Lighting for renders

Use studio lights for a light source with no fittings.
If rendering in sunlight then will need the source to be around 3 times stronger than sunlight eg. 20,000W

If wanting a night shot, choose only artificial lighting in GD window.

Studio lights - wanting a strong light use 10,000W (indirect only).

Central files, local files

Creating a Central File for worksharing/synchronising

1. Open the file you want to make the 'central file', click 'save as'

2. Choose the desired central location and file name, then under 'options' in the save window check the 'Make this a central file after save' option.

 

Then 'ok', and 'save'.
This is now the central file in the location you selected.

Creating a Local Copy

Everyone working on this project then wants to create their own local copies they can work on, and synchronise to the central file at regular intervals. (NB. all users must have access to the central file location for this to work).

1. To make a local copy, open the central file by going via the Revit Projects, Open function.

2. Select the newly created central file.
3. There should be an option at the bottom of this window next to open which is automatically checked to 'Create new local'

4. Click 'Open'.

A new local copy has now been created on your computer (in your default directory for saves) and any automated or default save actions will now save this file there instead of back to the central file- but the system will also prompt you to synchronise at regular intervals with the Central file (you can choose to synchronise with the Central when needed as well).

Curtain walls & glazing

Curtain walls - editing

• Project Browser menu (rhs)
• Curtain Panels (right down the bottom) - System Panels - make a copy and edit (need to double click)

NOTE: to change transparency for glass etc, need to uncheck the 'use render colour' box first to enable the slider...

• To edit peices of a curtain wall/roof, need to make sure you've added in some grid lines first to create a section, then click on that panel, and 'unpin' to edit the properties of that section...

Curtain walls - adding doors (or sash windows)

• To place a curtain wall door:
• make the size by making a panel of this size first (grids), though can adjust later but less potential for problems if you set the grids up first...
• select the panel only (have to use the TAB key otherwise will prob select the whole curtain wall), unlock - default will be locked
• then go to properties and select the door for this (will be found under the curtain wall glazing panels area, not in 'doors') (or sash window)
• The door (or window) will be as large as the panel ie. will expand or shrink to fit. To resize the door, you must resize the panel space instead.
• NB. the default appears to be for double glazing (2 panes of glass) - this appears in the materials editor area (appearance)

NB. if having problems loading curtain wall doors, open the component you want independent of the project as if you're going to edit it, then load into the project you want it in. Load family via the insert menu, not the architecture menu.

Crazy shapes - conceptual masses

File new - Conceptual Mass - Metric Mass

Set up your reference planes and levels
eg. for my media 'wall':

• Floor plan, start at level 1, draw a crazy line (bottom)
• Move to level 2, draw the other line (top)
• Select the 2 lines
• Create Form
• Load into project...
• Massing, Place Mass, select the one you've just created

Creating files for 3D printing or CNC!

3D Printing from Revit files

Need: Revit + STL plugin + Rhino (just to scale correctly)

1. Need plugin for STL exporting (free download from Autodesk site)
2. Make sure the model is 'watertight' and the walls will be at least 3mm (so for a 1:200 scale, a minimum of 600mm thick!). Make sure model is hollow so it doesn't cost too much (for 3D printing, otherwise don't worry)
3. Make sure you have the 3D view open in Revit and the scale you want exported (eg. 1:200)
3. Export as STL file (add-in menu item in Revit window)
4. NB. This exports your model in weird units (perhaps feet??) so have to open up the STL file created from Revit in Rhino (easiest option but probably could use 3dsmax), then scale:

Scaling in Rhino

• draw a line of a face you know the measurement for, as it should be, when scaled eg. 108.85mm (line, enter, draw line using shift key to keep straight, type in the unit before you click the final point, click enter)
• line up the model with this line (select, move using right mouse held down)
• select model
• click scale icon (or type in scale, enter)
• click on first origin point of the side you are measuring, then the second, then the end of the new line you have drawn to the scale you need - this should scale it to the correct size
• save as STL file
• hey presto you now have a correctly scaled file ready for 3D printing! :)

NB. the university 3D print machine max size for output =  210x210mm with a Depth of about 250mm

CNC machine for typography

1. Follow the revit steps as per above, for just the typography but don't need to worry about thicknesses of anything.
2. Export as a DXF file - if using Rhino at uni, make sure the version is older eg 2007
3. Open Rhino, open the file and the steps as above for scaling
4. Save as the default Rhino file type and send to the CNC machine as is.

