Mastering Autodesk Revit MEP 2016

Simon Whitbread has been using, implementing and teaching Revit since 2003. He is passionate about teaching and his students come from all levels of the construction industry: Building Services and HVAC Engineers, Design Architects, Technicians. From Interns to MD's, he has taught and given presentations around the world at events such as Autodesk University and the Revit Technology Conference, Australasia, North America and Europe (RTC). With a recent move to the UK, and now working for Autodesk, Simon specializes in providing Enterprise Level customers with Revit MEP support, training and implementation guidance.

Introduction xxv Part 1 General Project Setup 1

Chapter 1 Exploring the User Interface 3

The Ribbon 3

Using Tabs 4

Using Contextual Tabs 10

Customizing the Ribbon 13

Quick Access Toolbar 14

Additional User Interface Features 16

Options Bar 16

Properties Palette 16

View Control Bar 18

Status Bar 23

Info Center 23

Exchange Apps 24

User Interface Control 24

Menus and Settings 25

Keyboard Shortcuts 27

Graphics 29

Context Menus 30

The Bottom Line 33

Chapter 2 View Filters and View Templates 35

Understanding View Filters 35

Creating View Filters 35

Discipline Example: Filter for Wire Types 39

Visibility Settings Shortcut: View Templates 41

The Bottom Line 42

Chapter 3 Worksets and Worksharing 45

Understanding Central Files 45

Creating a Central File 46

Creating a New Workset 50

Working with Local Files 53

Creating a Local File 53

Synchronizing a Local File with the Central File 55

Managing and Using the Power of Worksets 59

Taking Ownership of Worksets 59

Working with Model Elements and Their Worksets 61

Controlling Visibility and Worksets 65

Enhancing Communication 69

Using Revit Server 71

The Bottom Line 74

Chapter 4 Project Collaboration 75

Preparing Your Files for Sharing 75

Working with Linked Revit Files 78

Linking Revit Files 79

Using Shared Coordinates 83

Managing Revit Links 85

Controlling Visibility of Revit Links 87

Coordinating Elements within Shared Models 92

Monitoring Elements 92

Responding to Change Alerts 98

Reconciling Hosting 99

Maintaining Project Coordination 100

Working with Files from Other Applications 100

Linking CAD Files 101

Exporting Your Revit File to a CAD Format 104

Linking IFC Files 106

Using Image Files in a Revit Project 108

Setting Options for Quality Control 111

Using Cloud-based Solutions 113

The Bottom Line 113

Chapter 5 Multiplatform Interoperability: Working with 2D and 3D Data 115

2D Data Types 116

MicroStation 2D DGN 116

DXF 116

2D Data for Standard Details 117

2D Data for Plans, Sections, and Elevations 119

3D Data Types 129

Revit Project File 129

Project Phasing and Design Options 130

Revit Family File 131

ADSK 132

IFC 132

AutoCAD DWG 133

DWGs from Verticals 133

SketchUp 134

Other File Formats 134

Point Clouds 134

The Bottom Line 136

Chapter 6 Parameters 137

Understanding Parameter Basics 137

Choosing the Correct Parameter 138

Naming Parameters 138

Using Type Parameters 140

Using Instance Parameters 141

Setting Parameter Discipline, Type, and Grouping 142

Using Parameters in Families 146

Dimensional Parameters Lock Function 147

Parameter Types 147

Type Catalogs 149

Formulas 152

System Parameters 154

Lookup Tables 155

Using Shared Parameters 156

Using Parameters in Projects 162

Project Parameters 162

Parameters in Schedules 164

Creating and Using Parameters in Families and Schedules 165

View and Sheet Parameters 167

Working with Formulas 169

Sample Conditional Statements 170

