Recently observed a couple users that couldn’t create a new local file. What was unique about this situation was that they had shared the same laptop computer in the lab. I chose to have a few different students drive the computer that was connected to the projector so that they would get to do the work, the others could watch and I could get around the fact that I couldn’t be part of their network.
Whenever I end up doing this it reminds me of my white glove days in various unionized cities where the local stagehands didn’t permit you to do the work yourself, you just directed them to do everything, literally everything! Try doing your job all day long by telling someone else what to do, down to the slightest detail. Move case to here, open lid, remove the first cable, pull it over to the first lighting truss section, connect to the receptacle, coil the excess here in a clockwise rotation. Repeat for the next cable…over and over all day. You find out quickly how well you know your gig.
Back to the problem, when the users attempted to create new local files the next day the computer was still using the same Username for Revit but they were logged in as different computer users. When Revit saw that username was the same but the computer user that created the previous local file was different it balked and refused to save the file. When we changed the Revit username to something else, no problem.
Not very likely that others would encounter this but thought I’d share the oddity just in case.
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/dept-of-errors-cant-write-to-file.html.
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Autodesk Labs announced earlier today that this feature has been updated for Revit 2011. You can visit their lab site to download it now.
You can watch a video about it at YouTube.
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Placing components at specific elevations has been tedious for quite some time because instead of providing a way to set an elevation/offset value first we have had to place first and fix the elevation second. For example an air terminals that are not hosted or face based end up on the floor. Equipment families end up on the floor too.
With the introduction of the modeless (techy one word for “it can always be open“) Properties Palette we can see the elevation value and set it first! A video is more fun? Embedded below:
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Revit doesn’t automatically number everything. It does it for doors, windows, rooms. In Revit MEP it numbers a variety of other elements too, some of which people wish weren’t because they end up generating useless warnings. A post at AUGI asked about numbering parking stalls. One suggestion was tricky and involved temporarily changing the category of the parking stall to doors so the automatic numbering would kick in. How about using the Extensions for Revit instead?
Seems to me that too many people are either unaware of the extensions that have been available for Revit for several releases now or they just don’t have them installed. One of the extensions is called Element Positioning. Pardon me, lousy name for the routine, sorry. I’ve posted a short video showing how it works in the context of parking stalls. I’ve embedded it here too if you’d rather listen than watch.
[amended 5/12/10] Room and spaces are not valid elements for this tool. Neither are annotation or load elements (according to the tool’s help doc). This tool got its start as an add-on for Revit Structure and was made available to the other versions.
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/numbering-stuff.html.
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Aaron Maller recently joined a new firm (new for him) in Dallas, Texas (The Beck Group). He’s one of their Revit/BIM guys now. On a trip to Atlanta this week, for some Revit work there, he discovered a tiny kitten in the elevator shaft when he arrived at the hotel to check in. He lay down on the floor to keep the door open, called the hotel staff and got the kitten out. It was sitting on a piece of metal stud between the car and the door.
Story doesn’t end there. He got the hotel staff to watch the kitten while he headed out to find some supplies, food, milk and a pet carrier. He took the Kitten to work and he found it a home with one of the local staff families. Aaron shared his tale on Facebook, that’s how I learned about it. He posted a little video of the kitten recovering in his hotel room. Looks like it is doing fine.
Attaboy Aaron!
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/dept-of-nice-guys-aaron-saves-kitty.html.
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Okay two posts with funny acronyms in a row, sorry! The previous one was playing around but this one is real, Wide Area File Services (WAFS).
I spoke with Marc at Globalscape yesterday. They have been providing services for file replication/mirroring (among other things) for many years but recently they’ve been focusing on solving the Revit central file collaboration situation. More and more firms are trying to share work among their own offices as well as among other consulting firms. The first is a little easier to solve when the firm is dealing with its own wide area network (“intranet” WAN). The second is harder, harder still when firms are not able to share a common network resource regardless.
What is intriguing about them is that it is a software solution applied to project servers. One firm takes the lead as primary and purchases software (“agents”) equal to the number of team member firms involved. The primary firm’s project hub server gets its own server side software agent. The lead firm distributes agents to each firm that is part of the team. This hub server and the other agents manage Jobs (shared projects and their folders) and use a Vault (file access data) that keeps the single central file replicated at each agent site.
