Process-based Courseware for Revit 5.1

[Cyril Verley]

If you are interested in ‘process-based’ Revit training material, “Introductory Courseware for AutoDesk Revit 5.1,” the first of three books in a series, is now available. For more information about the three books in this series, please go to: CLICK HERE (www.cdvsystems.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_P.asp?idCategory=2).

I wanted to send a quick note to all of you regarding training material for Revit that I have recently completed. I have been a registered architect for the last 17 years and have been a Revit user for about 3 years (since Revit 3.0). I worked at Revit as a Technical Sales Manager and Director of Partner development, using Revit for client presentations and their technical issues 14 months before Autodesk's purchase. Prior to Revit, as Principal at CDV Systems, I was an Autocad / ADT / 3D VIZ consultant for nine years with AEC clients across the United States. I also co-authored AutoDesk’s Official training Courseware for ADT2 & ADT3 along with David Driver; architect, colleague and contributing editor for CDV Systems' Courseware Series for AutoDesk Revit.

If you would like to be included in any future announcements, please send your contact information to: mdv@cdvsystems.com.
Thank you for your time.

Cyril Verley RA
[/b]

[beegee]

Cyril, good to see the Revit knowledge base expanding, there aren't many publications out there.

A list of contents for your books would be helpful. ( more detailed than provided on the web page ).

Are they only available as hardcopy, or will they be online in future ?

[gregcashen]

I must say that the blurbs sound very good, but perhaps some more info. Can you tell us more about what is covered in the books? Maybe a Table of Contents for them? I would be hard pressed to spend $60-$70 for a book without having some idea of the content :wink:

[gregcashen]

Doh! Now I see why Beegee is a moderator...always one step ahead of me :?

[Cyril Verley]

As per your request, please find the attached PDF file that includes the table on contents for the Intro book and the Commercial book as well as the book preface and how to use the CD ROM enclosed with each book.

I also loaded a low resolution version of a shaded GIF animation the user creates within the courseware for the commercial project. Please know that EVERYTHING you see in this animation is built by the user with the advanced courseware (a three day class) including the open web joists, canted curtain walls, sloping site and two levels of underground parking. This entire building is constructed from scratch with every command documented within the courseware.

We are quite excited about these books and have had great success from recent training classes I have had for my AEC clients in Boston. I will be posting their comments to our web-site by the end of the week. Please let me know if you need anything else…

[gregcashen]

This sounds like the most impressive book on Revit that I've seen to date. When do the Residential and Commercial books come out? Or are they out already?

[funkman]

that looks great - I bought two books at amazon - Moss et al, as well as Stine's book. They are terribly basic and dont give out anything new over the tutorials, and not very "project" specific.

These look good - can you send all three to the land downunder? Please let me know cause I would like one of each.

thanks

[Vincent Valentijn]

Looks pretty good.. I bet you're keeping your fingers crossed for not too many changes in Revit6? Or.. I guess you could do an update pretty easily.. compliments anyway! :wink:

[Cyril Verley]

Hi All,

The first book: “Introductory Courseware for AutoDesk Revit 5.1” is available from this link: http://www.cdvsystems.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_P.asp?idCategory=2


We can send this book anywhere in the world. The shipping charges are mainly setup by US Zip codes. You would click the button associated with your mailing zip codes. For shipping international orders, click the "international" shipping button. Before your credit card is charged, we calculate the international shipping costs for each order and send you an e-mail outlining the costs. If you agree, the order is processed and then we ship it. You can also pay by check or money order by clicking the “PO number”. Once payment is received, we send the order out.

The second book: "Advanced Courseware for AutoDesk Revit 5.1 – Commercial" will be available mid October. The "Advanced Courseware for AutoDesk Revit 5.1 – Residential" book will be available November.
As for Revit 6.0, we look forward to it. Unless Autodesk is planning to rewrite Revit from scratch, our core process-based courseware can be updated in a short time frame.

[gregcashen]

A few more questions...how many pages is it? How beginner-ish is it? Any chance someone who has been using Revit for 9 months will learn anything new? Can post a few more pdf pages of the inside just so we can get a feel for the content...a la Amazon.com? It looks great! I don't know how much I need a beginner's guide to Revit, but it looks so nice, I may have to get it just to spruce up my library! :D

[Steve_Stafford]

I agree... a little peak inside them to get a sense of format and delivery would probably creak open my wallet :D That's the trouble with internet buying, can't pick up a book and leaf through it to "complete the sale".

[designer56644]

Yippeeee!

I have a very hungry head...

Is that the dinner bell I hear ringing?!

Thank You
:oops:

[Cyril Verley]

Hi All,

Okay… Here you go…The Intro book is 300 pages and includes a CD ROM of all the datasets for each chapter. I have made a pdf of chapter 12 from the Intro book. I am ready to send the PDF but I need more disk space on your site. Please send me an e-mail explaining what I need to do... In the mean time...

