Archive for the ‘Training’ Category
BOXX Revit Workstation
A Product Review by Michael Anonuevo
Introduction
In preparing to writing an instructional eBook on how to produce Autodesk Revit renderings and walkthroughs, one of the things I did a few months back was conduct a research on computer systems optimized for these types of Revit tasks. It is a subject matter that I know will occupy a chapter on its own in the eBook. I’ve looked at brand names such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus. However, I could not find any computer system specifically targeted for Revit modeling. By chance, I ran into a colleague who suggested that I look into BOXX computer workstations (www.boxxtech.com). I had never heard of the company, although I found out later that they had been around for the last 15 years! As a full time Revit modeler who is always busy creating complex families or writing about them, I never really got into the details of a good Revit computer workstation. And so with this new eBook project, I had a chance to look at a workstation made for Revit. After emailing my credentials and review proposal to a BOXX specialist, I was connected to the right channels and eventually was sent a unit for evaluation.
This article is about the 3DBOXX 4920 XTREME workstation. At the BOXX website, this model is referred to as The World’s Fastest Workstation for Autodesk Revit. On the internet, you’ll find great reviews about this workstation, including its technical details and specifications. To avoid being redundant, the main focus of this review is how effective this workstation is for Revit Architecture users. I will, however, highlight certain features worth taking a look at.
Is this really the fastest workstation for Revit? How can we users benefit from this system? What makes this workstation special from the rest of the pack? How does this computer compare to yours or other workstations? These questions (and many more) are tackled in this review. If you are in the process of upgrading your Revit workstations or want to add a dedicated power workstation for generating renderings and walkthroughs, this article will help you decide which system to purchase.
Read the rest of this entry »
Metric Editions of Revit Family Modeling eBooks
In response to Revit users from Australia, UK, Europe and other countries, I’m happy to announce the release of the Metric Editions of my eBooks:
- Creating Custom Revit Architecture 2012 Families, Metric Edition
- Creating Custom Revit Architecture 2013 Families, Metric Edition
They are free with the purchase of the 2012/2013 US Editions. Please click this link to get a PDF sampler containing sample images and Forewords written by Jeff Pinheiro (theRevitKid.com) and Jay Zallan (Perkowitz+Ruth Architects).
by:
Michael Anonuevo
Revit Architecture Certified Professional
www.littledetailscount.com
New eBook Announcement
I’m happy to announce the release of my eBook entitled:
Creating Custom Revit Architecture Families 2012
A Practical Guide for Beginners and Intermediate Users
for an introductory price of $19.95. The price includes a free update to the 2013 version of this eBook (slated for release on or before October 2012) and four free Revit families from my website.
Although the book was written with architects in mind ,it is also a useful guide and resource for interior designers, recent architecture graduates, Revit MEP and Structure users, and AutoCAD users transitioning to Revit. It is also a handy reference for BIM managers and advanced users.
Book description:
PDF format, 16 Chapters, 751 pages, over 2000 images. Tutorial files are also included.
Requirement: Basic knowledge of Revit.
Download the full Table of Contents, Foreword by Steve Stafford, and sample images here.
Michael Anonuevo
Certified Autodesk Revit Architecture Professional
www.littledetailscount.com
Get Autodesk Certified for $25
I continuously get asked how an individual can set themselves apart in todays job market. One thing I suggest to everyone is to get Autodesk certified and on July 21, September 22 and October 20 you can get Autodesk Certifications for $25 each. I recommend this for two reasons. First it is a great way to let a potential employer know that you are serious about the technology you use everyday. No matter what you think of the level the test, the certification says you took the time to take a test that measures your skill level of that technology. Second it helps develop the Autodesk certification process. If you look at the process of certification programs they always start slow and then become the industry standard. It was not that long ago when the Microsoft certification was something that only super nerds had. Today just try and get an IT job without one. So let me be a cheerleader and say let’s get certified.
BTW I am both a Revit Certified Associate and Revit Certified Professional
To get the $25 pricing goto http://atc.gilmoreglobal.com/ to get signed up.
Lonnie Cumpton
Revit Architecture 2009 Certified Associate
Revit Architecture 2009 Certified Professional
Revit Architecture 2012 Certified Associate
Revit Technology Conference – IN THE USA
I am sure most of you have heard of the Revit Technology Conference (RTC) that has been held in Australia over the last 6 years. The question is did you know that on June 23 a RTC will be held for the first time in the USA. Several of our own Club Revit members will be instructors at the event including myself. This event is gearing up to be a great event. The really cool part is that the event is all about Revit and BIM, so the whole thing is focussed what we do everyday.
