AutoCAD 3D Models for BIM/MEP software

[rlacouture]

I am part of a design team that uses SolidWorks and AutoCAD to develop Mechanical Piping Products. We have been asked to make our products available to the BIM world; Revit being one of the options. Most of our products are 2D drawings, but we have many SolidWorks and AutoCAD 3D models of our products.

Has anyone had to prepare models to be brought into a BIM type software and if so, what is the easiest way, without recreating them within Revit. We do not own Revit, but I downloaded a demo version to try; it looks very different to say the least.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Rick

[twiceroadsfool]

If theyre .dwg, .sat, or .skp.... Or anything other than a native Revit family: Theyre not allowed to be used in our office.

In some instances were looking at the .adsk imports, to be used with some manufacturers stuff, in later phases of the project, but theyre never going in to Design Models that way. Not here, anyway.

My advice is to build them in Revit.

[rlacouture]

Is there a way to set up an AutoCAD 3D DWG file so that families can easily be made within Revit? Do you use anyone's Mechanical Piping Products (couplings, elbows, etc.) for your layouts?

[twiceroadsfool]

The 3D DWG imports fine in to a revit Family. We just wont use them. They have a massive performance hit, they cause crashing, theyre more difficult to manage with Object styles, and they dont retain parametrics in the import. Bar none, we just wont use them.

Plus, anything thats a SYSTEM Family for Revit (Things that are created in the project environment, not the Family environment), wont be a component with imports anyway. Pipes and Ducts come to mind.

[rlacouture]

Thanks for the insight. Our company is heading into a new direction and I'm trying to find out what is the best plan of attack. I'm part of the R&D division and we would like to create & control the models to be used; we're just not sure what the industry uses. Sales & Marketing would like to offer companies the ability to use our products within their software programs. It seems as though Revit is one of the main architectural software programs that is out there.

In your company, if there was a need to layout an entire fire protection system on a project, would you look for available Revit families online or do you create them from scratch? Again, just curious how that side of the business works.

[twiceroadsfool]

Look in to Revit more closely, to get an understand of what a SYSTEM Family is, versus what a COMPONENT Family is. If i had to do a Fore Protection System tomorrow, i would open up revit MEP, and use Pipes. Theyre a system object, so theres not much for you to do there. There are Sprinkler head families, but by and large what we would use is things ive built for the office, which is modified Revit Out of the Box, or Modified Downloaded from manufacturers.

We download plenty of content from manufacturers, in all trades and disciplines. But they go through a QC process before they make it in to the library, and that happens before it ever gets used in a Revit model. Step ONE of that QC, is: Is it native Revit geometry. If its not, it goes in the Recycle Bin, and we mark down the manufacturer as one whos downloaded content isnt getting used, Period.

I hope this helps. :)

[rlacouture]

I will definitely do more research. I checked out the Beck website on your signature... the portfolio is extremely impressive. I can see why a company can't afford to have data that does not work when designing such large facilities.

Thanks again for your thoughts.
-Rick

[twiceroadsfool]

Anytime! If you have questions about how best to create native content, efficiently, feel free to shoot me an email. At Beck, we REALLY want to use as much manufacturer content as possible, particularly since downstream, we DO use fabrication models and submittal models from Subs. So any positive direction we can give manufacturers, the better. :)