Let me explain a few things about the training material. This course is designed for architects. It assumes you are an architect and that you understand all the terminology. Secondly, unlike feature-based courseware, I never cover a single topic without including all the necessary associated topics. In the case of Chapter 12, the user begins with a few generic stair layouts; easy and straight forward. Then it digs a bit deeper with a typical U-shaped stair and how to control the spacing between each run. Then you need to know how to create a “phantom” tread at the landing and draw an extra tread at the top of the stair. It even suggests that you set your view to wire-frame so that you can see the riser count within the stair command. A curved landing is added and we are done. The user has now used the three main topics of the stair command: Run, Riser and Boundary. The stair is then set to a multi-story stair.

Next, you must cut holes in the floor slabs for the stair. Before you finish the floor sketch, you copy the floor opening to the clipboard and Paste-Align that opening when you are in the floor slab sketch mode for the floor above. I cover the option of copying the floor slab to the level above in a previous chapter and the user has also been trained that they must edit the floor slab sketch so that the new copy of the floor “ties” to the exterior structural wall.

At this point, the biggest issue is the return conditions for the inside and outside railings. There are step by step diagrams outlining how and why the railings needs to wrap to insure that you do NOT get an error and yet, both inside and outside railings rise to all levels of the stair. It even covers the need to use the “railing command’ to cleanup the last bit of railing that every multi-landing stair will have and how to use the flips arrows of the railing.

Next the user needs to remove the stair opening from the room schedule areas. The user uses “hide/isolate” to remove the stair and railing from the view so that only the floor edge is displayed. The user then draws a single edge of a room separator line and discovers that he can’t “see” the line now that it has been added… soooo, the user edits the “line style” for room separator lines to make them more visible. The user draws the remaining room separator lines, resets hide/isolate and compares the before and after areas within the schedule…

With all that said, each section of each chapter is listed in the book’s glossary. I have enclosed all 22 section titles for the stair chapter. You can see there are quite a few other commands needed when drawing a simple multi-level stair.

01. ALIGN (AL) INTRO
02. STAIRS: ADD A STRAIGHT 'RUN' STAIR
03. STAIRS: ADD A SPIRAL STAIR
04. STAIRS: ADD A STRAIGHT 'RUN' STAIR WITH A LANDING
05. REFERENCE PLANES: STAIRS
06. STAIRS: FLIP ARROWS
07. VISIBILITY GRAPHICS: STAIRS - 'UP' / 'DN' & ARROWS - TURN DISPLAY ON/OFF
08. STAIRS: ADD AN L-SHAPED STAIR
09. STAIRS: ADD A U-SHAPED STAIR
10. STAIRS: EDIT U-SHAPED STAIR RISER - CREATE PHANTOM TREAD
11.STAIRS: EDIT U-SHAPED STAIR BOUNDARY- CREATE CURVED LANDING
12. STAIRS: MULTISTORY STAIR
13. FLOORS: ADD A FLOOR OPENING FOR A STAIR
14. PASTE ALIGN: CURRENT VIEW - COPY FLOOR OPENING TO ANOTHER LEVEL
15. RAILINGS: MULTISTORY STAIRS - INSIDE EDGE CONDITION
16. RAILINGS: MULTISTORY STAIRS - WRAP OPEN STAIRWELL
17. RAILINGS: ADDING A RAILING
18. RAILINGS: FLIP ARROWS
19. HIDE/ISOLATE: HIDE STAIR & RAILINGS TO DISPLAY FLOOR OPENING
20. AREA: ROOM SEPARATOR LINES
21. LINE STYLES: EDIT DISPLAY OF ROOM SEPARATOR LINES
22. HIDE/ISOLATE: RESET

All the chapters of all three books are organized just like this chapter. Please also keep in mind that the commercial book has a another chapter on stairs that is much more advanced (complex shapes, using Autocad, custom glass panel railing profiles, locating balusters). Again, the focus is production. People learning Revit need to get their drawings out fast and accurate. Knowing a single feature is not enough.

One other aspect I feel is paramount when using Revit is understanding how to use Autocad and Microstation in the process. Using Autocad as a third party product to Revit is covered throughout the courseware. The user needs to get the work done using Revit, using Autocad or Microstation (if needed) and bring it all back into Revit to have Revit do what it does best: provide a “coordinated” document set.

The other purpose for this courseware is to use it as a training manual to teach others Revit. When I teach my Revit class, this is the courseware I use to provide step-by-step training… and I go through it step by step.

Again, if you want the PDF, please have someone e-mail me on how to add more space to your site so that I can post it...

So what do you think?

[JamesVan]

Hi, Cyril. Good to see you've finally found the BEST Revit forum around!

