CADuzer

Happy New Year

Dec 31, 2008 Commentary

I want to wish everyone a happy new year.  It’s a cold 20 degrees here in New York City (actually just north of the city).  2008 was certainly a tough year for our industry (just as it was for most), but I would suggest that it us up to each one of us to make 2009 better.  It will not happen by itself so we need to be more creative, more innovative and more efficient.

8:15pm EST – 12/31/08

3 hours, 45 minutes to go.

Catch you on the flip side,

Scott

Tags: Commentary

Shared Coordinates in Revit (and AutoCAD)

Dec 31, 2008 AutoCAD, Revit

One feature of Revit that has confused me for quite some time is Shared Coordinates.  If you don’t know what this is, basically, if you have a drawing in AutoCAD at specific coordinates, you can not only bring the drawing into Revit, but you can also bring in the coordinate system.  This is really helpful when you’ve received, for example, a topography drawing from a surveyor which locates the contours at their actual coordinates in the world.  The trouble comes in when those coordinates are so gigantic that when you try to bring it into Revit, at those same coordinates (“origin to origin”), you get an error message that basically says that since the numbers are so large, the drawing will just be brought in at the “center”.  If we were working in AutoCAD, the solution would be to move the drawing closer to the origin.  Well, in Revit, there isn’t an origin…OR IS THERE??  If you draw two lines, in AutoCAD, that cross each other at the origin, and then import it into Revit, you’ll see where the origin is.  If you do a “spot elevation,” in Revit at that crossing point, you will see the value as, N 0″, E 0″ (fig. 1).

Figure 1 – The Origin in Revit

Figure 2 – Rotated Building

When you’re ready to import the DWG file into Revit (File –> Import/Link –> CAD Formats), within the Import/Link CAD Formats dialog box, in addition to selecting the Link option, next to where it says Positioning (to the bottom-right), choose Manual – Center.  Click somewhere close to the origin to place it.  Then, using the Move command, move the drawing from any point you’d like the origin to be to the origin we just located.  If you are importing a building, it’s a good idea to rotate it so that one (or more) of the walls a perpendicular (fig. 2).

Now that we’ve brought the DWG file in, we need to bring in the coordinate system as well.  Click Tools –> Shared Coordinates –> Acquire Coordinates then, select the imported DWG file.  Now you’ll notice that the values of the spot elevation have changed to reflect the new coordinate system (fig. 3).

Figure 3 – Acquired Coordinate System

One other thing worth mentioning is the fact that right now, we’re looking at our plan view in an orientation of Project North.  This allows us to view our building orthagonally.  If we’d like to view it at True North (meaning North points straight up), we need to go into the View Properties (right-click in the view and select View Properties) and within the Graphic group, next to Orientation, click the pull-down menu and choose True North.  After you click ok, the view will change.  To lock the DWG file, and make sure it changes with the orientation change of North, select it and click the blue push pin icon: .

This is a confusing topic so please email me at scott@caduzer.com if you have any questions.

Tags: AutoCAD, Revit, shared coordinates

CAD Managers Becoming BIM Managers Becoming… Group on LinkedIn

Dec 29, 2008 BIM, Revit

I created a group on the networking site LinkedIn back in July of this year (2008) called, CAD Managers Becoming BIM Managers Becoming… If you’re on LinkedIn and would like to join this group, here’s the link: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/137723.  We’re up to 82 members now which, and I say this sarcastically, prompted me to come up with a direction and, um, use for it.  So, I started a new discussion today to try to define it:

What to do with this group?

I created this group a while back with the thought that at some point, I’d figure out what I wanted to do with it. Well, unfortunately, that day never came. It’s possible that I came up with the title before the purpose. Well, as the year comes to a close, I thought it was a good time to decide on a direction. I can first tell you what I DON’T want this group to become: yet another forum for how to use Revit, or ArchiCAD, or…It’s a testament to our increasingly connected, not to mention shrinking, world that we’ve created millions of websites, blogs, wikis and more to share our extensive (and collective – a word I don’t like to use) software knowledge. The problem is that all of this information has become so separated, that the search for the needle in the proverbial haystack we’re looking for takes forever!! I’d like this group to become a centralized place for us to discuss how we employ this knowledge. For example, let’s not discuss how to create a particular family type or set the most appropriate rendering settings. Let’s discuss the situation that occurred to cause us to need to build that block and how we handled it. Discussions like this could even expand to a web conference to show management-based processes (ie. file/object organization, standards, best practices, etc.). This group should be a place to discuss topics from an industry-wide scale to an individual job scale. I’m sure a good majority of you have you’re own websites (ex. www.caduzer.com – shameless plug)and blogs that you can direct people to with specific processes. If anything, these promotions can help fill your websites, blogs and wikis with the specific information that users are looking for.