Rounding 170

The Bottom Line 171

Chapter 7 Schedules 173

Defining Schedules 173

The Fields Tab 176

The Filter Tab 179

The Sorting/Grouping Tab 181

The Formatting Tab 182

The Appearance Tab 186

Editing a Schedule 186

Scheduling Component and System Family Data 190

Mechanical Equipment Schedules 191

Lighting Fixture Schedules 192

System Family Schedules 194

Model Component Schedules 198

Using Schedules for Design and Analysis 200

Schedule Keys 201

Panel Schedules 204

Using Schedules for Project Management 207

Sheet List 207

View List 209

Note Block 210

The Bottom Line 212

Part 2 Mechanical Design 213

Chapter 8 HVAC Cooling and Heating Load Analysis 215

Modeling Spaces for Building Load Analysis 215

Creating Spaces 216

Placing Spaces 217

Creating a Space Properties Schedule 218

Modifying Space Properties 219

Creating Zones 221

Setting Building Construction Options 223

Performing Heating and Cooling Load Analysis 226

Load Analysis 228

Weather Data 228

Outdoor Air Infiltration 230

Sliver Spaces 230

Details 231

Heating and Cooling Loads Report 233

Performing Conceptual Energy Analysis on Your Building 238

Setting Up the Model 238

Keeping It Simple 241

Performing Energy Simulation 242

Analyzing Duct and Pipe System Pressure 244

Exporting gbXML Data to Load-simulating Software 245

The Bottom Line 247

Chapter 9 Creating Logical Systems 249

Why Are Systems Important? 249

Managing Systems 249

System Browser 251

Mechanical Settings 254

Setting Up Duct Systems 255

Understanding Duct Connectors 258

Creating Mechanical Systems 262

Setting Up Piping Systems 265

Understanding Piping Connectors 267

Creating Piping Systems 267

Creating Fire-protection Systems 270

Setting Display Properties of Systems 270

Understanding Child and Parent Relationships in Revit Systems 271

The Bottom Line 273

Chapter 10 Mechanical Systems and Ductwork 275

Air Distribution Components 275

Mechanical Equipment Components 278

Air-Conditioning/Handling Units 278

VAV Boxes 280

Heating and Cooling Elements 280

Ductwork 281

Duct Types and Routing 285

Creating New Duct Types 285

Using Automatic Duct Routing 285

Using Manual Duct Routing 291

Adjusting Fittings and Extending the Design 293

Duct Sizing 297

Choosing a Duct Sizing Method 298

Using the Duct Routing Tools 302

The Bottom Line 304

Chapter 11 Mechanical Piping 307

Mechanical Pipe Settings 307

Creating Piping Systems 308

Creating Pipe Types 311

Defining Fitting Angles 313

Selecting Fittings for Routing Preferences 314

Choosing Pipe Materials and Sizes 315

Adjusting the Pipe Sizing Table 315

Using the Fluids Table 315

Pipe Routing Options 316

Automatic Pipe Routing 316

Manual Pipe Routing 318

Pipe Fittings 326

Using Pipe Fitting Controls 327

Placing Valves 327

Adding Piping Insulation 328

The Bottom Line 329

Part 3 Electrical Design 331

Chapter 12 Lighting 333

Efficient Lighting Design 333

Spaces and Lighting 333

The Reflected Ceiling Plan 336

Lighting Worksets 338

Lighting Analysis 338

Hosting Options for Lighting Fixtures and Devices 342

Lighting Fixtures in a Ceiling 342

Lighting Fixtures in Sloped Ceilings 343

Ceiling Changes 344

Overhead Fixtures in Spaces with No Ceiling 345

Wall-mounted Lights 345

Switches 346

Site Lighting 348

The Site Plan 348

Site Lighting Layout 350

Site Lighting Analysis 350

The Bottom Line 354

Chapter 13 Power and Communications 355

Modeling Methods for Power and Systems Devices 355

Using Annotation Symbols 357

Using Face-hosted Families 358

Avoiding Interference of Symbols 360

