Revit OpEd: AUGI Forums

Revit OpEd: AUGI Forums: "I've been wrestling with this post. Obviously anyone whose read this blog knows that I've been involved in AUGI for many years. I served on ..."

Revit OpEd: Duplicate Mark Values

Revit OpEd: Duplicate Mark Values: "I've posted about this issue before. Duplicate Mark Values Renumbering Elements Martin Schmidt wrote something about it today (Inside the ..."

Revit OpEd: Project Vasari - Revit Conceptual Modeling Tools

Revit OpEd: Project Vasari - Revit Conceptual Modeling Tools: "This video showed up at the AutodeskBuilding You Tube channel. The Inside the Factory blog mentioned it as well as David Light and Robert Ma..."

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Echo - Autodesk Office Gets Measured with...

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Echo - Autodesk Office Gets Measured with...: "As a follow up to an earlier post Jim Foster (BIM and the Built Environment blog) recently did a site survey of the existing building using ..."

Revit ArchCenter: Working with Revit and Vault

Revit ArchCenter: Working with Revit and Vault: "Yes, you read that title correct…Revit and Vault working together. The below link is a post from Brian Schanen (Autodesk) that shows how Re..."

Solibri v6.1 Deficiency Detection

Solibri Introduces "Deficiency Detection" in Design Analysis, Reducing Risks in its Latest Release - Solibri Model Checker v6.1

Helsinki, Finland, and Scottsdale, USA, November 1st, 2010
Solibri, Inc., the innovative global leader of Model Checking for BIM Quality Assurance and analysis, announces the release and availability of Solibri Model Checker v6.1. Offering greatly enhanced checking rules and advanced exploitation of design information, Solibri Model Checker v6.1 introduces rulesets for “Deficiency Detection”, as well as powerful hyperlink management capabilities.

Deficiency Detection: Applying Logic to Model Checking

Solibri has been the pioneer and industry leader in checking the quality of building information models for suitability, or of consistent quality, for various usages such as Spatial Coordination, Information Takeoff, or Energy Analysis. With the introduction of Solibri Model Checker v6.1, these features have been elevated to a new level. Solibri has taken a major leap forward making it possible to detect missing components and non-existing or incorrect information.
Solibri Model Checker v6.1 is able to detect faults in models which cause the model to be incomplete – or of bad quality. Checking results may yield for example, illogically or incorrectly modeled components, or altogether missing spaces or components.
Heikki Kulusjärvi CEO of Solibri, Inc., states “We are very excited to introduce this set of rules. Solibri has established its leading position in the Model Checking market with excellent rulesets for Quality Assurance. Spatial Coordination or Design Version Management (Model Comparison) are just two examples of many rules which have been widely accepted for their high value and tangible benefits. Previously, rules could show mainly what is not fitting, is incorrectly located or does not belong in the models. The bigger problems typically surface when something is totally missing from the models. This is much more challenging and Solibri Model Checker is the only solution available with dedicated rules able to detect what is missing from the design. This ability greatly reduces risks in exploiting BIM information for uses such as area calculations and quantity takeoff.

Hyperlink Manager: Enriching and Expanding the QA/QC Process

Solibri, Inc. introduces an extremely powerful, flexible and highly practical implementation of hyperlinks for quality assurance. The Solibri Hyperlink Manager will enable the use of BIM as a centralized user interface to coordination activities, specifications, building code and BIM requirements, construction phase documents, etc.
Links can be added at any level within Solibri Model Checker and to almost any element, including rulesets, models, types, components, issues and slides.
“The introduction of Hyperlinks is great. More importantly though is the very elegant and logical implementation of this functionality. In many cases there could be multiple hyperlinks associated with a specific model component. In most applications the result is a very crowded viewing environment with all hyperlinks impacted by a global on/off choice. In Solibri Model Checker v6.1, we have delivered hyperlink management and flexibility. Any component in the model can have multiple associated hyperlinks, all at the users fingertips and without overpopulating the model view. The Hyperlink Manager creates powerful links between model-resident information and external related information.” Says Jonathan Widney, CEO of Solibri LLC (US HQ).

About Solibri

Solibri, Inc. is the global leader in BIM quality assurance and quality control, providing out of the box tools for BIM validation, compliance control, design process coordination, design review, analysis, and code checking. Solibri’s corporate mission is to develop and market quality assurance solutions that improve the quality of BIM files and make the entire design process more productive and the construction process more cost effective.
Solibri’s customers include major building owners, construction companies, architects and engineering firms in more than 60 countries.

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Off Topic - Introducing Pins Mastering in...

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Off Topic - Introducing Pins Mastering in...: "In sports news this morning: Despite the difference in their weight classes Introducing Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 managed to pin Mas..."

