Revit 2010 & ADT and AutoCAD Architecture problems

Richard Binning in his "Beside the cursor..." blog details a problem with ADT and AutoCAD Architecture after installing Revit Architecture 2010 on workstations with existing ADT and AutoCAD Architecture installs.

...After installing Revit Architecture Suite 2010, I was suprised to find out that my install of Architectural Desktop 2007 would no longer allow me to drag and drop palettes from the content browser to the application...

Worksharing over the WAN

In this economy, I am not sure if I am a BIM Manager or a Procurement Officer will all the cold sales calls I have been receiving from software and hardware vendors. But occassionally I get contacted from someone that has a product worth investigating.

I don't think I am in an unusual situation where I am supporting multiple projects that are working over the WAN. The biggest drawback to working over the WAN is the file latency issues when Saving to Central. Riverbed's have been the primary tool to combat the latency issue but another company Globalscape.com claims to have a product that makes working over the WAN better.

I have not used the product and we are just starting the process to look into this solution, so I thought I would share it with everyone. If you have used the product and have done your internal duedilagence and benchmarking and would like to share, please do so.

Link to a marketing video

State of Wisconsin to require BIM

I recently completed work on a BIM Execution Plan with the assistance of some very talented people. While discussing this document with a colleague, they brought to my attention that the State of Wisconsin is now going to require that all projects with a total budget of $5 million or more and all new construction projects that exceed $2.5 million have to have their designs done in BIM (Building Information Modeling). Being familiar with the GSA and ACOE requirements, I thought I would look at what the State of Wisconsin was requiring.

In short, the State has new standards or guidelines that require A/E that meet the above financial requirements and are Design-Bid-Build utilize BIM / 3D software from start to finish. The State has already completed several pilot projects

Below I have linked in the State of Wisconsin's announcement and the standards for their BIM requirement. The State of Wisconsin has also setup a discussion forum to get feedback on the standards.
BIM Implementation Announcement

BIM Guidelines and Standards

BIM adoption rate exceeds 80% among nation’s largest AEC firms

Here is a link in Building Design & Construction on the BIM adoption rate exceeds 80% amoung nation's largest AEC firms.

Revit MEP 2010 to Estimating and CAM

Caught this video on YouTube from Technical Sales International on their external tool for Revit MEP 2010 that allows you to export Revit MEP objects to fabrication using CAM-Duct, CAM-Duct, and CAD-Mech.

Autodesk University 2009

Registration for Autodesk University 2009 has opened.

Navisworks Manage Tutorial Series

My friends over at 4D Technologies (CADLearning.com) have released a Navisworks Manage Tutorial Series of videos. I have not had a chance to look at the video yet, but I have been very pleased with the other videos that CADLearning.com has produced.

If you end up purchasing any videos, please mention KCRevit.com.

Chapter 1: Getting Started
User Interface
Workspaces
File Units
Managing Files
Object Enablers
Opening and Appending Files
Publishing Files
Realism Controls
Navigation
Head-up Display
Navigation Wheels
Navisworks Performance
Automatic Save and Recover Files
Cameras

Chapter 2: Review - Publisher
Selection Tree and Selecting Objects
Highlighting Options
Object Properties
Find Objects
Hide Objects
Selection Sets
Overriding Materials
Measuring Objects
Moving Objects
Viewpoints
Editing Viewpoints
Import/Export Viewpoints
Animations
Animation Slideshows
Make Comments
Smart Tags
Sectioning
Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks Options
Comparing Models
Collaboration Toolbar
Switchback

Chapter 2: Review - Publisher
Rendering and Lighting Modes
Collision Detection
Adjust Display of Primitives
Database Support
Add Redlining

Chapter 3: Simulate - Timeliner
Timeline Interface
Create Tasks Manually
Create Tasks Automatically
Synchronize Tasks from External Scheduling Software
Simulation Playback
Configuring the Simulation
Export Simulation

Chapter 4: Simulate - Animator
Animator Interface
Creating Object Animations
Cameras and Viewpoints
Manipulate Objects in an Animation Set
Manipulation by Linear Movement
Manipulation by Rotation Movement
Manipulation by Scaling
Manipulation by Changing Color & Transparency
Section Plane Sets
Animation Scene Playback

Chapter 5: Simulate - Scripter
Scripter Interface
Managing Scripts
Events
On Start Event
On Timer Event
On Key Press Event
On Collision Event
On Hotspot Event
On Variable Event
On Animation Event
Actions
Play Animation Action
Stop Animation Action
Show Viewpoint Action
Pause Script Action
Send Message Action
Set Variable Action
Store Property Action
Load Model Action

Chapter 6: Simulate - Presenter
Presenter Interface
Add Materials
Add Lighting Effects
Add Background Effects
Add Rendering Effects
Export Rendered Images
Export Animation Video
Edit Materials

Chapter 6: Simulate - Presenter
Advanced Material Editing
Ground Planes
Individual Light Effects
Image-Based Lighting
Environment Backgrounds and Reflections
Custom Environments
Light Scattering
RPC Content

Chapter 7: Manage - Clash Detective
Clash Detective Interface
Select Items to Clash
Clash Settings
Clash Rules
Clash Results
Clash Comments
Clash Reports
Clash Audit Checks
Batch Clash Tests
Export/Import Clash Results
Custom Clash Tests
Laser Scan Data Clashing
Holding and Releasing Objects
Switchback with Clash
Preparing a Time-Based Clash
Clash Timeliner Report

2009 UI in 2010

If you wish that you could use the 2009 UI in 2010, here is the solution for you:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13126336&linkID=9243099

Revit Support for the Mac

Autodesk Expands Support for Mac Users

Autodesk is expanding assistance for Macintosh® users by adding support for Boot Camp for select products in addition to offering native Mac OS products.

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The good news to Mac users is that you can now get official support if you are running certain Autodesk products like Revit via Bootcamp on a Mac.

RAC 2010 WU1

Have you installed wed update 1 yet?



I haven't had time to install it on any of my test boxes. However, a collegue, friend and mentor (I think reluctantly) has installed the updated and made some interesting comments.

• Fixed the Course / Medium / Fine detail icons in the view control bar by putting back the old ones.


• The ribbon is still there and refreshes slower.


• If you made any changes to your QAT bar, they’re gone – the QAT gets reset to add a Sync To Central button.


• Some of the commands that are layered save the last command run, but some don’t.

He summed things up by indicating that there is actually less clarity now than before.

I would be interested in hearing what others think about the changes in WU1.

Changing the File Association of Revit files

From The Revit Clinic

If you have multiple versions of Revit on your system and you open files by double-clicking on them in Windows Explorer, you may find that Revit doesn't launch the version you want it to. If you have trouble with this, please try the following:

This example will set .RVT files to open with Revit Structure 2010.

Go to the Control Panel > Folder Options.
In the Folder Options dialog, click the File Types tab.
Scroll down to the RVT file type. In the bottom pane, click the Advanced button (if you've already made changes, click Restore, then the Advanced button will appear).
In the Edit File Type dialog, click New.
Under Action, type Open with Revit Structure 2010.
In the Application used to perform action field, type "C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010\Program\Revit.exe" "%1".
Click OK to exit the dialogs.