Participate in the Autodesk SketchBook Pro Beta and More

From Between the Lines

We are rapidly approaching the big pre-release alpha and beta season for Autodesk. There are already a couple Autodesk products in testing now and you can sign up to participate by registering at http://beta.autodesk.com. By joining almost 70,000 Autodesk customer that participate in hundreds of pre-release feedback projects every year you will improve the quality of the products and you become a vital extended member of the product teams and help us shape the direction of the products you use, or future products and solutions you may need. 

The Autodesk SketchBook Pro team has a beta in progress and you apply and can get more details from the ONLINE APPLICATION

Repost: BIM & Beam: Using Structural Analysis for Autodesk Revit to more quickly test your design concept

From BIM & BEAM

If you are an Autodesk Subscription customer with a seat of either the Premium or Ultimate edition of Building Design Suite, Plant Design Suite, or Infrastructure Design Suite, or a seat of Revit Structure, you get the benefit of using the Structural Analysis for Revit cloud service.

Structural Analysis for Revit uses the power of Autodesk 360 to conduct the computationally-heavy task of structural analysis directly from your Revit software but without locking out your system while it processes. The service consumes two cloud credits each time you use it. In case you are still learning about Autodesk’s cloud credits, each seat of Subscription on one of the software packages outlined above gets 100 cloud credits per year and if you run out of allocated cloud credits they are available for purchase for 100USD for 100. You can find out more about cloud credits and metered usage here.

The service is powered by the industry leading Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis engine, giving you access to leading edge structural solvers, without the need to purchase and learn complex analysis software.  Structural Analysis for Revit is purpose built for engineers and architects looking to gain more insight to the structures they are designing and how they will respond to loading conditions.

This feature is a great way to test your designs early and often and iterate based on the results.

You can use these videos to learn how to get started with the service:
Preparing and submitting a model for Structural Analysis for Revit
Download and interpreting Structural Analysis for Revit results

Roombook Extension for Autodesk Revit 2014

BIM Aficionado: Revit to CAD - Nothing to Fear

BIM Aficionado: Revit to CAD - Nothing to Fear: We are well on our way to our goal of 50% DD on our new 'GA Apartment' BIM project, with a well developed model, fifty sheets set u...

Hotfix - Autodesk Revit 2013 - Spot Elevation

This hotfix improves product stability when placing Spot Elevations within Section Views.

Make sure that Update Release 3 has been applied prior to adding the hotfix. Verify that the build number of Revit 2013 is 20130531_2115.

The Readme contains the latest information regarding the installation and use of this update. It is strongly recommended that you read the entire document before you apply the update to your product. For your reference, you should save the Readme to your hard drive or print a copy.

	Revit2013_SpotElev_Hotfix.zip (zip - 14553Kb)
	Readme (htm - 81Kb)

The Revit Blog: Can't see it in the view? Here's 33 reasons *maybe* why

Repost from The Revit Blog

Can't see it in the view? Here's 33 reasons *maybe* why

Seems like finding missing items in Revit is a day to day condundrum. I have a routine of things to run through but I had never made a list before. This one was sent over to me by a colleage the other day and is Courtesy of Dave Jones' post over at www.revitforum.org 

Highly recommend printing it out or sending it to everyone in your company.

Can't see it in the view? Here's 33 36 reasons maybe why

I found this somewhere online back when I started using Revit and still find it useful. Hope someone else can use it also.

Checklist: 33 steps to being able to 'find stuff'

1. The object or category is temporarily hidden
2. The object or category is hidden in the view
3. The object is being obscured by another element
4. The object's category or subcategory is hidden in the view
5. The object is outside the view's view range
6. The view's far clip depth is not sufficient to show the object
7. The object resides on a work set that is not loaded within the project
8. The object resides on a work set that is not visible in the view
9. The object resides on a work set that is not loaded in a linked file
10. The object resides on a work set that is not visible in a linked file
11. The object resides within a group (detail model) and it has been excluded from the group
12. The object is part of a design option that is not visible in the view
13. The object is part of a linked file that is not visible in the view
14. The object has one or more of its edges overridden to display as ''
15. The object is a family and none of its geometry is set to be visible in the view type
16. The object is a family and none of its geometry is set to be visible at the view's detail level
17. The object is set to not be visible at the category's detail level
18. The element has been placed outside the view's crop region (visible extents)
19. The element is an annotation object and does not reside entirely within the annotation crop region
20. The object's phase settings or the view's phase settings prevent the object from displaying in the view
21. The view's discipline is prohibiting the visibility of the object
22. The object is affected by a filter applied to the view
23. The object is subject to an element override, set to background color
24. The object is subject to a category override, set to background color
25. The object style is set to background color
26. The object is constrained to a scope boxes that is not visible in the view
27. The extents of the object itself don't permit it to be seen
28. The object is a mass, and 'Show Mass' is turned off
29. The object's host view has been deleted (area boundaries)
30. The view's scale is prohibiting the object's visibility
31. The object is a linked instance with coordinates too great for Revit to handle
32. The user has incorrectly identified the link instance to which the element belongs
33. The object is in a link that is not in its correct position
34. Wall is subsumed by automatically-embedded curtain wall
35. Something is really far away from the middle of the project and when the view is zoomed to fit, everything disappears
36. Element is white and its edges coincide with other objects. E.g., GWB ceiling in RCP.

