Foundations in Revit?

[Archimac]

Does Revt have a foundation stem wall and footing tool? If so how does one step the fondation with the grade?

[Andre Baros]

Yes. Any wall can be classified as a foundation wall, but for your convenience there are foundation walls which by default extend down rather than up from the drawing level. You can draw a series of walls each the correct height to make it step or you can edit the profile in elevation. Either way you can attache footing. If you have a really long wall over a site with a lot of grade changes you could build your own site hosted foundation wall family and have it follow the topography automatically, though it's not as flexible to edit.

[sleimgruber06]

Does Revt have a foundation stem wall and footing tool? If so how does one step the fondation with the grade?

No, Revit doesn't currently have a footing tool, you'll have to make a drafting view detail to show the footing. But on the other hand you can always create your own walls! I don't know if this is true in your case so let me ask you, what is a foundation stem wall?

[Justin Marchiel]

i might be missing what you are trying to say, but REVIT does have a footing tool.

Justin

[sleimgruber06]

i might be missing what you are trying to say, but REVIT does have a footing tool.

Justin

That looks like its just laying a foudation slab under a wall, but I might be mistaken! If so, all apologies... :Oops:

[Justin Marchiel]

that was done by using the footing tool (which i am pointing at) under a wall. no slabs or floors there.

Justin

[sleimgruber06]

that was done by using the footing tool (which i am pointing at) under a wall. no slabs or floors there.

Justin

Well then! No more footing details for me! Thanks Justin,

[Joef]

The footing tool is still a "work in progress" since you cannot get it to extend past the end a wall. Not sure if it will ever get fixed in Revit Building since Autodesk considers foundations "structural" and if you want structural capabilities you must purchase Revit Structural.

[ron.sanpedro]

The footing tool is still a "work in progress" since you cannot get it to extend past the end a wall. Not sure if it will ever get fixed in Revit Building since Autodesk considers foundations "structural" and if you want structural capabilities you must purchase Revit Structural.

I hope Autodesk isn't that clueless. I prefer to believe that there have been more important things to fix, but soon the fact that Revit Building structural items don't behave the way Architects want them to will become a big issue. Mitered steel connections, for example.

Crossed fingers!

Gordon

[Brian Myers]

The footing tool is still a "work in progress" since you cannot get it to extend past the end a wall. Not sure if it will ever get fixed in Revit Building since Autodesk considers foundations "structural" and if you want structural capabilities you must purchase Revit Structural. True, but it's still a wall... I'd expect that to be a wish we should soon see completed. *knock on wood* since you don't need to be a structural guy to have a major need for it.

[ford347]

I totally agree.........I've been wearing the whole structural issue out for a long time. C'mon Revit, give us the tools. Most of us don't have another 3,500 bucks sitting around, not to mention for multiple seats just so we can draw a decent roof plan, extended footings or whatever. I think it's time it gets taken care of.

With love of course......Josh:)

[david.metcalf]

We need a modular add on for purchase to Revit Building that enables the full feature of Structural and MEP. As a sole practitioner, I need this functionality.

[Justin Marchiel]

there are also many other ways of creating footings. I have used floors with some degree of sucess. i am sure that if you search you will find many other ways too.

I just wanted to point out that there was a footing tool. it works for quick and dirty diaprams, and since it is usually undergorund, i dont see much harm in not having the extensions. I think that it depends on your situation and how much to need to model.

Justin

[Archimac]

I agree that ultimately there will have to be plug-ins for structural framing and better foundation tools for it to be truly BIM. Otherwise, you are missing so much information that needs to show at a basic level at 1/4" sections. Now you have to sketch in all the joists that are being cut through etc. - I assume

At drawings of greater scale you just have a basic outline to draft in. People keep excusing BIM and say well you shoudl not try to model everything. In twenty years I imagine that will sound lame as every bolt will be in the virtual building. I needs to be in order it to be a virtual building.

I guess the tools to do this need to be rethought to make it easier.

[archjake]

We are a full service firm for 90% of our projects, and on another 5% we do all of the drafting for other engineers. The last 5 is to have to engineers take care of their appropriate discipline as a package.

In my opinion Revit Building has more than enough tools to create any type and kind of foundation. Lately I've been using foundation families with much success. I even use them for simple toe downs. They are simple sweeps that stretch and join fairly well.

Not to change the subject, but I do have other problems when documenting a structure. My largest problem that I haven't found a good way of doing is the roof connection at a parapet wall condition. The interior finish usually stops somewhere near the roof (below or at) and then the parapet usually has some kind of exterior finish that wraps the top and both sides. Where the roof is level (like at the high or low points of a slope) this isn't a huge issue. The real problem comes where the roof is sloping against that wall. Try to model that condition and have it modeled like it should be built. Near impossible without taking an exorbitant amount of time.

[david.metcalf]

Jake,

You know more than I do. But are drawing the walls as separate objects and using join geometry tool a good way to get what you are looking for?

David

[archjake]

That is an option, however I you'd have to edit their elevation and keep all the walls aligned vertically. You could always lock them together but I could see this slowing Revit down a bit. It is possible to model it. Its just not time efficient.