The Revit Clinic

Adjusting the Scale of a Weld Symbol

I have seen many users attempt to adjust the scale of the OOTB weld symbol and end up with unexpected results; most often the issue is that leaders display a gap instead of attaching to the geometry directly. I'd like to explain the methodology with an example of scaling this family down 1.5 times while making sure that the leaders work properly. Please keep in mind that this is not for Family Editor beginners. You need a good understanding of Family Editing before being able to follow these steps. I'm going to illustrate a simplified version with 3 symbols and no notes, as it should illustrate the process without making this intolerably long.

You will still have to bear with me though because this is going to be longer than a normal post, but I think is more valuable to have all of the information together than to break it into pieces. I'm going to put in small thumbnails of the images to try to keep the flow of the document manageable; you can click on the images to see them full-size.

Generally one of the best ways to figure out how to model a family is to look at an existing one. So I am going to do a lot of comparing with the existing Weld Symbol.rfa family to make sure we understand what is making it work. One of the most important things to consider before you attempt to create this new family is scale. Scaling down has to be done precisely or it will not work, so it is important that all of the adjustments you make are set to the same scale.

Let's begin by opening our existing family at Annotations > Structural > Weld Symbol.rfa, starting a new Generic Annotation.rfa family, and viewing them side by side in Revit.

In the Weld Symbol, go to Family Types and turn on the visibility of the Tail Note, Weld All Around, and Field symbols. Then go into Visibility/Graphics and turn on Dimensions and Reference Planes. Go ahead and hide the text labels to clear up space since we're not going to deal with them in this example.

In the Weld Symbol family, you'll see that there are various Annotation Symbols loaded into it. In this example I am only going to deal with Weld Symbol-All Around, Weld Symbol-Field, and Weld Symbol-Tail. Edit each of these families and scale them down 1.5 times. So the All Around circle should have a radius of 1/16", the two lines of the Tail should be 1/6", etc. Make sure to get these scales right! Then load them into your new family.

 

Let's start with the main horizontal and vertical lines. The line lengths in the Weld Symbol family are 1 1/8" horizontally and 1 5/16" vertically, so in our new family they will need to be 3/4" and 7/8" respectively. Note that the horizontal line is of the subcategory Generic Annotations and the vertical is <Invisible Lines>. Draw these centered on each other in the new family.

Leaders in Revit want to attach to the outermost edge of a family. In order to get the leader to attach to the center of the All Around circle, we need to set the origin to move based on the side that the symbol and leader will be on. Make sure the horizontal line is along the horizontal reference plane, and set the vertical line 1/8" to the left of the vertical plane to accommodate for the width of the circle.

Now let's go straight to adding the Tail symbol. Place one on either end of the horizontal line. The following video illustrates the next few alignments that need to be made based on the Tails to add the Origin Position parameter.

Back in the Weld Symbol family, you'll find a 3/32" extension line on either side. Add the corresponding scaled 1/16" ones in our family.

Now let's add the Field and All Around symbols to either end. A tip for adjusting the Field Symbol is to use the snaps at the top to drive the location, not the vertical line (see image below).

Now that the symbols are in place, we'll add some dimensions and constraints. Dimension from the Centerline of the circle to the invisible vertical line. Lock the dimension on the left, and keep the one on the right unlocked.

Constrain the 1/16" extension lines to the centerlines of the circles and lock the constraint.

The family shifts based on whether the symbol is on the left side or right side. We need to start setting some visibility conditions to determine what turns on and off. Here it's helpful to go back into Weld Symbol.rfa and mimic what you see in that family. The following video will show you what I mean. Basically what I'm doing is looking at the visibility parameters of the symbols in the Weld Symbol family and copying the settings in my family.

Now that the visibility parameters are set, we need to define which symbols turn on for each side. A good way to figure out how is to again look at the Weld Symbol family. You can copy the Symbol Right and Origin Position Formulas into your family, and just edit the distances to match your scales, as shown in the following video:

 Now let's load our family into a new project and see how we did!

 

Revit 2011 Build Number & Update Display

Quick note regarding a new display for the update applied in Revit 2011 products.  

