Migrating from ACAD

[asaastad]

My office is in the process of moving to Revit in the next year or so, and I have been placed in charge of getting familiar with the software before the other drafters and engineers start using it and I am at a point where I am starting to create standard office templates and typical detail libraries.

I would like to just copy as much of our CAD details -- espescially general notes -- to families or something like that and was wondering what would be the best way to go about that.

[david_peterson]

The Best way IMHO is to re-create them in Revit. I haven't had to much luck bringing cad files into revit and having them look correct when plotting them in revit.

[asaastad]

Thanks, that's the conclusion I came to over the last few hours after reading the Autodesk white papers on transfering detail/creating libraries and actually bringing a few over. It will probably take less time just to make a new typ detail library than import our old ones and adjusts all of the text, and line properties.

Thanks

-alan

[david_peterson]

"PC you are coming to a sad realization; cancel or allow?" ;)

[dtownsend]

I have been successful at importing CAD details into revit and I think it is much faster then re drawing them in Revit.

1) Break out all details into single CAD files (or however you plan to bring it into Revit.
2) Create a new detail component family
3) File > Import > CAD Formats
4) Do a Full Explode on the CAD File
5) Do a clean up

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You can modify model Object Styles to change the line colors, line pattern and line projection and material for hatches.

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You can also import line types from DWG and DXF files using File > Import/Export Settings > Import line Weights DWG/DXF.

[dlevesque]

You can also do the same for Drafting views in respect to the Line Styles. You can add company standard layer names so that when drawing Detail lines you can select your define layer such G-Symb and so on. This works great for project specific details and if you ever have to export to Autocad or CAD related programs you will have more object control in the mappings.

But I like your idea in using the Detail Components to create standardized families for repeated project use. And this too allows the creation of Lines and there properties according to your specific needs.

Are these just geometry objects? Because if you add text and dimensions they are at the family created scale. If imported they will not update to the view that they are inserted in unless I go back to the family and edit the scale. I am assuming they are being imported into a drafting view with matching scale?

Please advise...curious

Just trying to get an overall understanding of what users are doing

Dan Levesque

[dtownsend]

Are these just geometry objects? Because if you add text and dimensions they are at the family created scale. If imported they will not update to the view that they are inserted in unless I go back to the family and edit the scale. I am assuming they are being imported into a drafting view with matching scale?A detail component is just a line based family. It is similar to a block in AutoCAD.

I haven't added any text or dimensions on a family level, but I just tried it out and it didn't show up at all, so I have not run into that problem. I did just test it out and for me I didn't get the dimensions or text to show up, but I maybe doing something wrong. I'll play with them some more when i get some free time. Also I am pretty sure that you don't have to worry about scale between projects and families within Revit.

[dlevesque]

Dustin,

My bad... I was working with an imported CAD file which had Autocad dimensions and text. If you use a family 2d component template then load into a drafting view, the Revit text and dimensions will not show up.

As far as 2D elements..I think the idea is to bring them into a drafting view. You then can save the view and later insert that same file with text and dimensions through the File Insert from file ...you then select 2D elements or views. By this the text and dimensions will also update will selected scale.

Regards,
Dan Levesque