C3 Consulting Solutions Newsletter - May 2009
In this issue:
Revit Architecture 2010 new features
- Conceptual Design Tools (previous issue)
- User Interface (previous issue)
- Performance and Interoperability
- Less well-published items
This month we continue our look at Revit Architecture 2010's new features, beyond the User Interface and Conceptual Modelling tools.
We shed some light on some of the features NOT included (that you may have been hanging out for), and what querks you'll have to get used to until subsequent releases.
UI (continued): Graphic Improvements
- Image: Halftone/Underlay graphics dialog
Elements displaying as halftone can now be printed as Thin Lines (via Print dialog). This is great for anyone with a crappy or toner-half-empty printer!
Users now have improved control over the display of halftone and underlay graphics (via Manage Tab->Settings). While only cosmetic and seemingly insignificant, rest assured that many users will really appreciate this new feature.
- Images above and below: relationships between parametric dimensions can now be displayed visually
Gradient backgrounds can now be applied to 3D views (via view’s Graphic Display options). This allows for three different settings: Sky, Horizon and Ground colours respectively. Each colour merges into the next, so the resulting background is abstract at best.
3D views can have edges display anti-aliased (via Options->Graphics), resulting in smoother, easier to read images.
Colour schemes can be applied to selection (via Options->Graphics Tab). Separate colours can be assigned to objects during Selection, Highlight or Alert. The default colour for selected objects used to be red, but is now a pale blue. This may cause some confusion to users migrating from earlier releases.
As mentioned earlier, the UI has two separate colour schemes (not unlike 'skins' in other products). There remain some readability issues with the default 'dark' scheme - the 'light' option is often preferred.
Revit 2010 product suite now includes DirectX 3D® Hardware Acceleration (compared to OpenGL from previous releases). As before, however, if by activating it, your visual performance suffers, it is recommended to disable hardware acceleration.
Control of parameters (particularly in families) has been improved. In past releases, once a parameter had been assigned to a model, you could only edit that parameter's value through the type dialog. Now, you can edit elements visually, and the affected parameters will adjust accordingly.
Live values and underlying parametric formulas are displayed within the label drop-down box, helping users to understand the relationships between parameters where applicable. Moreover, it's now possible to select a labelled dimension and highlight related dimensions.
Locking labelled dimensions is now possible, presumably as a corrective or preventative measure given that they can now be manipulated by moving or adjusting the elements in the drawing area. So far, this appears to apply only to the Conceptual Mass family - not all categories.
UI: Resources
- Image: The migration guide "Where is my command?"
- Image: The UI Overview
The program's help menu includes some great resources for getting accustomed to the new interface. A key one is the Migration Guide, which assists users to understand by answering the inevitable question: "Where Is My Command?".
The UI (User Interface) Overview is also good for those migrating to the 2010 line of Revit products. It helps explain some of the new features and terminology.
In addition to the documentation provided with the software, below are some additional resources that may prove helpful.
Performance and Interoperability
There are numerous API enhancements which won't all be listed here. Some notable enhancements are, however:
- Changes for working with the new User Interface (so developers can integrate their applications within it)
- The new Family Creation API permits programmatic ability to create and modify contents of Revit families
- New Events
- API changes for working with the new Conceptual Massing tools
Revit now uses the Microsoft .NET framework version 3.5.
- Image: Export to ADSK file format for Civil 3D
Export to Civil 3D
The interoperability between Revit applications and Autodesk's flagship civil product, AutoCAD Civil 3D, has been improved. Previously files could be transferred in DWG format, resulting in loss of various data. Now, files can be exported from Revit via a new ADSK (or an ADPK) format, which includes the site data and some basic entity data about the buiding envelope. Workflow with Civil Designers should be easier as a result.
Historically, the 'origin' (as some might call it) has been an invisible (and somewhat elusive) thing. Importing DWG files in particular ways with entities at 0,0 coordinate etc. were one workaround for visually indicating a base point within Revit. The need to reconcile between a Project Base point and one more global or absolute, such as a Survey point (or 'datum') have caused some confusion in past releases. While the issue in resolving coordinates remains, it is now much easier to see and understand how the two relate, as they can be visually represented by two Site subcategories.
- Image: example Inventor content
Import from Autodesk Inventor
The future of content within Revit may be set for radical change given that there is now an established workflow for using content from Autodesk Inventor (an industrial design package), which is much better geared for manufacturing industry. This makes use of the new Autodesk Exchange (ADSK) file format.
