Setting Up Revit

[michaelmosler1322119]

I don't know if this is the right forum but, I currently work in an all AutoCAD office and I have been tasked with moving us into the Revit direction. I have used Revit at a school level but not at a professional, construction drawings, level. I am confused as to where to even start. Do I setup a template first? Do I create a title block first? We have a title block already in AutoCAD. Are there in depth resourcces available? Books? Websites? Any information would be much appreciated. Thank-you.

[ROBP-RDS]

You can start by creating templates including your title block. Many great books on the topic and the forms are a great help too. I used the book called "Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2013" by Phil Read, Eddy Krygiel, and James Vandezande.

Rob

[MikeJarosz]

Your profile doesn't say where you are located. Revit user groups in major cities are a big help. And so is Autodesk University. If you don't have access to either of those options, right here at AUGI is the place to be. The Read/Krygiel/Vandezande book has been updated annually. A 2015 version should be announced shortly. I too recommend it.

The issue of moving to Revit from an ACAD environment has been covered extensively in this forum. The single most important issue for you will be how much support you have from management. The transition from 2D to 3D can be difficult for experienced (i.e. senior) architects. Very little that you know from ACAD will apply to Revit. This upsets the older generation. You will hear a lot of "I did it in ACAD that way, why can't I do it in Revit the same way?" It is scary to many experienced seniors to have their world upended mid-career, and some of them will try to defeat the transition, if management isn't solidly behind you.

Keep one thing in mind: The ACAD vs Revit war has been fought, and Revit has won. Eventually it will sink in that the seniors will have to relearn or become irrelevant. This advice comes from my decades of experience. I am no recent grad. I started out on a drawing board and graduated to CAD. Nevertheless, in my career I have had to relearn CAD four times!

The industry is going toward BIM. The big firms doing big projects transitioned years ago. The smaller firms are now beginning their transition. In my practice, we have clients and contractors demanding BIM. The choice wasn't even up to us. No BIM, no project. At AU last December, Revit was the star of most of the classes, forums and discussions. Just one small group of conference rooms was devoted to ACAD.

Good luck, and visit here regularly. Let us know your problems and we'll help out.

[CAtDiva]

This post (http://www.revitforum.org/tutorials-tips-tricks/6510-revit-newbies-starting-point-rfo.html#post46102) at RFO has some good links for helping folks like you (and me ... hopefully soon) get started on this path.

[jsteinhauer]

I am confused as to where to even start. Do I setup a template first? Do I create a title block first?

We're six plus years into Revit, and we're still having 'Growing Pains'. I strongly suggest that your firm hire a consultant or two to come in and discuss the transition to Revit, and provide training. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to get buy in from management that they're willing to support this transition. Hire a BIM Manager, train project BIM coordinators, and develop your standards ASAP. Stick to them, or document your deviations. Train, train, TRAIN your staff. Get them to use AUGI and other forums for knowledge sharing. Do not let your firm become the wild west, where anything goes.

If someone is trying to sell you something, remember it is a sales pitch & remain skeptical. Revit has a lot of great things in it, but without a knowledge base & leadership, you'll be headed down a long dark road to the pit of despair.

Where to start? Start with your project template. Get that up and running with some standard views, schedules, legends & sheets (this includes TTLB's). Find/develop a shared parameters file to standardize parameter across multiple families. Our reseller may have a file already available for download. Vet content from OOTB, the internet, and user generated, then get it into a central library.

Revit is NOT AutoCad, users need to learn a new software. Do not carry bad AutoCad habits into Revit, you'll end up hating your life on a daily bases. Learn something new every day. Listen to people with experience. Some of the most knowledgeable & helpful people are part of this AUGI community, you'll look forward to seeing familiar names responding to your questions. They are here to share what they know, and to learn from others in the community.

Cheers,
Jeff S.

[DaveP]

All good points Jeff.
I especially like "Revit is not AutoCAD"

When you are making the push into Revit, always be thinking: "What else can I do because this is in Revit"
Do NOT be trapped by the mindset of "This is how AutoCAD used to do it"

[michaelmosler1322119]

Thank-you all for your input in support. I have been reading and absorbing. Tomorrow, I think I am going to start working on setting up a title block. Any tips on making this go smoothly? How can I start to set it up as a template? Can I do a little piece as I get time?

[jsteinhauer]

Search and read the forums for TTLB's and projects. Short summary is you need to have a shared parameter file, so you can load the same parameters into your TTLB & your Project Template. Once you get your TTBL and project synchronized, save your TTLB to your firms library, and load it into your project template. That way it will be in ALL new projects from project start up. If you have sheets setup already in your project template, make sure to switch the TTLB's to your firm standard, and delete/purge out unwanted types. It is easy for co-workers to use what is already there, instead of reinventing the wheel every time (but that still can happen). I have said time and time again, 'Follow the standard the best you can, and where you can't document why, so that we can go back and review the standard for improved workflows.' This is my montra for Revit Standards, some listen, some don't. I may change it to, 'We can't fix what we don't know is broken'.

Cheers,
Jeff S.

[CAtDiva]

Thank-you all for your input in support. I have been reading and absorbing. Tomorrow, I think I am going to start working on setting up a title block. Any tips on making this go smoothly? How can I start to set it up as a template? Can I do a little piece as I get time?

This is the most comprehensive reference I've found on setting up a template, etc: http://www.revitforum.org/tutorials-tips-tricks/1004-building-revit-template.html.

[michaelmosler1322119]

I work at a university, so some of our newer buildings are starting to come in as Revit. My boss is okay with me setting up a template and learning the software. The problem is, all of our building "floorplates" are in AutoCAD and our office mainly does small remodeling jobs on campus. Plus, all of our past projects are in AutoCAD. Is there a good place to start before I get to deep into setting it up. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

[jsteinhauer]

Okay, so your university should reference other BIM Standards out there, if they don't already have one in place, for all projects currently in the works. Better to get models that work for you from the beginning, than having to fix them after the fact. Determine who is best to deliver the Record Model (IMHO, this should be the contractor). If this is the only campus that this template will be used for, I would look at setting the Origin Point within the template to a known survey point on Campus. All of your buildings that are done in CAD can be easily redrawn in Revit at a basic level. Shouldn't take more then a couples days per building to get the walls, structure & levels in place relative to a known survey point. If you're adding room data, or more information beyond basic walls (actual construction of walls), then you're looking at a week or more per building. All of these buildings should be linked into a composite model of the over all campus. I have more thoughts, but now I have a deadline.

Cheers,
Jeff S.