If I may interrupt, Cyril is one of the best sources of Revit information (excluding the developers themselves) that I've seen so far IMHO. I've had the privelege to preview part of Cyril's first book and I was thoroughly impressed (sorry I haven't purchased a copy yet :oops: ). This book is highly detailed and covers a broad range of complex design issues while teaching the tips & tricks to accomplish them. His whole series should be worth the investment.

[beegee]

I am ready to send the PDF but I need more disk space on your site. Please send me an e-mail explaining what I need to do... In the mean time...


Cyril,

You're upload quota is 5Mb. How large is the PDF ? Can you post it to a web page and give us the link ?

[Cyril Verley]

Jim, thank you for your kind words. It's always nice to hear from you.

[Steve_Stafford]

Posted for Cyril:

Here is the posted PDF for Chapter12. Please review my previous posting for an overview.

There is one other item. I have developed a training methodology that includes acronyms. It’s a fast method to get to a command without all the typing… The first two pages of the PDF file explains how to read the acronyms.

For example: (DB) Modeling / Stairs
Means: Go to the Design Bar click the Modeling tab and pick the Stair command

For example: {RC} View Properties
Means: Right Click on the work screen and pick View Properties

For example: {PRC-Pr} two walls
Means: Pick two walls, Right click and pick Properties in the menu

If you have any questions. please let me know.

Kind Regards,
Cyril Verley RA
CDV Systems, Inc.
5 Nelson Street
Winchester, MA 01890
Cell: 617 719 7474
cyril.verley@cdvsystems.com
www.cdvsystems.com

[Cyril Verley]

Thank you Steve for posting the PDF... by the way, I grew up in Cazenovia. During the winter, when it rained in Syracuse, it would snow in Caz... I love that snow!!

I can't wait for the winter storms to hit in Boston... Skiing Galor!!!

[Cyril Verley]

I was just speaking to someone on Zoog Design and there seemed to be some confusion about what I do. In addition to producing various Revit courseware books, I have a second full-time job is as a consultant providing on-site services, training and implementation of Revit.

If you would like more information or references, please view my website or send me an e-mail directly

[Don Powers]

This is a long post, but worth it. Read on.

My 7 person office recently made the switch to Revit from AutoCad. Cyril "beta tested" his coursework with us and it was a huge success. Our initial training had been with a large Boston based reseller using Revit's own courseware. While this was somewhat useful in introducing Revit's concepts to an AutoCad brainwashed office, it didn't work in "the real world" when we got back to the office and had to roll this out on projects with deadlines and intricate details. We almost gave up. Enter Cyril and his "process based training" manuals. These were set up in exactly the sequence by which we work, and focused carefully on the the end result - a set of workable documents by which to design, present, and construct a project. Even now, 4 months into it, when we hit a snag or are unsure of the most effective approach to modeling or drafting a particular condition our first move is to refer to Cyril's course manual. Chances are he has built that exact scenario into the sample project around which the courses are arranged.

We had the benefit of Cyril's on site training with the courseware serving as his outline. This was great and certainly is the best way to proceed. Cyril is an excellent instructor and one of the most competent Revit users around. So hire him if you can. If you can't, the coursework alone will get you very far. We estimate it took about a month before the office as really humming on Revit - far less than it would have taken on almost any other program I can think of. Part of this is the inherent ease of Revit. But a large part of our success is due to having the coursework as a reference for specific tasks - drawing an intricate cornice profile, or insetting dormer, or generating a schedule, to list a few examples. It is sitting on my desk bristling with yellow stickies and in the first month I referred to it all the time.

Anyway - sorry for the long post. But I really think Cyril's course is going to fill a major void in the Revit community and I highly recommend it.

[gregcashen]

Having read the Chapter 12 he posted, I believe you are right. I can't wait for the Residential and Commercial volumes.

[David Conant]

Don,
I'm happy that a GSD classmate has seen the light. You may remember with some pain the primitive parametric graphics programming everyone was forced to do back then. It may have simply convinced an entire cohort of young architects that computers were only a way to spend an excessive amount of time doing trivial tasks.
I hope Revit is helping small firms like your get on with the business of design without wasting so much time on CAD and information management.

[Don Powers]

David,
Great to know there's a fellow Gund Hall survivor in the Revit world. Yes, we really love Revit. I'm amazed by how transparent it is to the actual design work. AutoCad is a digital veil between the designer and the "thing" itself. Revit gets out of our way and really makes things much more fun and efficient. No more printing out to sketch over by hand.

Anyway, nice to hear from you.

To all: sorry for the private post - meant to post offline but the link wasn't active.

Don

[Scott D Davis]

To all: sorry for the private post - meant to post offline but the link wasn't active.

It's okay, we're all family here anyway...... :D

[beegee]

Don,
You may remember with some pain the primitive parametric graphics programming everyone was forced to do back then. It may have simply convinced an entire cohort of young architects that computers were only a way to spend an excessive amount of time doing trivial tasks.
.

