Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2013

Phil Read, James Vandezande, Eddy Krygiel

• Publisher: Sybex
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781118174081
• eBook ISBN: 9781118240090
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Digital Media
• Index: Computer Science

Learn BIM the Revit Way

Revit is Autodesk's industry-leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, and this Autodesk Official Training Guide thoroughly covers core Revit topics such as modeling, massing, sustainability, and more. It also brings you up to speed on advanced techniques such as using Revit in the cloud and how to go direct to fabrication.

Organized by real-world workflows, this book covers the interface, templates, worksharing, modeling and massing, visualization techniques for different industries, sustainability, roofs and floors, stairs and railings, documentation, and much more.

• This Autodesk Official Training Guide teaches you how to use the leading BIM software and also serves as a study aid for Autodesk's Certified Associate and Certified Professional exams
• Organized according to actual workflows, the book begins with an explanation of key BIM concepts, familiarizes you with the interface, and then moves into actual application
• Covers modeling and massing, the Family Editor, visualization techniques for various industries, documentation, annotation and detailing, and how to work with complex walls, roofs, floors, stairs, and railings
• Companion website features before-and-after tutorial files, so readers can jump in at any point

Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture helps you learn Revit in a context that makes real-world sense.

Part 1
Fundamentals

Although this book is focused on helping you master Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software, we recognize that not everyone will know how to find every tool or have a complete understanding of the workflow. The chapters in Part 1 will help you build a foundation of essential knowledge and may even give the veteran Revit user some additional insight into the basic tools and concepts of building information modeling (BIM).

• Chapter 1: Introduction: The Basics of BIM
• Chapter 2: Principles: UI and Project Organization
• Chapter 3: The Basics of the Toolbox

Chapter 1
Introduction: The Basics of BIM

In this chapter, we cover principles of a successful building information modeling (BIM) approach within your office environment and summarize some of the many tactics possible using BIM in today's design workflow. We explain the fundamental characteristics of maximizing your investment in BIM and moving beyond documentation with an information-rich model.

In this chapter, you'll learn to:

• Leverage the model
• Know how BIM affects firm culture
• Focus your investment in BIM

Leveraging the Model

According to the National Institute of Building Sciences (www.nibs.org), a building information model (BIM) is defined as “a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility” that serves as a “shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle from inception onward.” While this is the definition of the noun used to represent the electronic data, the verb form of building information modeling is equally important. BIM is both a tool and a process, and one cannot realistically exist without the other. This book will help you to learn one BIM tool—Revit Architecture—but we hope that it will also teach you about the BIM process.

Building information modeling implies an increased attention to more informed design and enhanced collaboration. Simply installing an application like Revit and using it to replicate your current processes will yield limited success. In fact, it may even be more cumbersome than using traditional CAD tools.

What is Revit? It is a BIM application that utilizes a single, parametric, 3D model to generate plans, sections, elevations, perspectives, details, and schedules—all of the necessary instruments to document the design of a building. Drawings created using Revit are not a collection of 2D lines and shapes that are interpreted to represent a building; they are live views extracted from what is essentially a virtual building model. This model consists of a compilation of intelligent components that contain not only physical attributes but also functional behavior familiar in architectural design, engineering, and construction.

Elements in Revit are managed and manipulated through a hierarchy of parameters that we will discuss in greater detail throughout this book. These elements share a level of bidirectional associativity—if the elements are changed in one place within the model, those changes are visible in all the other views. If you move a door in plan, that door is moved in all of the elevations, sections, perspectives, and so on in which it is visible. In addition, all of the properties and information about each element are stored within the elements themselves, which means that most annotation is merely applied to any view and is transient in nature. When contrasted with traditional CAD tools that store element information only in the annotation, Revit gives you the opportunity to more easily extract, report, and organize your project data for collaboration with others.

Planning for BIM

As architects or designers, we have accepted the challenge of changing our methodology to adapt to the nuances of documentation through modeling rather than drafting. We are now confronted with identifying the next step. Some firms look to create even better documents, whereas others are leveraging BIM in building analysis. As we continue to be successful in visualization and documentation, industry leaders are looking to move BIM to the next plateau. As BIM did a decade ago, many of these new possibilities represent new workflows and potential changes in our culture or habits, which require you to ask a critical question:

What kind of firm do you want, and how do you plan to use BIM?

As the technology behind BIM continues to grow, so does the potential. A host of things are now possible using a building information model; in fact, that list continues to expand year after year. Figure 1.1 shows some of the potential opportunities.

Figure 1.1 Design opportunities supported by BIM

When moving to the next step with BIM—be that better documentation, sustainable analysis, or facility management—it's important to...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Tabl of Contents
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Publisher's Note
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Part 1: Fundamentals
• Part 2: Understanding the Workflow
• Part 3: Modeling and Massing for Design
• Part 4: Extended Modeling Techniques
• Part 5: Documentation
• Part 6: Construction and Beyond
• Appendices
• Index