After applying Update 1, you should see both the current build number and the update applied under Help > About:

 

In this example it reads:

20100615_2115(x64)
Web Update 1 Service Pack

It shows the current build number, along with the last update applied.  This should help clarify which update was installed on the workstation!

Revit 2011 Update 1 Graphics Hardware List

Based on additional testing that has been performed, the Graphics Hardware List of cards and drivers that are supported for use with Revit has been updated.

The updated list replaces the previous list at the link below:

Graphics Hardware List

I have organized the changes made to the list between the original release and the update 1 release below:

1.  AMD Driver 6.14.11.700 updated to 6.14.11.678

2.  AMD Driver 8.14.11.700 updated to 8.14.11.678

3.  The following cards \ drivers additionally have been tested and added to the list:

-NVIDIA Quadro – Windows XP 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 6.14.11.9703

-NVIDIA Quadro – Windows Vista / 7 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 8.17.11.9703

4.  The following cards \ drivers have been updated to a “Not Supported” status based additional testing:

-NVIDIA Quadro – Windows XP 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 6.14.11.9187

-NVIDIA Quadro – Windows XP 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 6.14.11.9178

-NVIDIA Quadro – Windows Vista / 7 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 8.16.11.9178

-NVIDIA Quadro – Windows Vista / 7 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 8.16.11.9187

-NVIDIA GeForce – Windows XP 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 6.14.11.9621

-NVIDIA GeForce – Windows Vista / 7 32-Bit and 64-Bit – Driver 8.17.11.9621

For the majority of the cards above, there is an alternate or more recent driver available that is tested \ supported instead:

-For 6.14.11.9187 & 6.14.11.9178, version 6.14.11.9703 is supported \ recommended.

-For 8.16.11.9178 & 8.16.11.9187, version 8.17.11.9703 is supported \ recommended.

-For 6.14.11.9621, version 6.14.11.7824 is supported \ recommended.

I hope this helps organize and clarify and changes made between the initial and update release!

Revit 2011 and DB Link for 64 bit

The other day I helped out with the Q and A portion of a webcast by Amy Fietkau (of Ask Amy) on the Revit DB link extension that is available on the Subscription Center. 

The DB Link tool is a great little add on for Revit products that allows you to connect your Revit model to a external database. 

The most common questions that I have seen are about setting up the database and 64 bit Operating Systems.  It can be a little tricky if your not a regular database user (I fall into this group!).  There were a lot of great questions and a few good tips during the webcast so I want to make sure to get some of them out there and hope they help you use the tool. 

If your interested in what the tool can do, you should check out two videos that Inside the Factory put together.  They show what you can use the tool to do with Revit. 

Revit as a Database

Revit as a Database Part 2

One of the questions I hear a lot is “What about using Revit DB Link with a 64 bit OS?”

I’d have to say that Revit DB link works the easiest with a 32 bit OS.  A 64 bit OS can be used, but there are some things that will make it trickier and a little bit more trial and error will be needed.  If you are using Office 2010 it makes it a little bit easier, but not fool proof. 

The issue is that until Office 2010 came out, Microsoft did not provide the 64 bit ODBC drivers needed to connect to a Access Database or to Excel.  You had to use a different database, like SQL Express, to connect to it.

With the release of Office 2010, they released the drivers needed to connect ODBC with Access and Excel.  If you don’t have Office 2010, you still can download and install the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable so that you should be able to setup the connection.  I actually haven’t tried this download myself yet though.  

Even with Office 2010 installed, you will have to setup a ODBC connection (the MS Access Tab in the DB Link tool will be blank) in order to connect to a data source.  I ran across a good blog post the other day that walks through the setup.

Update on DB Link – using 64 bit ODBC drivers

If you want to use SQL Server as your connection, I was able to find another blog post (its in French, but can be translated) that explains the setup process pretty well. 

Tools Q3: RDBlink 

I’ve been messing around with SQL Express 2008 and the key for me has been making sure that I was using SQL Server Management Studio.  Having Management Studio made all the difference for making the connection and setting it up (without it, I was quite literally stuck). 

