Mastering Revit Architecture 2014

 

I get asked all the time by Revit newbies to recommend a Revit book for learning. A quick look at Amazon & you will find loads of them! Now in my humble opinion the kind pin for everything to do with Revit Architecture, as a complete Bible, has & will to some extent always be the Mastering series from Wiley. It was the original must have book for Revit & I certainly believe it still holds that crown. I was fortunate enough to be invited by James, Eddie & Phil towards the end of last year to be part of the 2014 book & I was given the task of acting as the technical editor to the content. The 2014 version of the book was released in June & has been refreshed to align with current BIM trends. The book also acts as a great companion reference if you plan to study for the certified Autodesk Revit accreditation program. More details can be found on the Wiley website as well as Amazon.

Wiley Europe:-

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118521307.html

Wiley USA:-

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118521307.html

Exceler8

In the early days of Revit it was not easy to export data from Revit to Excel, but it was possible. Then suddenly it got difficult for the average user, but as the API matured it opened up opportunities to develop tools which could pass data backwards & forwards to between Revit & Excel once again. Now there are already various tools available on the market which do this, but the most recent addition to the Revit to Excel data party is Exceler8, part of the CASE Pro Apps. More details can be found here….

http://apps.case-inc.com/content/subscription-exceler8-revit

I have been experimenting with this tools for a few months & it’s a god send. It has a few tricks up its sleeve which some of the other tools on the market can’t do. But let’s start with why you might want a tool like this. Let’s be honest, filling in data in a Revit schedule can be slow, sometimes incredibly slow especially on large projects. Then there is the fact that maybe all the data shouldn’t be included in the model, a discussion for another day. So in this situation choosing a tool which is more appropriate ie. Excel for data input would make a lot of sense. As we move into a more data centric BIM workflow, the data or “information” becomes more important than just the 3d geometry or the 2d deliverables. You will hear many BIM protagonists say it’s all about the “I” in BIM. In my early days of Revit use, I would say I didn’t really recognise this. For me, it was about the ability to model & visualise your design & the produce a coordinated set of information. I recognised the ability to schedule rooms & data, but it was not a deal breaker for me. But as my experience in Revit grew, I learned that it was the data or information which was the real benefit to this whole BIM process. What Exceler8 allows you to do is pass / export data from Revit to Excel, add, clean, tidy up in Excel & then synch it back from Excel into the Revit model driving change & updating parameter information.

Take a look at this video from my colleague Don Rudder which will explain most of what you need to know.

So here is another trick, not a particularly great video explanation, all done live & rather rushed, but this example this has been shown many times at RTC. Using Exceler8 I can drive the height of instance base masses. Its not really a useful practical example, but its fun neither the less, but it does at least step you through the process of exporting & importing data to in turn drive geometry.

Surpine Exodus

The Suprine Machinery company is proud of their recumbent motorcyle, the Suprine Exodus.
The presentation is on their website.
On youtube they have a movie.
On Diseno-art : Suprine exodus
On cycle world : Suprine exodus


Interesting prototype, unclear is if they plan any streamlined bodywork.

SolidWorks Composer Tips & Tricks

How to Replace the Viewport Compass with your Company Logo

Have you ever wanted to replace the boring viewport compass with something else like your company logo?

First import your 3D Company logo (if you have one) into Composer and then save it as a Project (.smgXml), this will create a geometry file (.smgGeom) for your logo.

To select the compass, click Environment > Compass in the Collaboration pane. You can also select the compass in the viewport by dragging a selection box, but only if the compass is the only actor selected.

In the Properties pane, go to Geometry path and search for the logo geometry file location (i.e companylogo.smgGeom).

Just like the Compass tool it will rotate when you rotate the model around. However, you cannot change camera views by clicking the compass. Only the default compass is clickable. The compass will always be grey because geometry files do not contain properties.  Hint: you can also replace the Compass with the same model in the Viewport to better visualise the orientation.

Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies, do I see

You know that expression about how some people paddle with dark clouds over their heads, while others see only blue skies?

That was our experience on Friday.

Pat Rota paddles out under menacing clouds.

Sharon focuses on the light at the end of the tunnel of clouds.

