Electrical Plans.

[bclarch]

Finally doing my first set of CDs in Revit. The project is a single family residence. I see two possible approaches to doing the electrical plans and I was wondering which method people are using or if there might even be another approach that I haven't considered?

Approach #1. Full blown Revit parametric style where the electrical fixtures and devices are part of the model with symbolic lines set to show in plan. Create two views and use visibilty controls to generate architectural vs. electrical plans. I know that others have had problems getting the symbolic lines to appear and have used invisible lines in the families to intersect the cut plane to make them appear. Has this been resolved in 5.1? Also, in residential work the ceiling is also the floor above. Can I get ceiling based light fixtures to recognize the floor above as a ceiling so they will insert into the model or do I have to go back and create a ceiling out of the gyp. bd. layer of the floor? Any other issues?

Approach #2. Create a copy of the floor plan with the whole view set as half-tone. Add electrical info using view specific drafting lines. (I don't have to worry about renderings on this project.) Main drawback is that it is not parametric. Not sure that the parametric advantage is needed for CDs. Is there a speed advantage to the parametric approach that would make the extra initial effort worth it?

What's the word Reviteers?

[Steve_Stafford]

Check out this thread Click ME! (http://www.zoogdesign.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=471)

Good info...food for thought anyway...

[bclarch]

Thanks Steve. I had already seen that thread but it deals more specifically with electrical family issues than the general strategies used to generate electrical plans. I am looking for feedback regarding the overall philosophy of doing electrical plans within Revit and what the pros and cons of those various approaches might be. Two paths diverge in a wood and I choose....?

I did see in that thread that yman appears to use the second approach (greyed out backgroung with plain symbols). How about it Y, any pros and cons? Anybody else tackle the full blown parametric approach?

[Steve_Stafford]

I should have been more clear...Y's approach is why I linked it...I have done similar to his before. Makes sense where Reflected ceiling plans are "extra" work that you might not need to do otherwise?

[Yman]

The way I do it is the only way I do it. I haven't tried it as for your number 1 approach. Haven't had time to try it out. It would require more things to set up as like the ceiling plan or changing the families to respond different in a regular floor plan. I like the way I do it now. Quick and easy and I don't need a night or inside rendering for now.

Y