I would love to hear any other suggestions that you might have.

Tags: BIM, LinkedIn, Revit

Getting SketchUp Models into Google Earth

Dec 24, 2008 Google Earth, SketchUp

Since, I believe, SketchUp 5, a Get Current View (from Google Earth) button was available to import an image of what was currently in view within Google Earth.  Since then, the same feature has been built in to plugins for both AutoCAD and Revit.  In this post, however, I’m going to show how to bring a Google Earth image into SketchUp, model on top of it, and then export it back.  A question I get often is whether or not everyone in the world can see the models you’re importing.  The answer is no, however if you’ve made models that you’d like to share with the world, you can use Google’s 3D Warehouse (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/).  Anyway, let’s begin:

1.  In Google Earth, find the location the you want to build on.

2.  Once you’re zoomed into it, you’ll need to be looking at it perfectly straight on as well as have North pointing up.  Middle-mouse click within the view and drag you mouse upward until the view stops moving.

3.  To the top-right of the window, you’ll see an “N” surrounding the compass icon: .  This will cause North to point straight up.

4.  Back in SketchUp, on the top toolbar, click the Get Current View icon: .

After a short time (and the appearance of a progress bar), the image will be imported into SketchUp.  This image, however, is no ordinary image.  It’s got both geographical as well as elevational data.  You’ll see shortly the geographical data when we bring a model back to SketchUp.  If you click the Toggle Terrain icon: .  The flat image will go from what you see in the first image below, to what you see in the second one:

Flat Image

3D Image

So now that we’ve got our image in SketchUp, let’s build on it and export it back to Google Earth (to make life easier, click the Toggle Terrain button again to flatten the model).

5.  Within SketchUp, construct your model directly on the building within the image from Google Earth:

6.  Once you’re done, on the top toolbar, click the Place Model icon: .

Google Earth will come into focus and zoom into the region where the model is located:

If you change the model in SketchUp, simply click the Place Model icon again and, within Google Earth, you’ll be asked if you want to reload the model.  Click Yes.  I should just mention again, while this feature is built into SketchUp, you’ll have to download the plugin for both AutoCAD and Revit.

Tags: Google Earth, SketchUp

Adding Frequently Used Modifier Buttons in 3DS MAX

Dec 23, 2008 3DS MAX, Customization

This is kind of an easy, but useful tip.  There are a handful of modifiers that I use frequently in 3DS MAX and I don’t like to hit the long list and then have to search for them.  Instead, I turn on the Modifier Sets and customize the buttons.  By default, however, these buttons are turned off.  Here’s how to turn them on and add your most frequently used modifiers:

1.  In MAX, click the Modify tab on the Command Panel: .

2.  Under the Modifier Stack area, click the Configure Modifier Sets icon: .
3.  When the menu appears, click Show Buttons:


4.  Now you’ll see at the top of the Command Panel, eight generic modifier buttons:


5.  Click the Configure Modifier Sets icon again and this time, when the menu appears, click Configure Modifier Sets:

The Configure Modifier Sets dialog box will appear:

While there are 8 buttons by default, you can change that by adjusting the number next to Total Button.  From the list of modifiers within the Modifiers group, drag and drop each one you use frequently onto a button.  When you’re finished, click OK.  You’ll now find that the Modify tab has all of your modifiers and you no longer have to search for them from the list.

Tags: 3DS MAX, Customization

A File-Linking Work-Around for FBX (Revit to MAX)

Dec 22, 2008 3DS MAX, FBX, Revit

One of the best improvements over the last year or so was the introduction of the FBX file format.  Specifically, its application for bringing Revit data in 3DS MAX.  Previously we’d use the DWG format for exporting to MAX but there were certain inherent problems.  First of all, and I really thought this was the biggest problem, the material maps didn’t export correctly. The color on the Graphics tab (Shading group) is what would show up on the object in MAX.

