When will the manufacturers get involved with creating 3D content?

[cadkiller]

Group;

I was wondering when will we get manufacturers involved with creating content for Revit. It would be nice to be able to select a particular manufacturer and model number for the type of 3D content you would like to incorporate into the project. There are already many 2D blocks from the manufacturers; but I haven't found any 3D specific manufacturer content. One could spend a lifetime creating these and if the manufacturers don't get involved than the models aren't accurate enough to truely represent their products.

Most industries already have models of their products probably created by some other program like Inventor or Pro Engineer. Couldn't those be converted and made available for use with Revit? Does anyone know of some links they would share for some manufacturer specific content? Does anyone know if this in the works and if not why aren't they being developed by the manufacturers?

[aaronrumple]

I recommended that Autodesk give any mfg. that wanted to create content a free copy of Revit....

[barathd]

Edward:

Perhaps never. Think about it - they draw the library - everyone uses it and asks for an "equal" to replace the drawn item. I don't think its realistic to expect manufacturers to create this content. Perhaps they would be willing to share their files - this they already have done to a large degree (dwgs of course).

Regards

Dick Barath

[cadkiller]

Dick;

They already have manufacturers providing "I Drop" models of their products for Autocad & ADT. Can these "I Drop" models be imported to Revit?

Here is one of them from Kohler and I believe there are some others that already do this.

http://www.marinsoft.net/partdrop/html/mrinpartdropcatalog.htm?catID=kohler (http://www.marinsoft.net/partdrop/html/mrinpartdropcatalog.htm?catID=kohler)

[barathd]

Edward:

I am aware of I-drop. It seems to have gone over like a "lead-balloon". Very limited content from only a few manufacturers (I-drop hasbeen around for 2 to 3 years already) probably for the precise reason I mentioned. Hope your right and I am wrong Edward.

Regards

[Damo]

Perhaps never. Think about it - they draw the library - everyone uses it and asks for an "equal" to replace the drawn item.Hang on. Surely one (of the many) great advantages of Revit is in its scheduling ability.

If a manufacturer produces families for all their products, then when we go to produce a schedule we’ll have; make, manufacturer, model number, actual size etc.

I don’t know about you but I hate scheduling. Boring, boring boring. Having Revit present me with a schedule why would I want to go changing it all to ‘or similar’ and go about making sure everything else was co-ordinated?

At the moment we place a graphical representation of a product and then manually schedule it as whatever manufacturer / model we like (although it’s generic dimensions might not show up conflicts / clashes with other items, but that’s the risk we take using generic models). Not satisfactory.

I think this is a great opportunity for manufacturers to get their products placed right into our schedules. No longer will they have to rely on sales reps badgering specifiers to select their stuff. Give us quality Revit families (assuming you have a quality product) and we’ll schedule it into the tender / construction docs (automatically).

[Scott D Davis]

At the last SCRUG meeting in Newport Beach, the guest speaker was from ArchVision, the RCP people creators. They are coming up with some solutions for content management, and working with manufacturers to produce content. A version of the content manager is being used on our own Revit Exchange here at AUGI.

The concept behind their content manager will be a 'one-stop' solution. The content manager will 'link' (behind the scene) to the manufactuers website, and get their content for you.

The idea is that if you have a manufacturer's family in your project, you will be able to go back to the content manager, and "update" your families in your project. So say in schematic design, you place an Andersen window. By the time the CD's are near completion, the window cost has changed, and the the design has been changed slightly. You will hit the 'update' tool, and the manufactures content will automatically be downloaded and update your model.

Very cool stuff coming soon! We were encouraged to interface with ArchVision, and send them a list of Manufacturers to target for developement of families.

[sfaust]

The concept behind their content manager will be a 'one-stop' solution. The content manager will 'link' (behind the scene) to the manufactuers website, and get their content for you.

The idea is that if you have a manufacturer's family in your project, you will be able to go back to the content manager, and "update" your families in your project...You will hit the 'update' tool, and the manufactures content will automatically be downloaded and update your model.
ooo!!! that sounds enticing and conceptually wonderful :) Hopefully it works as good as it sounds (and judging by the players and the augi exchange I'm sure it will).

anxiously awaiting!

[hand471037]

Can't say how I know, but Archivision ain't the only folks looking serously at delevering Revit content from Manufactures in the near future. ;)