Architectural columns...one more time... :)

[ivsim]

I know it has long been discussed and things are clear. AC, by default, geometrically join to walls and their outline gets lost accepting wall's material. So I, either, do see it as an outstanding pilaster or get a message that it is inside the wall.....question: "Why is the wall volume, if the AC turns into pilaster, NOT increased? Volume stays the same in the Properties dialog box with or without a column."

Another point at issue:
We, at least in this part of Europe, build with cast-in-place reinforced concrete columns, beams and the infil inbetween is taken by masonry. The natural approach would be to first draw the walls during initial design and at working stage to place rectangular columns whereever it is structurally needed and architecturally appropriate.....There are workarounds to place a 25 cm wide column within a 25 cm wide wall without getting the column lost visually, BUT I couldn't find a way to make Revit take out the volume of the columns from the volume of the walls automatically for me so that I could be sure that when I schedule their volume in my revit-generated bill of quantities, the volume is fine....

Well, I did find smth out but I doin't do it with an AC but a wall-based family that does not have the AC bound automatic instance parameters in the Properties dialogue (level attachment etc.).

Any comments, developments and experiences of yours shall be highly appreciated.

[neb1998]

One comment about the volume, set the Wall area to subtract the column area within a shared parameter. Have you tried changing the visual settings for the column so that its a different shade or lineweight than walls nearby?

[sbrown]

in the col family, uncheck the automaticly join box under family category and parameters. this wont help your schedule, but your graphics will be what you want.

[dirk.cilliers]

Is there a way to let the column cut into wall (only show column) without splitting the wall?
We also would place walls first, as structural infill and then column later.

[ivsim]

Is there a way to let the column cut into wall (only show column) without splitting the wall?
We also would place walls first, as structural infill and then column later.

There is only one thing I've come up with, Dirk.

Create a wall-based family modelling a solid and a void with the same contours. If they are rectangular or polygonal, Revit gives you the chance to lock them (i.e. when changing the size of the solid , you change the size of the void, respectively the void eats out more or less of wall's volume). You could achieve the same with shared parameters. Things are a little bit complicated with circular columns, there is a solution,....radius as shared parameter and it works. You could label the distance of solid's outer contour and wall's centreline, let's say, so that you should be able to move the column whenever you want. The point is, it is not actually a column, yes,..... you could change the type in Family properties and then Revit displays it as a column in the loaded libraries list, but it does not attach to levels as AC can which is pretty important.

Pros: columns are perfectly displayed in plan views and 3D

Well, that is it, don't ask me if Revit would find it hard to cope with some 15688 columns eating out some 26573 walls :).

I've heard poor old ArchiCAD can not schedule those things, either BUT, in ArchiCAD, when you click on 'Element information', it gives you wall volumes with and without a column, whcih is pretty cool cause it could be exported in an Excell table.

As mentioned before, any developments and experiences of yours shall highly appreciated.