Last, but not least, a quick troubleshooting tip you can use when trying to work out a problem with exporting or editing/importing via the DB link tool is to see if you can export your model via the ODBC export option in the Application Menu.  This can help boil it down a little bit and see if the problem is with Revit or the ODBC connection. 

I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences with the Revit DB Link tool and why you have used it, so please submit your comments. 

Documentation for the Revit Extensions for Revit Structure

As a Subscription Customer you have access to some additional Revit tools and documentation; in this post I'm referring to the Revit Extensions for Revit Structure. I've seen quite a few customers with two main issues: where to find them and how to use them.

First, where to find them:

1. You'll need to log into your Subscription Account at http://www.autodesk.com/subscriptionlogin.
2. Once logged in, click the Downloads link on the left viewing pane.
3. Then click Product Enhancements to see the available tools for your account.
   
   
   

Now that you have the tools installed, how do you use them? I've organized a couple of key places where you can find more information about the Revit Structure Extensions for Revit:

• Extensions4Revit: http://www.extensions4revit.com/n/e4r 
  
• The Extensions for Revit section of BIM & BEAM, a blog written by Autodesk Employees Wai Chu, Nicolas Magnon, and Brian Haines: http://bimandbeam.typepad.com/bim_beam/extensions_for_revit/
  
• Autodesk University Online Class Materials: http://au.autodesk.com. If you log in and go to the Online Classes tab, you can search for the Keyword Extension in the Structural Design and Engineering track to see a list of the courses available. There are quite a few, for example: Maximize the Use of Autodesk Revit Structure Extensions and Concrete Reinforcement with Autodesk Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis.
  
  
  
  
  
• And lastly, within the Extension tool itself. You can right click on any Extension tool and select Info for more information on how it works.
  
  
  

I hope this information helps! Please feel free to share any other good places you've found as well!

For more information on the Subscription program, you can take a look at one of Harlan's previous posts, The Power of Subscription.

Revit 2011 Update 1 and Communications Center

As you may have heard already, Update 1 has been released for Revit 2011 products.  You can get the updates by following these links or by using Live Update (Check the little satellite dish):

Revit Architecture 2011 Update 1

Revit Structure 2011 Update 1

Revit MEP 2011 Update 1

Make sure to take a look at the update enhancement list to see what has been improved.  However, I just noticed this morning that something did not make the list (at least from what I could tell) but has also been improved. 

In the first ship of Revit 2011, communication center may have not allowed you to access RSS feeds (clicking on a link for a post did not open your internet browser).  This has been addressed with Update 1.  Now you can access your favorite blogs or other RSS Feeds (and your friendly neighborhood Revit Clinic!) from within Revit.  If you turn on notifications in Comm Center, you will be notified of new posts as well.  Its a great way to access your favorite blogs. 

 

Groups and Worksharing

When working with groups in a worksharing-enabled project, it is important to keep in mind groups have both an instance and a type workset.  Additionally, these 2 workset assignments do not have to be the same.

Typically a model group instance workset and type assignment are the same since a model group contains 3D geometry and appears on multiple views.  However, as long as the workset is editable it can be changed as needed.

Typically a detail group instance workset and type assignment vary because by default, the instance workset will be a view workset [named according to where the 2D group is placed].  Because the instance workset is a view workset, it cannot be changed in the same manner as a model group.

Below is an example of a detail group workset assignment:

When working with multiple users on a worksharing-enabled project there are a few items to keep in mind.  I have included some scenarios below:

1.  All elements in a group reside on the group instance workset.  So if a UserA needs to edit a group instance, they can make the element editable or borrow the group type workset.

2.  If UserA has ownership of the group type workset, UserB will be unable to edit any of the group instances.  While UserB can set the group instance editable, they will be unable to edit the group since UserA has ownership of the entire type.  

UserB will receive the following message when attempting to edit the group or make elements editable:

 

3.   If all groups are placed on a designated type workset, such as the example above “Detail Groups” workset, this workset can be left not editable.  Then any user can make the group instance editable or edit a group type as needed:

 

Once a user edits a group they would own the group type, and automatically be set as a borrower for the type workset until they synchronize with central.  No other user can edit this group type until the original user synchronizes with central or relinquishes all ownerships.

