Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Offsetting Lines and Walls

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Offsetting Lines and Walls

"Offset - ...makes a copy of an element by offsetting it parallel to an edge you select. You can find the Offset tool either in the Edit panel of the Modify tab or on the Options bar when you’re sketching lines or walls. ...useful in the Family Editor when you’re making shapes that have a consistent thickness in profile, such as extruded steel shapes. ...handy when you’re making roof forms or soffits with known offsets from a wall. You can either offset a line and maintain the original (for that, make sure that the Copy option in the Options bar is checked) or offset the line, removing the original."

(Options Bar: Numerical - Enter distance to be offset, Hover over the element / wall meant to be offset, dashed line appears on side that it will offset to, one click then done. Graphical - Click element to be offset, then move direction and distance desired, second click to place.)

5.16.10 8:55pm-9:30pm = 35mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Scaling and Aligning Elements

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Scaling and Aligning Elements

"Scale - lets you scale certain lines and graphic elements in 2D that make sense to scale, such as imported raster images and 2D line shapes."

"note: Keep in mind that you’re working with a building information model (BIM) made out of real-world objects, not abstract primitive forms. Don’t expect to be able to scale most elements in Revit—it’s not practical or meaningful."

"Aligning Elements - ...take time to get acquainted with this tool, because it’s a real timesaver and supplants the need to use many of the tools we’ve already discussed. The Align tool lets you line things up in an easy, quick, and intuitive manner."

"explicitly align references from one element to another."

"find the Align tool in the Modify tab, under the Edit panel. To use the Align tool, you will first select the target reference (a part or side of the element to which you want to align another element) and then select what you want to align to that reference (the part or side of the element whose position needs to be modified)."

"second element picked always moves into alignment."

"As soon as you make your second pick, a lock icon appears so you can constrain the alignment. Once you click the lock icon, if either element moves, it brings the constrained element along with it."

"also works for aligning geometry with surface patterns like brick or stone. Select a line in the surface pattern, and then select the geometry you want aligned. ...Use the Tab key if you cannot get surface patterns selected with the first mouse click."

"...also rotate elements in the process of aligning them to objects which are not parallel."

5.13.10 9:35pm-10:15pm = 40mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Extending and Splitting Lines and Walls

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Extending and Splitting Lines and Walls

"Next to the Trim tool, you will find the Extend tool. There you will see two options: Trim/Extend Single Element and Trim/Extend Multiple Elements."

"This tool lets you extend single or multiple instances of lines and walls. The first option, Trim/Extend Single Element, is for extending a single wall. To extend a wall, first select a target wall; then select the wall you want to extend to that target. The second option, Trim/Extend Multiple Elements, lets you extend many walls in one interaction."

Splitting Lines and Walls - ...operates on walls and lines. This tool lets you slice a line or wall into few pieces. To cut a wall, place the cursor over the edge of the wall. Before you click, you’ll see a preview of the split line before clicking. The Options bar offers ...feature called Delete Inner Segment that removes the need to use the Trim tool."

(I tried this a few times and could not get a clean edge no matter what I did, I suggest Splitting in the middle of the wall you want gone, the using the trim command to get smooth corners)

5.13.10 9:05pm-9:35pm = 30mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Mirroring and Arraying Elements

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Mirroring and Arraying Elements

"Mirror tool - ...allows you to mirror elements across an axis in order to create a mirror image of

an element ...either pick an existing reference in the model (the arrow icon) or draw the axis interactively (the pencil icon). ...Use the pick method when you have an existing element with a meaningful center axis. If nothing in the model exists as a mirror axis, use the Draw mode and draw your own axis."

"Arraying Elements - ...allows you to copy instances of an element with equal spacing between instances. Revit provides intelligent arrays that can be parametrically grouped and associated, as well as one-off, unassociated arrays. Like all the other tools we’ve reviewed, the creation options are presented on the Options bar."

"...two types of array: linear and radial.

Linear arrays - set as the default because they’re the most common. ...creates a series of elements in a line. Each element in the line can be given a set distance from the previous element or be spaced equally based on a maximum line length."

