Oh Yes He Did!!! Can You Say Revit and Rhino on your IPhone???

Click the image, as usual!!!

Take that dumb-phone users!!!
I was sitting in on the New York Revit Users Group meeting today (isn't technology great...I never left LA)... and there was one item especially interesting: (This would be the time to click the picture above)... Its an IPhone App to view Revit & Rhino models... I heard talk of this at AU this past December (from other people) and it seems they were beaten to the punch!!!

Ian Keough from Buro Happold Consulting presented this at the fore-mentioned NYC-RUG. Thanks to our worldwide community and technology we can share ideas in a truly global way!; thanks for inviting me James!!!

The Man-Cave Killer... I can Hardly Wait!!!

OMFG: BIM will be (more) fun when we all get one of these!!!

I am usually willing to go on and on about a given subject but for this I will simply give you the headline and the link. Until I see one of these in (virtual) person I will hold the gushing (which will be extraordinary, I think!!!)...

Virtual looks and feels almost real

Photo: Shawwn Rocco - srocco@news observer.com

Hey POV RAY Boy: Still Funny After All These Years

This is funny Blender Boy... No need to say much more. My favorite line may be: We'll be OK we're on contract...

Save(As): your Family Size

Click the Image for more from NASA today.

First things first: If you want to make Families (in Revit) do not forget to remove all unnecessary items from every Family File created; Purge, etc. before publishing to the World, Office or Project.

No Groups!!! (This works well in Human Families too... we are all individuals ;-))... OK, onto the rest...

While bouncing around AUGI (yeah I know) I found a discussion string recalling Family File sizes and ways to reduce them. RIGHT HERE!!! there are several good tips and the usual differing viewpoints.

One thing for sure: there are ways to keep the Family Sizes to where they want/need to be for any file (and that's as small as possible). Andekan has a good blog post so HERE IS THEIR LINK too.

So, Content Team; do we need to go through all of our new libraries and do this? I hope we have a tool for that!!!

BTW: the link with the "Eagle" photograph above? Well, did that have any unnecessary weight? Plus I like the image.

Access Denied: The 2 Mile Denial

Click the image then Goto GapingVoid.com for more cartoons; © Hugh MacLeod

Until the Developement team makes Revit correctly accept large enough files we will need to deal with its 2 mile limitation.

Now while it is sometimes true that Bad CAD is the culprit, if we could use Revit for all the purposes we require... to digress I recall that it was (or is) said that Revit was/is 'purpose built' for Architects; Well if that's true I guess we should stop doing Urban Planning projects since many are much more that 2 miles!!!

-anyhow, back to the point of this re-re-posting.

If you run into the 2 mile limits here are a couple of ways to deal with them... Best bet is to fix Revit but until that happens (if ever) the Bad CAD repairs seem to be the way out but really IMO either will do... you decide.

An unknowing Thank You goes out to AUGI members tonyisenhoff and phyllisr at/from EUA for providing the posting: V10I01 Revit Distance Restrictions

Thanks (again) to our Blog-o-verse friend Dave Baldacchino for his take: Getting around the 2 mile limitation when linking a CAD file

Now all that is left is to have Revit eradicate this limitation and we could finally throw these posts and workarounds away...

P.S. Revit; I still love you.

Save Your Space

Yes, The image is linked to the download page :-)

Spacesaver(s) for sure!!!

Come On Baby Lighter Fire: Living and (being) inspired by the underground

The case of Olivier Kosta-Théfaine... and his lighter!!! (well, his creativity also)...

Click The Image for more!!!

I am always inspired by individual Artistic expressions and this is great. Olivier takes something that many of us have done to a more limited extent (and perhaps under some external influences) and raised it to a valid option for many Design possibilities.; high end included.

Enjoy the linked article and images!!!

Sometimes we need to revisit the basics...

This is for the users who have used Revit for a while and still ask where to find content. I will refrain from all of the editorialization and just say: "use the 'Google Machine'!!!" plus check back in on the sites you find/ & like from time to time... the World is always changing; remember???

Click (the image) and SEEK.

That all said: I am writing a new comparative article encompassing the past 30 to 30,000 years of AEC technology and of course with my unique structure and twisted (yet helpful?) viewpoint(s)... it will either be posted here or published (print and/or web) sometime in early February...

BTW: This is my excuse for not posting a lot lately!!!

Get Strong!!!

Simpson Strong Ties anyone?
Simply click the image!!!


Happy Everything!!!

Did you AU

Troy Gates clued us into that AU Video, via his Twitter postings and I spotted a glimpse of a Gensler model in it... A 632 Meter building!!! More can be found by clicking HERE, for the World Architecture News.com article (Look for more photos there as well)...

And if you need more AU (and we all do; don't we?)... Autodesk University's YouTube presence can be found RIGHT HERE!!!

