3d Splines into Revit Structures

[duncan.cox426162]

My engineer has modelled a rather complex steel roof structure in Rhino. We have had a lot of succcess in exporting from Rhino to dwg or dxf, linking CAD and then placing a beam by picking a line in the linked 3d model.

However, some of the geometry has been modelled as a spline and curves in two planes. Revit does not recognise these splines (and it does seem to crash the software quite often). So we exported from Rhino as 2004 polylines in dxf. These come in and are pickable but Revit breaks down the polyline into individual arc lengths and so I have mutltiple beams when I only need one.

1. Does anyone know a better way of doing this

or

2. Is there a way of joining beams?

or

3. Can i force the polyline into thinking it is one long line and pick that?

Many Thanks

[dmahan]

you could try ACIS SAT file format...?

Also I have done 3d beams this way.
model the shell shape of roof to mass.
then layout trusses and attach top chord of truss to the roof shape.
then remove other parts of truss you do not need.

[FOUTJM]

you could create an adaptive component with as many nodes as you need to generate the spline. the sweep a beam profile along its spline. the biggest pain will be if the size needs to change and you will have to recreate the profile unless you made it parametric in the first place.

[duncan.cox426162]

Ok so I created a Roof from the SAT file, and thought I would be able to impose onto it the beams that follow a 2d curve. But it wont let me do this, am I going mad, I thought I could impose a beam onto a roof

[bal]

Easy way that I have found is to create the mass as a conceptual mass.

Then you can apply a rectangular pattern to this mass (or what ever suits)

Revit will then allow you to place points on the intersections of this pattern. Do this for all intersections.

Then you can select these points and create a spline through points (giving you the path)

Then load the mass into the project environment and you will find that you are able to select the spline using the beam tool and pick lines with 3d snapping on and you can place a beam along a complicated roof surface as one complete object.