"radial array - works in a similar fashion, but it revolves around a center point. ...elements auto-rotate so that each element faces the center of the array..."

5.13.10 8:44pm-8:57pm = 13mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Rotating Elements

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Rotating Elements

"Rotating and Mirroring Elements - ...Revit provides a few methods for rotating elements. The time-saving spacebar is a quick way to rotate elements in 90-degree increments. Just press the spacebar when an element is selected... If a diagonal reference (wall, grid, or reference plane) is nearby, then the spacebar will locate this as a rotation candidate. For more precision, the Rotate tool is provided..."

"Using the Spacebar - ...to rotate elements both at the time of placement and after an element has been placed. ...a few examples:

Doors and windows - If you have a door with its swing in the wrong direction, select it and press the spacebar. You can cycle through all four possible orientations of the door with a few clicks. The same holds true for windows; however, many window families are built to only let you flip the window from inside to outside, because many windows are symmetrical in elevation. If you are creating an asymmetrical window on your own, be sure to add flip controls to the window family during its creation. These allow the spacebar to work on hosted elements."

"Walls - If you select a wall, pressing the spacebar flips the element as if it were being mirrored

about its length. Walls flip based on the Wall Location Line, which often isn’t the wall centerline.

If you aren’t sure which direction your wall is facing, select it and look for the flip-control

arrows. These are always drawn on the exterior side of walls..."

"Freestanding elements - If you select a freestanding element ...the spacebar rotates the element about the center reference planes defined in the family. Depending on how the family was built, the rotation origin may not make the most sense, but you can quickly orient your furniture and casework. If you decide to edit a family to change the location of the geometry relative to the center reference planes, be careful: when loaded back into a project, all your elements will jump to a new X–Y location based on the changes you made!" (Think editing the base point of a block in AutoCAD, everything will move based on the new basepoint when it's reloaded)

"Rotate tool - To rotate an element, select it and click the Rotate tool. ...two-click operation similar to the Move and Copy tools. Alternatively, you can enter numeric values. Revit locates the geometric center of the selected element or elements and uses that as the default center of rotation. ...fine if you don’t need to be precise... in most cases you first must designate a meaningful center of rotation. ...select and drag the center of the rotation—the rotation cursor—to a new location before clicking to set start and end picks. Once the origin is established, begin rotating the

element using the temporary dimensions as a reference or by typing in the angle of rotation explicitly." (entering positive numbers rotates clockwise, negative rotates counter clockwise)

Note: "...while moving the origin, you lose the ability to pan and zoom the view. To overcome this, drag the origin into the Project Browser and release the mouse button; then, move the cursor back into the view. The cursor changes to a rotation icon, and you can freely pan and zoom all you want. The next click you make places the origin..."

5.13.10 8:15pm-8:42pm = 27mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Nudging Elements, Nearby Elements and Copy

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Nudging Elements, Nearby Elements and Copy

"Nudging Elements - ...a great way to push things around quickly. When an element is selected, you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the element horizontally and vertically, repositioning it in small increments. Each press of an arrow key nudges the element a specific distance based on your current zoom factor. The closer you zoom, the finer the nudge is. Likewise, as you zoom out, the nudge moves elements by larger increments. This is a good tool when you’re working with views placed on sheets."

"Moving with nearby elements - Another way to move freestanding elements, but in a more automatic way... This tool is designed to capture logical relationships between elements. When furnishing a space for example, you probably want to align the bed or dresser with a wall. If you change your design, you want the furniture to follow the wall to the new location. For this purpose, select the furniture and then select Moves with Nearby Elements on the Options bar. By doing so, you create an invisible relationship between the bed and the wall so that each time you move the wall, the bed moves with it..."

(Not sure how to add this association to multiple selections, will have to figure that out.)

"Copy - ...nearly identical to the Move tool but makes a copy of the selected element at the location of the second pick. ...copies an instance of an element or selection of elements in the same view. If you change views while using this tool, your selection is dropped."

"...first choose the element or elements you want to copy, and then select the Copy tool from the Modify tab. Using the Options bar, you can choose to make multiple copies in one interaction by selecting the Multiple option."

