Hail to the Chief(s): Onward and Upward for LA's Revit User Group

Please join me in congratulating me (Oooh, that's awkward) on becoming the Los Angeles Revit User Group's Co-President.

I will be Joining Tom Wier of Brandow & Johnston, Inc. in the operations of this, the greatest Revit User Group in the world.... OK here in LA at least!!!

I know this will be a great opportunity for me personally as well as professionally and wish to thank everyone who has helped me obtain such a level of total world domination...uhhh...I mean... to a place where I can help inspire and be inspired from users throughout Los Angeles and the (Revit) world at-large (yes bloggers, you too!!! Thank you all).

Since I first saw Revit I realized it's power and BIM's potential as being the way that we could bring Architecture to a higher level of achievement and I will strive to share this vision to as diverse an audience as is possible. Who knows, perhaps we'll get some new Reviteurs and help inspire the broader field of Architecture into unimagined accomplishments!!! I can dream, but you should know that I will also act on these dreams!!!

I am looking forward to bringing the LA (and beyond) Revit community to an even better place than we now enjoy and I invite you all to be a part of that.

One of my colleagues sent this to me so I felt it appropriate to pass it along...(really, none of this is going to my head)... I have always been confident in myself... Ooooh, awkward again!!! LOL. -J

Four Sundays in May

I hope you can make any or all of the Sundays listed below, from 12:30 to 3:15 pm (If you're in LA that is).

The occasion? Well, I'm glad you asked: it's for Family Days at LACMA... And guess who's teaching again???

I will be leading a painting on canvas adventure (canvas paper, that is), in a great setting with easels and sunshine...

If you've never been, well Nike says just do it!!! Everyone under 18 years old gets a free Museum membership. Yes, a real membership!!! Plus everyone is welcome to join in all the creativity -and what could be better than collaborating on Art with your friends and family? Not too much if you ask me!!!

There will be several stations setup with all you'll need to get your inner (or outer) Artist going, in a multitude of media; so kids (OK everyone) bring your family and friends and have some creative fun.

Click Above Me!!!

Picasso, Matisse, Degas—Oh My!
May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2008

Visit the newly reinstalled modern art galleries! Works by leading modern artists Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Edgar Degas will inspire you to make your own art with Larry Ashton, June Edmonds, Mahyar Nili, Quan Yen Tran and Jay Zallan.

View works from the museum's permanent collection in tours led by LACMA's high school interns exploring the influences, design, materials, and techniques used by modern artists.

Thanks to all the great staff and volunteers who make this happen week in and week out!!! With a special thanks to my great friend Alicia and the entire Education Department for providing me with a continued opportunity to help inspire Art in our community. You guys are amazing!!!

I will plan on seeing you there!!! (Yes YOU!!!)

Are Your Callouts Out Of Shape Or Do You Just Want Them To Be?

Callouts being Rectangular and only rectangular is one of those things that The Factory (Revit's, not Andy Warhol's) seems to think that we are not intelligent enough to create, or need to create...Or is it the other way around??? Could it be too difficult to program??? I mean, we got to the moon on less than a cell phone's computing power, right!!!??? Oh well...Until they give this to us here is one workaround...

But First: Is the rectangular Callout really unusable in your project? I always try to use the original callouts, but if it is just not acceptable then go to step #1.


1) Create an actual Callout, that generates a Plan View (and If you like to work predictably and consistently, then set it's extents to a "Scope Box" via the properties, as shown below). Note: Yes, I created the Scope Box before I created the Callout, but you can do it after...


Below is the end result of step #1:

2) Select the original, generative Callout and Right-Click and Hide Element In View (Here's the 1st thing that needs to be communicated to the team as well as manually managed throughout the life of the project again... see the question in red, above).

3) Create our Proxy Callout that References (an) Other View and choose that generated view from the drop-down. Refer to the next 2 images!!!


When creating the Proxy, Referential View make the rectangle nearly impossibly small (zoom, zoom, zoom!!!)


Progress so far:


(Yes you may want to place the Scope Box(es) on their own workset that is Not "On By Default In Every View" (See the dialogue box that pops up when creating a new WS for this check box)...

4) Draw Detail Lines (I used the Double Dash) that express the Callout Bubble that you actually want...(and isn't that the whole point for this? BTW: See that red question again)

4a) Group the lines for either more control (or less control), depending on your users and their proclivity to delete or move items, etc... Still, I like to group them. (ha ha, the Callout can't be part of the group...Remember that I mentioned manual management? Well that's another one to watch as the project progresses).

TaDa...

I know I editorialize a bit but we need to be self critical and really understand the ramifications of any workaround; this may be thought of as being analogous to questioning oneself before running a marathon with stiletto heals on... They may look good and make your legs look beautiful but are the benefits worth it? Sometimes this is yes, sometimes no... If we think this through each time then we will be in good shape whatever the choice...

Until The (Revit) Factory finally gives us the power to create irregularly shaped callout bubbles...If they ever do!!!