Different institution in a different part of the world, but I still recall with horror, spending a week writing a programme to draw a circle. :roll:

[Scott D Davis]

Thats okay, I once spent the good part of a week (or two?) learning and writing LISP, to create a program that would batch plot a set of DWG files from a specified directory! Now thats architecture at its finest! :roll:

[dzambaz1763]

Hi Cyril,

I would like to know if the exercizes in your books are exclusively imperial or do you have it paralel in metric as well? I advise people on good books in EMEA, I really like what I see here, but unfortunately I see only imperial units. Can you confirm,please?

thanks!

[Cyril Verley]

Salut Jean,

CDV Systems' metric courseware will be available for Revit 6.0. Currently, our Revit 5.1 courseware is imperial only.

Si vous auriez besoin de quelqu'un qui pourrait faire des cours de Revit en Francais, je serrais pret de le faire quand vous-voudriez.

[Nickdp]

Jean and Cyril:

we use metric here; but my view is that, insofar as using the courseware to learn Revit is concerend, does it really matter? It is the process that is important here not the units of measurment.

Certainly a metric-specific version is welcomed in version 6, but for now, imperial will do just fine.

BTW, Cyril, how will do you propose to handle the v6 changes to the courseware, eg, would you be thinking of say a PDF file emailed to anyone who has bought the book, or something similar??

Just wondering - I am considering buying and want to know how the v6 upgrade is going to be handled.

[Cyril Verley]

Hi Nick,

At this point, the plan is to have a full scope (book version) of 6.0 using the training format currently in place for the 5.1 series.

The plan is to also create a 6.0 upgrade material. Whether it’s in PDF format or a printed book depends on Revit 6.0’s percentage of new features verse updated features. The more “new” features Revit 6.0 has, the more likely the upgraded material will be available in PDF format for those that bought the 5.1 courseware.

Then again, I was never too fond of PDF files. I prefer AVI’s as an electronic training material. BTW these formats are also in the works and are planned to be released sometime after 6.0 is released.

[Nickdp]

Hi Cyril,

thanks for your response - yes I prefer AVI files also, fewer dog-eared pages on your desktop. I suppose my other fear is that what happens when you release the Book for Revit v6, do I need to buy the whole thing over again? (I'm the guy who purchased every George Omura book starting with Autocad 2.6 - and I'm still recovering...), or, as a User/Buyer of the books, automatically qualify to receive a PDF (AVI or whatever) of the new features of Revit v6, much like registered users of shareware applications automatically get upgrades.

Just wondering, I am very interested....

[Cyril Verley]

Hi Nick,

As you can imagine, I'm in business to make a living. As a consutlant, it's my job to get you and your project team up and running on Revit as fast and as productive as possible by teaching you which commands to use, which to avoid, and how to get around the tricky ones.

That said, when 6.0 is released and CDV upgrade courseware is available either as a book, AVI or PDF, there will be a fee for that material.

As upgrade material, it will be less than the cost of the 6.0 book but as I mentioned in the previous post, the format of the upgrade courseware depends on the percentage of new vs updated features in 6.0.

It seems to me you need to buy my first book, check it out, learn a load of cool stuff about Revit, and be confident that any future purchases you make from CDV Systems will be a worth while investment.

[PaulB]

Nick,

You buy the book and then I'll learn everything from you, just like I did with AutoCad. :twisted:

Seriously though, sounds like a good book/learning aid.

[Nickdp]

Gday Paul,

hehehehehe .... good to see you lurking 'round here - this is THE place for Revit support and general Revit chit-chat - but don't take my word for it, have a good look around. Anyway, glad to see you onboard.

I am about to purchase Cyril's book(s), and it looks like I'll be adding another to the order [Cyril, check your PM].

Paul, pls send me a PM with your daytime contact no.

Hope to hear from you both very soon...

[Cyril Verley]

Hi All,

There have been some of you that have had some questions in terms of downloading the AVI and PDF files from my previous posts. I have since posted two files to my FTP site. The first is a zip file of all the data I have posted to Zoog to date. The second is the full uncut AVI version (78 meg) from the commercial book.

Have a look and let me know what you think. Again, everything you see in the AVI is built from scratch using the courseware and can be done during a three day class (less crunching the animation - the final takes 2.5 days).

The FTP site is: ftp://www.cdvsystems.com
the login name is: cdv_training
the password is: 9xq74lv

[funkman]

Cyril,

got the book in the post already today - very smart response time to fly so quickly over the pacific.

Look forward to going through the book over this long holiday weekend!!

Thanks for that :D

[Cyril Verley]

That's great news!! From Boston to Australia in FIVE days!!! Fantastic...
I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the book... Thank you...

Cheers..