5.13.10 7:20pm-7:33pm = 13mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively:Move Tool

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Editing Elements Interactively: Move Tool

"...range of options to interactively edit elements in the model. The most obvious is to select elements to drag around the screen or use the blue control grips to extend walls and lines. ...you often need more precise ways of moving and positioning things..."

"Moving Elements - ...several ways to move elements, ranging from traditional tools to intelligent

dimensions that appear on the fly when you select elements."

"Temporary Dimensions - when elements are selected, dimensions appear. ...called temporary dimensions ...both inform you of the location of the elements relative to other elements in the model and help you reposition the elements. Clicking the blue dimension value makes it an active, editable value. ...If a temporary dimension isn’t referencing a meaningful element, you can choose a different reference by dragging the small blue square attached to the dimension witness line to a new parallel reference."

"If you click a blue grip, it cycles to the next possible reference in the element."

"To change which references temporary dimensions go to first, use the Temporary Dimension

Properties dialog box ...Manage tab, Settings, Temporary Dimensions"

"If...many elements selected at the same time, temporary dimensions sometimes don’t appear. Check the Options bar for the Activate Dimensions button; clicking it will make the temporary dimensions appear in the view."

"Using the Move tool

"...to move elements precise distances by typing in values or using the temporary dimensions as helpers. Once you have selected an element, the Move tool will be enabled. Moving elements is a two-click process: first you define a start point, and then you click to define an endpoint."

"a few options on the Options bar to be aware of when the Move command is active."

1. "Constrain - When...selected, it constrains movements to horizontal and vertical directions. Deselecting it gives you free movement if the element is freestanding. Hosted elements such as windows and doors always move in a constrained manner parallel to their host axis."

2. "Disjoin - Hosted elements such as windows and doors can’t change host and move to another host without explicitly being disjoined from their host. This option lets you disconnect inserts from their host and move them to new hosts."

(I find using the "Pick Host" option to be more reliable)

3. "Copy - ...lets you make a copy of the element without moving the original element. In the strictest sense, this isn’t really a move operation but a shortcut to making a copy."

4. "Multiple - ...selectable only after you pick the Copy option, lets you make multiple copies of the selected element."

5.13.10 6:40pm-7:15pm = 35mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Create Similar

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Create Similar

"Rather than hunting through a list of families or making copies using copy and paste, try using the Create Similar tool to add new instances of an element to your model. ...available in the Create panel of the Modify tab when an element is selected. ...also access the tool from the right-click menu. To use this tool, think about the type of element you need to make, and select an instance of it. Then, click the Create Similar tool, and you’ll immediately be put into placement–creation mode. If you use this tool later to create a similar floor or roof (or any other sketch-based element), you’re taken directly into sketch mode, where you can start sketching your new element."

5.13.10 6:10pm-6:20pm = 10mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Copying and Pasting

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools - Copying and Pasting

"...copy and paste interaction (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V)."

"To copy any element to the clipboard, select it and press Ctrl+C."

"To paste, press Ctrl+V. ...majority of cases, Revit pastes the elements with a dashed bounding box around them. You then determine where to place the elements by clicking a point to define its position of placement. In the Options bar you will find an option called Constrain that when checked will only let you define the location of the copied element relative to the main constrain directions of the original element."

"Paste Aligned - ...you can paste... into other views with a variety of options. This allows you to quickly duplicate elements from one view to another...while maintaining a consistent location in the X–Y coordinate plane. After selecting elements and copying them to the clipboard using either Ctrl+C or the Copy button in the Clipboard Panel of the Modify tab, choose Edit  Paste Aligned from the main menu..."

"Five options are available. Depending on the view from which you copy and what elements

you copy, the availability of these options will change."

1. "Select Levels - This is a mode you can use to copy and paste elements between different levels. ...select the elements and choose this option, you choose levels from a list in a dialog box, and you can paste to multiple levels at once. ...X–Y position of the selected elements is maintained..."

2. "Select Views - ...allows you to copy elements to other views by selecting views from a list of views in a dialog box. In the list available for selection, you don’t see levels listed but rather a list of parallel views. For example, if elements are copied from a plan view, all other plan views are listed. Likewise, if you copy from an elevation view, only elevation views appear as possible views to paste into."

