I am currently employed by Symetri, one of the largest Autodesk resellers in the UK, providing training and other services such as implementation and project support to our clients. My personal interests include aviation, engineering, family and the great outdoors.
Autodesk Revit Structure 
Would you be prepared to teach me Autocad Structural Detailing on a 1-1 basis.
Have searched everywhere to no avail.
I live in Feltham Middlesex but will travel
Frank Kindregan
07597324440
Hi Frank,
We are running courses for ASD at our Excitech offices in Enfield or London (Vicotria). We are currently providing 1 day courses for Steel detailing or RC detailing. Let me know what would suit you.
Hi,
Do you know any video tutorials that teach AutoCAD structural detailing??
I have search a lot but could not get any result.
Thanks
Hi Ammar,
Unfortunately there is very little in the way of tutorials on the web for Structural Detailing but I am planning some web seminars and other materials around the launch of Revit 2013 so watch this space!
Please make a complete online tutorials series on Autocad structural detailing, many people looking for such, it will be a great success.
Thanks
Hi Lawrenceh,,
I’ve been following your all posts from couple of days,, and I found it to be very useful,,I’m trying to create a custom footing for Brick veneer wall construction ( actually its an Edge Beam with monolithic slab with 150mm chamfer under,,),,in RST 2012 can you please explain me how to achieve this,,I don’t know how attach a image in this post to explain it clearly,,And one more thing ,,can you please make an video on line weights for revit structure,,
Thank you,,very much for taking time to read this post,,waiting for your reply,,
Regards,,
gpraj
Hi gpraj,
You would first need to create a 2D profile for your edge beam. You need to create a metric profile – hosted family and then draw the cross sectional profile including any chamfers. You then create a slab edge ( under the floor command) and use this profile. Providing you set the same material as your slab then the result will be monolithic.
LawrenceH
Please I need a comprehensive tutorial on Robot Structural Analysis and I do not live in the UK. Please advise.
The best thing to do is contact your local Autosesk reseller who should be able to arrange training. Where do you live?
Hi. I only calculate by hand and use autocad. I would like to start learning this software, but I dont get some concepts about this type of all in one softwares. I wont ask you for training, I just wante to understand the restrictions, and the relation between softwares. Could you email me please? Thanks a lot!
Hi, I think i already know the answer to this but im hoping you can prove me wrong! Is it possible to create a setdown of say 60mm – of any shape – in say a 500mm deep concrete beam? I can do this with a slab no problem using Component>Model in place>Void Forms>Void Extrusion, but it will only make me a setdown in the slab & will not let me do it through an adjoining concrete beam! Any ideas, im at a loss?!
Hi Ash,
You can do this with a Void family. You first have to edit the family of the beam andante it cuttable, then create a void family and also make this cuttable. You can now place the void within the beam and use the cut command.
Thanks ive already tried this & it does work like you say but it seems a bit limiting unless im not doing something correctly. For instance ive created a rectangular void former which works for most cases, however i dont have simple orthoganal / rectangular shapes in all areas that i am trying to cut. I need something which would allow me to cut just about any shape like you can with the Slab Void Extrusion. Any ideas how to overcome that?
Thanks.
I will have to try a few things to test this, obviously you can create any shape you like in the family editor but it sounds like you need to reference geometry in the project, let me have a think.
Sent from my iPhone
hey lawrenceh
I m kedar desai from Gujarat India.
I m final year civil engineering student. we have to do project in our last year I m planning to do project on structural analysis by Revit structure.so my question is can I do analysis or I can only do structural detailing? please reply its about my future.
you can reply here or you can reply on kedardesai.kd@gmail.com.
p.s. if any one else is know the reply I request to reply me as soon as possible.
thanks…..
Hi Lawrence,
Had a quick question about the link between Revit and Robot. Hope you can help me out.
I have created some new plate girder sections within an already existing family. I.e. Once a plate girder has been selected, edity type, duplicate and input new geometric data.