Revit OpEd: IDEATE BIM Link - Sneak Peek

Revit OpEd: IDEATE BIM Link - Sneak Peek: "I spoke with a couple folks at IDEATE the other day and they let me know about something they've been working hard on. It will become availa..."

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Events - New Books at BUGIE Next Week

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Events - New Books at BUGIE Next Week: "I will be making two copies of the new book available for the BIM User Group of Inland Empire (BUGIE) meeting next week, October 26, 2010. ..."

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Events - New Books at SCRUG Next Week

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Events - New Books at SCRUG Next Week: "I will be making two copies of the new book available for the South Coast Revit User Group (SCRUG) meeting next week, October 28, 2010. Ju..."

Revit OpEd: Call for Abstracts - RTC Gold Coast Australia

Revit OpEd: Call for Abstracts - RTC Gold Coast Australia: "The Australian Revit Technology Conference will be held at Jupiters Gold Coast, Queensland, between the 26th and 28th of May, 2011.The onlin..."

Thumbnail previews for RVT/RFA files

For one reason or another, several of our Revit 2011 installs cause Windows not to display the thumbnail preview of Revit project (.rvt) and Families (.rfa). After speaking with Adsk support, they determined the problem to be with Windows and not Revit. The fix is pretty easy.

You first need to open a DOS Window in Windows. From the Windows Start menu, click Run and then type "cmd" in the Run dialog. This will open a DOS Window. In the command line then type:

regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\ Revit Architecture 2011\Program\Revit.FilePreview.dll"

The Revit.FilePreview.dll will register the DLL library for previews. If everything registered successfully, a successful registration of the DLL module should appear and the thumbnail previews will appear.

Workset Visibility in Revit 2011 - Inside the System

Workset Visibility in Revit 2011

From Inside the System

Has this ever happened to you?

"Frankly, I’m annoyed by having to turn on my workset every time I create a new view. "

When a workset is created, there is an option to make it not visible by default. If you've run into the scenario above, this box was unchecked when the workset was created.

One work-around is to create a new workset that is 'Visible in all views', and then delete the original workset. When you delete a workset that contains elements, you have to option to move those elements to another workset, so you can move them to the newly created workset. However, be aware that when you do this, those elements may be visible in views where they weren't previously visible (assuming their category is visible in those views). So, you may need to 'clean up' after yourself, to turn off the worksets where they're not needed.

New in 2011 is the ability to change your mind about the workset visibility default. In the worksets dialow, there is a new column titled 'Visible in all views' where you can toggle this setting.

This setting is then tied to the 'Use Global Setting' option in a view's visibility graphic overrides settings. The Global Setting will indicate Visible or Not Visible as appropriate. You also have the options of Show and Hide as in previous releases.

I have advised against unchecking the 'Visible in all views' option prior to 2011, because if a file had worksets marked as such, there was no way to turn on the worksets when linked into a host model. However, now with 2011, you have the ability to control the visiblity of worksets in linked files.

However, I would still advise to exercise judgement when making something not visible by default. Consider a scenario where roof drains are on a workset marked not visible in all views in the architectural model. The plumbing designer, not knowing any better, doesn't go looking for roof drains in toggled off worksets.. he just expects to see them if they exist in the project. IMO, it is better to have things visible, then turned off by the 'view owner' if/when not needed.

Better control of workset visibility, especially for linked files, is a great enhancement in Revit 2011.

Where is the ceiling?!!? Check the Underlay Orientation - Revit Clinic

Where is the ceiling?!!? Check the Underlay Orientation

from The Revit Clinic

Fewer things in life are more frustrating then when you think you have all the bases covered, and yet you’ve overlooked the obvious.

Here’s a real-life example: A friend of mine owned a lawn mower that would not start. So after doing a little research online (as he was not a small engine mechanic by trade), he performed some basic maintenance: cleaned fuel filter, carburetor and belts, checked the spark plug, and changed the oil. Satisfied that he did everything by the book, he put the mower back together and gave the pull-cord a yank. No dice. He tried again. Nothing. Getting frustrated, he started the tried-and-true method of kicking the mower. Still wouldn’t start. Finally, after calling the (inanimate) mower a slew of bad names and threatening the (lifeless) mower with certain harm and even permanent injury, I….umm..I mean, my friend thought, ‘Hmmm. I wonder if there’s enough gasoline in the tank’.

We all know how this story ends. Gas was added and mower started on the second try. Despite being so thorough, the obvious item (gas) was overlooked. My buddy felt kinda silly, but you can bet that will be one of the first things he’ll check next time.

