creating Perspective Views 444


Locking Your View 447


Creating a Walkthrough 448


Exporting a Walkthrough 451


Rendering Settings 453


Using Monochromatic Views to Examine Context and Lighting 455


Adjusting Lighting and Interior Renderings 460


Placing Artificial Lighting 461


Manipulating Light Groups 462


Assigning Materials 468


Rendering in the Cloud 469


The Bottom Line 471


Part 4 Extended Modeling Techniques 473


Chapter 12 Creating Walls and Curtain Walls 475


Using Extended Modeling Techniques for Basic Walls 475


Creating Basic Wall Types 476


Adding Wall Articulation 485


Modeling Techniques for Basic Walls 492


Creating Custom In–Place Walls 499


Creating Stacked Walls 500


Creating Simple Curtain Walls 503


Designing a Curtain Wall 505


Customizing Curtain Wall Types 511


Creating Complex Curtain Walls 516


Dividing the Surface 517


Dividing the Surface with Intersects 519


Applying Patterns 520


Editing the Pattern Surface 521


Editing a Surface Representation 522


Adding Definition 523


Creating Custom Patterns 531


Limiting the Size of Pattern–based Families 532


Using the Adaptive Component Family 534


Scheduling Pattern–based Panels 536


The Bottom Line 537


Chapter 13 Modeling Floors, Ceilings, and Roofs 539


Understanding Floor Types 539


Modeling a Floor 539


Creating a Structural Floor 542


Modeling Floor by Face 544


Defining a Pad 544


Sketching for Floors, Ceilings, and Roofs 545


Modeling Slab Edges 546


Creating a Custom Floor Edge 547


Modeling Floor Finishes 550


Using a Split Face for Thin Finishes 550


Modeling Thick Finishes 551


Creating Ceilings 554


Understanding Roof Modeling Methods 555


Constructing a Roof by Footprint 557


Applying a Roof by Extrusion 560


Roof In–Place 561


Creating a Roof by Face 562


Creating a Sloped Glazing 562


Using Slope Arrows 563


Using Additional Roof Tools 564


Using Advanced Shape Editing with Floors and Roofs 567


Creating a Roof with a Sloped Topping 568


Applying a Variable Thickness to a Roof Layer 569


The Bottom Line 570


Chapter 14 Designing with the Family Editor 573


Getting Started with a Family 573


Understanding In–Place Families 574


Choosing the Right Family Template and Category 575


Choosing Between Hosted and Non–hosted Family Types 579


Creating Other Types of Families in the Family Editor 580


Understanding the Family Editor 583


Creating the Framework for a Family Component 585


Creating the Necessary Reference Planes, Lines, and Points 585


Using Dimensions to Control Geometric Parameters 590


Reviewing the Differences Between Type and Instance Parameters 594


Organizing Solids and Lines in a Family Editor 597


Modeling Techniques in the Family Editor 602


Creating an Extrusion 602


Creating a Sweep 604


Creating a Revolve 608


Creating a Blend and Swept Blend 609


Nesting Families 614


Troubleshooting Techniques 617


Doing a Visibility Check 617


Applying Parametric Arrays and Family Type Parameters 618


The Bottom Line 621


Chapter 15 Creating Stairs and Railings 623


Designing Stairs and Railings 623


Reviewing the Key Components of Stairs and Railings 625


Reviewing the Basic Rules of Stairs 625


Working with Stair Components 627


Reviewing the Components of Railings 628


Creating Stairs 635


Understanding the Stair Tools 636


Using the Components for Customizing Stairs 642


Creating Stairs with Other Tools 656


Annotating Stairs 664


Creating Railings 667


Creating a Custom Railing 670


Creating Glass Railings with the Curtain Wall Tool 675


Using the Railing Tool for Other Objects 677


The Bottom Line 681


Part 5 Documentation 683


Chapter 16 Detailing Your Design 685


Creating Details 685


View Types for Detailing 685


Working with the Detailing Process 688


Detailing Tools 689


Using the Detail Line Tool 689


Using the Linework Tool 690


Using Filled Regions and Masking Regions 691


Adding Detail Components 696