I then export a typical bay to Robot for primary analysis, but unfortunately none of the geometric data inputted from Revit transfers across. I either get an error message saying that the section is not recognised in the database, or it links the member to some obscure section with very odd properties (in my case some Romanian Steel sections with very odd Second Moment of Areas – go figure?).
Any help would be much appreciated!
Sam
P.S – Two thumbs up for the blog! Will be passing this on.
Hi Sam,
Firstly I am glad that you have enjoyed the posts and information on my blog, great to hear.
The good news is that you can define and create your Plate Girders using the Content Generator within the extensions of Revit Structure. These elements are shared with AutoCAD Structural Detailing and Robot Structural Analysis and will transfer. If you have not installed the extensions then you can obtain the tools from the Autodesk Subscription Centre.
LawrenceH
Hi Lawrence,
I´ve seen your youtube video of the analytic model in Revit and I was just wondering where you find the connected and unconnected nodes in the filter? Mine has none.
Thanks
It looks like the filters are only available in certain templates. You can of course set up your own in the usual way.
Lawrence,
Do you have a tutorial I can use / follow for the Integration with AutoCAD Civl 3D tool? I’ve installed the Revit extension, but unsure of what steps to take to to coordinate between civil 3D and Revit.
Thanks
Hi Lawrence,
Just wanted to let you know that there is a new book called Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional 2013 – Essentials located here: https://www.createspace.com/4228519 Hope you and your users will find it helpful.
Thanks Ken, I would be interested to take a look at this as many of our customers are still using the original Robobat manual which is now a little out of date.
Hi Lawrence
Jamy & I did the advanced Revit structure course with you last month, which has been incredibly valuable. Thanks!
We are currently trying to sort pad stones on plan and have some difficulties doing so. The padstone family was created using a generic wall based family file, so its hosted in the wall. It works fine on elevation and section, however they won’t appear on plan. The walls over are blocking the hatch to the top of the padstone but we can’t even get a dotted line to show something there. Any ideas?
Thanks, Matt Mason (Webb Yates)
Hi Chaps, Glad you enjoyed the course. You can create a 2D detail family containing the hatch patterns and hidden detail required and then nest this into your padstone family. I normally create the hidden detail with Reference Planes and then use instance parameters so that I can lock these to the extents of the pad stone. You can make sure that the nested 2D detail family is drawn in the foreground.
Lawrence, I am a detailer in the US that is looking for any help in the way of ASD 2014. There is very little training or even information in the way of this program here. Even if there was a tutorial that walked through setting up the templates for dimensioning and such. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Shannon Mehrer
Hi Lawrence,
I took your Revit Structures fundamentals course a few months back and I seem to recall you showed us a method of ensuring that views on sheets where always in the same position (rather then drawing detail lines from a grid then copying those lines from sheet to sheet and dragging the view into the correct position)? To put it in simpler terms if a building model had a column that ran all the way up through every view, that column would be in the exact same position on every sheet. Is there a way to do this quicker or am I making it up?
Many Thanks
Hi there,
you can use the Guide Grid which is located on the View ribbon on the Sheet Composition Panel. This will put a grid down on a sheet and enable you to set the grid or column on plans to a consistent position on each sheet. Each sheet will need the guide grid to be displayed.
hi Lawrence,
First of all your blog and videos are amazing, they cover the structural side which most other tutorials tend to skip or explain very little of. I am an architecture student and am stuck on one of my project schemes where I am struggling to understand how I can apply trusses and columns to my conceptual mass which at the moment is a curved skin with space frames. If I could email you directly or something I will be truly grateful?
Please do let me know. thanks x
Hello Lawrenceh, Can you tell me how ou get our rebar tag to show up with the arrows at the end and with the filled dot in the middle please ?
It is basically a dimension style coupled with a tag family. The dot is added via the type properties of the dimension, this is the interior tick mark. Hope this gets you started, a little difficult to explain via text.
Thanks Lawrenceh, I sorted that, I’ve got 1 last question and it is regarding the rebar schedule, can you explain to me how you added the fields ”number of members”, and ”Weight” please ?
