revit

Creating Pipework Drop/Rise Hexagons

March 11, 2015Ryan LenihanRevit Families, Revit MEPannotation, hexagon, hydraulics, mep, pipe, plumbing, revit, symbol

If you’re located in Australia or New Zealand, chances are you use these lovely hexagons or some other variation of them to annotate pipework dropping or rising.

But how do you create them in Revit? It’s quite simple actually. For this example I’ll assume you have not created an annotation family before and therefore is aimed at beginners.

First, start by creating a new annotation symbol using the generic annotation template.

In the Family Category and Parameters dialogue, change the family type to a Pipe Tag

You can either draw up the hexagon manually or you can temporarily insert a DWG file to trace over the top of. Once you’re done, you should have your trusty hexagon sorted.

To add the text to your symbol, you want to use labels. You can find the label tool on the create panel of the ribbon.

When creating the labels, you will need to select the parameters that you want to pull the data from in your model – we will be using Diameter and System Abbreviation. The reason why I use System Abbreviation is that it will automatically propagate to all pipework in the system where as other parameters do not. Don’t forget to adjust the text style of the label to suit your drafting standards.

The next step is to apply a visibility setting on the filled drop and rise indicators. Simply select the triangle and and in the properties window, look for the Visible parameter. Select the small square at the end of the line (marked at 1), you will now have an option to select parameters to apply, yours should be empty.

Select Add Parameter and then create a new parameter with the name RISE. Make it a Type parameter and sort it under Graphics.

Repeat the process for the drop indicator.

Finally open up the Family Types dialogue

Create a new family type called RISE and then check the RISE parameter and make sure that DROP is unchecked. Do the same again creating a family type named DROP and check the DROP parameter, making sure that RISE is unchecked.

If you want to get tricky, you could use a not( ) formula. Simply type in the forumula

not(RISE)

in the drop parameter. When RISE is checked, drop will be unchecked and when RISE is unchecked, DROP will be automatically checked.

And that’s it! Once you’re done, save your new family and add it to your template.

When tagging your pipework, you need to manually select if it is a dropper or riser by selecting the family type from the properties window, the size and the service however will be automatically filled out for you.

For the System Abbreviation parameter to be picked up, you will need to have this filled out in your pipe system settings for each service, note that it is simply listed as Abbreviation in the system settings.

If you don’t use systems (you should be using them!) and rather you use pipe types to define your service, the System Abbreviation parameter will not work and you can use a shared parameter instead to populate the label within the annotation.

Navisworks Clash Detection 101 – Part #1

March 9, 2015Ryan LenihanNavisworksclash, clash detection, clash report, coordination, guide, mep, navisworks, revit, training

Part #1 – The Clash Detective Window

To the average engineer or modeller, Navisworks and clash detection go hand in hand, some people think that they are one and the same. If you’re not familiar with the terminology, clash detection is a process that identifies interference between elements in your model where as Navisworks is an Autodesk product that facilitates automated detection of the interferences between modelled elements. These interferences, or clashes may be between different models or within the same model, they could be between disciplines or within the same discipline.

The concept behind clash detection during the design process is that you can identify and fix problems before construction begins, therefore saving time and money down the track. Provided that it is configured correctly, Navisworks can help to speed up the process and reduce human error during model inspection by running automated clash reports.

The problem with Navisworks however is not everyone knows how to use it effectively. Maybe you’ve been to training with a reseller in the past and you walked out the door still scratching your head. After spending a whole day working on 4D timelining, 3 hours showing you how to animate an automatic door in Simulate and less than an hour spent learning the very basics of clash detection in Manage or maybe you’ve had no training at all? Either way you’re only just barely making your way through your clash detection sessions.

Over my next few articles I will outline a few of the clash detection basics to get you more confident in your adventures into clash detection, I’m not going to claim to solve all your clash detection woes, but whatever your experience, it’s always good to have something to refer back to.

In this first installment, I’ll explain each of the parts of the Clash Detective interface.

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column] [su_column]The Clash Detective window allows you to specify rules and options for undertaking clash tests. In this window you can view results and generate clash reports.[/su_column][/su_row]

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column] [su_column]The Test Panel is where you will find all of your clash tests. The test panel isn’t displayed by default, you need to click on the Add Test button in the clash detective. When you select the Add Test button, a new clash test will be created and added to the test panel.[/su_column][/su_row]

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column] [su_column]Under the Rules tab, you can define rules in which Navisworks will use to ignore clashes, by default there are four pre-defined rules shown under the rules tab.[/su_column][/su_row]

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column] [su_column]In the lower half of the clash detective window we have a section with a few tabs, the Select tab is the default view in the clash detective window. In this tab you can define the clash test by selecting multiple sets of items at a time. You could clash a whole model against a whole model, however this would be a very inefficient process, instead you can test clashes between different selection sets of elements in the model.