Keith has no idea why we might be worried.

Note: We had carefully monitored the weather and tailored the location and duration of our paddle accordingly. No kayakers were injured in the making of this blog post.

Hero buys half of Erik Buell's company for $25M

India Today and other Indian financial news sources are reporting that Hero, India's largest motorcycle manufacturer, has just completed a deal to invest $25,000,000 in Erik Buell Racing.

According to India Today...

The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Monday said it has picked up 49.2 per cent stake in US-based Erik Buell Racing (EBR) for USD 25 million (about Rs.148 crore).

The company has incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary in the US by the name of HMCL (NA), Inc for the purposes of investing in Erik Buell Racing Inc, Hero MotoCorp (HMC) said in a filing to the BSE.

"HMCL(NA) has agreed to invest USD 25 million in EBR for a total stake of 49.2 per cent in the share capital of EBR. The first tranche of USD 15 million has been invested by HMCL (NA) on June 28, 2013," it added.

The second tranche of USD 10 million is proposed to be invested within the next nine months, the company added.

Last year, Hero MotoCorp had entered into technology sourcing pact with EBR as it looks to strengthen presence in the high-end bike segment.

The development is a part of the Indian firm's strategy to enhance technological prowess, post the break-up of the erstwhile joint venture with Honda - Hero Honda.

The idea behind entering into partnership with EBR was a part of HMC's overall strategy to have multiple technology source for different segments and enhance its own R&D capability.

In December 2010, the Hero Group and Honda had agreed to end their 26-year-old relationship, with the Indian partner agreeing to buy out Honda's 26 per cent stake in Hero Honda for Rs.3,841.83 crore.

The two erstwhile partners had, however, signed a new licensing agreement under which Hero will pay Honda 45 billion yen (about Rs.2,450 crore) till 2014.

Shares of HMC were trading at Rs.1,677.55 on the BSE in morning trade, up 0.92 per cent from their previous close.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Hero, like several other Indian companies (Mahindra leaps to mind, too) is making the jump from building Japanese designs under license to creating its own machines from scratch. And despite the fact that there are hundreds if not thousands of small, garage-building operations run by guys who'd claim they're capable of designing a bike for mass production, there are in fact a very small number of guys who can actually do it. More to the point, there's a very, very small number of guys who can say, "I've done that."

Erik's one of them. Hero effectively gets a proven R&D operation, albeit one a long way from its Indian base. I wonder if you can get a decent curry in Wisconsin? (Note to Erik: Don't even try to find a decent brat in India. And forget about their cheese curds.)

$25 million will also give EBR some breathing room. I'm not sure how much mass production that will buy, and how much as a result, EBR will be able to lower prices. But getting more bikes to market, sooner, and at more competitive prices, is obviously a key to that company's long term survival.

I'll shoot Erik a message now, and see if he cares to expound upon what, exactly, this means for EBR. (Besides the fact that the company's July 4 picnic will be damned cheerful.)

Paddling in fog: a quieter experience on Lake Michigan

Paddling out through the fog.

Warm air, cool water and still winds conspired to create fog along the shoreline on Thursday morning. The four-mile crib was invisible from Burnham Harbor. The only way to get there was to paddle a 67-degree course and wait for it to come into view.

The fog-shrouded skyline behind us.

Few sailboats bothered to venture out in such still conditions; motorboats and cruisers stayed in the harbor, too. We saw a couple of tour boats and heard communication on our VHF radios between them and the lock tender. Aside from that, we were alone on a very quiet lake. 

The four-mile crib came into view about half a mile from shore.

We heard the fog horn long before we reached the crib. As we approached, we also heard the squawking and screeching of cormorants and gulls, who weren't pleased to share their prime fishing ground with us.

We weren't interested in fishing, though. We came to swim.

Alec pulls his boat through the water, demonstrating that we are all between swims.

The fog gradually burned off, providing an interlude of blue skies before the cumulus clouds built above the city once again. By late afternoon, another in a series of summer storms came through, with strong winds and a deluge that contributed to the rising lake level (the optimistic way to view yet another storm that kept us off the water). In coming days, we'll post photos of some of the rougher water that followed.