I added a shared parameter to add the weight per metre and used a formula to calculate the total weight.
Is there any way you could send me that schedule I am really struggling to find how to calculate rebar tonnage in revit
send me your email address and I will attach it for you.
kieranathey1@hotmail.com
Thanks Lawrenceh
Hello My name is Clement i would like to ask you if you can do a video on Slab rebar and modification of required reinforcement manually in Robot structural analysis pro
Or Maybe Design of a retaining wall in Robot Structural Analysis
Hi
My name is Nissar i write email from Norway to you.
I ask you a question abuot Robot and Revit.
Sir!
I draw in rivet and sent to robot design and when desig finished in Robot I get my moddel in rivet back.
My main intresse is to desing load , but I can not get desing load in rivet.I’m thinking maybe my rivet settings are incorrect.
I hope that you can hjeple with me this prolem.if you have the opportunity to explain it with text and images.
I will be happy for a nice reply.
Have nice nighte
I working as strutural engineer in Rambal Norway AS.
This my e-mail: nissar.rasikh@ramboll.no
nissarrasikh@mail.ru
Hi Mr. Lawrenceh
I was so happy about the tutorial you posted on youtube maybe 4 years back about the 3d modeling, i hope you dont mind sir, but i need your help, because we have one project (skylight) and the slope of it and contour is not so typical, i just want to know how to do it, I hope you can help me, just let me know how to contact and i will try to reach by calling (hope you dont mind).
I can send also the drwing for you to have an idea. Hope you can give me reply as soon as possible
Regards
Benz
Hi Benz, I work for a CAD consultancy company and can offer help and support through this company if you require help in project setup/execution.
Hi !
My Name is Dragos I’m a structural Revit technician in London and i’ve started using revit 8 months ago but still have alot to learn .
Would apreciate if you could help me with this questions :
1. How would you describe the corect workflow between revit and robot ; would the structural engineer create the model in Robot and transfer it to Revit or the other way around ? what are the exact steps in the process ?
2. Many Tech tend not to adjust the analytical model mainly because they lack knowledge on this ; how would you sugest to work with the revit/analytical model so we wont have unconnected nodes missplaced bars
Regards
Dragos.
hi Dragos,
The preferred workflow here in the UK is that a Revit model is prepared first, normally by a technician, this is then transferred to an analysis software.
The manipulation of the analytical model is really down to correct education and should really be completed with the engineer and technician working together.
Hope this helps.
Dear Lawrence, I followed your 3 day Revit Structural course a few weeks ago and got a quick question: do you know from where I can download families for Richard Lee’s composite slabs (e.g. Ribdeck S60)? Many thanks.
Hi Karl, There are some Richard Lee profiles already in Revit. These are found in the Uk metric library in the Profiles folder and then Metal Deck. If you have a DWG of the deck profile you can also load this into the profile family to use in your composite slab.
Hope this helps,
Lawrence
Fantastic, thank you, Lawrence. Best, Karl.
Hi Lawrence
I’ve been getting to grips with Revit 2016 rebar detailing and scheduling, and having pretty good results I think. One thing I cannot seem to do though, it mimic the BS 8666 schedule in a couple of ways…
– I can’t get the ‘no. of members’ and ‘no. of bars in each’ fields in, only the ‘total no.’ (which is the Quantity parameter’
– I can’t work out a way to add in the bar weights summary at the bottom? I know this will need to be a separate schedule, but it would be nice to do.
Many thanks for your expertise and help!
Paul
Hi Paul,
If you watch the video on the link I use the new parameters in 2016, ‘host count’ which counts up the number of members in the model based on the host mark being the same. The weight of the bar is done by using a shared parameter with the bar weight per m and then adding this to the schedule and showing totals.
