3D Text - Another Way.....

A colleague where I work showed me this trick as he was creating signage for a car dealership that required a colour face with white sides. This process doesn't use the Model Text tool in Revit.

 Here's how it's done...

1: Import a JPEG image into AutoCAD and trace the outline of your text or logo. I used AutoCAD because I have access to it and I find it easier to sketch lines but you could do the same process in Revit.

2: Import in your Cad file into Revit and do a full Explode so you can access the linework.

 

Select all the lines and use the Cut to clipboard tool to save the lines on the clipboard.

3: Open a New Family Template based on the Generic Model Face Based file.

Paste from the clipboard your linework and move into position as required.

4: Start the Extrusion command and using the select linework sketch tool pick the linework you just pasted.

Set your depth on the options bar and then hit the green checkmark to complete the task.

Assign a material to your Sign, this is now the base of your new sign.

5: Go to a side view, select your Sign and create a copy (remembering to unconstrain) and change the depth of the copied sign (I chose 1/2").

Change the material of the copied sign and move to the top of the other one.
 
There you have it... Insert your sign as a component into your Revit Project and place your new sign on the wall of your building.

Roof Dormers Made Easy

There is a tool on the Openings panel under the Home Tab called Dormer.
I recently rediscovered this tool, it's a great tool for creating your dormer openings....

I use to just cut the opening by editing my roof sketch but this tool does it much better and easier....

It's easy to use, after you have created your dormer roof and walls on top of your main roof you can use this tool to cut the opening in the main roof.

Here is my building with a hip and shed dormers.

Here I have hidden the dormer roofs to show the main roof below.

Now to use this tool you first need to select the main roof (the one you want the hole in), then Revit will ask you to pick Roof/Wall edges....

This is not as easy as it seems!!!

I prefer to work in a 3D view so I can easily select the objects I need too.

Pick your dormer walls (three of them). then pick the dormer roof (doesn't have to be an edge you just have to pick the dormer roof itself).

Revit will draw sketch lines  representing the outline of the opening within the main roof.  Note: you don't have to clean up these sketch lines, you can leave them untidy.

Hit the Green check mark and your done!!!

You Should now have an opening in your main roof similar to this (I hid the roof):

Object Visibility Keyboard Shortcut

A colleague showed me a quick way to change the visibility of your model objects. Thanks Adam ;-)

After selecting an object (in this example I selected the trellis) type "EOH"

You'll see the selected object will change to Halftone to change it back to Fulltone just select the object again (the trellis) and once again type "EOH"

If you select your desired object and type "VOH" it will Halftone the entire category.

Here I selected the Garage doors and typed "VOH" and as you can see it changed all my doors (the door category) to Halftone. Select and type "VOH" to bring back to Fulltone.

Unloading Revit Add-In's

So I'm having some issues with the new Room Renumbering tool and as part of the debugging process I had to unload all the other Revit Add-in tools that I have....

Lance Coffey from Autodesk Technical support directed me to the Revit Clinic Blog on how to unload and Revit Add-in tools you may have.

Here is the link to that blog:
http://revitclinic.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/05/disable-addins-for-revit-2011-products.html

Here are the basic steps on how to unload your Add-in tools.... handy to know...

Fill in the blank #### depending on what year version you are using, ie: If your using Revit 2012 input 2012 where I have shown ####

Firstly Close Revit. Yes I know it sounds stoopid but you'll be surprised how many times I have tried to monkey around with the program while I have it open.....

Then llocate the following folder:
for windows Vista and windows 7: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\####

For Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\REVIT\Addins\####

Move the add-in files from the folder above to another location. I created a folder in my add in folder called temp files and dumped the add-in files into that using the cut function.

Start Revit and your add-ins will be disabled.
When testing is complete move the add-in files back into the original folder.

Brilliant !!!!

MakerBot

Ok, I'm back from a hectic Christmas break and I'll get back to blogging real soon.
I found this on Shaan Hurleys blog Between the lines: http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/

Apparently he got a MakerBot 3D printer.
Looks like a lot of fun....Now how to I convince my Wife I need one???
check it out...
http://www.makerbot.com/

Xmas Break

Hi All,

Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for reading my blog, I do enjoy writing them and I hope you get something out of them. I'm always open for topic suggestions so feel free to contact me.

I'll be taking a break from blogging over the Xmas and New Years break.
Early next year I'll start blogging about some of the new things I learned while attending Autodesk University 2011.

Take care and have a enjoyable Holiday Season (or whatever festive event you attend this time of year).

:-)

Scott C...

Check this out!
http://thedogpaddler.com/EmailPages/SixWhiteBoomers/SixWhiteBoomers.htm

Designing a Roof

Modeling a Roof in Revit is one task that I get the most questions on.

Typically when we use the design tools in Revit we expect to use the one tool to accomplish the task, ie: wall tool to create walls, floor tool to create floors etc... We place objects or use the sketch tool.

When creating a Revit Roof we have multiple option available to us.

Roof by footprint: allows us to sketch the outline of the roof.

Roof by Extrusion: sketching a profile and extruding this profile.

Roof by Face: Creating a Mass and converting a face of the mass to a roof element.

What I typically find is that when we are creating the roof we are relying on one of these tools to create the desired roof when typically we need to use multiple tools or even multiple roofs to create the desired effect.

Don't limit yourself by only using one tool when you can use multiple tools.

You can always use the Join Geometry tool or the Join Roof tool to connect your roof's together.