The same principle applies to resolving issues in Revit. Sometimes, it’s the seemingly obvious things that we forget to check. One specific issue that has come up several times from Revit MEP users is the inability to see the ceiling grid in their ceiling plan views, particularly when the ceiling is on a linked model. In most of these cases, customers have done their due diligence and checked all the right things:

• Ceiling category is on in Visibility/Graphics
• Worksets are visible
• The view range settings are correct
• The view discipline is set properly
• The correct view template has been applied
• The linked model actually has a ceiling grid

Yet, after verifying all of this, the ceiling still does not appear. Frustrating. But, what is the one thing that these individuals often overlook? It is the Underlay Orientation setting in the view properties.

In Revit MEP, Underlay Orientation can be set to either Plan or Reflected Ceiling Plan. By default, this parameter is set to Plan when creating new reflected ceiling plan views. As long as it is set to Plan, the ceiling grid will not be visible. Seems so obvious, right? Well, not necessarily. With good reason, most users assume that applying a ceiling plan view template (i.e. Mechanical Ceiling), would cause the ceiling to appear. Unfortunately, Underlay Orientation is not controlled by a view template; it has to be manually changed in the view to Reflected Ceiling Plan. This is the part that is not so obvious, which is why I employed the formatting trifecta of bold, italics and underline to emphasize it (similar to: Mower needs gas to start!!!)

Here is a brief video illustrating this. In the video, you’ll note that new levels are copied/monitored from the link, and new reflected ceiling plans are created from these levels. However, no ceiling grid appears in the view. Applying the mechanical ceiling view template doesn’t work either. It’s not until the Underlay Orientation setting is changed in the properties window that the ceiling appears.

I hope that highlighting this not-so-obvious step will help our readers avoid the frustrating process of trying to do something as basic as displaying a ceiling grid in their Revit MEP project. At the very least, this knowledge might help you avoid acting like this guy. Screaming at inanimate, lifeless objects like Revit seldom works; it didn’t work for me……uhhhhh.…I mean….my friend.

Oh, and by the way, to answer your question: Yes, a wish request has been logged to have Underlay Orientation automatically set to Reflected Ceiling Plan when creating a reflected ceiling plan view.

Silenting installing Revit Add-ons

Working for an organization with multi offices, installing software can be a time consuming. I'm not IT, don't want to be IT, but making sure that everyone has functioning software is more often than not something a BIM or CAD Manager needs to attend to.

To minimize time someone has to spend installing software, I wanted to create a batch file to install Revit and then the add-ons. The only interaction I want to have to do for the install if to double click on a single file and walk away. Working with some of the talented people at Autodesk I have been able to create a batch file to install the main product and several add-ons for Revit. The add-ons, like worksharing monitor are the tricky ones to silently (no user interaction) to install.

To automate the install process, the first thing I did was create a network deployment. Autodesk's Help file provides some basic information on completing that task. For add-ons that are a standard .msi file, I used one of the following command lines to install the software in silent mode (thank you Anthony).

msiexec /i /quiet
msiexec /i /passive
msiexec /i /qn (No UI)
msiexec /i /qb (Basic UI)
msiexec /i /qr (Reduced UI)

I now could then make my batch file to install Revit. The following is the basic syntax for installing:

pushd \\network folder install location
RevitVersion.lnk (name of the network deployment shortcut)
msiexec /i addonname.msi /quiet

Below is the batch file that I created for our Revit Architecture 2011 64-bit install. Note that we store our add-ons in a different folder location so we don't need to have duplicate copies for 64 and 32-bit versions as well as Revit flavors. Comments are shown in itlaic

pushd \\adclic03\bim\Installs\RAC2011\64-bit\
RAC2011-64.lnk
popd (This resets the folder location)
pushd \\adclic03\bim\Installs\RAC2011\Additional add-ons\ (location for 2011 add-ons)
msiexec /i worksharingmonitor.msi /quiet (installs worksharing monitor)
msiexec /i globelink2011.msi /quiet (installs globe link)
msiexec /i 2011dblinksetup.msi /quiet (installs DB Link)

This has simplified the install procedures, but we must still install any add-ons that are an .EXE separately like the Revit Extensions. I'm sure there is a way to do that, just haven't found it yet.

There are of course other methods to install apps, like pushing thru Group Policy, but I don't have a means to perform that. If you have any suggestions or comments, let me know.

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Subtle - Moving Fields in a Schedule

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Subtle - Moving Fields in a Schedule: "As you probably already know, moving schedule fields around is limited to a Move Up and Move Down button in the Schedule properties dialog. ..."

Multiple Layer Slabs and Slab Edges - From The Revit Clinic

Multiple Layer Slabs and Slab Edges

From The Revit Clinic

When a substrate layer is added to a floor's structure, it will cut the slab edge, rather than the edge cutting through and directly attaching to the slab. While some of you may be aware of possible ways to work around this, I wanted to relay a method as I still see the question float around.