Cyril

[Steve_Stafford]

Nice walkaround AVI... can I beg for a little more info? Is it a series of "walkthroughs" spliced? or separate renderings spliced 1,000 frames must be the 2.5 days you referred to? What tool did you use/prefer for splicing if so?

Thanks...

[Cyril Verley]

It's a single walkthrough. This is one of my favorite chapters. The two tricks are to change the level as you go through the walk (still keeping the eye 5'2" above the ground) and to look up and around along the path.

When I teach this portion of the book in my class, I have the attendees create a second AVI path (not in the book) the is going up the custom stair from the first to the second floor and turning their head while they move. There are some tricks you need to set before you create the single multi-level path. If there is time, I will add them in the book. (Hey David (Driver), what do you think? BTW David, you will be getting a few chapters today). The resulting interior avi is very cool.

As for splicing, I mention "Camtasia" by "techsmith" in the book as one post-processing program. The only issue I have: I can't seem to find the same "codec" (file compression) that I use in Revit and thus the final AVI is about 286 meg. I was also unable to set my preferred "key-framing" value in Camtasia that I use in Revit. Other than that, splicing multiple AVIs using Camtasia that have been crunched on a rendering farm is very do-able.

Cheers...

[PaulB]

Nick,

I have been lurking around here since it first went on-line but only signed up recently. Such a plethora of information here and an excellent site.

Only one draw back I don't believe you can post a message here without Beegee having to reply :lol:

I'll send you an email with the phone no.

Paul

[beegee]

Won't do you any good Paul, I know where you live !

[hdjohnson]

For those of you that have gotten this courseware, what do you think of it? I'd be interested to know if you think the book has helped you in your projects. How are chapters for setting up wall types, creating families, and Roofs? Any replies would be greatly appreciated.

[beegee]

If you're a new user learning the ropes, then the book is a must-have.
If you're an older hand, then it covers ground you already know , but its still a good 'office reference manual'.

[BRADLEY.BRIGMAN1819]

Cyril Good job!
Our office started Revit 3 weeks ago! We went through the tutorials, and still have a lot of question. We bought "All Building Types" and it has tons of answers that you cover in everyday work. Unlike the basic tutorials that come with Revit.
I have been so empressed that I'm looking forward to getting the next two books as soon as they come out!

To anyone who thinks this book is to much of a beginner book you may be right, but it also covers topics you will gain alot from.
I do hope that the next book covers room, door, and window tags a little better!! HINT! HINT!

[Cyril Verley]

The First book is the first pass at Revit foundation commands such as walls, floors, roofs, stairs, etc. The second book returns to those same goups but at a much more advanced level. The door/window tag chapter is an especially fun chapter. It begins with adding window tags, reviewing their adjustments and finishes with the mirror, the group and the array commands (2nd and last) to cover the tower with vertical window groups. It definitely covers alot of advanced topics.
Thanks for your comments and I'd love to hear what others have to say. I have to get back to the final edits of the book.

Cyril Verley

[Nickdp]

Thanks Bradley for your positive comments. I'm very close to ordering 6 copies of the complete-set (yes that's 18 books, saves on shipping), for our group of Architectural friends/colleagues, so I would be very much interested in hearing any other feedback from anyone who has gone thru the 1st book. Funkman, how are you progressing thru it - any comments?

cheers all...

[funkman]

havent progressed that far - it is sitting right between me and the keyboard as we speak, and am getting more hunchbacked by the hour. Am slowly, repeat slowly working through it page by page. Remembering I am completely new to all this cad stuff anywho. It seems quite logical and understanding the process is important for me since I am a newbie to computers and the understanding of how revit works within itself, and this describes this well.

Plan to go further through the book in my spare time this weekend, though I just received 2 approvals from Council today so these projects will have to recommence as well.

by the way, I showed my client (the second in a couple of weeks that I gained from showing them revit) the other day the current design and they hugged me they loved it so much! Further - she said I dont care how much this is going to cost! :shock: The dear old mother of the Client is pushing 85 and she was jealous of the hug and said "oh what about me" - so had to hug her as well. :P :oops: :shock:

Strange this architecture thing sometimes!!!

[beegee]

by the way, I showed my client (the second in a couple of weeks that I gained from showing them revit) the other day the current design and they hugged me they loved it so much! Further - she said I dont care how much this is going to cost! :shock:

Oh thats an easy one. Just click on > Client Photo > Send ( to beegee ), then click on > Client Name and Phone Number > Send ( as before ).

There ya go, problem fixed.

[Steve_Stafford]

Careful Funkman! Stories like that will get you published on Autodesk Today! I can see the headline now! Customer Stories: Revit Firm gets Hugs!

[Nickdp]

Thanks Funkman - working thru a manual in front of the keyboard looking up at the screen and back down does play havoc with one's spine and neck muscles, at least a decent bear-hug might crack that spine back in place !!! Anybody else with any feedback please chime in. Beegee, any comments? Have you got a copy???