Creating Circuits 362

Placing Devices and Equipment Connections 363

Disconnect Switches 364

Distribution Equipment and Transformers 366

Switchboards 367

Panels 368

Other Equipment 372

Creating Power Distribution Systems 373

Power Diagrams 375

Tips for Creating Power Diagrams 375

Creating a Fire Alarm System Model 376

Fire Alarm Riser Diagram 377

Fire Alarm Diagram Using Drafting Tools and Symbols 378

Modeling Conduit and Cable Tray 379

Defi ning Electrical Settings 381

Placing Conduit in a Model 383

Placing Cable Tray in a Model 387

Creating Family Types 387

The Bottom Line 388

Chapter 14 Circuiting and Panels 389

Establishing Electrical Settings 389

Wiring Settings 392

Voltage Definitions 394

Distribution Systems 395

Load Calculations 396

Creating Circuits and Wiring for Devices and Fixtures 400

Editing Wiring 403

Editing Circuits 405

Drawing Wires Manually 409

Controlling Wire Display 411

Managing Circuits and Panels 411

Circuit Properties 412

Wire Properties 412

Panel Properties 413

Other Panels and Circuits 416

Using Schedules for Sharing Circuit Information 416

The Bottom Line 419

Part 4 Plumbing 421

Chapter 15 Plumbing (Domestic, Sanitary, and Other) 423

Configuring the Plumbing Views 423

Global Settings and View-specific Settings 424

Defining Systems Visibility Through Filters 425

Working with Plumbing Fixtures 425

Working with Architectural Linked-in Plumbing Models 427

Creating Custom Pipe Assemblies 428

Copying/Monitoring Plumbing Fixtures 432

Choosing Pipe Settings and Pipe Routing Options 435

Sloping Pipe 435

Annotating Invert Elevation and Slope 437

Using Fittings 438

Using Pipe Fitting Controls 438

Placing Valves 438

The Bottom Line 440

Chapter 16 Fire Protection 441

Understanding the Essentials of Placing Fire-Protection Equipment 441

Point of Connection 441

Fire Pump Assembly 443

Fire Riser Assembly 444

Sprinkler Heads 446

Creating Fire-Protection Systems 447

Creating a Fire-Protection Wet System 450

Filtering Fire-Protection Systems 451

Using Mechanical Joint Fittings 451

Routing Piping and Adjusting Settings 452

The Bottom Line 452

Part 5 Managing Content 453

Chapter 17 Solid Modeling 455

Solids and Voids 455

Extrusions 456

Blends 458

Revolves 460

Sweeps 462

Swept Blends 464

Joining Geometry 466

Voids 467

Reference Planes and Lines 469

Constraints and Dimensions 478

Visibility Control 481

In-Place Massing 484

The Bottom Line489

Chapter 18 Creating Symbols and Annotations 491

Using Drafting Tools in Revit 491

Drawing Arcs 493

Using Other Drawing Tools 494

Creating Filled Regions 495

Building a Symbol Library 496

Generic Annotations 496

Subcategories 497

Text and Labels 499

Detail Components 500

Controlling Visibility of Lines, Regions, and Annotations 502

Using Visibility Parameters 502

Using Constraints 506

Using Labels and Tags 509

Label Format Options 511

Labels and Linework 512

The Bottom Line 514

Chapter 19 Creating Equipment 515

Modeling MEP Equipment 515

Hosting Options 516

Family Categories 518

Detail Level 521

Geometry for Connection Points 522

Equipment Pads 523

Adding Connectors to Equipment Families 524

Duct Connectors 529

Pipe Connectors 532

Electrical Connectors 534

Multiple Connectors in Families 536

Creating Clearance Spaces 547

Adding Parameters and Constraints 550

Creating Loadable Families from In-Place 552

The Bottom Line 556

Chapter 20 Creating Light Fixtures 559

Understanding Types of Lighting Fixture Families 559

Nonhosted or Level-based Lighting Fixtures 560

Face-hosted Lighting Fixtures 566