The following screenshot shows the default behavior when you add an edge to a slab with a substrate layer:

To have the edge cut through that layer, first Unjoin the geometry:

Then Join it, making sure to select the edge first and then the slab:

I hope this helps!

Revit OpEd: Revit MEP and CADworks - Online Presentation

Revit OpEd: Revit MEP and CADworks - Online Presentation: "I received an invitation to a presentation of the new piping productivity pack that CADworks has released. Here's a little bit of what the e..."

Revit OpEd: File Size - A Red Herring?

Revit OpEd: File Size - A Red Herring?: "Every now and then I read a post on a blog or user forum advocating various techniques to reduce a Revit project's file size. Is file size a..."

Quick Tip - Evenly Spacing Pipes - Insid the System - Revit MEP [Tip]

Quick Tip - Evenly Spacing Pipes - Insid the System - Revit MEP [Tip]

Revit OpEd: Revit Technology Conference 2011 - USA

Revit OpEd: Revit Technology Conference 2011 - USA: "I've mentioned the Revit Technology Conference before but now that a little bit more has been sorted out I'm writing again. The location wil..."

Revit3D.com / IamBIM.com - BIMBoom Revitlution - BIM Unfiltered: Revit in Motion: Sheet Grid Guides

Revit3D.com / IamBIM.com - BIMBoom Revitlution - BIM Unfiltered: Revit in Motion: Sheet Grid Guides

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Questions - Can Revit?

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Questions - Can Revit?: "I've been encountering questions, over the years, where someone asks if 'something' is possible. That something is usually quite specific th..."

Revit OpEd: Re-Numbering Elements

Revit OpEd: Re-Numbering Elements: "I've written about this in the past: Avatech Utilities Update Duplicate Mark Values API Tools Part One - Avatech Numbering Stuff First Numb..."

The Building Coder

The Building Coder

Room computations only succeeded without considering the following elements - The Revit Clinic

Room computations only succeeded without considering the following elements - The Revit Clinic

Revit OpEd: Revit and 64 bit Operating System

Revit OpEd: Revit and 64 bit Operating System: "We waited very patiently for Revit to support 64 bit. I stalled buying a new laptop PC in order to make sure I had something that would supp..."

Spring 2010 Edition of AUGI AEC Edge Now Available

Spring 2010 Edition of AUGI AEC Edge Now Available

Revit MEP & Revit Structure Wish List Ballots Are OPEN!

Revit MEP & Revit Structure Wish List Ballots Are OPEN!

Revit OpEd: Revit Families - New Guide at Club Revit

Revit OpEd: Revit Families - New Guide at Club Revit: "Michael Anonuevo let me know that he recently posted an in-depth article about creating complex shapes with the Revit Family Editor. Michael..."

August 13 - Eagle Point Releases Siteworks for Revit

August 13 - Eagle Point Releases Siteworks for Revit

DPR Model Slicer – A Free Revit Plug-In powered by DPR Construction

DPR Model Slicer – A Free Revit Plug-In powered by DPR Construction

Curved Gridlines in Section

Very clever solution from the Revit Elemental on Curved Gridlines in Section.

Reblog on how one individual will be using Revit to model a stadium project

An interesting article from the BIM Troublemaker on his process for creating a stadium using Revit.

NYC Revit User Group: August 2010 Meeting

Not in NYC, you can still attend the meeting online. Sign Up

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Echo - Export to DWG Survey

Revit OpEd: Dept. of Echo - Export to DWG Survey: "In the interest of getting the word out to any reader of this blog that isn't a reader of Inside the Factory yet. Here is the text from to..."

Large Projects in Revit

Another great post and list of resources from the BIM Troublemaker on Large Projects in Revit. A resource not in the post is Chapter 5 of Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011.

Revit OpEd: New Revit Utilities - PKH Lineworks

Revit OpEd: New Revit Utilities - PKH Lineworks: "Phil DeBrandt announced at AUGI that he has made several utilities for Revit available at his web site. The utilities are branded as ReVVed...."

Worksharing Monitor does not show any worksharing enabled projects open

Very Helpful article from the Revit Clinic on troubleshooting the Worksharing Monitor.

Revit Add-ons - DotSoft

I thought I would start a running list of add-on tools that I have used, come across or have been recommended to me by friends and colleagues.

DotSoft - Never used the tools and would be interested in any feedback anyone has who has used these tools.

DotSoft Welcomes You

Thank you for visiting our web site. DotSoft has began started porting our industry leading CAD productivity products to Revit. Our mission is to provide low cost solutions in the form of high quality software.

Excel2Revit

Overcomes the limits and problems associated with placement of Excel spreadsheets inside Revit. It creates and maintains DWG/DXF files of named ranges in Excel that are linked in Revit. The results are lines, fills and mtext that can plot without problems and are highly portable to others.