[rodneyf]

I have just finished the entire book and I have to say it is a very good book and it will definitely be used in our office for training and reference.
I think I might be requesting for some money from upper management so I can purchase 6 more copies.

[beegee]

Beegee, any comments? Have you got a copy???

That spinal curvature is getting worst Nick. See if you can crane your neck up 9 posts. :wink:

[Charles Francis]

Just received the book yesterday afternoon. Read 50 pages in the evening. Seems to me this book should be placed by Adesk on UPS to each new person downloading the program. I am sure that this will stay on my desk as a reference. Better than the tutorials.
Great effort Cyril. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Charles

[brentcarlson892079]

When is the Commercial Book comming out?

Just a few days away :?:

[Steve_Stafford]

Commercial: Second week of November
Residential: Last week of November

[Clyne Curtis]

My son just called me and said my Courseware just arrived in the mail! Wooo hooo! Oh...I think I just sprained myself....must leave work early....go home....relax with good book.....Revit....

Later dudes

Clyne

[brentcarlson892079]

Thanks Steve,

Cyril, I didn't see a way on your website to pre-order a copy...can we?

[rpiace1827]

Cyril is just packing up to leave after spending five full days here with us at JCA in NYC. He taught class in our office for a minimum of four hours a day and helped us out with a presentation that will be made next week. This was Cyril's second time in our office and it was most productive.

We have had an incredible experience using the Introductory Courseware book which we purchased a copy for nearly everyone here and were taught directly out of in our office. Cyril took us through the entire book in four days.

We were also shown and used selected sections of the soon to be published, Advanced Courseware Book. Cyril used sections of this book today to give us the all important lessons in Worksets, Walkthroughs and Rendering.

Sorry, that book is not out yet, but the parts I have seen are great.

Cyril is an architect and a very dynamic teacher and I should note for those of you who buy his introductory courseware book, that there are reasons the book is organized as it is and the commands and processes highlighted the way they are.

The Revit program is great but it is not close to being simple or perfect. Anyone who uses it knows this all too well, but Cyril can walk a beginner around the rough spots and keep you from getting lost, frustrated and overwhelmed. Believe me as one of those who learned this trade with pencil ink and vellum that this is a constant problem for me with new software.

I have never met anyone with a better handle or fuller understanding of this or any other complex program.

If Revit is the architectural tool of the future, it will only become useful to the uninitiated architects through the efforts of people like Cyril.

[Nickdp]

Thanks for your feedback Rpiace, I have no doubt that Cyril's dynamic presentation techniques that you had the pleasure of experiencing in person comes thru when using the books.

Footnote to Cyril/Michele: just waiting for the 6th person
(of our little group) to give me the nod, then I'll be placing that order for 6 copies of the 3-book set.

Anybody else who has bought or is using the books care to add any feedback/comments?

[trombe]

Yep,
I ordered the introductory book and it arrived in at my door in Wellington from the States ( other side of the world) in under 5 days, so am really happy with that part of the service.
The book ? I am delighted to agree with all of you others. the book is the best book on software I have read. In terms of Revit, it is simply most excellent. I really like the manner in which the book is presented / laid out, and the almost conversational thread of explanations and process.

This style of manual / tuition, is so helpful and encouraging and you are able to make immediate learning and production outcomes which extend your understanding way beyond the act of pressing buttons.
While I have the entire Help of Revit printed out and sitting in 2 ring binders ( and used obviously) , Cyril's courseware book is a completely superior means of learning and the binding format / presentation format of the book itself, is a "best practice" means of handling a CAD manual with the spiral spine smooth and not a page edge catcher, like some I have to use.

Cyril, I will be buying both the Residential and Commercial Revit books when they come out as Revit 6. I would appreciate a Metric version as others have noted, but also, as one person noted, it is the process / explanations which are the most salient and they are excellent.

I cannot recommend this intro book highly enough .
trombe.

[Cyril Verley]

Wow!!....Thank you Trombe for your kind words about the Intro book. I'm excited to hear that you find it so helpful and also pleased that it reached you in less than a week.

The Commercial book is on its final edits and we are quite excited about it. Between the phasing chapter, the workset chapter, two chapters with curtain walls (regular + ruled), an elevator, ODBC plus another 19 chapters, it provides the complete Revit picture for a commercial building type.

The release date is November 15th and just in time for a workshop I am hosting at a Northeast AEC trade show. The workshop is titled; “Implementation of Revit Office-Wide” and is taking place at the upcoming Build Boston Tradeshow – November 18-20 at the World Trade Center in Boston. It begins at 9 AM on Thursday, November 20th. If you would like more information, please contact Michele at mdv@cdvsystems.com.

If you plan to attend, please introduce yourself after the show. I would love to meet you. We will also have copies of the Commercial book on hand for purchase (with no shipping charges :-) I hope to see some of you there and if not, I hope to see you at AU – now that should be a fun show!!!

