This is an extract from Architects Journal from the 15/12/11, this article looked at trends in design & construction for the UK going into 2012…hopefully AJ won’t mind me highlighting the comment about Revit. :-)

Spotted this one yesterday. In Vasari, if you divide a surface & select the divided surface with a view to changing the Surface Representation, there is no arrow to the Surface Representation options dialogue.This is Vasari…. see..no arrow? No dialogue…no Nodes… :-(

This is the same thing in Revit 2012….arrow to access the Surface Representation options.

I thought I was going mad! Fortunately Zach K. put my mind at rest & confirmed it as an interface bug. The arrow is there, see the image below, but its hidden at the end!

This issue came up yesterday, a reasonable straight request…”I have built this surface in “PRODUCT”…….. (insert Rhino or AutoCAD). Can I rebuild it in Vasari or Revit as a water tight closed object, so I can do that I do that create floors by mass thingy?”

So here goes; this is what I was able to achieve. It should be noted that this may not work for all surfaces, but it certainly worked for this form. I started by creating a new mass family in Vasari / Revit. Next I imported the Rhino surface.

I then choose divide surface & picked the imported Rhino surface, you may need to tab select until you get to the surface, but you will be able to subdivide the surface.

I then altered the UV grid parameters to something sensible, in this case 4 x 10.

The UV grid would act as a template to trace. Then, under Surface Representation I enabled Nodes.

Using model lines > spline through points, I was able snap to the nodes to generate a profile following the surface.

I repeated this a couple of times to build a series of closed profiles.

Next I deleted the imported surface. I half expected everything to disappear, but fortunately I the model lines remained! I then converted these lines to reference lines & closed the gap at the base with another reference line.

Then selected all the model lines & chose create form to build the form.

As I suggested, it should work for simple forms & is a relatively quick way to rebuild in Revit or Vasari….but don’t assume it will work for all. 

Like a lamb to the slaughter, I knew my stair post would get my ass kicked! So I would like to extend my thanks to all those that took the time to respond; as they say “there is more than one way to skin a cat”. So lets go through all the options….

tchuffart & unknown suggested……

You could turn the ghost surface on for the stairs, and it will match all the underlying colour you need.

Steve, Andy H , AFriend, Carlos Vav suggested similar approaches….

If you tick the transparent box in the views visibility / graphic override you will get the same effect but have the benefit that if the colour fill changes you don't have to amend each element. In 2012 this will not appear correct in the view but will print out correct (the ghosted one appears correct but doesn’t appear correct).

jojo1579 suggested….

There is a simple way to do this. In your Floor Plan properties change Colour Scheme Location from 'background' to 'foreground' on. (note the issue this is that the colour extends into the wall).

So there you are, take your pick!

This query has come up twice recently. “Is there any way you can stop a stair from masking out in a room colour fill, so that the stair itself is the same colour as the room fill?” In essence, what is not required is this……

Instead this is actually what is required…..

There is no automatic way to do this unless you setup some smart filters, but if you assign a colour override to the stair the same as the colour fill of the room, it works fine, not ideal, but it solves the problem quickly & promptly. 

Remember the stair is not included within the room calculation & you can’t do much about the railing!

At the beginning of last year I was contacted by Francois Levy, a registered Texas architect & researcher. He explained he was writing a book focused on BIM strategies for sustainable design in small & medium sized architectural projects. On further discussions he wanted to include a case study from this very blog; my parameterized Hauer Curtain Wall example.

As ever, I was honoured to get the opportunity to get my work published. So this morning I received a copy of Francois fruits of labour & on initial inspection the result looks excellent. I have heard it said many times, how does a small firm get into BIM? Isn’t BIM just for large firms? I would actually argue that with the right mindset, a clear strategy & willingness to make it succeed, then in many ways a small firm will find it easier to implement BIM than a large multi-national. Whilst I have yet to read the book from cover to cover, this looks to be a great read for any small firm who wants to understand how BIM & sustainability & tightly connected. Check it out from the Wiley website.

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470590890.html

Once again I would like to extend my thanks to Francois for including my work in his book.

This sneaked it way up onto labs at the end of last week. This is a preview technology for Revit 2012….be sure to check it out….

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/scan_to_bim/

“Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk^® Revit^® 2012 software is a free* technology preview that allows you to work with point cloud more easily in Revit. This plug-in automatically extracts useful geometry features from point cloud of buildings and creates basic Revit elements to aid the building modeling in Revit.”

