Edit System Panel in Revit

Did you know that you can edit a System panel in a Curtain System within Revit ! I just figured it out. How?



First create a Curtain System using eg Massing in Revit and putting a Curtain System on it(see images).



This Curtain System uses a System Panel type Glazed
Select the System Panel that you want to Edit and UNPIN the Panel
Now, you can select the Edit button in the Option bar

Now, the Family Editor is started and you can change the System Panel.

That's all. In fact, the original System Panel is replaced by an Inplace Family

Shared Coordinates

Working with Shared Coordinates within Revit seems strange when you are used to AutoCAD.

How, does it work?

Data set needed:

• First of all, you need a good DWG that uses the WCS for the coordination system.


• Next, a Revit template in which the Revit origin is obvious - I use an Origin Generic Model for that

Steps:

1. Draw a Line in AutoCAD from 0,0,0 to an arbitray point close to where your project is situated


2. Save that DWG and go to Revit


3. Use Import/Link \ CAD format and choose your DWG


4. It is important that you use the Link option, and choose the Center-to-Center option


5. You will now see your DWG in your Revit View.


6. If needed deselect the Crop View, in this way you will see the whole DWG after Zoom Extents


7. Select the DWG and move (rotate if you want) your DWG eg using the arbitrary point to the Revit origin symbol


8. Now, use Shared Coordinates \ Acquire coordinates to read out the coordinates from the DWG


9. Your Revit project does use the new coordinates, you can show them by unsing Spot Dimension (do select Shared in the Type parameters of the Spot dimension, otherwise the Project coordinates are shown).

I will add some pictures later!

Freeze drawing

Today, I looked at the Freeze Drawing extension using Revit Structure 2009. This extension can be downloaded from the Autodesk site when you are a subscription member. Allways, I thought that this add-in just exported the Sheet to a DWG file and that was it. However, a closer looks gives me these results:

How it works in Revit
1. Select a View to Freeze



2. Due to some settings (see images above), the View is exported to a DWG (or not) and directly imported into an empty Drafting View.
3. When the Drafting View already exists, the naming of this Drafting View gets a version number added to it.

Pros
+ you can Freeze Multiple Views in one run
+ you can dimension non-perpendicular objects that have been cut by the view. In 3D Revit, you can not dimension non-perpendicular (to the section) objects. So, the blue walls shown in the image below can not be dimensioned without using Ref Planes (of course, I know the workaround for this)


Image 2: Normal 3D sliced walls (blue) in Revit can not be dimensioned. Workaround: Use Ref Planes

Cons
- the current DWG export settings is not sufficient to create our drawings, eg there is just one hatch layer for the wall cut patterns. A question is, do you want the View to be exported to a DWG. I think, not necessarilly. This extensions gives you the possibility to do that. However, allways a DWG is imported back into the Drafting View. And it does not look the same as in the Revit model.
- you have to re-create the Sheet.

Image 3: Resulting Drafting View

Wishes
So, I have two wishes for this Freeze Drawing extension in Revit.

1. First of all, do not use the DWG export but create the Drafting View with Detail Lines and Filled Regions.
2. Automatically change the Sheets where the View has been placed on. So, this View must be changed into the just created Drafting View.

Introduction

For months I was thinking of setting up this Blog. Now, it took some time, but here it is. What will happen here, I think about the following points:
- Creating Revit Families
- How to create intelligent parametric Revit Families
- General Tips & Tricks using Revit
- Some programming using the SDK of Revit Structure
- Integration with NavisWorks
- BIM in general, but BIMstorm or BIMcaseweek also
- Interesting Links to Plugins, Libraries, Blogs and so on...

So, I think this will be a nice and interesting Blog....

Greetings