3. "Current View - ...pastes the elements from the clipboard into the currently active view, in the same relative spatial location. For example, if you copy a series of walls in one view, switch to another view in the Project Browser, and choose Current View, Revit pastes the walls into exactly the same X–Y locations in the new view you switched to."

4. "Same Place - ...places an element from the clipboard in the exact same place from which it was copied or cut. One use for this tool is copying elements into a design option"

5. "Pick Level Graphics - ...use to copy and paste elements between different floors. Once you select the elements and choose this option, you’re placed into a pick mode where you can select a level in section or elevation. You must be in an elevation or section view to have this option available. The level you select determines the Z location of the paste and preserves the X–Y location."

5.13.10 5:50pm-6:10pm = 20mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010 - Ch. 3 Know Your Editing Tools

Selection and changing instance types

(quoted texts are excerpts from the book)

Selection

"You can select multiple elements in several ways:

Additive selection - Hold down the Ctrl key while clicking new elements to add them to your selection. To remove elements from the selection, hold down the Shift key and click the selected elements.

Window selection - ...dragging a selection window across the view. ...A left-to-right drag selects only elements completely within the selection window; a right-to-left drag selects anything within or intersecting the selection window.

Chain selection - You can select connected lines and walls by placing your cursor over a line or wall (don’t pick, just let it highlight) and then holding down the Tab key and selecting a wall or line. All walls/lines that are end-joined to that wall become selected.

Selection Count tool - ...is displayed on the far right in the same zone as the status bar; its icon is a filter because it actually is an addition to the selection filter functionality and gives information about the number of Revit elements currently selected.

After making a selection of elements, you can see the number of elements you selected by double-clicking the count icon. This invokes the Filter dialog box, where you can narrow down your selection if needed. If you have nothing selected in the model, double-clicking on the count icon will not invoke the Filter dialog box. You can also access the selection count tool by directly invoking the Filter dialog box from the Multiselect tab. ...only active after you have made a selection of multiple different categories of elements in the model. Note that if you select elements of one category, the filter option does not exist"

Personal tip:

- Click in "white space" deselects everything.

- Make good use of the Filter command to quickly select the elements desired.

"Selecting All instances - ...available in the context (right-click) menu of an element and allows you to select all instances of a particular family in the entire model. ...when you need to perform a wholesale swap of a certain family throughout the entire model."

"select Change Element Type, which invokes the Type Selector in the Modify tab..."

"Type Selector - best practices to model...using generic walls, floors, doors, and windows...over time, as you make more specific decisions...swap those for specific types of elements. ...using the Change Element Type..."

"Matching properties - Match Type button is located on the Modify tab under the Clipboard panel and allows you, ...to apply its properties (type and instance) to another element of the same category. (click button first then) Once you select an element, the little brush icon attached to the cursor appears filled. Each subsequent click on elements of the same category will replace the selected element with the type currently active in the Match Type tool.

Note: ...the Match Properties tool will only appear in the Modify tab when nothing is selected. Be careful when you use this tool with walls, because not only does it change the wall type, but it also changes the top and bottom constraints of the walls being matched. ...best practice for walls...is not to use the Match Type tool but instead to use the Change Element Type button (Type Selector) from the Modify Walls tab that becomes available upon selection of a wall."

5.13.10 5:05pm-5:50pm = 45mns

Mastering Revit Architecture 2010

Skipping to a different book... Mastering Revit Architecture 2010

I recently went to a career workshop. An experienced Revit production user emphasized that without abilities in Family creation that you are not very useful.

I will be skipping around but heading directly to that section first.

What version of Revit is your company using or upgrading to in the near future?

I am learning Revit 2010 but am interested to find out if I should switch to 2011 when it is released. There were some major changes from 2009 to the 2010 version. When this happens many companies will skip a year and let all the brave people work out all the bugs. Lets find out. Please post a reply, thank you!

What version of Revit is your company using or upgrading to in the near future?
	Revit 2008
	Revit 2009
	Revit 2010
	Revit 2011
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