Word2Revit

Place Word documents into Revit projects. It creates and maintains DWG/DXF files of Word documents that are linked in Revit. You simply select your area of interest and click an icon to create the DWG file. The best part is that as changes are made in Word the DWG files are updated when the document is saved or closed.

Pdf2Revit

Converts PDF files to DWG/DXF which can be placed or linked in Revit. Using our conversion tool, if the PDF file contains vector geometry, it will result in highly usable polylines in CAD. Text annotations become text objects.

Video: Troubleshooting Product Stability in Revit

Published date: 2010-Mar-24 ID: TS13899709 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2010 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2010 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2010

Issue

You would like to know how to troubleshoot product crashes within Revit

Solution

In this video, we will discuss the common methods to troubleshoot and solve Product Stability issues and crashes with Revit products. It will discuss the types of crashes, how to identify them, and common things you can do to solve them.

Rendering processor core limit for Revit 2011 products

Published date: 2010-Mar-24 ID: TS14633072 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011

Issue

You would like to know if the 4 processor core limit is still in place when rendering in Revit® 2011 products.

Solution

Revit 2011 products no longer limit the rendering process to 4 cores as in Revit 2009 and 2010 products. Revit 2011 products can take advantage of the total number of processor cores on the workstation during rendering.

Clean uninstall of Autodesk Revit 2011 products

Published date: 2010-Apr-12 ID: TS14633513 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011

Issue

There may be circumstances where Autodesk Revit® 2011 products need to be removed from the workstation. The following process will ensure all residual files are properly removed as well.

Solution

To uninstall Revit 2011 products and remove any remnants from your system, use the following procedure. The end result is a clean system on which you can reinstall. Please ensure to backup any custom family or template files prior to following this procedure:

1. Log on as a Local System Administrator and disable any Antivirus programs.
   
   
2. In the Windows XP Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > remove the specific Revit 2011 product. For Windows Vista & Windows 7, Control Panel > Programs and Features > Uninstall.
   
   
3. In the Windows XP Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > remove the 3 Autodesk 2011 Material Libraries in the following order. For Windows Vista & Windows 7, Control Panel > Programs and Features > Uninstall:
   
   •Autodesk Material Library 2011 Medium Image Library
   •Autodesk Material Library 2011 Base Image Library
   •Autodesk Material Library 2011
   
   
4. After the product is uninstalled, use Windows Explorer to locate and delete the following folders as appropriate. For steps 3 & 4 substitute the product name below based on which Revit 2011 product you are uninstalling; all paths listed by default are for Revit Architecture 2011:

   
   Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 & RAC 2011
   Autodesk Revit Structure 2011 & RST 2011
   Autodesk Revit MEP 2011 & RME 2011

   Where %username% is present below substitute the current Windows login name.

   For Windows XP installations (32 and 64 bit):
   • C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit Architecture 2011
   • C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Autodesk\REVIT\2011
   • C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
   • C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\RAC 2011

   For Windows Vista and Windows 7 installations (32 and 64 bit):
   • C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit Architecture 2011
   • C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RAC 2011
   • C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
   • C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Revit\2011

5. Open the system registry and locate then delete the following registry keys listed below as appropriate (Windows Start menu > Run > Regedit).

   Warning! Problems caused by improperly editing the Windows registry could render your computer operating system unusable. Microsoft provides a wealth of critical information that you need to know about the registry in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com.

   Use the Microsoft® Registry Editor only at your own risk and only after backing up the registry as well as the system.dat and user.dat files as outlined for your operating system in the Microsoft Knowledge Base and in the related solution, TS66513. Additional information about the registry is also contained in the Help topics in the Microsoft Registry Editor.
   
   For 32-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\Revit\2011
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\RAC 2011
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\Revit\2011
   
   For 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\RAC 2011
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\Revit\2011
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011

6. Restart the workstation.

Before reinstalling Revit products

1. In Windows Explorer, delete the contents of your Windows Temp folder, but do not delete the Windows Temp folder itself. You can locate the Temp folder by entering %TEMP% in the Address bar of Windows Explorer.
2. Use the End Task feature to end any anti-virus programs.

Note: Disabling anti-virus programs from the system tray may not be sufficient. Virus checking programs may block certain activities that are seen as suspicious (for example, accessing the registry, adding/removing/updating DLL files, and so on), even though these activities are common when installing or removing programs.

Several anti-virus programs can be disabled by right-clicking the taskbar icon and selecting Disable from the shortcut menu. For more information about disabling your anti-virus software, refer to the vendor of that software.

Important! It is important that you not only disable the anti-virus software but also use the End Task feature to end the anti-virus software.