Hope this helps,
LawrenceH
Hi Lawrence
I see the ‘Host Count’ and ‘Host Number’ parameters – not sure what video you have linked? I was looking at the new features of 2015 video – doesn;t show the Host parameters in there?
here is the link to the video, it was on my review of Revit 2016 new features. https://youtu.be/GyPgOkxM-gA
This shows the new rebar process. Have a watch and see if this helps
Thanks Lawrence – I have figured it out now, but I am having problems with the schedule total bar numbers? I am trying to reinforce a lift pit, and have two side walls that have the same rebar (‘Walls A&B’ is the Host Mark). I reinforce one of the walls, then group the bars and copy them to the other wall, change their Host to the right wall (Walls A&B), check in the in the schedule and see I have 4 lots of bar mk 10 – a straight bar – and there are 4 lots of 28 = 112 overall. If I turn the ‘Itemize all Items’ off, I get the Host Count correct, but now the ‘No. in Each’ totals 112, and the ‘Total no.’ is 224. Can’t figure this one out?
And the bar constraints are doing my head in – can’t make the u-bars the correct dimension!
Hi, Would you be able to prepare some guide how to work with autodesk infraworks. What I’m after is to be able to get geometry of surringing buildings in London from google maps and place my there and than use that for a wind tunnelling analysis in Robot which should give me some fairly reliable results. Thanks in advance.
This is something that I have had on my to do list for some time now specifically with regard to bridge modelling but also to show placing a Revit model into infraworks.
Hi, I have just started working with Revit and I am currently trying to figure out the proper way to collaborate with structural engineers. The solution they have given (for instance) for walls is to create two walls in the same place – one with its core set to be made with an “air” material pretending to be empty and another one with just the core material – i.e. concrete. Is there a better way of creating architectural elements that would structural engineers to filter out just the structural content, even if it belongs to complex walls?
I hope it’s clear what I am trying to say.
Thanks in advance!pretending to be empty and another one with just the core material – i.e. concrete. Is there a better way of creating architectural elements that would structural engineers to filter out just the structural content, even if it belongs to complex walls?
I hope it’s clear what I am trying to say.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Krzysztof,
I do understand what you are referring to. I think you will need to use copy monitor for the elements such as walls and floors. Basically you will need to link an architects model into your structural model and then copy/monitor the walls. You can then align the structural ‘core’ with the load bearing walls in the architects model. These will then stay synchronised.
Hope that helps you a little.
Kind Regards,
Lawrence
Hi,
Your tutorials are very helpful, but still i cant find solution for my problem with wedge pile foundations.
Maybe You could help me?
http://www.revitcity.com/forums.php?action=viewthread&thread_id=35978
Hi Lawrence,
Two quick questions:
a. Is there a way how to “correctly” show rotated (square) columns on a graphical column schedule i.e. not getting a projected elevation?
b. In the same graphical column schedule, can you add “arbitrary” parameters (e.g. loads in columns)?
Many thanks,
Karl
Hi Karl, unfortunately the graphical column schedules are very limited at the moment, I have done a fair bit of experimentation into Dynamo for the reproduction of Graphical Column Schedules which looks promising.
Hi Laurence,
do you sell your Revit template ready with all the section tags, view templates, BS Rebar schedules that you regularily use?
thanks
Dan
Hi Laurence, what appens to Autocad SD in Revit 2017?
Hi serex. This is still available to subscription customers but has not been in the suites since the 2016 releases. It’s largely replaced by REVIT for the RC and Advance Steel for the fabrication tools.
Hello, I am from Indonesia, just wanna say thanks for your blogs, webinars, very much help me.
Glad you find them useful
Hi Lawrence, I was given you details by a friend who I rely on frequently for Revit advice. I am new to Revit and BIM and am the only one in the office that currently has Revit. I recently attended a course the was not really suitable for what we need and was wondering if there are any specific courses available. I have been asked to provide level 2 BIM by a roofing supplier and am working with a central model. I am having all sorts of issues with the procedures associated with BIM. Could you recommend a course? Thank you, Alwyn
Hi Alwyn,
Thanks for reaching out to me. You outline a very typical problem I often encounter that a basic Revit course will get you modelling and producing drawings but does not really cover the areas such as work sets, copy monitor, Level of details and adding additional information and content.
If you let me have your contact details we can have a phone call this Thursday and can discuss further?