Thanks again Trombe…

[Steve_Stafford]

I'm currently scheming to make the Boston workshop.

[Cyril Verley]

I hope so... and if you do, please come find me. It would be great to meet you face to face...

Cyril

[Scott D Davis]

Cyril,

Are you presenting at AU? Or do you have a booth in the exhibit hall? I would really like to flip through your book if I get the chance.

[Cyril Verley]

Hi Scott,

I will be at AU and we're planning an informal Revit get together during the week. There will also be some occasions to review the training books.

I will post a more formal invitation as we get closer to December 1st.

Cyril

[beegee]

The release date is November 15th …

Any release date for the Residential courseware, Cyril ?

[Cyril Verley]

Our plan is mid to late December but we will have a draft copy for viewing at AU. That date might change depending on what we hear from Autodesk about the release date for Revit 6.0. If Autodesk plans a January 1st release date, we might wait till 6.0 is out. However, if Autodesk is planning a February or March release date, than we forge ahead with our December deadline.

Cyril

[beegee]

If Autodesk plans a January 1st release date, we might wait till 6.0 is out. However, if Autodesk is planning a February or March release date, than we forge ahead with our December deadline.
Cyril

Thanks Cyril, but you just shot fear and terror through the Forum. We're all expecting R6.0 to be out by AU !!

[Cyril Verley]

Please don't misunderstand me. The people to whom I have spoken at Autodesk about the release date for 6.0 were all quite vague. There was a hint around the New Year but nothing for certain.

Sorry Cyril, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. ... beeegee

[dredhead1832]

To all:

At our firm we used the Cyril's courseware and the man himself as our trainer. We are now cruising through 2 pilot projects and the excitement over Revit 5.1 has spread through the whole office.

In fact, even our Board of Directors is excited. So much so that one of them has been assigned with several designers to ensure the success of the new software in our office.

There have been high points and low points. The worst of it being breaking old habits from AutoCAD and drafting. It's almost like being an addict, sometimes you really want to fall back into those old habits hard. But once the project was modelled near completion we found out just how much time we saved.

We are learning all the benefits of modelling buildings slowly but surely. Cyril's courseware and the software have handled 100% of the things we threw at it so far. We really pushed modelling to it's limit and we're feeling the benefits.

I encourage any fence-sitters to really thow themselves into Revit.

I found out a nice surprise today. One of the contractors bidding on the project owns Revit and uses it for take-offs. We are going to be able to sell our model to the contractor as an additional service fee. Nice.

Anyways, my 2 cents.

Good luck all - nice to be here.

[bclarch]

One of the contractors bidding on the project owns Revit and uses it for take-offs. We are going to be able to sell our model to the contractor as an additional service fee.

Since no model is perfect and there are always areas that are "fudged" to make things work, I advise including a disclaimer in the sales agreement that absolves your firm of any liability for any inaccuracies in any take offs generated by others. Also, be sure that the sales agreement reinforces your copyrights and clearly defines what the contractor can and can't do with the design / data.

[Cyril Verley]

Hi Beegee,

Thank you for your apology but it truly was not necessary. I did not feel put on the spot whatsoever. My response was simply for clarification. As great as it is, communicating through the net can be very impersonal and impossible to read the sender’s intensions or motivations...

…and yet, there is nothing better to date…

See you soon…

Cyril

ps... Thank you "bossbear" for your kind words

[dredhead1832]

Since no model is perfect and there are always areas that are "fudged" to make things work, I advise including a disclaimer in the sales agreement that absolves your firm of any liability for any inaccuracies in any take offs generated by others. Also, be sure that the sales agreement reinforces your copyrights and clearly defines what the contractor can and can't do with the design / data.

Excellent comment.

Yup, our lawyer is gnashing his teeth. VIF is redmarked all over the model. We'll see what happens.

[Steve_Stafford]

and if you do, please come find me...

Okay, you get to meet both of us, the cadd admin and his asst. (me)...see you there!

Registering this afternoon

[Cyril Verley]

Hey Steve... Great news... See you then...

Cyril

[D_Driver]

OK...since Cyril seems to be having all the fun in this thread, I thought I would pop in and say HI.

although alluded to in previous posts, the Advanced Commercial is now a reality - Wahoooo!!!!

I sure Cyril would have said this, but is pobably too busy at the Boston conference.

Happy BIMming!
David Driver

[Cyril Verley]

Hi All,

I just wanted to let you know that the Commercial book is up on our new web site (www.cdvsystems.com) and looks great. Please don’t let the page count scare you (650 pages). We increased the images and added a lot more to the original.

There is also a discount for buying the two book series. Other goodies include client testimonials about the book, training, services, and free downloads including the glossary of the Commercial book. The items listed in the glossary are the titles of each section within each chapter.