To verify that an anti-virus program is not still running in the background as a TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident Program):

Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7

1. Press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Delete].
2. Click Task Manager.
3. On the Processes tab of the Task Manager, select the process for the anti-virus program and then click End Process.

You are now ready to install Revit 2011 products on the clean system.

Video: Post Installation Tasks for Autodesk Revit 2011 Products

Published date: 2010-Apr-14 ID: TS14877683 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011

Issue

You would like to know how to complete the common tasks that are performed after the installation of Autodesk Revit 2011 products

Solution

Watch the video below for a explaination of the common post installation tasks.

Note: This video says Revit Architecture 2011, but the process is the same for all Autodesk Revit 2011 products

Video: Troubleshooting Worksharing

Published date: 2010-Mar-24 ID: TS14877765 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011

Issue

You would like to know how to troubleshoot worksharing related problems in Autodesk Revit Architecture products.

Solution

In the video below, learn how to reproduce, troubleshooting and understand what data is needed to help customers with worksharing problems in Revit products. Understand the best practices for Worksharing and how they can benefit users.

Resetting the Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 user interface

from Autodesk.com

Published date: 2010-Mar-24 ID: TS14880949 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011

You would like to reset the Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 user interface (i.e. the Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, and Project Browser) back to the out-of-the-box version and remove any customization that has been applied.

Have us do it for you:

Download and run the following script on your computer:

autodesk_revit_architecture_ui_reset_2011.vbs (vbs - 6Kb)

Do It Yourself:

Warning! This script may delete a file on your computer. It also removes a Windows Registry key. Do not use it without consulting your system administrator first.

To reset the ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar:

• Rename or delete the UIState.dat file located in the Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 folder, which can be found in one of the following locations, depending on your operating system:
  
  Windows XP
  
  %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
  
  Windows Vista
  
  %LOCALAPPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011

To reset your Project Browser to the default location:

• Using the Windows Registry editor, rename the following registry key:
  
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011\Components\Panels

Warning! Problems caused by improperly editing the Windows registry could render your computer operating system unusable. Microsoft provides a wealth of critical information that you need to know about the registry in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/support.

Use the Microsoft® Registry Editor only at your own risk and only after backing up the registry as well as the system.dat and user.dat files as outlined for your operating system in the Microsoft Knowledge Base and in the related solution, TS66513. Additional information about the registry is also contained in the Help topics in the Microsoft Registry Editor.

Product keys for Autodesk Revit 2011 products

from: Autodesk.com

Published date: 2010-Apr-13 ID: TS14883011 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011

You want to know what the product key for your Autodesk® Revit® 2011-based product is.

Autodesk's 2011-based software requires both a serial number and product key to successfully activate.

Product keys are used to differentiate software sold on its own from those sold as part of a suite. Ensure that you select the correct product key in order to successfully activate your software.

The product key is provided along with your serial number in the following places:

• If you received physical media, the product key is on the reverse of the package along with the serial number.
• Emails from Electronic Fulfillment notifying you of your new serial number also include the product key.
• Contract administrators can log on to Subscription Center to check for their serial number and product key.
• The Autodesk Business Center (ABC) can provide this information. Their toll-free number is 800-538-6401.

Revit 2011-based Product Keys:

• 240C1 - Revit Architecture 2011
• 241C1 - AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2011
• 595C1 - AutoCAD Revit Architecture Visualization Suite 2011
• 255C1 - Revit Structure 2011
• 256C1 - AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite 2011
• 297C1 - Revit MEP 2011
• 257C1 - AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2011

Changing a Revit 2011 deployment type from imperial to metric

from: Autodesk.com

Published date: 2010-Jun-01 ID: TS15220364 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011

Issue

You have created a deployment of Revit 2011 and you would like to change the deployment default from Imperial to Metric.

Solution

When modifying the options of a deployment, in Applications Settings > Language, toggle the Language option to English in the drop down menu. Once you have selected English, you will be able to edit the Default Units to Metric.

revit_imperial_to_metric.mp4 (mp4 - 965Kb)

Top issues with file maintenance in Revit Architecture 2010

From Autodesk.com

Published date: 2010-Jun-02 ID: TS1106647 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2010 Revit® Architecture 2009

You want to know the best practices to use during the modeling process in order to maintain the performance of your files when using Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2010.

The following is a list of links to technical solutions that detail the best practices to use for file maintenance:

Best practices for modeling

Best practices for template creation

Best practices for printing

Improving performance of Revit projects

Benefits of using the 64-bit version of Revit

How to move a Revit central file to a new location

Pressure Drop Calculation

From: Revit MEP

I got an call from a client last week asking about some of the calculations that Revit MEP does.

I am trying to get results for Duct Pressure drop in Revit MEP.



Can you please share your ideas, as how can I achieve this?

