"Gross surface area"

[AndrejIlic]

Hello

I want to calculate square footage of certain parts of a facade. I know that there is this thing called "material take off", but I have a pdf project which i need to calculate....I assumed that I can use Revit conceptual mass to draw those parts and look for Revit results. I noticed that Revit displays something defined as "Gross surface area". When I click on a conceptual mass, it gives me this data. However, for some masses it doesn't and it drives me nuts. Can some1 tell me why?

[Dave Jones]

Why not use Bluebeam takeoff tools since you're working with a PDF?


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[snowyweston]

Why not use Bluebeam takeoff tools since you're working with a PDF?

That presumes Andrej has Bluebeam.

Not that printing said .pdf wouldn't get the same mileage if Andrej downloaded Design Review and printed them to .dwf.... but regardless, to Revit!


Andrej, Masses, as you're probably discovering, are Revit's (very) basic form finding tools.

Be mindful that the 'Gross Surface Area' property (of masses) is exactly that, factoring all faces of the form - so I imagine unsuitable to the planar-measurement takeoff you are requring. As an aside, why some report an area where others do not? Possibly a failing in closed-form of the mass (although that usually force-fails the creation of masses).

Before I make a suggestion, we first need clarification on your use of .pdf - and in what sense are you trying to employ it since (and this may show how out of date I am with new features) you can't bring a .pdf into Revit....???

As for how I do it? Depends. Now that we can schedule areas of filled regions I'm increasingly finding it difficult to stop users running havoc on their elevation views with the damn things (if anything I'd prefer they at least use a self-calculating detail family!) - but since Revit approaches 'Areas' (both concept, and tool) from a plan-down perspective, the 'Area' (plan) tools aren't much use for elevations - which is where facade takeoff tends to happen - unless you're of a linear-length bent (which only then forces you to do 'x Height' calcs, and gets tricksy with fussy facades)

Ultimately, you're back to the two fundamentals of Revit quantifying... material takeoff (tricky to get area from) or component takeoff (easier, to an extent, dependant on your content). When we're not 'scoping' elevation drawings (using all manner of annotative devices) we'll almost always employ our <Overall Area> SP that's in every CWP family we use (and why I'm increasingly turned off-of basic walls for envelopes) to get our areas of glazing/precast/etc. Coupled with our <Orientation>, <Floor Level> & other useful SPs (mostly all now getting updated using Dynamo) we are able to breakdown our facades 'material' schedules fairly easily. But it's certainly not an OOTB solution.

[AndrejIlic]

Again, thanks for very thorough and informative answer.

As you ve said, Revit did not give me "Gross surface area" for mass that was not closed.... Anyway, I sketched some walls based on my conceptual mass and used "material takeoff" to get the footage. But, thanks for the info about "Dynamo"....In general, now I know what I need to explore and learn about.

[Dave Jones]

That presumes Andrej has Bluebeam.

Actually I didn't presume that at all. If the OP is having to do a lot of takeoff type work by converting PDF data to the Revit massing environment I would think that Bluebeam would be a good investment considering the time that is going to be required dinking around with the conversions. BB has some pretty powerful quantity takeoff features including Quantity Link which allows round tripping of data to Excel spreadsheets.

Bluebeam Sales Hat Off Now

[bt.comm]

self-calculating?

--->Now that we can schedule areas of filled regions I'm increasingly finding it difficult to stop users running havoc on their elevation views with the damn things (if anything I'd prefer they at least use a self-calculating detail family!) - but since Revit approaches 'Areas' (both concept, and tool) from a plan-down perspective, the 'Area' (plan) tools aren't much use for elevations - which is where facade takeoff tends to happen - unless you're of a linear-length bent (which only then forces you to do 'x Height' calcs, and gets tricksy with fussy facades)<---

Might I ask: what is a self-calculating detail family?

Would you care to post a simple example for a lowly plebe?

[Dave Jones]

Might I ask: what is a self-calculating detail family?

Would you care to post a simple example for a lowly plebe?

probably as simple as having, for instance, a width parameter, a length parameter, and having a formula in another parameter to calculate the area. Add a height parameter for volume. That's my guess

[snowyweston]

Might I ask: what is a self-calculating detail family?

No need, it's simply a detail family where an <Overall Area> SP is populated by an <Overall Width> x <Overall Height> formula, that's all.

EDIT I should read threads to their end before replying, Dave already claimed the money.

[Dave Jones]

No need, it's simply a detail family where an <Overall Area> SP is populated by an <Overall Width> x <Overall Height> formula, that's all.

EDIT I should read threads to their end before replying, Dave already claimed the money.

Snowy, I got your check, thanks. But what the heck is £?

[snowyweston]

Snowy, I got your check, thanks. But what the heck is £?

It's a currency, that's not looking too long for this world. Alas.

What the heck is a check? You mean a cheque? Like what folks used to use before BACS?