From their “BIM meets WAN” site page:
…snip…
Facilitating multi-user, multi-site collaboration is often one of the most challenging obstacles for organizations. When you pair Autodesk® Revit® Worksharing capabilities with GlobalSCAPE WAFS users from locations across the world can access and share files over a WAN at LAN speeds. This means faster and more reliable element borrowing and multi-user access to entire worksets.
More specifically, file replication ensures current copies of the central files and worksets exist at all locations that require collaboration. Real-time file locking prevents users from concurrently borrowing the same workset or entity. Once a user is finished, the common Save-to-Central command publishes changes back to the local central file copy, and then WAFS instantly mirrors those changes and unlocks the workset at all sites on the network.
…snip…
From the Revit user perspective they really have no idea what is going on behind the scenes. They create local files, work and synchronize with central as usual. The software does the work behind the scenes. They can use Revit’s companion application Worksharing Monitor to see what other users are up to which is invaluable when teams are spread far and wide.
Interested in learning more? Visit their website. They have a couple documents you can review (though I couldn’t find convenient links on the site for them) and a video you can watch.
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/revit-and-wafs.html.
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I wrote a post back on February 1st, 2010 about the Two-Mile-Limit imposed on importing CAD files. I referred to these files as FOUS or Files of Unusual Size paying homage to the movie, “The Princess Bride”. It has been mentioned quite a bit already but I wanted to update my own blog to reflect the latest development with the release of 2011.
The limit is now 20 miles, though you can still import the file. A warning is generated but the file will still be permitted, unlike before. You can read the blog post at The Revit Clinic called, “Revit 2011 2 Mile Limit Now 20 Mile Limit”.
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/revit-and-fous.html.
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Daniel Stine recently sent me a copy of his most recent book, Design Integration Using Autodesk Revit 2010. He has written other books such as Residential Design using Revit Architecture, Commercial Design using Revit Architecture and Chapter in Architectural Drawing. All of his work is aimed primarily at use in a classroom setting but can be useful regardless.
What makes his newest book unique is that it attempts to address all three versions of Revit within the context of the same building. That’s a pretty big undertaking to squeeze into one course book. His foreword contains the following paragraph:
…snip…
This book was designed for the building design industry. all three “flavors” of the Revit platform are introduced in this textbook. This approach gives the reader a broad overview of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process. The topics cover the design integration of most of the building disciplines: Architectural, Interior Design Structural, Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical. Civil is not covered but adding topography to your model is.
…snip…
If you choose to become this book’s student you’ll develop a two story law office and it will take you through fifteen chapters (pages are not numbered in total but the book is pretty thick). A CD is included with additional information for creating Revit families as well as all the resource files required to complete exercises.
The book format is pretty large so there is a lot of room for information and supporting screen captures. I really haven’t had time to dig into it deeply yet but the text is large, easy to read, the steps are plainly described, useful tips are provided throughout and the supporting graphics are large and full enough to understand what is intended.
Dan’s publisher is Schroff Development Corporation if you are interested in following up this post for more information. Amazon lists the book at $69.95. If you are looking for another weapon in your arsenal of learning tools for Revit you should check it out.
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/books-design-integration.html.
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Autodesk staff members have started a new blog with content as its focus – called Family Jewels.
As long as Gene Simmons doesn’t go after them they should be fine. Authors, William Spier, Ian McGaw, Martin J. Schmid and Jason A. Spleha are teaming up to contribute to the blog. Their first post appeared, according to the archive, on April 26, 2010. Might want to add it to your reading list?!?
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-autodesk-revit-blog-family-jewels.html.
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With Revit 2010 I found myself repeatedly clicking the Manage ribbon when I wanted to review Warnings. No sooner would I click on it than I would remember that it isn’t there it is on the Modify ribbon tab, nuts!!
It should be on the Manage ribbon!!!
In 2011 it IS! Yes!! Trouble is that I’m now clicking on Modify first, oh well. It’s where I felt it should be instinctively, just have to listen to my instincts now.
By the way, notice they also moved the selection features; Select by ID and IDs of Selection. Measure is still on the Modify ribbon tab though.
We thought you might enjoy this. This article is from \”Revit OpEd\”. We claim no rights to this article. The original can be found by clicking HERE or linking to http://revitoped.blogspot.com/2010/05/dept-of-moved-cheese-warnings.html.
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