The help documentation has some additional information under the Considerations for Worksets > Groups and families section.

Hotfix for Revit MEP 2010 Available - Circuits Lost When Saving to Central

This is to notify all Revit MEP 2010 users that a hotfix has been provided to deal with an issue where circuit data was lost or modified when users performed a save to central.

The link and instructions for the hotfix can be found on the Autodesk website here:  http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL15282292

Preserving Links when Archiving a Project

What do you do when you need to archive a Revit project that has a whole bunch of linked Revit files attached?  You will need to make sure that when someone opens the archived project that everything is included.  The best way to do this for any project is to set your Links so that they use a Relative paths.

 

This setting allows the path to be relative to the Revit file that it is linked into.  At this point, it doesn't matter if you are archiving a central file or a standalone project, you should use relative pathing for the links if you want to archive the project. 

However, when opening the archived project with links, it does matter what you do. 

Standalone Projects

For a standalone, nonworksharing project, relative paths lets you move the project RVT file and the links (using the same folder structure you are using now) and when open the project file, Revit will automatically find the linked files and load them correctly. 

Workshared Projects

For a workshared central file, it is a little bit different.  You should still use relative paths for your links, but when you open the central file normally after it has been moved to its archive location, you will see a string of messages and you will have to load the links again.

 
 

To prevent these messages and to not have to reload the links manually, open the central file with the Detach from Central option selected. 

Not only will this allow the central file to open without the warnings about the file being moved, but any links that were set to be relative will but found and loaded correctly when the file opens  in Revit (provided they are in the right location relative to the central file). 

Detach from Central creates a independent file, perfect for archived projects, and makes sure that all the relative links are loaded correctly when you open it.  Its a nice quick, easy answer for opening a archived project.  Detach from Central is also a good first step if you get a central file from someone outside your company or if you need to do a little troubleshooting without affecting the original central file, just don't save the file over the original. 

 

The Rendering or Render Appearance Library previews are missing or appear black

There are 3 scenarios I’ve included below related to material previews which appear black or do not render…

1.  No 2011 Material Libraries Installed on Workstation

There are 3 items to check for material libraries not installed on the workstation.  First you should receive the following dialog after Revit 2011 startup if this is the case:

 

If Do not show me this message again was checked previously, the Revit.ini will list the following line:

SuppressNoRenderingWarning=1

Next you should have no Render Appearance tab under Manage > Materials: 

 

Lastly the Materials2011 folder should not be present under the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared folder [or C:\Program Files x86 for a 64-Bit OS].

Before verifying the material libraries have never been installed on the workstation, ensure they do not appear in the Control Panel > Programs list.  Once verified, the material libraries can be reinstalled at the following locations and order from the Without A Net post below:

Autodesk 2011 Material Libraries

2.  Corrupt Material Library Installation

If the above folder is present, and the Autodesk Material Libraries appear in the program list, yet materials are not rendering at any quality the folders may be corrupt or incomplete.  For this behavior, I would recommend uninstalling \ reinstalling the material libraries using the approach below:

Uninstall Material Libraries : Uninstalling the Autodesk Material Library 2011

Reinstall Material Libraries : Autodesk 2011 Material Libraries

If you do not have product media, the same folders are in the extracted download folder.  By default the path would be as follows:

C:\Autodesk\Autodesk_Revit_Architecture_2011_English_Win_32-64bit\support\ADSKMaterials

3.  Rendering or previews appear black

Even at installation if the Autodesk Material Library 2011 Medium Image Library was not installed, you can still render at medium or above quality.  Along with this, the render appearance previews should still display at medium or above.

If you receive previews that appear similar to the image below:

 

The following may have occurred:

-2011 beta installed on workstation, beta material libraries not uninstalled prior to install of final 2011 release \ materials.
-2011 material libraries uninstalled in incorrect order.
-2011 material libraries installed in incorrect order.

Regardless of the cause, you should be able to resolve the behavior above by simply uninstalling \ reinstalling the material libraries in the correct order outlined in the previous steps.  The product does not need to be uninstalled \ reinstalled.  And the medium image library does not have to be installed if it is not needed.

If you run into another scenario feel free to leave some comments below!