Exporting Revit curtainwall system panels as single polyface mesh

[ezb]

I've been fighting with this issue since being introduced to the concept of exporting Revit geometry to MAX. Revit windows export as 6 sided box objects which greatly increases face count and also requires higher levels for the refraction and reflection depth in MAX. If Revit window panels could be exported as singe faced polygons, it would reduce MAX file size, and rendering times.

My two work-arounds are:
1. Detached the panel geometry, once it is linked into MAX. Manually select the panel faces that are to remain, select inverse faces, and delete.
2. Open the exported panel geometry in AutoCAD, model polyface surfaces over the top of the geometry, import the single faced geometry back into MAX to replace the panels from Revit.

In either situation I lose the file link interpretability from the exported Revit DWG, and it takes extra effort, especially on a building with a lot of windows.

Anybody have any ideas?

BTW: Welding vertices on the panel geometry doesn't work because you end up with co-planer faces.

[trombe]

Hi Erich.

Don't you have a tool in Max, to reduce, the number of polygonal subdivisions / creates fewer polygons in the mesh ? This single tool should help your face count and rendering times.
trombe

[cliff collins]

Or, if you really think it's worth the saving in Max performance, just create some "simplified
window families" in Revit--without all the sashes, trim, multi-pane glazing, etc. for Max only, and go from there.

Seems the "real world" of BIM is smacking us right square in the noggin again............

Then, back in Revit once your'e done rendering in Max, just select all instances
of the "fake" Max windows and change them back to "real" ones---or even have them
built into a single window family with Type or Instance parameters so you could
"switch on the fly" as required.................

Same goes for Revit Doors, Curtainwalls, etc--now we are opening up a big can of worms!

We have not seen the performance problems or unweildly file sizes in Max when exporting
via FBX from Revit with "real" windows/doors/curtainwalls........on very large projects.
We HAVE seen that making sure that only the categories which need to be on for the Max rendering are checked when exporting to FBX save a HUGE amount of faces/data
in Max. ( i.e. don't have all the ID walls, millwork, furniture and plumbing fixtures turned on
for an exterior rendering in Max.) Sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many times I've seen this done and then users complaining about "slowness" or "long rendr times".

Also make sure use use a Section Box to only export the model content you need in the Max model.

BTW--Make sure you check "compress on save" in Max settings--as this reduces the Max
file size quite substantially.

cheers...........

[sbrown]

I found Railings a huge problem in my FBX export. The file size with railings was 170mb fbx file. With railings turned off it was only 90 mb. I was clued in when importing the FBX it stuck for a few hours recreating the railings in max.