BIM Interoperability - Part I

In this post we will focus on taking a simple "Building Information Model" from one software package into another. For this example we will focus on two that most people are having trouble working between; Revit Building and Architectural Desktop (ADT), in a later post we will be working with other file formats and software.

Before we jump into creating geometry we need to review a new file type that you may/not have heard about; IFC. IFC stands for Industry Foundation Classes and is a file format not created by any CAD/BIM vendor (ex. Autodesk, Graphisoft, Bentley, SketchUp, etc...) but instead is a vendor neutral format. Who is responsible for the development of the IFC? Good question, the IFC's were created by the IAI (International Alliance for Interoperability) with the goal of creating a way to exchange BIM type of data. More about the IAI mission can be found here: http://www.iai-na.org/about/mission.php

So what does this mean for those using BIM platforms? Another good question, let's start with a real scenario in which one firm who specializes in design and another that specializes in taking this data through to construction documents. This is becoming more common place as firms and companies specialize in certain niche markets. So Design Company A begins the design of a project using Revit Building. As they reach the submittal date for their portion of the project to be delivered to CD Company B who is using Architectural Desktop.

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Disclaimer: Before you begin to rant and tell me how this would not happen and that company B should go ahead and use Revit to complete the project or that company A should have started this in ADT, spend a few months doing BIM consulting with large and small companies across the country and you see things in a whole new light. To clarify both Revit and ADT can create production documentation from start to finish on their own, this scenario is for those who need to blend these together.
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At this point Company B has a compressed time schedule ahead of them to finish the CD set of documents. Design Company A has given them the Revit model, exported .dwg files of each sheet (including xrefs, etc...) and a hardcopy set of files. They need to start working, when you export Revit data to .dwg it is exported as simple AutoCAD geometry (lines, arcs, circles, blocks, etc...). CD Company B needs to get started right away, should they just start tracing/converting the cad geometry already provided using AEC objects?

Another approach may be to utilize IFC's. In Revit Building this can be accomplished by exporting to IFC (Ex. File>>Export>>IFC...). When exporting from Revit Building 8.1 it uses the IFC 2x2 format.

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At the time of this post (Feb. 2006) the IFC format for IFC 2x Edition 3 (2x3) was just released.
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From the ADT side we then need to import the IFC file. Architectural Desktop does not currently have a way built-in to import/export IFC files. To accomplish this we can use a plug-in from Inopso GmbH that will allow use to import/export IFC 2x and 2x2 format. This does have a cost associated with it and only runs on a single computer per license, but it will bring in the exported file as AEC objects.

As it stands now this method is not 100% seamless and there is some clean-up that is still needed. In the next post we will be looking at examples of this process and providing a few files for you to play with.

BIM Interoperability - Introduction

When working with any of the BIM type technology (ADT, ABS, Revit Building, Revit Structure, etc...) one of the most often asked questions that comes up is, how will this technology work when exchanging data with others? This single question is an important one, the more intelligent models we have, the more important that data becomes to everyone involved in the project. From early feasibility studies to conceptual design, construction documentation, fabrication, post construction and onto facilities management this data is used in various ways by a large number of people and groups.

In the past we have dumbed down our data to support an exchange of information. A simple example of this would be saving a file as a .dxf file. In more recent times you may have taken an ADT or Revit model and exported this to AutoCAD. The moment we save the file down to another format is the point in time where we break the intelligence of that data and begin to lose some of the greatest strengths presented by the BIM concept.

Have you or your firm ever partnered with another group on a project where one group starts the design and the other completes the cd work? Have you ever used different software packages on a project? Ever used different software packages internally at your office? Between different office locations? Between different companies?

Anyone starting to see a problem with the "collaboration" process?

If you answered yes to any of the items above then the posts over the next week are for you. I will be sharing some of the workflows, technologies and vendor neutral options that are available to help bridge this "collaboration gap".

Revit Building - Schedule Keys 101

For Revit Building users a very useful tool, but often overlooked by those just getting started, is the use of schedule keys. When used this can help to automatically populate fields within your schedule, rather than manually entering these values line by line.

Here is a video example showing how this can be used.

happy BIM'ing...

