MEP Riser Diagrams [help!]

[persaudchris358036]

Guys,

So drawing up risers in ACAD is pretty simple with lines and shapes.

However with Revit, the only way I know how to manage a Riser is using either elevation or section views. With all that piping and ducts twisting, turning, and overlapping each other, it is hard to distinguish where all the lines are going and from which systems. Especially if you may have equipment hidden behind other equipment and piping parallel or colinear with each other.

Must I manually create my riser using detail lines which I had to do with my mechanical symbols list or is there an easier way using parametrics?

Help!

[tys90]

It's hard to say without seeing what you are trying to do. Do you have screenshots?

[matt__w]

It sucks that Revit is soooo good at doing 3D but sooooo cr@ppy at doing 2D. We still do a lot of our risers in AutoCAD MEP using schematic lines simply for the auto-breaking ability of the lines. We then link the DWGs in and manually tweak the line weights in the Visibility / Graphics Overrides dialog box.

Another option I've seen is to do an isometric view of piping and equipment/fixtures. It's not the same but still gets the point across.

Matt

[persaudchris358036]

For the sake of having a photo. This is a project I've been working on for the past month from home. Looking for a job is quite tough nowadays and having another skill may push me through that door.

Hey, Matt...I have to agree with you on this. I have seen some tutorials with riser diagrams and get this, most of the riser tutorials in Revit are either electrical or fire alarm. Oh, yeah and some plumbing. And that's if the water closets are in a linear array. And yes, I have seen the video tutorials do a section isometric view to emphasize the 2D risers.

worth a shot. I'll stick to ACAD on this one with some nice 3d views

[Steve_Stafford]

Workaround alert:

You could use a diagram phase (set before all others). Use placeholder pipe/duct to create a simplified riser diagram instead of 2D lines. These will provide the masking, and tagging, as well as allow for varying 3D view orientation. You can place simplified fixtures etc to connect to as well. To keep these from showing up in any other views just demo everything in the first phase you do any real project modelling work in. A lot of people use the same concept to build "live" model legends of elements that they want to correspond with elements that are really being used as opposed to using and dealing with the actual Legend Views and Legend Components and their weaknesses.

[persaudchris358036]

I suppose that could work if I didn't already start the project. But it wouldn't help so much with pipe placeholders overlapping each other. If the project has convoluted piping and ductwork, no sense in trying to find the best view

[bearden383]

Use ACAD. Link the file to a drafting view. Easier to do and much easier to read than a multistory 3d view. Remember just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[persaudchris358036]

bearden,
that's what it comes down to using AutoCAD for certain design drawings. But the isometrics look pretty cool to throw in there.

[chris891540]

Use ACAD. Link the file to a drafting view. Easier to do and much easier to read than a multistory 3d view. Remember just because you can doesn't mean you should.

This. Until Autodesk decides to take Revit MEP serious, we are stuck showing risers in 2D as described above.

[zbrown]

When it comes to plumbing schematics we were very hesitant to use Revit when we first jumped in for the same reason that you are saying. Recently, however, we have begun doing plumbing schematics using an isometric view and limiting the scope of the view to one floor at a time or if they are more complicated we have limited the scope to individual bathroom groups or groups of other fixtures so that the view is readable. It's not the best solution but in my opinion it is better than drawing things twice as you would have to when you draw all of the elements in Revit and then duplicate it in AutoCAD and then link it in. Where we have really seen a benefit is when it come to making changes to the piping arangement. Now when there is a change I make the change in the floor plan and just check the schematic to make sure that it is still readable and then move on instead of having to also remembert to go into AutoCAD and make the change there as well. It takes a little set up initially but I have found that it saves time in the long run.