Families - things to determine before creating

1. Hosted versus non-hosted - generally most things are non-hosted but note the following:
• if it needs to create an opening in its host (eg. window) be certain that you'll only be doing this with one kind of host as a hosted element can only cut one type of host. For example, a window created this way can only cut eg. a wall OR a ceiling, not both.
• if you're not sure of the above, but want it to move with a wall etc, then place the element and select the 'Moves with Nearby Elements' option so when the host moves, so does the placed element.
• another option is to make the element 'face-based' or nested
2. Family category - critical to choose the correct one
3. Insertion point - determines the location about which the family will geometrically flex;
• important if you expand eg. a table later to fit more chairs - you'd want the insertion point to be in the middle of the face of the table in that case
• the reference level in the Family Editor corresponds to the datum level in your project so determines the visibility of your component in different views
• if you swap this component with another, if the insertion points are the same then its all good...
4. Flexibility - if you're sure you'll need to modify some of the dimensions later when in use, then create some rules first:
• reference planes are the simplest way to add rules - they do not have endpoints so are used to create linear geometric relationships
• reference lines do have endpoints so can be used to control angular relationships

In-Place components

Similar concept to massing - like a family massing
For large odd things (not normal stuff) so don't use when in conventional projects
You can only apply materials for in place families when you are in edit mode.
NB. have to make sure masses are visible in view (VV)

• Component - Model In-Place
• When the option window appears, select 'Mass'

Both solid and surface masses can be created from either model or reference lines. They look the same but are not.
Differences:

• model lines for creating forms unlikely to require further iteration or rule-based parameterisation
• reference lines if you think you'll be using formula or other rules, they allow for more flexibility, best to use reference lines regardless

Step One: create a face

1. Massing & Site - In-place mass - Reference Lines - draw a shape eg. use the spline line:
• go to the 3D view and click 'top' on the view cube so you're looking down
• draw the line you want, (make sure it's defaulting to creating this on level 1 - check in the options bar)
• then draw another line this time on level 3 (change this in the options bar)
• select both lines and Create Form
2. Finish Mass (will get error but this is okay)

Step Two: make this into a wall

1. Create a wall:
• select this face
• Home - Wall by Face, click away and a wall will have been created from your shape!

Step Three: edit this in place

1. Select the mass - easier to do this if you disable the wall visibility (VV)
2. Edit In-Place - you can move the control points.
3. Finish Mass
4. Unhide the wall and select
5. click Update to Face

Rendering

NB. Screen print is for quick rendering

Setup - Camera - Crop Size (ie. no scale)
Width A3 (usually) = 380m but make slightly bigger eg. 500mm and "lock scale" and then shrink down to size on the sheet to make the image crisper.

View - Render - Background - Style - Image

Settings

• Render - Adjust Exposure - white point, take this to 5, saturation - 1:36

NB. Revit and 3DSMax uses the same materials library

• Set up the camera first (Setup), in plan view
• reflections - eg. for windows, tip is to create a wall with a photo of what you want reflected and set the camera at a 45 degree angle to this so is reflected in the window...best if the sun is behind the camera

GD: Settings to use

• Background gradient
• Shadow - ambient
• Sun intensity - 70
• Ambient light - 30
• Don't go lower than 150 DPI for final printing

Lighting

• Studio lights - these have no structures associated so are used for pure light source
• if rendering in daylight with lights, need the light to be very bright eg. 3x stronger than sunlight (20000W)
• if wanting a night render, use 'artificial lighting' only
• put soft lights inside...can group lights to apply same properties to a whole group, or turn a whole group off and on

Exporting image on page
Export, image,

• zoom = 100%
• shaded views, jpeg (lossless), 300 DPI or more

Massing

This is for concept models, basic shapes (which you can fill in later)