Intel based Mac, dual boot windows?

Microsoft and Apple ink a 5-year software deal, more here. This opens up a few possibilities for those who like the apple style, but rely on windows based software.

Autodesk 3ds Max 8 Service Pack 1

Autodesk 3ds Max 8 Service Pack 1 includes a number of fixes for Autodesk 3ds Max 8 across several functional areas, including Biped, Batch Render, Hair, Material Editor, Maxscript, Script Controller, SDK, Snaps, UV Unwrap and mental ray.

The readme and installation file can be found here.

happy rendering...

Web Based Applications - Collaboration

I am not talking about Buzzsaw, believe it or not there is a whole technology world out there beyond cad and BIM. :) No, I am talking about a new software beta called Writely, that allows you to edit and publish documents online, privately or through a collaboration with multiple people and can be posted to the internet or blog quite easily.

I have been testing this for a short period of time and immediately took to using it a bit more heavily after a MS Word crash (be wary of updates, still tracking this one down) and immediately started using this to work on a multiple authored document in real-time. Though the software is not without a few minor issues (under dev) it is shaping up to be a great piece of software. What do I like about it? For starters I access it directly through Firefox (though IE would work equally as well) and the speed is beyond what I expected. The second thing is that the document is saved automatically for you as you work, though there is the option of selecting the save button if it makes you feel better. :)

In the Writely About Us section they refer to being called a "web word processor" and a "wiki with permissions" I will be calling it useful and think there is hope yet for additional web based applications. Give it a try, all you need is an e-mail address to get started and let the Writely team know your likes/dislikes.

By the way this post was done entirely from within the Writely interface, including posting directly to the blog. :)

History Of Revit - Wiki

Are you are curious about the history of Revit? Wondering about the release timeline, why the name Revit, what other names were candidates and more?

If so then you may find the recent contributions of users to the Triple D Design Wiki a good place to grab a coffee and do some reading. Of course if you would like to edit and add some additional material feel free.

happy editing...

Take a break, are you an Einstein?

Sometime you need to take a break from work and with a little extra time on my hands during this vacation week I ran across the following 19th century riddle from Albert Einstein:

Are you in the top 2% of intelligent people in the world? Solve the riddle below to find out.

There are no tricks, just pure logic, so good luck and don't give up.

1. In a street there are five houses, painted five different colours.
2. In each house lives a person of different nationality
3. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

The question for you to resolve: Who owns the fish?

Hints
1. The Brit lives in a red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The Green house is on the left of the White house.
5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The man living in the centre house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who drinks water.

Albert Einstein said that 98% of the world population would not be able to solve it. Answer here.

Wiki Upgrade

The Triple D Design Wiki has gone through an upgrade (to version 1.5.4). All data has been successfully migrated and the site is fully operational.

With this upgrade has come two changes:

1. Site change notification - The wiki is located in a folder on the Triple D Design server, but we have always used a sub-domain pointer to make the site easier to find. With this upgrade we will be pointing to the real folder on the network and no longer to the sub-domain. This will allow for future upgrades to be much easier. Please update your bookmarks to http://www.tripleddesign.com/wiki.

2. Spam fighting - Over the past 2 months the amount of spam we have been getting (non-related spam links posted on the site) has increased to a point where it was taking away from content development and forcing us to rollback these changes. For now we are requiring a user to login to be able to have full access to the site, a login is FREE. Once logged in you have full access to the wiki. Long term we are looking to relax these permissions to allow everyone, including anonymous users, access to the site.

With these changes we can now focus on expanding the content and growing the site. We are also looking to expand beyond Architectural Desktop and Revit Building to add other software products to the list. If you are a Revit Structure user please drop us an e-mail to let us know if you are interested in participating in Phase III of the wiki.

Please take a moment to spread the word about the wiki changes, update your bookmarks and share some of your own knowledge, to make this community resource even better, one edit at the time. :)

happy collaboration...

Systems Blog

My friend Shack has now joined the blogging world with not one, but two new blogs:

http://cadshack.blogspot.com/ - Focused on Autodesk Building Systems, AutoCAD, and Revit Systems when available.

http://lazydrafter.blogspot.com/ - How to grow technically and professional for the lazy drafter .