Repeating Detail Component 700


Using Line–based Detail Components 704


Drafting Insulation 704


Creating Detail Groups 705


Adding Detail Components to Families 707


Reusing Details from Other Files 710


Using CAD Details 710


Using Details from Other Revit Projects 711


The Bottom Line 715


Chapter 17 Documenting Your Design 717


Documenting Plans 717


Calculating Space Using Room Objects 717


Creating Area Plans 720


Adding Area Objects 724


Modifying Area Plans 727


Creating Schedules and Legends 728


Creating Schedules 728


Using Legends 739


Laying Out Sheets 741


Adding the Area Plan 741


Activating a View 742


Using Guide Grids 743


Adding the Schedule 745


Finishing the Sheet 746


The Bottom Line 747


Chapter 18 Annotating Your Design 749


Annotating with Text and Keynotes 749


Using Text 750


Using Keynotes 754


Annotating with Tags 765


Inserting Tags 766


Using the Tag Toolset 767


Adding Dimensions 771


Using Dimension Equality 773


Customizing Dimension Text 774


Editing Dimension Strings 777


Using Alternate Units 778


Annotating with Project and Shared Parameters 780


Creating Project Parameters 781


Creating Shared Parameters 784


The Bottom Line 792


Part 6 Construction and Beyond 795


Chapter 19 Working in the Construction Phase 797


Using Revisions in Your Project 797


Creating a Revision Cloud 797


Placing Revision Clouds 800


Tagging a Revision Cloud 802


Disabling the Leader 802


Using Digital Markups 803


Publishing to Design Review 803


Modeling for Construction 808


Creating Parts 809


Modifying Parts 810


Scheduling Parts 817


Creating Assemblies 818


Creating Assembly Views 819


The Bottom Line 821


Chapter 20 Presenting Your Design 823


Understanding Color Fill Legends 823


Making a Color Fill Legend for Rooms 824


Customizing a Color Fill Legend 828


Modifying Other Settings 830


Using Numerical Ranges for Color Schemes 832


Presenting with 3D Views 834


Orienting to Other Views 834


Annotating 3D Views 837


Editing Viewport Types 838


Creating Exploded Axonometric Views 839


The Bottom Line 845


Chapter 21 Working with Point Clouds 847


Understanding LiDAR 847


Selecting the Hardware 848


Benefitting from LiDAR 848


Planning for a LiDAR Survey 852


Deciding on an Exterior or Interior Scan 853


Determining the Level of Detail 853


Using Imagery 853


Setting a Scanning Schedule 854


Using the Scan in a Project 854


Getting Started with a Point Cloud 856


Modeling with a Point Cloud 860


The Bottom Line 865


Appendices 867


Appendix A The Bottom Line 869


Chapter 1: Introducing the Basics of BIM 869


Chapter 2: Applying the Principles of the User Interface and Project Organization 870


Chapter 3: The Basics of the Toolbox 870


Chapter 4: Configuring Templates and Standards 871


Chapter 5: Working in a Team 872


Chapter 6: Working with Consultants 873


Chapter 7: Interoperability Working Multiplatform 874


Chapter 8: Advanced Modeling and Massing 875


Chapter 9: Conceptual Design and Design Analysis 876


Chapter 10: Working with Phasing, Groups, and Design Option 877


Chapter 11: Visualization 878


Chapter 12: Creating Walls and Curtain Walls 879


Chapter 13: Modeling Floors, Ceilings, and Roofs 880


Chapter 14: Designing with the Family Editor 881


Chapter 15: Creating Stairs and Railings 882


Chapter 16: Detailing Your Design 883


Chapter 17: Documenting Your Design 884


Chapter 18: Annotating Your Design 885


Chapter 19: Working in the Construction Phase 886


Chapter 20: Presenting Your Design 887


Chapter 21: Working with Point Clouds 888


Appendix B Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting 889


Optimizing Performance 889


Use Best Practices 892


Quality Control 896


Keeping an Eye on File Size 896


Using Schedules 901


Reviewing Warnings 905


Other Tips and Shortcuts 906


Additional Resources 909


Appendix C Autodesk Revit Architecture Certification 911


Index 919