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    #1

    [All Verticals] - Improve drafting functionality

    Applies to: - All Verticals

    New Feature / Problem:
    Improve the drafting tools in Revit.

    1) Make it easier to place families with a certain distance from a certain point
    2) When drawing a retangular, make it possible to fill in width en length.
    3) [deleted]
    4) Improve the very strange thing that you cannot make lines shorter than 0.4 mm.
    5) Filled patterns: Create the possibility in the materials to choose different filled patterns for different scales.
    6) Improve snaps: Make snaps on dimensionlines, text, labels.

    Why do you need this Feature / Why is it a Problem:
    1) Example: To place a floorbased family in a floor with a offset of 1210 in y an 1000 in x from a certain wallcorner, you need to:
    -place the family somewhere in the floor
    -select the family
    -change temporary dimensions location in x
    -fill in x-value
    -change temporary dimensions location in y
    -fill in y-value
    This are 6 handling oparations. When you can simply do this in one time, this would be much easier

    2)Example: When drawing a retangle of 1000 by 1310 you need to:
    -drawing the retangle to a certain value
    -select one side
    -change dimension value
    -select the other side
    -change dimension value
    This are 5 things

    4) When I import a DWG-format of a very detailled component in steel or whatever, sometimes there are very short lines. Revit is deleting them, because revit cannot handle this. A point of improvement I suppose.

    5) Filled patterns: In the Netherlands we have a standard where we use different filled patterns for different scales. On a material, you can only add 1 filled pattern.

    There are several ways to work around it, but none of them is the way it should be.
    -(use filters, but that's not possible by multi material families)
    -use filled regions, but that's costing a lot of time
    Beside of that. When you use a filled pattern diagonal in scale 1:50 or 1:2, you really want to use another one, because it does not look the way you want it to look.

    6) Snaps on dimensionlines etc. When you have snaps on dimensionlines it's easy to place them exact on the same distance from the other. Now you're just trying to do this, but it's never exact.

    Workflow:
    See above

    Benefits:
    Summary: It would be very useful when some drafting functionalities from autoCAD would be implemented in Revit. Most of the draughtsman who are switching from autoCAD to Revit are facing problems on this point. The architect who is drafting in a early stage of the design process, will not experience this problems so much. But the draughtman who is making detailled drawings is facing them.

    It will improve working speed. Not for everyone, but especially when you're modelling more on a detailled level.

    Attachment comments:
    Last edited by VRBC_NL; November 14, 2011, 05:09 PM.
    Tags: None
    #2
    1. And how would you want this to be then? You could place it exactly trying to zoom and very securely place it. But for me, I'm just faster when first placing at the approx place and then clicking and retyping the temporary dimensions.
    2. The @x,y would be a nice feature yes.
    3. Select it, the temp dimension shows up. Grab the blue dot on the side you wish to extend and start typing the desired length. Revit will automatically assume you are referring to the wall length dimension and adjust this. You can even use a formula (=228+465) so you don't have to do the math yourself.
    4.Only if you explode, which you should NEVER EVER do... dwg's which stay an imported symbol will always show even the smallest lines.
    5. There's another workaround (which I use): get over it.
    I have this debate, ALL THE TIME with Dutch architects, contractors, and so on. I really could care less whether my insulation is the preferred 30deg angle and nicely showing triangles. I simply have Legends for each scale and be done with it. If my clients want their hatches "as they should be" (according to a 30yr old, pre-cad document) they can pay extra for it. I always ask them if the drawing should be according to standards. The answer is always yes. My reply is "well, that's an extra 10% on my fee cause I have to do this manually since I'm using a coherent 3D model which, unfortunately cannot comply to this demand. But I prefer my work to be accurate and free of mistakes and omissions more then I want it to look pretty". They always change their mind...
    6. Go to the dimension line type properties. Set the value for Dimension Line Snap Distance and it will automatically snap to the specified distance from previous dimension line.
    Martijn de Riet
    Professional Revit Consultant | Revit API Developer
    MdR Advies
    Planta1 Revit Online Consulting

    Comment

      #3
      1) It's like a insert block in AutoCAD when defining a basepoint and from this basepoint a x and y to place a item.
      Same thing when drawing a wall from a certain point to another point which is 1000 mm to the right and 50 mm higher.
      I'm doing some projects where we have to model to existing situation(old buildings) where nothing is straigt. You need to draw too many temporary detaillines to draw the walls.

      3) This works only if the wall is joined with another wall at the other end. If you have a freestanding wall(like many concrete walls are) and you use the temp-dimensions, the whole wall will be moved. Or if you use the line for the walllength, the wall will be extended in 2 directions in stead of one.
      The same thing with lines, if they are joined at the other side, your method works, if not, then the wall/line is extending in 2 directions.

      4) It also is the point when you draw short lines. Try to make a filled arc of 0,4 mm. Not possible. I agree about the explode, but when you use the DWG to copy lines with the 'pick line' tool you have the same problem. By example a certain curtain wall profile of Alcoa.

      5) To get over it is a more a discussion about how you want to see your drawing. I agree with you about the insulation pattern, but it's also going about other filled patterns. By example masonry for scale 1:100 doesn't look the way it should at scale 1:2 or 1:5. And beside of that: when it is possible within any extra work, it would be better, isn't it?

      6) That's a nice one, many thanks! I didn't know. But still: you cannot place the first dimensionline exact on a certain point.

      Comment

        #4
        1. Would be nice, but probably not very helpful due to Revits auto-snap fetish to certain angles. You'd need a line to use the Pick Line anyway...
        3. Nope. But my text was somewhat confusing. The tempdim doesn't do anything in my solution. Click on the wall, so that the blue dots on both ends become visible. Select the one on the side you wish to stretch, hold it down, stretch in the right direction and type the desired length followed by enter. That's the trick, and it works on solitary walls too.
        4. 0.6mm is the limit for all of Revit. Not just detailling, modelling too. It won't go any smaller (and, as far as I care, it shouldn't. you'd need to be in the business of creating space labs for 0.6mm to be a problem). As for the Alcoa profiles, I do either one of two things:
        a. Simplify the profile and loose all the tiny parts.
        b. clean up the dwg to layers matching corresponding Revit line thicknesses, save, import in Detail Component and import that DC in the profile family for use as an overlay in highly detailed situations.
        5. Yup it is. And I got over the other patterns too. Frankly, I prefer having a coordinated set of drawings with all windows in the same place in all drawings, even if it means it's a little less pretty (or even but-ugly sometimes)
        Martijn de Riet
        Professional Revit Consultant | Revit API Developer
        MdR Advies
        Planta1 Revit Online Consulting

        Comment

          #5
          3. Most accurate way is to tab select the end shape handle of the wall you wish to extend or shorten and simply use the move command. Much more accurate than grabbing the grip and typing values as the base point may not be correct for what you are trying to do. IE: A wall join means it calculates from the centre of the wall join.
          Chris Price
          Co Founder | BIM Manager | Product Designer | B.Arch (QUT)
          Xrev Revit API Add-ins | Revit Rants

          Comment

            #6
            this example was for a freestanding wall... so there's no problem there.
            but i didn't know the move command would work too, nice tip!
            Martijn de Riet
            Professional Revit Consultant | Revit API Developer
            MdR Advies
            Planta1 Revit Online Consulting

            Comment

              #7
              Thanks for these two tips, they are awesome! I deleted no 3 from my first post.

              Comment

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