This post has some additional information but is based on the Revit MEP calculation white paper from Autodesk. Revit MEP Duct Sizing calculations

Revit MEP computes pressure losses in ductwork based on the geometry and roughness of the ductwork, air

density, and air viscosity. Values for Air Density and Air Viscosity are specified in the Mechanical Settings.

Roughness is specified in the type properties for duct/duct fitting component families.

The following example shows how Revit MEP calculates the pressure drop for a 100 foot segment of 36"x24" duct carrying air flow of 12,000 CFM. Pressure drop is defined as:

This values checks with the Hydraulic Diameter parameter shown in the Properties of the Duct in Revit:

The velocity is based on the cross sectional area:

After determining the friction factor, the pressure drop can be calculated:

The value for the calculated pressure drop matches the value found in the duct’s properties in Revit MEP.

System Requirements for AutoCAD® 2011, Autodesk® Inventor® 2011 product line, and Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011

Published date: 2010-May-18 ID: TS14851465 Applies to: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011

For a list of system requirements for these products, please visit the following links:

Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011

Pre-Order Introducing Autodesk Revit Architectrue 2011

If you are looking to explore some of the new feature in Revit Architecture 2011, pre-order your copy of Introducing Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011. The book was co-written by Steve Stafford (Revit OpEd), Beau Turner (Avatec), Charlie Busa and Patrick Davis.

Worksets, Links & Filters in Revit 2011

Source: Revit Clinic

June 02, 2010

Worksets, Links & Filters in Revit 2011

In Revit 2011 view filters now work across linked Revit files. This allows additional flexibility when creating view filters for the project.

Along with this, Revit can now read the worksets through a linked file. This is great to control visibility of a workset in a link, or to use in conjunction with a view filter.

One item to keep in mind is when you create a view filter, which is filtering by workset, the workset in the linked file will be read. So if you have your Revit link placed on a specific workset in the host project, Revit actually looks inside the linked project for each individual elements workset.

Example scenario is as follows…

1. You have 3 linked models; LinkA, LinkB & LinkC.

2. Each link is on a unique workset in the host project; LinkA, LinkB & LinkC.

3. You wish to create a view filter to override the color of the display for the entire link.

4. Because Revit is looking into the linked file, it will not see the workset assignment of the overall link for filtering purposes. Instead elements on a given workset, in the linked model, will be filtered according to the view filter in the host project.

If you would rather override the color of the entire link instance, you can navigate to Properties > Visibility/Graphic Overrides > Revit Links > Display Settings > Custom > Model Categories.

You can select all of the model categories at once with the SHIFT key, and apply a surface pattern / color as needed.

This will override the link display similar to the example image below:

Hope this helps!

Enabling 3GB switch on Windows Vista™ or Windows 7

Published date: 2010-May-27 ID: TS1069947 Applies to: AutoCAD® 2011 AutoCAD® 2010 AutoCAD® 2009 AutoCAD® 2008 AutoCAD® Architecture 2011 AutoCAD® Architecture 2010 AutoCAD® Architecture 2009 AutoCAD® Architecture 2008 AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2011 AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2009 AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2008 AutoCAD® Electrical 2011 AutoCAD® Electrical 2010 AutoCAD® Electrical 2009 AutoCAD® Electrical 2008 AutoCAD® Inventor® Professional Suite 2011 AutoCAD® Inventor® Professional Suite 2010 Autodesk® Inventor™ Professional 2009 Autodesk® Inventor™ Professional 2008 AutoCAD® Inventor® Suite 2011 AutoCAD® Inventor® Suite 2010 Autodesk® Inventor™ Suite 2009 Autodesk® Inventor™ Suite 2008 AutoCAD® Land Desktop 2009 AutoCAD® Land Desktop 2008 AutoCAD® Map 3D 2011 AutoCAD® Map 3D 2010 AutoCAD® Map 3D 2009 AutoCAD® Map 3D 2008 AutoCAD® Mechanical 2011 AutoCAD® Mechanical 2010 AutoCAD® Mechanical 2009 AutoCAD® Mechanical 2008 AutoCAD® MEP 2011 AutoCAD® MEP 2010 AutoCAD® MEP 2009 AutoCAD® MEP 2008 AutoCAD® P&ID 2010 AutoCAD® P&ID 2009 AutoCAD® P&ID 2008 AutoCAD® Plant 3D 2009 AutoCAD® Plant 3D 2010 AutoCAD® Revit® MEP Suite 2011 AutoCAD® Revit® MEP Suite 2010 AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2009 AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2008 Autodesk® Inventor® 2011 Autodesk® Inventor® 2010 Autodesk® Inventor™ 2009 Autodesk® Inventor™ 2008 Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2010 Revit® Architecture 2009 Revit® Architecture 2008 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2010 Revit® Structure 2009 Revit® Structure 2008 Autodesk® Vault 2009 Autodesk® Vault 2008

You want to enable the 3GB switch on the Windows Vista™ or Windows 7 operating systems.