Link to the original Post:

http://www.revitforum.org/tutorials-tips-tricks/441-cant-see-view-heres-33-reasons.html

Posted by James Herndon at 9:08 AM

Inside the Syetem Repost: Introducing the Autodesk Building Performance Analysis (BPA) Certificate Program

Repost from Inside the System

We’re excited to announce that Autodesk has launched the Building Performance Analysis (BPA) Certificate Program. This free online course for architecture and engineering students teaches the building science fundamentals for designing high-performance buildings. Through self-paced online tutorials, quizzes and Autodesk software exercises, the BPA Certificate Program gives students the skills to help drive an industry-wide transition to performance-based sustainable design.
 What’s in the BPA Certificate program?

• Seven modules that include climate analysis, sun path studies, building massing and orientation, solar radiation analysis, wind analysis, and more.
• Clear “introduction to software” section within each of the seven modules
• Small clusters of content and quizzes that students can complete in short amounts at a time
• Case-based examples and questions
• Content focused on energy fundamentals and modeling with detailed Revit models
• Application of Revit-based tools (including Revit, Vasari and Green Building Studio)

This program takes an estimated 20 hours to complete. Following successful completion, students are issued a Certificate and a Badge that they can place on their resume, LinkedIn profile or portfolio. Students will improve and prove their fluency in the strategies and tools of sustainable building design.
Students - register here: http://autode.sk/19ZTv7a

BIMForum / McGraw Hill Prefabrication Survey

BIMForum / McGraw Hill Prefabrication Survey

RTC Australasia 2014 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Pullman Melbourne Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia

Thursday 29 - Saturday 31 May 2014
We are now seeking abstracts from individuals interested in speaking at the event. Note that this current call for abstracts is for the Australasian event only, and separate calls for abstracts will be made in relation to other events. You are free to submit abstracts for a single event, or for all, once the North American & European abstract sites have opened...

Increase your profile in the industry - speak at RTC Australasia 2014. This is your opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise.

Online abstract submissions close on
Monday 14 October 2013.

Click here for further information relating to the call for abstracts.

Beyond Design Repost: BIM 360 Field roadshow is coming your way!

From Beyond Design

You've heard my friend, Pete Billante talk about the cool features in Autodesk® BIM 360™ Field for the iPAD and how they've helped thousands of construction project managers, superintendents, and field engineers to manage quality, safety, and commissioning processes. Now, it is time for you to see the power of BIM 360 Field first-hand.

I'm excited to announce that Autodesk is kicking off a five-city roadshow (in the United States) on BIM 360 Field! The roadshow runs from September 17 to October 17. The first event is in my city (San Francisco) and is taking place in the Autodesk Gallery. By attending one of the events, you will gain a better understanding of how BIM 360  Field enables you to combine mobile technologies at the point of construction while supporting 2D and 3D workflows.
During the three hour event, you will learn how mobile devices and cloud-based services are transforming the construction industry and how you work every day. Each event will showcase a different local customer and highlight how they are using BIM 360 Field in their construction projects. Get answers to these questions:

• How do I manage my field data?
• How can I improve quality, safety and commissioning?
• How can I maximize the benefits of mobile devices in field management?
• What role does BIM play in field management?

Here is a list of dates and cities that we are hitting:

• San Francisco, September 27
• Waltham, October 3
• Ft. Lauderdale, October 10
• NYC, October 15 (To be confirmed)
• Houston, October 17

Register today for an event near you. Tip: search by product name on the registration page (Autodesk BIM 360 Field or Autodesk BIM 360 Glue) for an exact list of activities.

Don't see your city on the list? Not to worry, there are plenty of ways to learn about BIM 360 Field. For example, Microsol Resources is hosting a BIM 360 Field webinar tomorrow (September 10) and it will cover Autodesk® BIM 360™ Glue and BIM 360 Field workflows. We are always adding different types of events to the calendar so be sure to check-in and get the latest scoop from the BIM 360 team.

~Sunny

What NOT to do in Revit - Item #4 - Use the wrong object category

​When working in Revit, real world objects are broken up into several different object categories. For the most part, these make sense. But we can get into trouble when you use a Roof or a Wall object to model something other than its intended purpose.

For example, it is not uncommon for us to want to use a Wall object to create bathroom our module office furniture partitions. Bathroom and module office furniture partitions are walls so why not use a wall? The main reason is related to material and element quantities. If the Revit model is being used for estimating takeoffs, then the estimator without knowing could count the bathroom or module furniture walls as real walls in this takeoff.

The best practice is to create a Revit family for these types of real world objects. Initially it might take a little longer to create, but in the long run, it will provide easier editing and flexibility.