Revit Designing with Fabrication????

[Disto214]

Is there anyone out there designing using fabrication parts(ITMs)? If so I would love to pick your brain.

[TFuller]

Be sure to search the forum first as we've had a few discussions already, but if we haven't covered the specific topic you're wanting to discuss, feel free to pick away.

[Disto214]

Be sure to search the forum first as we've had a few discussions already, but if we haven't covered the specific topic you're wanting to discuss, feel free to pick away.

I didn't see anything regarding using fabrication parts for design work. I did see design to fabrication but that's not what I'm looking for.

[TFuller]

Sure thing. I specifically use fabrication parts for my current design level work. I've been drawing fabrication level detail for design work since 2010, using AutoCAD with CADmep, Revit with SysQue, and now Revit with Fabrication Parts.

What's on your mind?

[Chris.kershaw]

Can you define what you mean by Design? I was under the impression that ITM's did not have any design info like flow rates & pressure drops in them?

[TFuller]

Chris, you are correct, as of this moment, ITM-based content does not contain flow data.

[Chris.kershaw]

So if there is no intelligence in them how do you design with ITM's?

[TFuller]

I see where you are coming from and I understand the semantics. To be clear, design occurs for me in Carrier's Hourly Analysis Program to determine airflow/thermal requirements, then proceeds to equipment selection, air terminal selection and location of those components done by reviewing product data and project requirements while reviewing the layout of the architectural components. I then proceed to route the duct in Revit based on my experience as a sheet metal worker while sizing the duct based on a manual duct size calculator.

In that sense, I am not using Revit to "design." I am using Revit to communicate my intentions via modeling and documenting that model. I understood "design" in this context as producing documents by which contractors follow for the construction of a system as opposed to post-bid-award modeling and documentation by a contractor.

Prior to Revit's addition of ITM-based content when I was using SysQue and OOTB Revit content, I still did not use Revit to auto-generate anything - not sizing and not layouts. I did use system data as a check, and for that I found it very useful and I wish I could use that still with Fabrication Parts. System Inspector is a very useful tool as are the color fill legends.

However, if one is so inclined to use a digital quasi-automatic tool for sizing of ducts and pipes based on design criteria such as flow, velocity, etc., and still use ITM-based content, I suppose they could use CADmep's DesignLine tool and then import their ITM-based model into Revit to complete the documentation phase, however there will be some loss in the transfer as not all ITM CIDs are supported.

[Chris.kershaw]

That clears it up thanks TFuller. We use Revit as a design tool as well as a coordination/fabrication too for pipe & ducts and just use rfa's so there is no redrawing or loss of info & when the client changes there mind for the 10th time we only have one model to change each time

[Disto214]

That clears it up thanks TFuller. We use Revit as a design tool as well as a coordination/fabrication too for pipe & ducts and just use rfa's so there is no redrawing or loss of info & when the client changes there mind for the 10th time we only have one model to change each time

Sorry guys for not elaborating, well I'm coming from a design build firm and we are having big issues with our revit families converting correctly into fabrication parts. We are currently not using revit to size or run calcs, so I asked the engineers if they would oppose using our fabrication database which they didnt oppose it only if it graphically looked the same with single line pipe and not double. So my question is more on graphic side. Thank you guys for all the responses.