Revit 2014 – New Rebar Tools

Link to YouTube Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_X6vuTJYNU

In the past I have written many articles relating to the use of 3D reinforcement within Revit and each time I review the tools Autodesk add a little more functionality. In the Revit Structure 2014 release there are a number of new tools and features to aid the modelling and scheduling or rebar but still very little in the way of real drawing production.

One of the most useful tools is the new Rebar Constraint tool which allows the user to select a bar segment and then constrain it to another target which could be another bar segment or a cover face. This will then remain constrained so that if the section size changes or you increase lengths then the bar will automatically update. Shape codes now have the option not to be influenced by hooks.

Bar diameters can now be quickly visualised with the addition of sub categories for Structural rebar, previously I was using filters to control this so a very welcome addition.

 

Another improvement is the inclusion of a rebar table which is already formatted for the UK market. However, the same problem still exists with the recognition of bars and the grouping of bar marks.

As usual I have produced a short video outlining some of these improvements and new features. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_X6vuTJYNU

Enjoy,

LawrenceH

 

 

Revit Structure 2013 to Tekla Structures 18.1

Over the last few days I have been testing the transfer of various concrete and steel models from Revit Structure to Tekla Structures. I have been testing this with Tekla Structures 18.1 and Revit 2013 with a dedicated plug in that can be downloaded from Tekla, see link below:

http://www.tekla.com/international/solutions/building-construction/Pages/export-revit-tekla-structures.aspx

I have yet to test the transfer from Tekla to Revit 2013 as I am awaiting an install ‘Export to Software’ to enable this. Below you can see the Add in to Revit 2013 to enable the Import and Export from Tekla.

In general, the procedure seems to work fairly well although I have found an issue with the rotation of foundations when transferring via IFC from Revit to Tekla.

Anyway, as I have said I will test further and keep this page updated as this is an essential workflow between consultants and fabricators.

LawrenceH

 

Revit Structure 2014 Tutorial – Analytical nodes

Link to YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/J2_iddaJzLg

When transferring models from Revit Structure to structural analysis tools one of the biggest issues is often that the original analytical model within Revit Structure has inconsistencies, these being isolated nodes, beams not connected etc.

Trying to identify these issues can be time consuming and a little tricky but Revit Structure 2014 has some great new tools that can help with these issues. By Default, each node now has a read only property which enables the user to see the connectivity of the node.

 

Autodesk have also included two filters within the standard template which will enable you to very easily identify issues with a Revit model.

 

Take a look at my short tutorial video, I think this is a really useful tool for those that are transferring from Revit to Analysis.

Link to YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/J2_iddaJzLg

LawrenceH

Revit Structure 2014 Beams & Braces – Geometric Positions

In a previous post I outlined a procedure and method of offsetting beams both in the horizontal and vertical planes whilst leaving the analytical model unaffected. In the new Revit 2014 release Autodesk have included some interesting new tools to control these offsets more effectively. Of particular interest is the new behavior of roof bracing.

In Revit 2014 these new tools are grouped under the Geometric Position section on the properties ribbon. You can see that these positions relate to the Y and Z axis. To understand this, refer to the image showing the plan view of a beam.

The key thing to remember is that the Y axis is the offset in plan and the Z is the offset in the vertical direction.

The offsets can either be uniform or independent. For most examples you will likely want to keep a uniform offset but I have found that the independent offset is really useful for offsetting bracing on roof members of differing depths. Notice the below image and the offset of 76mm on the end offset value to maintain a horizontal position for the CHS bracing. At last, a workable solution!

Anyway, have a play with these new tools, I am sure they will help you all.

LawrenceH

 

Revit Structure 2014 – Concrete Join Order

Over the next few weeks I shall be showcasing some of the new features within Revit Structure 2014 and some of the platform enhancements of Revit 2014. One of the key new tools is the ability to change the join order of concrete elements.

Link to YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/B190xWO8NvQ

I always found it very annoying when the slab took priority over the columns, the main reason was that when you produce a graphical column schedule the columns appeared broken at each floor! You can now finally choose your intended join order.

Below are two images showing the two possible results based on the Switched Join Order.

You can now also see that the graphical column schedule is displaying correctly, of course, this was only an issue with concrete members.

LawrenceH

Modelling Revit Piling from Microsoft Excel

Recently a few contractors have indicated that they would like to be able to create a 3D model of piling from a piling schedule produced by a consultant. This is achievable using the Excel Based model generator which can be found on the Extensions ribbon. You will need to have Microsoft Excel 2010 installed if you are using Revit 2013.

I have started off by taking an existing pile schedule from an FPS spread sheet and then copying this into the Excel Based model generator. You can see that I have used some of the spare columns to convert some values from meters to millimeters  anything outside of the marked columns you can use for your own calculations.

Make sure that you have the families that you want to use loaded into the active project and that you use the Footings tab as shown in the above image. Also take note of the default units and make sure you convert to the correct values. Once this is done and you think you have all the correct values in the spread sheet you can verify the data. You will see this on the quick access toolbar at the top of the Excel based model generator. If the data is verified then the last icon will proceed to produce a Revit model.

That’s it, pretty straight forward and potentially a massive time saver.

Revit 2013 – Roof Framing Extension

Autodesk have recently launched a new roof timber framing extension for subscription customers following on from a similar tool for framing wall panels.

The tools, once installed, will appear on the extensions ribbon and have two modules, one for rafter framing and another for roof trusses. The extension will create the 3D timbers and trusses for a number of different roof configurations from simple dialog boxes with intelligent previews. Both of the tools require the creation of a Revit roof object and the framing and trusses are hosted on this object. If the original roof geometry changes then you select one of the timbers and select modify on the Extensions ribbon, this will force the roof to rebuild.

I will outline a brief workflow and then talk about some of the limitations and good things that I noted whilst testing the extensions.

As I previously stated, you will first need to model a roof using either the Roof by footprint or roof by extrusion. You then select the roof and choose the extension ribbon, in the modelling pull down you will see the two new modules, Rafter Framing and Roof Trusses.

In this example I am using the Rafter framing tool on a very simple gable end roof. Once the module starts up you will see that you can set the wall plates, each member can be configured and you may choose exactly which elements to generate. You can then move on to the trusses themselves.

Here you can choose the style of truss, number of required elements and each section size; again you can also choose to omit any sections that are not relevant. Click OK and your basic roof will now be complete!

This extension can handle most types of roof but the geometry must be planar, i.e. no curves. I did test it on a crazy and complex roof that I had modeled by picking mass faces. I was pleasantly surprised that this worked very well, seems to be very stable as long as all the faces on the roof are flat.

The module seems to be configured for timber roofs but I did edit a few of the framing families to light gauge steel sections to see if these would work. The tests that I did worked fine and when you update the roof the module uses the edit families rather than load the defaults back in.

Overall, a really useful tool and shows that Revit is moving in the right direction towards the world of fabrication and the associated details. I urge you to download from the subscription site and give this tool a go!

Lawrenceh