Revit Error Journal File Location

I recently had to send in an error journal file to Autodesk.... and had to look on line to remind myself where to get it from!

So here it is:

For 2013 products:
Windows XP: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\<Product name and release>\Journals
Windows 7: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\<Product name and release>\Journals

For 2012 products:
Windows XP: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\<Product name and release>\Journals

Windows Vista or Windows 7: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\<Product name and release>\Journals

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Off to Autodesk University

I'm off to Autodesk University on Monday...
I've lost count of how many I have attended, I think it's my 6th or 7th?

I always look forward to catching up with my other Revit guru's and attending some great Revit sessions as well as taking advantage of retaining my Revit Professional Certification...for free!

Anyway, hope to see you there....I'll have a QR code on my badge and be at the Cansel Canadian Mixer on Wednesday night at the Eyecandy Sound Lounge.

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Green Building Studio DOE-2 Error (Doh! error)

I have been playing with Green Building Studio (GBS) recently as we will start analysing our buildings during the design development stage.

On my test project whenever I ran the gbXML file I kept receiving the following error message:

I googled what a DOE-2 error and found this:

 

The error is caused by a very tiny polygon that Revit is writing to the gbXML file. The vertices of the polygon have so many significant digits that they are being rounded off and the simulation engine (DOE-2) is reading them a duplicate vertices.

In plain English, somewhere in your model are very tiny surfaces or openings. These could be any number of things, such as ventilation openings, piping, etc.

You need to simplify your model and remove such tiny surfaces or openings. This will not cause a loss of simulation accuracy.

 

Which is great information... but doesn't help me any as I cant find the tiny surfaces or openings! I stripped out the model and I still couldn't run the gbXML file! I was at a point where I was going to edit the gbXML file and delete the erroneous data!

 

Until I realised I can use a solution I have used on other Revit projects where some objects are corrupt. Copy clip your model out to a new file. Basically select everything in a 3D view, copy to clipboard, open a new blank project and paste your model into it.

you'll have to re-create your spaces but that's easy and then export your gbXML file and your in business, the new gbXML file runs perfectly in GBS.

 

Excellent..... now whenever I run into this issue I have a solution...

I'm going to use this solution for every problem I have now.....

Burn my toast in the morning... copy clip and try again!

Shoes on the wrong feet! Copy clip and try again!

 

;-)

 

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Revit Warning - Warning, there are no Warnings!

One of my Power Users received this warning message from Revit the other day.

It's a little fuzzy but it says:
"Document doesn't contain any warnings related to these elements"

Hu!
So Revit is now warning me that there are no warnings!

Ya gotta love that! We had a good laugh at this...Until I got thinking....

Some day's I think Revit is maybe a little too smart for it's own good!
And this is the proof!

What's next?
A warning that Revit doesn't like the way the building is designed? Oh wait maybe Green Building Studio will do that!

Or maybe I'll start getting the warning "Maybe you shouldn't do that"... at which point I tell Revit to F#$% O%$ and do it yourself! Stoopid compooda!

Way too intalligint.

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Canadian Mixer at AU 2012

Cansel, who is a large Canadian Authorise Autodesk Reseller is hosting a "Canadian Mixer" event at Autodesk University this year (2012).

So here's a shout out to all the Canadians attending Autodesk University this year, your welcome to attend this Canadian Mixer at the Eyecandy Sound Lounge at the Mandalay Bay Casino Floor. between 9pm and 11pm on the 28th (Wednesday) of November.

I'll be there!
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Movember

So it's the middle of November and I have yet to Blog about Movember!

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives.

On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words, they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health. 
Dan in our office has one of the best Mo's I've seen yet.
 

You can support Dan in his quest to raise funds for Prostate Cancer by clicking on the link below and select the Dontate To Me link.

http://ca.movember.com/mospace/5453893

Let's see if we can raise Dan to Mo Jedi status!

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I blogged recently on "Working Smarter Not Harder" with an emphasis on "getting tooled up"!
http://bim4scottc.blogspot.ca/2012/10/work-smarter-not-harder.html

Have you ever noticed when a contractor pulls up to a work site he often had a number off tools at his disposal, quite often I see them pull up an enclosed trailer with all their equipment in it.

This stuff isn't cheap!... Would probably explain why they have a security system attached to the trailer. These guys don't mind spending $$ on purchasing tools that enable them to do a job faster, easier and better than the next guy.

When I was a kid I'd follow my dad around the work sites (he worked for a large home building company) and I remember the carpenters only using a handsaw and a hammer to pound nails! And I'm not THAT old!... No I didn't help Noah build the Ark!