If you are as passionate about the Revit technology as I am, be sure to read Jeremy Tammiks blog post on the Genesis of Revit & its API.

http://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/the-genesis-of-revit-and-its-api.html

So you may have probably heard the buzz? I am guilty as most for banging on about VEO™, although I am under NDA, so I can’t be too specific. But if you really want to know more, go to this Linked in page!

http://www.linkedin.com/company/m-six/566626/product?report%2Esuccess=7ZNxzQ7qwKSLnUwPzMlc0NSwfaJl1iZvsHylsflisatINkcSHID5jnVaftJXqvclHlCVHE

After working for more than 4 years in stealth mode, M-SIX will soon launch VEO™, a cloud-based platform for use in the design, construction, and operation of buildings and other structures.

• VEO™ Lux - Navigate and Visualize
• VEO™ Logic - Coordination and Validation
• VEO™ Time - Scheduling and Sequencing
• VEO™ Track - Asset tracking
• VEO™ Archive - Model-linked document library
• VEO™ Pulse - Real-time sensor data

http://www.m-six.com/Video/li/VEO-Preview.html

I have had a couple of people ask me already what VEO™ is. So I will attempt to put in my typical plain English fashion.  VEO™ is not a modeller, Revit can do that & it can do it very well, that is not the market that M-Six are after. VEO™ instead is a BIM aggregator, a lifecycle platform; in my humble opinion, the piece of the BIM pie which is truly missing; true BIM 360.

I have said it before & I will say it again, the last time I got this excited about a software product was when I first saw Revit & if my memory serves me correctly most out there didn’t get it & saw it as an annoyance. Now what is the preferred BIM platform of choice? ;-)

Following this years successful Autodesk UK BIM conference, Construction News In association with Autodesk  published this article. Certainly worth a read!!

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1v25l/ConstructionNewsBIMS/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffree.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F452049%2FConstruction-News-BIM-Supp-Dec-2011

Just a quick share on the possibilities of using a very simple adaptive family to create a railing family. The “point” to watch is the need to make the adaptive points vertical on placement. :-)

I would like to wish all my readers & followers a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year. Thank you for the continued loyalty & look forward even bigger Revit & BIM stuff during 2012!

You should be aware of this rather annoying bug!!! Google or Microsoft please get it sorted!

http://blog.jtbworld.com/2011/11/500-internal-server-error-bx-7sd12g.html

If you have answered “yes” to both these questions, be sure to sign up for Matt Jezyk & Zach Kron class entitled Autodesk® Project Vasari: Playing with Energetic Supermodels. Wow, what a title, the mind boggles! 

Class No. AB9660-L

Class Description:
In this hands-on lab, you will explore experimental tools and workflows using Autodesk Project Vasari. Project Vasari connects the parametric modelling capabilities of Autodesk Revit® with many of the analysis and simulation capabilities available in Autodesk Ecotect® Analysis and Autodesk Green Building Studio. You will also learn about and use new performance-based design tools available from Autodesk Labs. First, you will create a few parametric building models and simulations. Next, the class will cover more advanced topics, such as how to create automated feedback loops. You will explore workflows where changes you make to the model cause changes in the simulation results, which then drive changes back into the model. You will use both out-of-the-box tools and add-ons currently under development to create parametric building models that respond to environmental conditions through both automatic and semi-automatic feedback loops.

James Vandezande has been tweeting that he gets upset every time someone says “BIM Model”. So much so he has suggested that every time somebody says it, a Fluffy Kitten is shot! Sad, cruel, but probably true! The debate & discussion on the term…..nahhhhh I won’t even type it BIM ##### will go on. James told me today that Mr Paul Morrell will even highlight that the term should change, after James mentioned it at this weeks BIMforum in Washington D.C during his presentation. :-)

I noticed today in my email that RTC USA 2012 is announced. If is was anything like this year, this is a go to event!

RTC 2012 North America will be held at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort, Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA from Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 June, 2012. Mark it in your calendars and we look forward to welcoming you to Stone Mountain in June 2012.

The event organisers are looking for Abstracts from individuals interested in speaking at the event. Note that this current call for abstracts is for the North American event only. More details can be found here….

http://www.revitconference.com.au/rtc2012us/index.htm

I was fortunate enough to be able to present at the inaugural BIMShow Live event on Tuesday the 1st November. With the UK government now mandating BIM, there have been plenty of BIM events & conferences over the last 12 months. However, BIMshow Live was different, as it was trying to cut the discussion & really showcase working examples of how the UK is using BIM. Think of it as the UK’s version of a mini one day Autodesk University or Revit Technology Conference. It was a great event & attracted at least 350ish paying attendees!