The Selection A and Selection B areas display all the items in a hierarchical list that replicates the selection tree window. You can select objects from these areas that will be tested against each other during a clash test.[/su_column][/su_row]
Beneath the selection windows are a group of buttons which allow you to change what geometry is clashed in the test.

[su_table]

	When Surfaces is selected, surface geometry is included in the clash test. Surfaces is selected by default when you create a new clash test.
	When Lines is selected, line geometry is included in the clash test.
	When Points is selected, point geometry is included in the clash test
	Self Intersect is used to test the selected object against itself for clashes
	The Use Current Selection button is used to select objects directly in the scene view for clash tests
	The Select in Scene button is used to highlight the elements selected in the clash test. They will appear in blue when selected.

[/su_table]

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column][su_column]The Results tab is where you view the clash results. This tab is divided into three parts, the Results pane, Display Settings panel and the Items panel. By default the Display Settings and Items panels are hidden. They can be accessed by clicking on the panel title which is highlighted in the image.

The Results area displays a list of clash results in a tabbed format showing the name of the clash, the clash status, the date found and the description of the clash. If the clashes have a saved viewpoint, then the viewpoint icon will be displayed in the viewpoint column as well.[/su_column][/su_row]

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column][su_column]After expanding the Display Settings panel, you are provided with options to change which clash is highlighted, choose not to highlight the clashes at all, dim the other elements within the model so you only see those that are related to the particular clash as well as adjust basic viewpoint and simulation settings. [/su_column][/su_row]

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column][su_column]Hidden at the bottom of the results tab is the Items panel. Once expanded you can view information on the clashing objects. The clash information displayed will depend on the select clash configuration.[/su_column][/su_row]

[su_row][su_column] [/su_column][su_column]Finally, in the Report tab you can adjust options for generating clash reports. The generated report will contain the details of all the clash results for the selected test. The report tab has three sections; Contents, Include Clashes and Output Settings.

In the Contents section, you can select the contents of the report, such as the date found, item numbers, grid locations, coordinates of the clash among others.

The Include Clashes section allows you to filter by new, active, reviewed, approved or resolved clashes.[/su_column][/su_row]
The Output Settings section allows you to select the output format of your clash reports. It allows you to select either the reports from the current clash test or from all clash tests either as a combined or separated format. You can also choose from HTML, XML or recorded viewpoints as your clash report format.

In the next installment, I’ll build on what I’ve shown today and explain how to create selection sets to get better results from your clash tests.

Clean 2D Pipe Fitting Symbols

November 25, 2014Ryan LenihanRevit Families, Revit MEPannotation, families, family, mep, pipe fitting, revit

One of the gripes that a lot of hydraulic engineers and modellers have with Revit is the representation of pipework bends in 2D views. It’s something that I fixed up pretty early on, but I’ve come to realise when I come across drawings that look similar to the screenshot below that some may still not know how to fix this.

I’d a quick fix per fitting, the problem will be if you have a lot of fittings to modify, it becomes a long repetitive process.

The first thing that you want to do is to edit the family, and switch to the Ref. Level view, you will be greeted by something that looks like this:

In this instance I am modifying the out of the box Revit family Elbow – Soldered – CU.rfa. If you’re little overwhelmed by what you see on the screen, don’t worry; we’re not touching any of the dimensions or 3D elements. If you need to, you can adjust the scale of the view to change the size of the dimensions, or you can completely turn off the dimensions in Visibility/Graphics (VV / VG shorcuts).

What we are wanting to change is the 2D representation of the fitting, which are model likes of the pipe fitting subcategory. In the screenshot below, I’ve highlighted them in red with the dimensions turn off for clarity.

When modifying the pipe fittings, I like to keep the original linework in the family as a just in case. I usually change the linework to the <Invisible Lines> subcategory or turn the visibility off, you can however remove them if you wish.

To achieve the clean 2D representation that you’re used to, we’re going to create some new linework along with a reference line to control the angle.