To enable the 3GB switch on Windows Vista™ or Windows 7:

1. Right-click Command Prompt in the Accessories program group of the Start menu. Click Run as Administrator.
2. At the command prompt, enter "bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa 3072"
3. Restart the computer.

To disable the 3GB switch:

1. Right-click on Command Prompt in the Accessories program group of the Start menu. Click Run as Administrator.
2. At the command prompt, enter "bcdedit /deletevalue IncreaseUserVa"
3. Restart the computer.

For more information on the 3GB switch, refer to the following Microsoft MSDN article:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff556232.aspx

See also

• The 3GB switch and Revit®
• Revit® and Virtual Memory

Blue Screen on Startup when using Nvidia Graphics Card Version 197.85

Published date: 2010-May-21 ID: TS15178992 Applies to: AutoCAD® 2011 AutoCAD® Architecture 2011 AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2011 AutoCAD® Map 3D 2011 AutoCAD® Mechanical 2011 Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2011 Autodesk Alias Design 2011 Autodesk® Inventor® 2011 Autodesk® Maya® 2011 Autodesk® Moldflow® Adviser Advanced 2011 Autodesk® Navisworks® Manage 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011 Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2011 Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2011 Autodesk® Vault 2011

Issue

You may experience a "blue screen of death" crash when starting a machine when the 3GB switch is enabled on a Windows XP 32 bit operating system using the NVidia graphics card driver version 197.85

The following graphics cards may be affected:

Quadro FX series:
FX 570, FX 5800, FX 580, FX 370, FX 3500, FX 1800, FX 3800, FX 550, FX 350, FX 560, FX 5500, FX 380, FX 4500 X2, CX, FX 540, FX 4700 X2, FX 4600, FX 4000, FX 1500, FX 3400/4400, FX 370 Low Profile, FX 3450, FX 4500, FX 5600, FX 1400, FX 3700, FX 4800, FX 1700

Quadro NVS series:
NVS 295, NVS 450, NVS 440, NVS 420, NVS 290, NVS 285

Quadro Blade/Embedded Graphics Board series:
Quadro FX 770M, Quadro FX 560M, Quadro FX 370M, Quadro FX 1600M, Quadro FX 3600M, Quadro NVS 120M.

Solution

Disabling the 3GB switch on a Windows XP 32 bit operating system using one of the graphic cards listed above and the NVidia graphics card driver version 197.85 will prevent the crash from occurring.

Information regarding the 3GB Switch on Windows XP

NVidia is aware of the problem and is investigating

AGC BIMForum - Kansas City

The AGC's Summer BIMForum is going to be taking place in Kansas City June 15-18th.

How Rich are You?

This is off topic, but lifted my spirits a little. Check out this web site that will tell you how rich you are compared to other around the world. The Global Rich List.

FMDesktop Update from Autodesk

Important News for Autodesk® FMDesktop® Customers

We are pleased to inform you that FM:Systems, Autodesk’s Preferred Industry Partner for facilities management (FM) and a demonstrated leader in the integration of building information modeling (BIM) and FM solutions, has partnered with Autodesk to provide extended support for all of our Autodesk FMDesktop customers until January 14, 2011. Autodesk chose to partner with FM:Systems because of their high customer satisfaction rating and their strong dedication to facilities management and BIM.

As part of this partnership, Autodesk FMDesktop users can:

• Renew lapsed subscription contracts at the previously paid subscription price and without a penalty charge anytime before January 14, 2011.
• Under subscription, choose to transition their licenses to FM:Systems product licenses without additional costs. Additionally, FM:Systems will offer free training to help facilitate a smooth transition to their product.

Support renewal details will vary depending on the Autodesk FMDesktop subscription end date and FM:Systems renewal date.

Autodesk will continue to leverage model-based design and our BIM portfolio to help you better predict and affect how your building(s) will perform throughout the building lifecycle. Additionally, we will work with our strategic partners, like FM:Systems, who support BIM solutions to help complete our solutions workflow.

For immediate questions or concerns, please contact your Autodesk Sales Partner or the FM:Systems sales team at +1-800-648-8030, x721 or fmdesktop@fmsystems.com .

To read more about today’s announcement click here.

About FM:Systems

FM:Systems is our Autodesk Preferred Industry Partner for facilities management and offers technology that supports Autodesk BIM solutions. They are a major player in the facility management space with a 93% customer satisfaction rating. FM:Systems is uniquely positioned to provide the necessary resources to successfully support you and assist with the development of functionality to integrate BIM solutions with facility management software systems.