Duct to fittings -UNCLE!!

[ccenergy]

OK, I give up... days of trying, watching videos, and I still can't hook a duct up to a fitting unless Revit wants to. It's totally hit or miss (usually miss).

My present challenge:

Hook a 12 x 6 rectangular takeoff to a 12 x 6 mitered rectangular elbow about 4' away horizontally with a 12 x 6 rectangular duct. I've aligned the elbow with the takeoff vertically and horizontally. They are the same profile, and aligned perfectly, and still I can't run a duct from the blue dot on one to the dot on the other.

What gives? Why is this so hard to do?!

I know I have to set up some setting somewhere, but I need a push in the right direction.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

[mhartmann]

try this, highlight the fitting, hit the connect into button and select the duct, then edit the route or placement as needed
hth
mike

[ccenergy]

try this, highlight the fitting, hit the connect into button and select the duct, then edit the route or placement as needed
hth
mike

Thanks for the suggestion; I'll give it a try later on today when I fire up my workstation again.

I did try a different duct fitting (a simple transition), and it worked right away. Didn't work for the "Takeoff" fitting at all. Not sure why this is, as I saw nothing wrong in it's properties...

Once again, Thanks!

[mhartmann]

also make sure in your mech settings, that you have the right fittings and such set for each system type... i'm electrical, so i don't quite get all that myself, but that caught me up one time because they weren't pre-set in our template (yet)

[stimmo520]

Correct mhartmann, ccenergy needs to check his duct type settings, and make sure that the fittings exist in the duct type you are creating. If they don't, load them into the project and open the duct type settings, and set the mitered elbow, transitions, and taps for that duct type. The easiest way to place a duct fitting or pipe fitting is to have Revit do it for you. Look into your pipe types, and duct types. From there it should be a matter of the duct or pipe command, controlling the offset from the associated level, and connect into, or trim to single/multiple for tapping. Dont overthink it.

[ccenergy]

I need to look into templates. A lot of the relationships here are still fuzzy to me, but I'll investigate the terms you've thrown out there. On the way out the door for a weekend camping trip, but will try your suggestions when I get back.
Thanks!

[ccenergy]

I think I get it now. I managed to go thru an exercise in my recently aqcuired Aubin MEP 2012 book. A lot fell into place, especially on what you both mentioned about mechanical settings being set up correctly.

I spent a good bit of last year getting to know the Family Editor, and of of the most important things I came away with was to think the model through, set up your reference planes (and other settings) COMPLETELY, before even TRYING to draw ANYTHING.

Now I see that it's the same situation with ducts (pipes, and probably electrical as well). Make sure you think about how ducts should route, what offset they should be at, what obstacles are there, etc. Then set up mechanical settings and offsets, and ONLY THEN start drawing ducts.

I was in a deadline crunch on my first attempt, which didn't help.

The worst problem I faced, however, was the fact that I was working in a sloped attic (old townhome with sloped flat roof), and I had to tilt the ducting accordingly to fit in some tight, tilted trusswork. This leads to another question - since offsets refer to levels, which are horizontal by definition, how can you set offsets for duct when they will be tilted? BTW, I still havenn't actually gotten the ductwork to connect to all fittings at this point (I think because of the tilt problem). Looks good, though!