First up, find the intersection of the Front/Back and Left/Right reference planes, from the intersection, draw a model line using the Pipe Fitting subcategory on a 45 degree angle (1) and then create an angular dimension between the Front/Back reference plane and your newly created reference line (2)

When you start drawing your line from the intersection of the two reference planes, Revit will automatically lock your line to the intersection point, this is also the point the the fitting is scaled around.

Next, apply the angle parameter to your dimension, the line will snap around to the same direction as the fitting.

You now need to align and lock the endpoint of your line to the reference plane for the outside edge of the fitting.

Now draw the other half of your fitting symbol. You don’t need to apply an angle in this case, just draw the line from the intersection of the Front/Back and Left/Right reference planes to the outer edge of the fitting. Don’t forget to align and lock the line to the outer reference plane.

Once you’re done, flex your fitting within the family editor, changing the diameter and angle. Make sure everything works as expected.

Now load your fitting back into your model or template and check out the difference

For the tee fitting, there is no need to recreate the symbology from scratch, all you really need to do is to remove the ticks by either making them invisible, or changing them to the <Invisible Lines> subcategory.

Turning Off Light Sources in Navisworks

October 4, 2013Ryan LenihanRevit Generalelectrical, lighting fixture, navisworks, revit, selection sets

A common question I receive at work is “How do I turn off these pesky light sources in Navisworks?”

The answer? Quite easily.

First, select one of your lighting fixtures, from the selection tree, expand out the lighting fixture element, finding the light source itself.

Once you have selected the light source, if you check the properties window, you will see that the material of the light source is named “Default Light Source”

If you check a few more lighting fixtures, you will see that this is the same for all of your lighting fixtures, so all you need to do is create a simple selection set and turn the light sources off.

To create a selection set, go to the find items window, and then input Material -> Name -> = -> Default Light Source as per the screenshot below. Once you have done this, select Find All

Then it’s as simple as clicking hide

Before:

After:

Making Revit Work For You Using Advanced Families.

June 1, 2012Ryan LenihanRevit Families, Revit MEPas3500, box gutter, families, family, hydraulics, kg martin, plumbing, revit, revit schedule, roof drainage, schedule, shared parameters, stormwater design

Lately I have found that a lot of the buzz about Revit is 3rd party add-ins and software. Sure they’re great and save a lot of time in our workflow, but what about making Revit itself do some work for you?

Earlier this week I created a box gutter sump family that replaces an Excel spreadsheet that I used to use.

You simply input the data you would normally enter into a roof drainage calculation sheet into the Revit family, I also added a few more inputs to allow further control over the family. The inputs are

Catchment area
Rainfall intensity
Minimum box gutter depth
Minimum sump depth
Maximum sump depth

From there, all the calculations are built into shared parameters. I decided to use the KG Martin method for sizing (from the CSIRO Experimental Building Notes 1978). Hydraulic designers sizing roof drainage know all too well about h, 2h, Dg and Dmax which were easy to work into the family in a step by step process.

My original effort at creating this family I had devised excessively complicated formulas in an attempt to reduce parameters and what I originally thought to be simplifying the family as a whole. If I had taken advice from my Planning Families post though, I would have started out a little differently. When working through a family, you not only have to take into consideration the 3D elements, but parameters as well. What resulted in an excellent parametric family had absolutely nothing that I could schedule out.

With all the calculations undertaken step by step within shared parameters, I have 17 results I can include within a Revit schedule. The outputs from the family now include data such as:

Catchment flow rate
Calculated maximum flow rate achievable by sump/outlet combination
Depth of sump
h (depth of gutter flow at discharge end)
Dmax (depth of gutter flow at still end)
Dg (Dmax + freeboard)
Gutter high and low points
Td (total gutter depth)

The schedule includes conditional formatting to warn that either the outlet is too small or the sump too shallow/excessively deep. As a further step, I also included a visual warning in the family itself, displaying a text box indicating the error within plan view.

The schedule can then be added to a calculation sheet within the project for design verification purposes.

The data inputs for each sump/outlet can be controlled through the schedule, or the user can double click on the sump within the schedule which will then take them to the family within the project.

The next step is pipe sizing. You would probably know already that Revit does not include a sizing method that specifically applies to stormwater drainage, however I have had some success using the hydronic supply system type with accurate results up to 100l/s which of course uses the data calculated within the family.

For me, being a hydraulic designer and Revit modeller, this family eliminates some double handling in data entry, saving time in modelling and performing calculations. Data entry time is further reduced by creating a fixture tag that pulls the gutter size and sump size from the shared parameters with the family. All for a lazy 90mins development time.