Face-hosted Families for Wall-mounted Lights 567

Fixture Types Based on Dimensions 568

Fixture Types Based on Fixture Performance and Lighting Characteristics 569

Naming Conventions 572

Performing Lighting Analysis 572

Light Source Location 573

Light Source Definitions 575

Light Source Parameters 576

Using Fixture Families as Intelligent Objects 577

Using Parameters 577

Adding Connectors 578

Representing Light Fixtures on Construction Documents 579

The Bottom Line 586

Chapter 21 Creating Devices 587

Modeling Device Geometry 587

Category and Parameters 588

Geometry and Reference Planes 590

Using Annotations for Devices 595

Adding Parameters and Connectors 601

Using Parameters for Labels 602

Adding Connectors 603

The Bottom Line 607

Chapter 22 Details 609

Drafting and Detailing Tools 609

Line Styles 610

Regions 610

Detail Components 613

CAD Details 617

Using Drafting Views 618

Converting Details 618

Strategies for Creating a Detail Library 623

Inserting 2D Elements 625

Inserting Views 626

Model Detail Views 628

Plan Callouts 628

Section Callouts 631

The Bottom Line 633

Chapter 23 Sheets 635

Creating a Titleblock 635

Using Existing CAD Graphics 636

Using Text and Labels 637

Using Logos and Images 640

Working with Sheets in a Project 641

Organizing Project Browser Sheets 642

Placing Views on Sheets 644

Working with Viewports 647

Adding Annotations 649

Placing Schedules 649

Using Sheet Lists 650

Making Sheet Revisions 654

Printing Sheets 657

Exporting Sheets 659

The Bottom Line 661

Chapter 24 Fabrication 663

Specifying Fabrication Settings 664

Placing Fabrication Parts 666

Creating a Fabrication Layout 669

Editing a Fabrication Layout 671

The Bottom Line 679

Chapter 25 Creating a Project Template 681

Understanding Templates 682

Determining the Number and Types of Views Needed 682

Setting the Number of Levels 683

Working with Plan Types 683

Creating a Working View 683

Choosing Display Settings for Views 684

Visibility Settings for Template Views 686

Schedule Views 690

Establishing Project Settings 692

Object Styles 692

Drafting Line Settings 693

Export Settings 698

Annotation Styles 702

Project Units 707

Project Phases 709

Defining Preloaded Content and Its Behavior 712

Annotation Families 712

Component Families 714

System Families 717

MEP Settings 721

Creating Sheet Standards 723

Titleblocks 723

Defining Sheets 724

Understanding the Project Browser Organization 725

Discipline Grouping 726

Sorting Views within Groups 727

Sheet Organization 728

The Bottom Line 729

Appendix The Bottom Line 731

Chapter 1: Exploring the User Interface 731

Chapter 2: View Filters and View Templates 732

Chapter 3: Worksets and Worksharing 732

Chapter 4: Project Collaboration 734

Chapter 5: Multiplatform Interoperability: Working with 2D and 3D Data 735

Chapter 6: Parameters 735

Chapter 7: Schedules 736

Chapter 8: HVAC Cooling and Heating Load Analysis 737

Chapter 9: Creating Logical Systems 739

Chapter 10: Mechanical Systems and Ductwork 740

Chapter 11: Mechanical Piping 741

Chapter 12: Lighting 742

Chapter 13: Power and Communications 743

Chapter 14: Circuiting and Panels 744

Chapter 15: Plumbing (Domestic, Sanitary, and Other) 745

Chapter 16: Fire Protection 746

Chapter 17: Solid Modeling 747

Chapter 18: Creating Symbols and Annotations 748

Chapter 19: Creating Equipment 749

Chapter 20: Creating Light Fixtures 750

Chapter 21: Creating Devices 751

Chapter 22: Details 752

Chapter 23: Sheets 753

Chapter 24: Fabrication 754

Chapter 25: Creating a Project Template 754

Index 757