Nowadays if you don't have the right tools at your disposal your not going to be as appealing to your potential clients. Yes I can build a house only using a hammer but it's far more efficient to use a Nail Gun, with the time saved, maybe I can build the Gazebo my wife wants!

So here are some suggestions on what software is available to you to add to your utility belt, much like having the right Lightsaber... or a number of Lightsabers, like General Grievous in the Clone Wars... but I digress....

• Get the Revit Extensions available from the subscription center.
• Download free software available on the Subscription center such as Impressions
• Download additional tools from Autodesk App Exchange
• Keep a folder of Websites that provide Revit family content
• Follow blogs, in particularly mine ;-). A wealth of knowledge from smart guys like What Revit Wants, The Revit Kid, Simply Complex, Between the lines and It is Alive in the Lab. 
• Access Autodesk 360 for Rendering, Green Building Studio
• Check out what's coming down the pipeline from Autodesk by signing up for Lab's.
• Check out what your Reseller can offer you, most resellers now offer add in tools to their clients. 

Most of these tools are free (if not all) or are available through Subscription.

Get tooled up!

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Cool new feature!

Here is an idea for a cool new feature for Revit...... actually it could be applicable for any application!

How about instead of the warning message you get when you do something wrong in Revit you get instant feedback through your mouse!

Brilliant!

A mild electric shock when you get a warning asking you "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Or a not so mild electrical shock for those errors you cant get around because you've don't it wrong!

A little jolt every time you try to get Revit to do something it dosent want to do will smarten you up in no time at all!

Shocking!

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Model Integrity Checklist

I have developed a Model Integrity document to be used throughout our offices.

 

This document contains a checklist protocols to maintain model integrity across all CEI offices.

This is a simple check list where the auditor can verify model content and process making sure that the Building Model is constructed in accordance with CEI standards and project requirements. Verifying Model Integrity periodically throughout the project reduces the risk of incorrect modeling causing misinformation and/or additional unnecessary work.

Validation of the model provides a guide for clarifying the model file for issue, the intention being that the recipients of the model know the file is fit for use and will not require additional work to fit within the project framework. Issues can then be tracked and resolved in a timely manner as they arise.

 

An Audit should be carried out periodically throughout a project to verify model content integrity by the Project BIM Captain as well as by the BIM Manager.

A copy of this audit is to be kept on file as well as sent to the BIM Manager upon completion.

 

It's a basic two page check list. Here's an sample of some of the items:

• Is the Message Board information completed
• Has True North and Project north been established and used correctly
• Is the CEI Standard Project Browser being used properly
• Complete spell check
• Is all text in upper case
• Delete unnecessary Reference planes
• Revisions, Site Instructions, C/O’s been completed according to CEI Standards
• Are Annotation styles consistent with CEI Standards
• Are Dimension styles consistent with CEI Standards
• Are Drafting Lines being used where the Linework Tool would be better
• Are Line styles consistent with CEI Standards
• Is the Level of Detail in the model appropriate for the scope of work
• Are objects on the Correct Workset

Some of these are pretty basic and common sense but it's always good to be able to check it off and know that its been done.

 

Integrity in Modeling...

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Recycled Bottle Wall

So here at CEI we like to be innovative... so when we took on a project for a local landfill facility had the opportunity to do something unique in the facilities management building we designed.

Robert Parlane who is the lead Architect on the project came up with an idea of using 500 ml plastic bottles Incorporated into a feature wall. This wall also features strip lighting built into the frame to light up the bottles which are filled with distilled water.

Here is a photo of the mock-up wall that Robert built himself.... apparently the staff here helped him out by drinking numerous bottles of Coke!

We had to model the wall in our Revit model so I developed a family for the bottle and then built the wall in Revit!

The Bottle Wall Family

The Bottle Family

The Wall as used in the project



Cool eh!
Cant wait to see it built in the building...

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Halloweenie

Every year I get a kick out of Halloween. 
Carving pumpkins and seeing the little kids who come to my door is always a blast.

I didn't experience Halloween till I moved to Canada as an adult. :-(
We didn't do Halloween in Australia when I was a kid but apparently it's caught on there now and kids now roam the streets knocking on doors looking for candy. Wouldn't be the same though as it wouldn't get dark till latter and it'll be hot! Weird!

Now my kids are too old (and too tall) to go Trick-or-Treating, I have to find other neighbour kids to go with! AND they wont share their candy with me! (it was a 60/40 split for my kids).

Anyway, I dressed up and so did some enthusiastic people in our office's.

One that caught my eye in particular it this one....

Who needs expensive AutoBAD programs when we have Etch-A-Sketch!

Creative colleagues!
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