We could customise a course on your project data and requirements which will be much better for you.
Lawrence
Hi Lawrence,
While I was looking for some books about Revit Structure I found your really interesting blog. I’m an Italian engineer and I’m interested in learning Revit for my job. Can you suggest me some good book and/or tutorial to follow in order to start learning Revit? I bought a book and learned the basic commands and concept associated with Revit and BIM through an Italian book written for Revit Architecture, now I would learn more specifically about structures.
Hi Flavio,
The book that we use is the Ascent books alongside classroom based training. Once you are beyond this then the best approach is to learn from classroom based training and blogs/YouTube
Hey Lawrence,
i wathced your tutorial “On Track with Dynamo and Revit”. It is very helpfull
but is this video including all of the information you gave at the class?
So is there a full version of it? Because i´m now able to place the copingstones but how can i
add the platform to the copingstones and the foundationelements to make shure everything fits together?
Best regards
Max
Hello Lawrence, I need to ask you for guidance to achive an automatic rebar of concrete elements based on structural engineers drawing with the detail that I need to add middle bars in the middle vertical axis of the beam. Sadly for me Extensions doesn’t have that option and every another 3rd party plugins do a a lot more by calculating everything (My need is more basic than that), I have no other reference to look at, my numeorus google search and friends consultations did not work. even a little hint could help
Regards from Chile
Jorge
Hi Jorge,
Sounds like a good task for Dynamo! There are a couple of Dynamo Rebar Packages that allow the placement of rebar. It would just be a case of creating the geometry of the bars from the concrete elements and Dynamo will place the bars for you.
Thanks for your answer!, I’ll start from there i didn’t know about this resource ::http://core.thorntontomasetti.com/dynamo-for-rebar/
Thanks again
Hello Lawrence. I am a Brazilian user of Revit since 2013 and currently the access to Excitech site is blocked to users from Brazil. I would like to get Excitech Revit Toolkit 2019 (currently I have the 2016 version) and I can’t access it. Would you be able to help me? Thank you.
Luiz
Hi Luiz,
I have notified our marketing team, not sure why this would happen.
Hello Lawrence, I started looking at your tutorial (Revit 2019 RC Detailing Tutorial
64,146 views•6 May 2018). when I came to set the rebar layer name(B1) I noticed that the rebar layer option wasn’t showing on my properties bar under ‘rebar set’ so I couldn’t name or colour the layer. how do I get revit to show that option on property dialogue box
Hi Ewan, This is part of the Excitech RC Template. You can create this yourself by creating a shared parameter, adding it to the project and then creating some filters to automatically colour the layers
Hi Lawrence
I find your videos very informative, thanks!
I’m a structural engineer in South Africa, with a keen interest in BIM.
I’ve been using Revit Structures for about 10 years now, and recently started modelling my rebar as well.
What’s the best method in learning to use Dynamo (from the very basics to advanced). Is there any study material or online courses that you can recommend? I’ve got no programming background, but I’ve just started learning the basics of Python.
Thanks, your advice would be highly appreciated.
Hi, Sorry for the late reply! You can learn the basics of Dynamo through the dynamobim.org website. However, a lot of the learning is simply trying and failing and then connecting to the community. Invest time and you’ll become good!
Hello,
I find your articles very interesting. I appreciate your knowledge in the field of Revit structure.
We at RCCCAD IT Solution Pvt Ltd. develop Revit apps related to structural modelling. I would like to know if you can review our App InstaCrete?
It is available at http://www.rcccad.com
Please send your response to contact@rcccad.com
Best Regards
Vikram
Hi Vikram,
I will certainly take a look at the application and will be happy to comment and review.
Do you have a YouTube Channel with demonstrations of your application?
Hi lawrenceh,
I am a Structural Engineer and my office is looking for a consultant to assist us on a bridge project for the Revit model. We would like to produce the drawings from a Revit model with parametric families and Dynamo generation.
Is there a way I can contact you to give you more detail about our project and needs ?
Regards,
Peter A.