Welcome to the blogging world Shack!

DWG and Google Earth

By now I am sure most of you have seen/tried Google Earth. If not, the idea behind Google Earth is simple: it’s a globe that sits inside your computer. You point and zoom to any place on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop.

If you are using Autodesk AutoCAD based software (AutoCAD, ADT, ABS) to create 3D designs digitally you can now take this to the next level and place these within Google Earth using ExtractKML from the Avatech Solutions DEV team.

How does it work? Here is a step-by-step rundown:

1. Simplify your model down to 3D faces by exploding and binding/inserting references.
2. Run the add-in.
3. Determine the location on the Earth to place your model (based on latitude/longitude – imported, if you wish, from a Google Earth placemark).
4. Determine the orientation direction for your model (by a second placemark or compass heading).
5. The add-in generates a KML file, which can be viewed inside of Google Earth.
   

I have been using this for a while and taking my own ADT and exported Revit models and placing/sharing them with other Google Earth users. If you create something unique drop me an e-mail with the KML file to import and view. :)

Autodesk University - Wrap Up

As most of you know Autodesk University was last week and all I can say in retrospect is simply; WOW!

Each year offers more and more, despite a few snafus and issues with event staff and transportation, this AU was a great event. From early mornings to late nights it was great to spend time with so many great and knowledgable users. Next year will continue to offer even more so start making plans for AU 2006 at the Venetian Resort Hotel in Las Vegas for November 28 - December 1, 2006.

AEC Dimensions and Grids

When working with structural grids, differentiating between the grid line itself and other geometry within the drawing through different linetypes is done to make the drawings easier to read. Using the default OOTB setup the grid extension lines use the following linetype: CENTER2

I am sure most, if not all, of you are aware of the AEC dimensions and how simple this can be to dimension your grid lines. When using the default setup within ADT the AEC dimension lines get drawn on top of your grid extension lines. In the image below you will find two AEC dimensions; one displaying with the dimensions covering the grid extension line, the other displaying without the dimension extension:











(Click image above for larger image preview)


One method to address this issue is to modify the AutoCAD dimension style that the AEC Dimension style references, or a simpler way is to just modify the AEC Dimension Style and give this an override. The following streaming video example will show you how to accomplish this.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow has time been flying by... Thanksgiving this year was great, but came and went all too soon and I am still feeling full. :) Like many of you we are getting ready to head off for Autodesk University in Orlando, FL in a few short hours.

This year looks to be great with over 5,000 people in attendance and at last count I heard 399 classes and lots of great planned fun. Stop by at the conference to say hello and we are looking forward to seeing you there.

We will be blogging live, posting pictures and maybe a few video clips during this years AU for those who are unable to attend that will give you a small idea of items you are missing.

happy traveling...

Tampa - ADT & Revit AUGI Class

AUGI has done it again... bringing you another great opportunity for learning and networking called the cad matinee. For those in the Tampa area you will find the following building design and construction classes offered on November 01, 2005:

Autodesk Revit 8
Creating Custom Wall Components
Walls are more than parallel lines. When you work in Revit, you’re actually creating a 3D model of your building using Revit components. Although Revit comes with a number of pre-designed walls, what do you do when you need something new? This class will explain how to modify existing wall components and create your own custom walls, including combinations of materials such as brick, masonry, and siding. We’ll also look at compound walls, reveals, and sweeps. It’s a lot easier than you might think.


Autodesk Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems
Project and Data Management Made Easy
In today’s world of building design and construction we are continuously hearing the words data management, document management, drawing management and even building lifecycle management. The question is how this applies to the everyday use of CAD. In the past this was simply done by the use of subdirectories and file-naming conventions. Today Autodesk has embedded tools into Autodesk Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems that manage this for you. In this session we will cover Building Level Management, Constructs, Elements, Views and Sheet Sets in the Project Navigator. Now you can manage your data with a new level of control.

There are also two great AutoCAD and Civil 3D classes that will be offered for those interested!