- Image: see your analytical model prior to export to gbXML
gbXML Improvements
The gbXML export procedure has been improved, allowing better visual checking of geometry prior to export. The quality of the model analysis depends entirely on the information used to comprise the analytical model.
- Image: Default path for user files
- Image: Opening files as Local files
Worksharing Enhancements
There are some changes to Worksharing that are welcome, despite some unfortunate limitations. Firstly, you can open a central file as a local file. Revit will automatically duplicate the central file into the default path for user files (as per Options->File Locations). This eliminates any need for users to be responsible for manually creating a local file from the central file (Autodesk's official policy recommends opening the central file, then using 'Save As' to create the local file). When a new local file is created using this new feature, the local file name is automatically set to match the name of the central file, but appended with a dash (hyphen), then username. This is more or less standard practice in many firms anyhow.
One of the limitations with 'Open as Local' (via a checkbox on the open file dialog) is that the local files are created ONLY in the default location. While it is normal for this default location to be on the local machine's hard drive, there is no simple way to allow local files to be created in different (sub-)directories for each project. This would make for cleaner file 'housekeeping', and more flexibility for larger projects where multiple central files may be used.
Importantly, one frustrating scenario is now solved. For those times you've opened a local file and looked around the file, maybe printed a sheet or two, only to be asked if you want to save changes, help is at hand! There is now the opportunity to 'Discard and Relinquish'. Previously, one would have to close the file without saving, then open it again in order to relinquish borrowed items. Where this would occur with large files, the open times would make this particularly frustrating for users. So, for all your not-yet-trained managers who like to 'fiddle' around and feel like they're up-to-speed on the tech stuff, make sure you tell them about 'Discard and Relinquish'!
Items less well published...
- Is the Type Properties dialog preview pane the reason we can't resize it?
The Instance Properties dialog is now resizable, but not Type Properties. At first this seems highly illogical, and without reason. However, when one looks a little closer, the reason could be that the type properties dialog supports previews for family types (and did so in 2009 version).
Many users have mistaken the drawing list for a drawing transmittal. In fact, the two are different. Attempts to create drawing transmittals in Revit are essentially futile. However, a sheet's current revision can be added to a drawing list. In this way, the latest revision of each drawing is known at any point in time. It's the history of revisions that you can't add (easily).
- Image: Slope tool used to indicate roof falls
- Image: Beware edges vs. faces!
Filters can now be created to use the Function parameter, as applied to Stairs, Walls, Floors, Ramps and Doors - useful for differentiating internal vs. external elements in elevations and sections.
In addition to Spot Levels, we can now apply Spot Slopes, where the gradient of a slope can be indicated - as either degrees, percent, ratio or fraction. Angles can be displayed using a triangle in sections and elevations. TIP: use the tab key where necessary to detect the slope from the right element (as in the image far right).
- Image: Right-mouse-click on the steering wheel to align a 3D view to another view
View Alignment
Due to the removal of the pull-down menus, some commands are more limited. Now, if you wish to align a 3D view to match another, you must right-click on the Viewcube.
To align to a reference plane, you must right-click on the Steering Wheel. If you're not keen on, or used to these tools, you'll have to learn.
Some users have tried to overcome the absence of older methods to issue commands by using or re-assigning keyboard shortcuts. Unfortunately, some popular shortcuts cannot be assigned, such as accessing the Element or Type Properties dialogs and the view alignment tools (for preset views).
- Image: frequently-needed drop-downs can be added to the QAT
QAT customisation
The QAT can host the workset drop-down, design option selection and type selector, but there is still much room for improvement.
New Names
Some things have been renamed or re-labelled. For example:
- What used to be 'Advanced Model Graphics' is now 'Graphics Display Options'
- There is no longer any such thing (or, more accurately, a command) as a 'Host Sweep'. Instead, you'll find each Host sweep category contextually located on the ribbon:
- Slab edge is found with the floor tool
- Fascias and gutters with the roof tool
- Wall sweep and reveal with the wall tool
- Extend is now its own tool, as opposed to being 'modes' of the trim tool
Well, that's it for this edition. If you find other little gems that you'd like to share, please feel free to let us know.
In the next edition of INFOCUS, we'll take a look at BIMreview, an application designed to help monitor and report compliance of a Building Information Model to predefined standards or checks.
Stay tuned!
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