Massing tools

[PeterJ]

I have been looking at Kroke's use of Sketch-up to work over an existing Revit model in another thread (http://www.zoogdesign.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1032&highlight=) and it encouraged me enough to go look at the Sketch Up site.

Your Revit license allows download of AutoCAD Architectural Studio and I have that and have played with it a little. Both Sketch Up and Architectural Studio result in a 'dumb' model that cannot be brought into Revit so I'm interested to know what people thinkof the modelling opportunities given us by Revit's massing tools. I have yet to really use them and wondered if anyone else had.

P

[wjspence]

Your Revit license allows download of AutoCAD Architectural Studio

I heard that you got Architectural Studio with Revit, but when I asked my reseller, they did not know anything about it. Where do I go to download?

[PeterJ]

Drill down at www.autodesk.com until you find the subscription centre and go to industry specific extensions and you ought to be able to find it. I can't give you a precise URL as it is country specific I believe and so you would be looking somewhere different to me. You need to be registered with the subscription programme which is probably not the same as just paying your subscription, it certainly wasn't for me.

P

[brantf]

You can use the Revit massing tools to your advantage as long as you are constantly updating your mass/shell options under the settings dropdown menu. From there you can mass out the whole project and then just delete the mass:mass(tab untill selected) and you are left with a workable shell(floors,walls,roof).

About Arch studio and revit is an interesting one because arch studio is a design program mainly intended to replace a deisgner sitting there skething a building by hand then handing it over the draftsman. The funny part is that autodesk includes it with revit yet they aren't compatible. However you can download the trial version from the autodesk web site. Then when you open for the first time and are prompted for auth code just fill in your information and submit it, autodesk SHOULD send you an auth code(don't hold your breathe though).

[PeterJ]

I'm really asking whether people have found the massing tools a useful way of designing.

[shaunv68276]

My Largest client states "By conceptial design thru' massing in Revit we are able to determine early in the project if we are working to budget or not. It is an integral part of our bussiness to be able to conceptualize easily at first. and then not loose the information or have to redraw once we pass it on to the technical team to prepare documentation". The client in question does large casino's hotels and retail developments, and find Massing an easy to use part in Revit as well as crucial in the process.

[PeterJ]

I can see that. Does it help you as architects with the design process or are you more using it to give an accurate block model of something you have worked up on paper?