• Set up some elevations (floor levels) first
• "In Place Mass"

NB. VV, switch masses visibility  'on' - the default is 'off'
 

1. In Place Mass tool
2. Give the mass a name (eg. Building 1 etc) which will then take you into Sketch mode
3. Create a form eg. solid, then keep modelling then...
4. Creat floors - select the model, the Mass Floors tool will appear on far left, select the floors you want to create (determined by the elevations you previously set up) - this will create the levels.
5. Go back to Massing & Site menu and create the roof, walls, floor etc (ie. this will now create the thickness, solid components)

Once you've added all the walls/roof/floors, you no longer need the mass so you can uncheck this visibility...

Topography

NB. if you have contour map already:

• Insert, Image - will place the image behind so you can trace the lines.
• Anything 2D can be scaled - so pick something on the image you know the dimension of and use the Scale Tool (modify, 2 squares icon).

Massing & Site - menu options.
Topography - NB. can only work with this when in the 'site' view (project browser).

• Toposurface tool, Points - the elevation of each will be shown in the options bar where you can change this, that is, change the elevation and trace over contour lines
• Topography = 'existing' phase (see below about phasing). That is, the topography exists at the start, you will be 'rennovating' it.
• So, you'll need to change your site to 'existing' phase in the Properties, Phase area.

Contour lines - click on existing ones (or just the outside line if that's all you have so far), and a menu option 'Edit Surface' will appear, click on this, then add the correct elevation for the new contour line and 'Add point' along the contour lines.

To make contour lines visible, can change this by clicking on the Model Site menu option and adjusting the 'At Intervals of' distance. eg. change to 500mm or 250mm or 5000mm etc. whatever your contour lines are at.

NB. when placing building, make the topography offset down by around 300mm (offset -300) to create appropriate step up to building pad/floors (make ground lower than building, not in line with)
Building pad
This is like an excavation tool - with shear sides...

• Building pad tool. Draw your pad, tick.
• This takes means of elevations and creates a pad at the best height.

However, only use building pad when:

• massing or
• quickly flatten something or
• when you have a basement.

Grading tool
This is the more common way to create a building site.

• Tool = Graded Region, when you choose this, Revit will ask a question, select the second option (create a new toposurface based on the perimeter points only)
• Then click on the topography to activate the place point tool, change the elevation points to what you want (options bar)
• NB. select wireframe view to see where you are going
• Now change phase filter to 'show complete'

Topography Schedule - to calculate cuts & fills

• If you create a section now, it will show 2 phases, the existing (dotted line) and the new graded line (solid)
• So you don't want to see the extra hatching which is the old typography but still want to show where the existing topography went:
• Detail lines - (NB anything in this section is view-specific only)
• Annotate, Detail Line (or DL for short), select line style = hidden line (dashed), and trace over the existing phase line
• Then filder the phase to 'Show Complete'

NB. Far clip offset = the section line, you can move this..It will be the depth that displays. Usually you would select 'no clip'. But 'zero' sections are sometimes used for the far clip (eg. offset of 1 - won't let you choose zero).

Subregions = for different materials on the typography such as driveways, lake, pool, parking etc.

Labelling contour dimensions

• Massing & Site
• Label contours
• Click on one side (like you're going to make a section line) and then the other and the labels will be added automatically along that line (this line is only shown temporarily while you're in this mode)...

Site Components
eg. parking components, etc
NB. Site, place when in site view (eg. not ground level) and these will follow the contours

Retaining wall/embankments
Place a wall, Create a section
Move contour points onto the line of the wall, edit the contours, click on 'add point'

• NB. The Fourth Dimension (time)
• phasing - new, existing (property) and can filter these eg. for rennovations
• so for typography you use the 'existing' phase then change it so final will be seen only when filtering to 'show complete'. Therefore, change site to 'existing' when starting off (Properties, Phase area)
• Demolish tool
• This is in the Manage tool options...NB. will only work on walls change to 'existing' phase.
• nb. to clean up, drag ends of lines don't use the trim tool, with Demolish.