Even if you attached a material map in MAX, the mapping would be wrong. Imagine the amount of time it would take to attach materials and UVW Mapping maps to every object in your scene (especially when your objects in Revit already have materials assigned). Anyway, since both Revit Architecture 2009 and 3DS MAX 2009 (Design or regular – sounds like regular or decaf), use a new material type called ProMaterials. These are highly photorealistic materials. Since both programs have it, the FBX file format is able to export the settings and materials maps from Revit to MAX. One of the great benefits of the DWG Method, however, is the ability to link it into MAX. Therefore, if the design changes in Revit, you simply need to re-export the file, saving over the original DWG. Then, in MAX, you can reload the file to bring in the changes. As much as there isn’t an explicit FBX Linking function (although, apparently Autodesk has been made well aware of everyone desire to have it), there is a work-around that will allow you to (kinda) do it.

This is sort of a quick description of how to do it, but take a look:

1.  In Revit, click “File –> Export –> 3ds max (FBX)”.
2.  Import the file into MAX and save it as “modelFile.max”.
3.  Use “File –> XRef Objects”.
4.  Click the “Create Xref Record from File…” button and locate the modelFile.max” file you just made.
5.  Select all objects and click “OK”.
6.  Create a new material and add it to all walls.
7.  Add a UVW Map modifier and save the file as “materialsFile.max”.
8.  Return to Revit and make a change to the design.
9.  Export it again over the previous FBX file.
10.  In MAX, return to the model file and erase all objects.
11.  Re-import the FBX file.

Please email me if you have any questions or would like me to exaplain this is more detail.

Tags: 3DS MAX, FBX, Revit

Revit Needs Customization

Dec 15, 2008 Customization, Revit

I was just watching Arianna Huffington on The Daily Show talk about blogging and that one shouldn’t think too much before creating a post.  So, with that in mind, I thought I’d write about something I was just thinking about RIGHT NOW (OK, yes, I was thinking, but I can’t not, so, whatever!).  Revit needs more customization and I hope it gets implemented in version 2010.  I’ve been building a new model in Revit for the past week and it’s (one of the) first I’ve built with any kind of detail.  As someone with an AutoCAD background, I’m right-clicking non-stop and disappointingly finding that the tools I need are not in there.  I’m modeling from an AutoCAD drawing and, since there are many different wall sizes, I have to use the tape measure command.  Having that in the right-click menu would be great.  The Move and Rotate commands would also be helpful.  As I’ve been working, more and more things have come up that I’d like Revit to be able to do.  I created a Revit Wish List Google Form so I can quickly add them all in.  Some of them include:

1. Light Sources – The ability to see the cone of light, when it’s set to “spot light,” so the “Tilt Angle,” parameter can be visually seen, after it’s inserted into a project file, without having to render to see its effect.
2. Selection Sets – The ability to selection a bunch of objects and give that selection a name.  This is different than a group.
3. Design Bar Organization – Names of groups of tools should always remain at the top (as opposed to moving to the bottom when groups above them are chosen.  Clicking a group name should simply show that groups tools.
4. Render Quality Settings – Render Quality Settings should be able to be exported and imported for future use.
5. DWF Import – The ability to import DWF files as underlays.
6. Filter Selection – The ability to filter the object type to be selected BEFORE selection.
7. Render Time – I’d like to see how long the previous rendering took to complete.
8. Custom Background Images in Renderings – The ability to load a customized background image to be used when rendering.
9. Mass Floors – The “Mass Floors” dialog box should have “Select All” and “Select None” buttons.
10. Groups – The ability to detach one instance of a group (that has been copied) into its own, individual group.
11. Groups – The ability to create groups within groups.
12. Visibility/Graphics Dialog Box – The Visibility/Graphics dialog box should be a palette that can remain open.
13. Groups – The ability to edit multiple objects within multiple groups at the same time (ie. leave multiple groups open at the same time).

Two co-workers of mine had other suggestions:

• Eric Stimmel: Scroll in Type Selector – Ability to scroll with the scroll wheel in the Type Selector drop down menu.
• Joe Nocella – Schedule Formatting – The ability to effect the formatting and graphics of schedules.

Once the beta for Revit 2010 comes out, I’ll post all of these suggestions (and others that I’m sure will come up between now and then) in the forums.  It is worth mentioning that there was one more suggestion I had that it turned out Revit could already do:

• Work Plane – The ability, after setting the work plane, to either have a visual cue that it has been changed or to rotate the model so that working plane is “flat.”  Similar to using the “plan” command in AutoCAD after changing the UCS.

Do to this, use “View –> Orient –> By Plane…”

Anyway, if you’ve got any other suggestions, or solutions to my above list, please let me know!

Tags: Customization, Revit

Trying Something New

Dec 8, 2008 Commentary

Tags: Commentary