Hope to see you there,
b

Recharging

The past few weeks have been full of many fun travels with the chance to meet and work with many great BIM and visualization users from Pennsylvania, Vegas, St. Louis and more...

With all that and more the past week was a chance to take a short vacation and recharge. We headed to upstate New York (near the canadian border) and spent some time with friends and family. Great trip but way too short, the topper was the final night it snowed 12".

Now back to your regularly scheduled blog postings... oh and 3 new pet projects are inline to start debuting within the next month. If you missed the most recent pet project debut (project wiki) it has been taking off with the help of many users like you, one edit at the time!

your refreshed neighborhood blogman,
b

Revit Building - Wiki Phase II now live

The Triple D Design Wiki is continuing to grow and develop thanks to the participation of users like you, one edit at the time. With that growth it is my pleasure to announce that the phase II project, or Revit Building, is now live and active. The Revit Building section can be found here or follow the link from the main page of the wiki.

Many thanks to my buddy Steve Stafford for helping get the timeline for this phase moved up, and to the many others who have offered their support, edits and knowledge. With this section of the site now live and active we are looking forward to the continued growth and evolution of the site and pages.

For those out there who have not yet participated in the site it is a unique experience in that you can edit the content when a change needs to occur (new release, feature set changes/additions, better explanation, etc...). For more information on how to get started you may find this getting started post helpful.

Stay tuned for more and happy editing...

ADT - Applying Materials

When migrating older legacy styles and drawings forward, one of the more time consuming tasks is dealing with any program changes and/or new features. A good example of this would be migrating an existing wall style library from ADT 3.3 and lower to ADT 2006.

One of the best improvements for walls was the addition of materials to ADT 2004, giving us more "global" display control over the linework, plan, surface and section hatch as well as the sectioned body and boundary control. Unfortunately you may find that updating your existing library by going through each wall style and adding/editing the material definition to be time consuming. The good news is you can use the "Apply Material" tool to apply a particular material at the style level or object level quickly and easily.

You will find this tool on the Design tab of the tool palettes in ADT 2006, called "Material". To get a better idea of how this works, you may wish to review the Applying Materials video example.

happy BIM'ing...

Triple D Design Wiki - Getting Started

This past week has brought about some good comments and feedback from numerous users who are embracing the idea of the Triple D Design Wiki. Here is a short video clip explaining how to get started.

The premise is quite simple, if you find a section you either wish to add/edit for further clarification all you need to do is select the edit button right next to the page sub-section. After adding/editing your text, add a small summary and choose the save option. Instantly your changes will be shown on the page.

If you have been troubled by the help files in the past or just wanted to participate in a unique community resource this is your chance. Why do I like this? Good question I will give you a three simple answers (ok #3 has multiple sub-items but I could not stop there):

1. No knowledge of HTML needed for anyone to work with the site.
2. Simplicity of the interface, if you need to edit a section choose the edit link.
3. It is different than other resources out there, in that you get a true "living document" as a community resource.

• E-mail is a form of communication from person to person. While good it does not reach everyone and can be hard to search and way too easy to delete.
• A mailing list is a form of communication from one person to a group, but like the e-mail issues there a few unfortunate drawbacks.
• Discussion forums are a form of communication from one person giving another person a chance to respond. While this is great in that the search feature can help find information, there is a lot of extra "junk" that one must wade through.

Over the past two years I have used the wiki engine in a number of ways; from personal and project related notes to cad manuals and more. This truly is a living document, spend a few moments running through the site to expand your knowledge and if you find a section that peaks your interest or particular skill set, take a moment to give back and help to make this community resource even better.

Phase II - Revit Building will be released within the next week, thanks to all those who have sent e-mails offering support and especially to Steve Stafford for helping to get the shell outlined and setup (not to mention moving the launch date up). :)

happy editing...

Autodesk Maya???

The rumors are true, Autodesk to aquire Alias for $182 million in cash.

Press Release: http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/Autodesk_Alias_Press_Release.pdf

Fact Sheet: http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/Autodesk_Alias_Fact_Sheet.pdf

General FAQ: http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/Autodesk_Alias_External_FAQ.pdf

Courtesy of Shaan

happy rendering...