When I was originally asked to presented I decided straight away that I wanted to actually show some “live BIM” so attendees could go away & think that they could do what I showed; it really isn’t that difficult. Many say doing software presentations live is too risky, but I am confident in a live environment & if you are coming to BIMShow Live; then you are paying to see live BIM!  Death by Powerpoint just don’t cut it!

My session covered conceptual design with Autodesk Vasari. I often get asked where should you begin with BIM, well in my humble opinion massing & early concept design is a great start point. Its part of the process. In the session I showed how to use BIM for concept form making.  I reviewed how, even at the early stages of the design process you can use the power of software tools such as Autodesk Vasari or Autodesk Revit to provide immediate feedback & how it allows you to capture vital data to aid in the decision making process.  Concepts covered:-

• Generate forms
• Use parameters to control geometry allowing you to test options
• Schedule areas
• Divide complex surfaces for early stage panelisation
• Create solar studies
• Generate basic solar analysis
• Use CFD for wind analysis

Below are the two examples I showed live. The first is a simple parametric massing block, this introduced simple parametrics to drive a form.

The second example was a slightly more in depth example of the roof designed by HOK Los Angles & Parsons Brinkerhoff designed for the Artic Project in Southern California, USA.

I have also provided a link to the Powerpoint presentation I showed. I hope you find this useful as well as informative.Roll on to 2012, I expect BIMshow Live to be even bigger & better!

Got the sad news today that Steve Jobs passed away after a long battle with illness. In my humble opinion he was truly a visionary, to some extent his way of “think different” is something that continues to drive me forward today. As my wife says “don’t be ordinary, be extraordinary” which is what Steve Job certainly was.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs

A thought provoking & maybe controversial view point from Martyn Day over at AEC Magazine on the Trouble with BIM….

http://aecmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=450

He raises, in my humble opinion some very interesting points.He is not saying BIM is bad, instead highlighting the current challenges.

With the advent of portable mobile technologies such as we Iphone & the Ipad Autodesk Users have been jumping up & down with anticipation for a mobile DWF viewer. Whilst AutoCAD WS was the first mobile cloud technology from Autodesk for true design review collaboration, this really wasn’t gonna cut it for the Revit User. So finally Autodesk sneaked Autodesk Design Review Mobile up onto the Apple App Store yesterday! Hurry for common sense! :-)

You publish your documents to a Autodesk Cloud account where they can then be downloaded to your Ipad or Iphone via the Autodesk Design Review app. Once onto your I-OS device, you can review any multi-page DWF. There is a basic information panel which includes the ability view properties, views, control layers & mark-ups. A simple double arrow allows you to navigate through the various DWF sheets.You can add text mark-ups & callout boxes mark-ups which get saved to the DWF.I haven’t tried it, but one would assume you could publish a DWF from Revit. Send it to a cloud account, download to a Ipad, Iphone, Ipod touch, add mark ups & pass those mark-ups as overlays in Revit. 3d DWFs can be navigated with one or two fingers using the typical pan & zoom functionalities associated with the I-OS.

At present the functionality looks limited, for instance you can’t control the graphic look & feel in 3d views or perspectives. Also, there doesn’t seem to be a magic marker sketch tool, but these are early days. However, these are really early days & I am sure it will come. So if you have an I-OS device, what are you waiting for? Get connected, go to the Apple App store & download Autodesk Design Review Mobile. Suddenly you will have a reason to use your Ipad for more than just Angry Birds. :-)

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/design-review-mobile/id459112753?mt=8

Wanna know more about Citrix & Revit?  Then be sure to check out HOK’s John Bartolomi, Director of IT Services class. He will be giving a presentation at Autodesk University on the virtualization of Revit. Class detail & times are below.

• ID:                          AB4595
• Title:                     Autodesk Revit Virtualization Using Citrix® Technologies
• Date:                     Thursday, Dec 1, 2011
• Time:                    5:15pm
• Duration:             90 minutes

I have been asked on a number occasions if I could share a copies of some my Star Wars Revit & Vasari families. Well I shared my Imperial Shuttle with the guys over at BIMstore, so get ya copy there! Be sure to check out the parameter names!

http://www.bimstore.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142:the-bim-geek&catid=49:the-bimstore-blog&Itemid=297