Is anyone actually modelling framing?

[jwilhelm]

just curious modelling floor & roof framing is practical/useful
is anyone doing this?

[Tom Weir]

Yo,
Well, ya.......we are a structural engineering firm....that's what we do! I do full structural models, of all structural components on my projects. Any large project is going to require combined disciplines to producde their normal CD set.
The next question: Are there only architects on this site? Any other structural firms? And more to the point has anyone actually combined Revit models by discipline?
At the moment I am forced to use 2d backgrounds from our architects as none have gotten up to speed yet on Revit. I really look forward to that day when I can receive the architectural model. Then all the sections and elevations are going to automatically cut through structural and architectural models without all this updating of multitudes of xreferences.
Any takers? I'm ready to rock and roll......

Tom Weir
Los Angeles

[Martin P]

Hi Tom, would be very interested in seeing some of your stuff. Have dabbled a bit with glulams etc would like to see what you have and get some tips on how it went if you can. Are you creating new families or using the out of the box ones? Nice to hear that there are some structural firms starting to use Revit :)

[Prodev75]

Combined disciplines. Right Here.

[Scott D Davis]

Tom,

We're ready to rock! Starting design on a relatively small church addition, but it will still need structural engineering! Call me to discuss....

Here's an image from our first schematic presentation to the church design committee. (Existing building on left, new on the right) [edit: oops! had left and right reversed]

[Tom Weir]

I have brought about a dozen projects into production in the last year, beginning with a 4 story 500' long parking structure. We are engineers for the Rose Bowl, and I have been slowly building up a Revit model of it as well. Attached here is a current church project we are working on. I have tried doing many different types of structures to see how well Revit could handle them. So far I am very impressed.
The structural in Revit 6.1 is not as robust as the architectural, but I have been working with the structural product manager of Revit for a year or so and we will be seeing considerable improvment in release 7 and 8. How much comes how soon is my only question. And as many have said the Revit developers are the best ever, and they give me great cause for optimism.
As I have become a better operator I find that I can create many of those families that are not available in current structural libraries.


Scott, I'll be in touch early next week....

Have a great weekend...

Tom Weir
Los Angeles

[Martin P]

8) Very nice! Kind of answers the topic for this thread in a big way too. Are you getting schedules out of your models? Are those structural member in place or separate families, if separate are they parametric? looks really impressive, thanks for posting.

Having done a lot of RC detailing with Autocad (in a previous office/job) I am really into the idea of Revit becoming a very useful structural package with a bit on work of some of the families I think it could it be easy, looks like you are taking steps towards that...

A bit of modification to the railing tool could give us a very handy timber framing tool, has crossed my mind.

[SkiSouth]

I use the structural framing to solve conflicts(ceilings etc) and explain the structure concept to the consultants. Although all my engineers use Acad, the export into 3d dwgs to communicate has really helped in several projects. While I do not make it a point to absolutely model every structural member, It does help avoid those nasty change orders due to "unseen" problems...

[archjake]

I work for a small firm. We model most floor framing and roof framing. If its a messy remodel we will do most of the existing as 2D on the structural drawings and go with the 3d framing for the addition. Most headers or lintels are all in 2d, but structural beams, etc. will be 3d.

[Nevine]

The exposed structure was part of the design in this project, so I created the framing plan and gave it to the consultant, then made adjustments per their recommendation.
If we have to show a framing plan we will model it. Modeling does help with intercepting possible conflicts.

[David Sammons]

Tom,

We are a structural engineering firm as well and we use Revit exclusively to create 3D models as well as produce contract drawings. None of our architectural clients are using Revit at this point but I look forward to the day when we do work with an architectural client that uses Revit.

Attached is a sample of a small project we are working on...I removed the client and project names for project confidentiality.

Dave S.

[Henry D]

David,

Really nice set of drawings...thanks for posting these. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how familiar and experienced we are with looking at notes, sections and details, nothing beats a simple 3D image for a quick overall understanding of the project. And that is why Revit is great... you do one thing and you automatically have the other.

[David Sammons]

Henry,

Thanks for the compliment. The 3D representations are very useful when working with clients that have difficulty interpreting 2D drawings...not everyone can look at a set of 2D drawings and visualize 3D.

The ability to create 2D drawing representations of the 3D model is very powerful and the fact that the objects are parametric extremely valuable.

Dave S.

[Tom Weir]

Very impressive work from Nevine, David and Skisouth. It's interesting to see how many different ways the program is applied. Some of you seem to work with structural consultants others don't. Thanks for sharing your work...

Our work is almost always design work and not shop drawing work. We therefore do not use schedules or bills of materials that much. One on my wishlist is for a column schedule maker for a multi-story building, that will draw a vertical elevation of a column showing where it will splice and the size changes as you go up the building. It will then group all the columns of one type by grid number under their common elevation.

Over the weekend I started to think of how a combined discipline job is set up. How can we mesh and link the models. One thing I always run up against in 2D drafting is that the architects always seem to do their own set of columns. That's not going to work too well in the modelng environment, is it? And in the case of wood framing we are not usually showing all the beam members on the model, i.e. 2X8's at 16" o.c.
Those of you who have done some combined discipline projects might help us out by describing how you approached and parceled out the project in terms of objects.
It's going to be interesting!

Have a great day.....

Tom Weir
Los Angeles

[Arnel Aguel]

Hi David i was impressed the way you handle structural detailing specially the reinforced concrete part. How did you do the detailing with reinforcing bars? Are those drafting lines together with filled region to create the cross section of reinforcing bars?

[dwkma]

We are an architectural firm in Montana and put all of the structural components into our model before shipping it out to the consultants

[David Sammons]

Arnel,

I use the Reinforcing Steel Drafting Detail Components. I edited the Reinforcing Steel families to change the filled region from black to grey. The black filled region is too overbearing in sections.

Dave S.