Check out the video and Info below:
Why can I not place a spot elevation in some views, but I can in others?
When you are placing spot elevations sometimes you will get the no go simple on all your flat surfaces and it will only work on the edges of the object. This is a simple fix but is very frustrating when it happens. All you need to do is change “Visual Style” from “Wireframe” to any of the other options. Basically the spot elevation tool does not work unless the surface is visible. In Wireframe model the surface it not visible so the spot elevation only works on the edges.
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Planning and Budgeting for Training
How do you approach training yourself or your staff?
The way I see it, there are two primary options to categorize education:
- Outsourcing Training (community college, consultant, authorized training center)
- Internal Training (lunch and learn, just-in-time training, books, blogs)
Each has its benefits and detriments, and perhaps the best way to train you or your firm involves a combination of both. So how do you determine what is right for you and / or your firm? What it boils down to is an analysis of the positive and negative aspects of each style of training and then applying that analysis to your personal situation.
UPDATE: Family Creation: Locking Center Points to Reference Lines
I received an email from a reader (thanks, Anthony) asking for clarification on a previous blog post about Automatic Sketch Dimensions here:
He was trying to recreate the situation I had described and was unable to get the automatic sketch dimensions to show up.
In order for automatic sketch dimensions to work, you need to have a labeled dimension in the family. The family I was working on already had multiple labeled dimensions and I neglected to mention this in my previous post. 
Groups instead of Custom Families
This spot is going to be geared towards Plumbing BIM. I hope it applies to other disciplines, but that is a determination you will have to make.
A few months ago I sat through a webinar about how to use Revit/BIM in plumbing design and engineering. I consider myself an advanced, not quite expert, user of Revit so I am always looking for other learning opportunities. Anyways, the webinar did not go well. The presenter showed us a custom sink family he created with the P-trap, sewer line to wall, vent connection and hot and cold water connections. He then placed his family in the project, clicked on his vent connection and tried to connect it to the vent main in the ceiling… it didn’t connect and the presenter then spent the last 45 minutes of the one hour webinar trying to get the family connected to the Vent main. The problem was not the presenter or his process, the issue was strictly with his custom family, it wasn’t reading the pipe types correctly and therefore could not automatically place the required fittings. It is my contention, and the reason for this blog spot that custom families are not necessary; Revit provides everything to hook up the fixtures and plumbing equipment correctly, to speed up the process and gain consistency and ease of use I recommend creating groups. Don’t get me wrong in some instances custom families are necessary and needed, but there is no need to reinvent the wheel so to speak.
Creating Complex Family Shapes in Revit : Introduction
In 3D modeling, there is more than one way to accomplish certain tasks. Although the fastest procedure is the obvious way to go, the choice is up to the modeler. Depending on what is being modeled, you can choose solid or void forms (extrusions, revolves, blends or sweeps) or any combination of these forms to create the same shape. Your main goal is to choose the most efficient method to save time and avoid problems that may crop up later.
I’d like to begin my first post in Revit family creation by examining the free LDC (Little Details Count) Revit family download available from my website at: http://littledetailscount.com/index.php/products/free-revit-family-download-beer-mug-dining. I’m referring to the Beer Mug family which is also available from RevitCity.com.
This post will consist of two parts. Part-1 is intended for experienced users who just want to quickly browse and find out how the model was created. Part-2 is a step-by-step procedure with detailed explanation on how the model was created.
Before I proceed, here is the format and order that I’ll follow to explain this family and other families in my future postings:
- Presentation of a Revit rendering of the object to examined
- Analysis of the object to be modeled
- Revit family tools and modifiers to be used
- Step by step procedure in creating the family
- Parameters
- Architectural building applications
Note: For beginners or for anybody new in Revit family creation, you may want to familiarize yourselves with the Revit family editor tools, in particular, the Form creation tools (Revit Architecture 2010). I’ll go over them briefly as I go through the modeling process but it is up to you to study how they work. Autodesk has a whole bunch of documentation including “Families Guide Imperial Training Files” that you can download at http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=13080413&siteID=123112&linkID=9243097. There are also numerous internet blogs, tutorials, articles and instructional books that deals with this subject. It will be a lot easier for you to learn modeling methods on this blog if you have a basic understanding of the Revit family editor tools. Read the rest of this entry »
