Copy/Monitor Beams from Revit Building?

[awatkins]

Our architectural office has gotten a seat of Revit Structure to mess with and test. Mostly to try to sway structural engineers toward the Revit solution.
We've got an entire building (including concrete structure) built in Revit Building 9.
I've brought all floors and columns into Structure successfully using Copy/Monitor, but it does not appear that beams can be copied from a linked Building file.
Is there a workaround for this?

[rmcelvain.103137]

Well, you can't copy or monitor them and there's no workaround (unless you create them as walls or floors :) ). You should be able to copy and paste them into the structural file but then you won't have the analytical properties. I'm not sure if you can change their usage to structural by editing the family once you've got it in and adding the analytical data there, but it might be worth a try.

[awatkins]

I tried the copy/paste method to no avail.
I can load a beam family built in Building into Structure, but it appears you have to manually place the beams in the structural file.
I guess they assume architects don't need to model beams before engineers get involved.

[rmcelvain.103137]

How did you try the copy/paste? If you've got the arch model linked you need to unload it from the struct model then open the arch model, once both models are open, copy your beams to the clipboard, ctrl-tab to the structural, and paste. Be sure to have the view set to coordination and make sure your levels are the same (e.g. 1st floor =100'-0" on both, not 100'-0" on arch and 0'-0" on struct). Let me know if it doesn't work and maybe you could post a portion of your model for me to play with.

There are a lot of issues having to do with when the structural engineers get involved and what items will still be duplicated. We've got a project going currently and the architectural model has a wall, 4" brick, 4" air, 8" cmu; well, as the structural model goes I need that same wall but I need the analytical aspect as well so do I create a duplicate wall type and copy/monitor it instead of trying to just use their model?

I think I'll start a discussion in a new thread about this....

[awatkins]

Rick,
I used the steps you suggested with no luck. I can't seem to paste anything between arch and struct models.
I'll look into whether I can post part of the model - confidentiality issues, you know.

[Rachel Ritchie]

You need to make sure you open both models within the same program session. You should be able to open the architectural model using the Revit Structure program, and then paste from that model into your structural model, which is opened in the same Revit Structure Session. It won't work to go from one session to another session, or from Revit Building to Revit Structure. Two separate projects, one Revit session. That's the key!

[awatkins]

Ahh, now it makes sense!
Worked like a charm, thanks.

[rmcelvain.103137]

You need to make sure you open both models within the same program session. You should be able to open the architectural model using the Revit Structure program, and then paste from that model into your structural model, which is opened in the same Revit Structure Session. It won't work to go from one session to another session, or from Revit Building to Revit Structure. Two separate projects, one Revit session. That's the key!
Rachel,

Thanks for clearing up my thoughts ...... I neglected to mention it that specifically :Oops: .....