View Ranges Explained

Thanks to Paul Aubin for creating this tutorial and posting it free, about a month ago, it's quite thorough and clear. It's from his Mastering RAC 2010 DVD (See the image link)...
I would add one bitty thing necessary in my opinion: Plan Regions... I sent him the following comment:

"...Great video, nice and clear/thorough but I have a comment/clarification... you said that "the only way" to get the specialty equipment to show up was to raise the cut plane... Slightly misleading & not so... As you know one can use a plan region, to get specific objects to show up distinctly from the overall view range..."

Nit-Picky I know; and since I haven't seen the whole DVD series perhaps he covers those elsewhere; I just thought they should have been mentioned at that time as well... BUT, as I said this is a great tutorial for Reviteurs of all ages...

Why Subscribe? Because it's got advantages!!!

As we have discussed previously (HERE) you will want to again check ADSK Subscription... If, in fact, you subscribe that is. Below are embedded videos from ADSK illustrating the additions.

Advantage Revit!!!


And two more...


Thanks ADSK

Los Angeles to Chicago A new way to fly

At least a new way to design... is coming. The only question may be: When will it hit our desks, not just Autodesks'?

Autodesk Project Chicago - LEEDs Visualization Tool from Tom Wujec on Vimeo.

Trick? Revit into Saving To New File...

So in this post: Save To New File... we spoke about getting views out to new files, from the right click... There seems to be a what appears like a trick to fake Revit out when that choice is unavailable (greyed out): While it seems more like the views that have this availability are related to Drafting (and schedule) items...

By simply placing a Detail Line in an RCP or Plan one can (magically) save out views (the choice becomes available)... It actually works quite nicely, even though it's baffling... AKA: status quo for Revit... :-).

Don't forget to delete the Detail object(s), once finished saving the view(s) out as new files!!!

Save to New File...

I got this question from a colleague and thought it appropriate to post my reply herein...

Q
Does anyone know why the "Save to New File..." sometime greys out? It has stumped us.
A
Because this is how Revit is designed… :-(
RCP, Plan, 3D, Section, Elevation views are project specific and based on internal levels or housed in other system/project specific views.

Some, but not all views can be saved as (or transferred to) external project files; the ones not specific to built in system view families can be, as they are either 2D or parametric/informational.

Views with the "Save to New File…" functionality from a Right-Click:
Drafting Views
Keynote Legends
Schedules
Sheets

Here are a few links illustrating the functionality and procedures (an unknowing thanks to the posters of these!!!)...

From Hagerman.com

From RevitZone

A U Get off of my cloud...

A colleague sent these from AU Beijing...I like the colors!!! Thanks HY.



Happy everything... Gobble Gobble.

Three Axiums Toward Revit Zen: Get The Edge!!!

I am pleased to say that the first of my "Toward a Zen of Revit" articles has been published in and featured on the cover of the Fall 2009 AUGI AEC Edge.

You can download the Hi-Res PDF Here or click the images for the Enhanced Online Interactive Format. Pages 49 to 51 especially rule!!! ;-) The Subscribe link at the bottom of this post provides more download options as well (low-res PDF, etc.)... Great for the Holidays!!!

AUGI | AEC EDGE Fall 2009
Click on the image below to launch the current issue in enhanced online interactive format. If you would like to download a pdf version, click the link(s) found on the left. We hope you enjoy this latest creative product from your friends at AUGI.

Want to be notified when this page updates? Click the subscribe button below. The next time the page changes, you'll be among the first to know! Subscribe

Enjoy the whole issue that includes the following authors: Paul Aubin, Bob Bell, Sean Burke, Erik Egbertson, Tannar Frampton, Chris Fugitt, Ted Goulet, Bruce Gow, David Harrington, Debasish Karmakar, Karen Kensek, Jonathan Landeros, Anthony Mason, Phillip Miller, John Morgan, Michael Partenheimer, Behzad Sanikhatam, Todd Shackleford, Chad Smith, Scott Womack and alphabetically last, but not least, Jay B. Zallan.

LEED Conversation

Great comments!!! That was the point of my questioning LEED...getting thoughts shared...

Nice comment, Thanks Tim

A wholly unrelated image from Bangalore. Oh and...

Tim said... (In regards to the post: Does being Green have a very un-Green cost to it?)

I agree that LEED doesn't necessarily result in a building that uses "significantly less electricity or have significantly lower greenhouse-gas emissions," the point system allows designers and developers flexibility in how they approach incorporating "green" practices which often allows less than perfectly green results.

However, as a LEED AP, I've taken the approach that the LEED rating system is more of a discussion starter than a definitive guide to going green. Many of my clients have only been open to reducing the heat island effect, incorporating recycled materials, and having onsite solar panels, because of the LEED point system. No commercial developer wants to reduce parking capacity, but it is a relatively easy LEED point to achieve. Pervious paving systems require maintenance and building commissioning costs money, but the benefits of keeping water out of the municipal storm water system, keeping pollutants onsite, and having a properly tuned HVAC system shouldn't be undervalued.

No rating system will ever be perfect, but as a way of having dollar conscious developers begin to change their thinking, I think it's the best thing we have.

Friday, October 23, 2009 7:59:00 AM

Quite a talented goat!!! Ride on...