Wednesday 27 February 2013

Not your Fathers Autodesk !!

Not your Fathers Autodesk, That's for Bl@@%y sure!

Autodesk is going through some "Re-Branding" and have released their new logo. 
Their logo fits in well with how they are promoting themselves as an evolving business.



Chris Bradshaw, the Senior Vice President and Cheif Marketing Officer for Autodesk recently wrote in "In the Fold" about Autodesks new logo and the direction the company is taking in the not only in the AEC industry but also in the Animation industry and the Cloud, etc...

"This is just the beginning of the new Autodesk, and we’re excited to have you along for the ride" Chris Bradshaw.

It's certainly an exciting time to be involved in the AEC industry and using Autodesk software...

Sc

Tuesday 26 February 2013

How to use the Copy Monitor Tool


How to use the Copy Monitor Tool


 On the Collaborate tab you’ll find the Coordinate panel where the copy monitor tools reside.

We start with the Copy Monitor tool.
From the drop down you can select either Use Current Project or Select Link.

The Current Project tool allows you to copy and monitor objects within your project. You would use this when multiple people are working within the one project.

The Select Link tool allows you to select objects from a linked file and either copy the objects into your project and monitor them or monitor existing project objects compared to objects in the linked file…

Here’s an example:
We have Structural Column placement from our Structural Engineer.
   Structural Column Layout                                         

The Structural file is linked into our Architectural Model. My Architectural Model has Grids and Architectural Columns Wrapping the Structural members.
Pick the Structural Link using the Select Link tool, and then select the Copy tool and then select the Structural grids and Columns (check Multiple).

After selection the objects you want to copy monitor select the Finish on the Option bar.

You can also modify the Copy/Monitor Options and specify the settings for the type of elements.

When you have finished selecting elements to copy into your project click the big green Finish check mark.

These elements are now part of your project and you can manipulate them as required.
The original element remains in the linked file but is watched within your project.

Here I have changed the linked structural columns to Red so we can see the difference. I have moved the copied column to the left.

Some elements such as openings and door and window openings are automatically copied with their associated elements.

So… now if I open my structural file and move the column and grid element, save the file and refresh the link Revit recognizes that some elements have moved and will give me a Warning. Select Ok.



Now that we know that objects have changed we now need to run Coordination Review selecting the linked file.


This will open up a Coordination Review dialog box.
You can Group the information in a variety of combinations of: Status, Category and Rule. If you can’t see anything in the list check each group type.

Also here, under Actions, you can specify how the copied element will be treated: Postpone, Reject, Accept difference or Rename/Move/Modify…(basically, move to new location).


  You can also select the element and click the Show button which will highlight the changed object in your project. You can also generate a HTML report if so required.

Sc.