Anyway… I’ve got to get back to my prep for my Revit presentation tomorrow but I will be back here tomorrow afternoon. So go to the site and check it out….

Cheers….


Cyril

[cliff collins]

Cyril,

The availability / release date of the Commercial courseware is October 2004? I thought a reply to an earlier inquiry I made on your website said Nov. 19, 2003?
Please confirm.

Thanks,

Cliff B. Collins

[D_Driver]

Well...October 2004 seems a bit far off...considering it is done now - that is what Cyril and I are telling you - go check out his web site estore - should be up there.

David Driver

[PeterJ]

I expect beegee's support for the work answers my question, but, are the books written in a fashion where I can simply switch in metric in place of the imperial system I assume it uses?

[beegee]

Are you guys using metric in the old dart ??

We thought you were all feetninches an' poundsnshillings an' ounzesnstones an' milesnfurlongs an' orsesncarts n' stuff - guv.

But no, the imperial is not a problem.

[Marek Brandstatter]

Cyril - Any news on R6 courseware? Or dare I say 6.1? Metric?

[rhys]

I've just bought the 5.1 Courseware, so you can be sure the 6.1 will be out soon!! :lol: Its excellent.

[Marek Brandstatter]

I've also got 5.1 - I'm looking for 6/6.1 Metric.

[Dean Camlin]

So Cyril & David: I used your introductory book as the text for my Revit class at Carroll Community College (Maryland) & it went pretty well. The stair railings were a bit funky, but we got through that too. And our academic version of the software is still 5.1, so I guess we can wait for your 6.x updates to come out. But it would be nice to see your tutorials on conditional statements in families, design options, etc. . . .

I thought you were due to come out with the Residential Courseware in December or January, but I see on your website that it's still unreleased. What's up with that?

[Steve_Stafford]

Exchanged an email or two with Cyril the other day and he asked me to say...


Cyril said: Please tell the folks on the site I am alive and well and busier with Revit training and support <than ever>... And yes I am still writing the courseware books. The revised Intro book is due August 1st (God Willing)....
That's all I know...(about this subject anyway...)

[Nickdp]

Just had a quick look at Cyril's website and it appears the 6.1 books are now available. I would have thought an announcement might be made, but I haven't heard anything? Anybody bought a copy of the 6.1 version book(s) yet?

[Roger Evans]

Thanks for the news .............. I pre ordered it ......Not received it yet though

[Tom Dorner]

I bought my 5.1 beginning and advanced books last year at AU2003.

They are without a doubt the best Revit books I have found. I highly recommend them to everyone. They are what taught me Revit.

Tom

P.S. Just visted CDV Systems website and there is a press release for first 6.1 series book being available. I also noticed on the AU2004 site that CDV Systems will be in the exhibit hall. The advanced 6.1 commercial and residential look to be out by then.

[Scott_Bloss]

I have copies of the 5.1 books and i have them right next to my work station for quick reference. The books are well worth the money. I refer to them typically once a day at least. The tutorials are also very good. I am sitting on the edge of my chair awaiting the residential series, so Cyril please kick it up a notch!!

[Steve_Stafford]

Just had a quick look at Cyril's website and it appears the 6.1 books are now available. I would have thought an announcement might be made, but I haven't heard anything? Anybody bought a copy of the 6.1 version book(s) yet?
They are ready indeed...check the web for more info... Cyril would like to say so formally in the forums but to do so conflicts with AUGI's guidelines regarding advertising and promotion.

[raphael.dunbar]

1) Introductory Courseware For Autodesk Revit 6.1
2) Advanced Courseware for Autodesk Revit 5.1 and Autodesk Revit 6.0/6.1 Highlights – Commercial (650 pages)

Does anyone know if the above 2 books are ok for learning Revit 7? I would also like to know if there are any new versions planned, say a "version 7"? and if so when would this be roughly, and will there be a "metric" version?

Anyone know if these books are available anywhere else other then the official website? In particular the UK. Also if anyone has these books and does not need them anymore , I would be happy to buy them from you. :) (Send me a PM or email)

[studio3p]

raphael.dunbar -

I purchased the Introductory 5.1 Courseware about 1-1/2 years ago. I picked up a few useful things by reading through it. I think it's a good resource for helping a beginner dive right into the software, but in my opinion the on-screen tutorials that ship w/ Revit are better. If you prefer to have a tutorial guide in front of you while you work on the screen I suggest printing the on-screen tutorials so you don't have to constantly click back and forth. I'm perfectly content having purchased the courseware, but I don't think I would do it again simply because of the resources available with the program and at this Forum.

I'm not sure where else you can purchase the books other than the official website.

[beegee]

Raphael,

This link takes you to the CDV courseware press releases (http://www.cdvsystems.com/press.asp)which discuss the most recent releases of the courseware.