Revit Projects with Autocad Details

[photography67836]

Hi all,

Just came to a crunch this morning and now I have a chance to ask some questions (hope it doesn't sound too much like venting)

1. Is it possible to have a detail reference on a Revit plan, such that the same detail callout can be copied to a "similar" location and have the same detail number (You know how it always forces a new number, chronologically - don't want that)?

2. I want to mix CAD detailing in a Revit project. Okay, so I have a tedious workaround...I have been making dummy sheets, with callouts from the plans/sections/elevations to the dummy sheets. The dummy sheets are actually copies of "real" sheets in Autocad, with the proper-looking details. Having the dummy sheet is, of course, to trick Revit into showing the right numbers on the callouts. Is there a better, quicker, more intuitive way to do this?

3. We've been using Revit generated sections, and drawing the detail lines on top of them. Works fine, except when, lets say for example the roof or floors change height. Can all the detail lines be locked to the model? Also, what do you do with the unrealistic geometries created by intersecting roofs? We have a section through a roof but it needs to look as though it's a truss, not the way it is now. Is there a way to hide the Revit mess, and draft some truss profile?

Wes, feel free to speak into this!

Side note, we're only 20 percent on Revit, staff-wise...so the Cad/Revit issues are always coming up. I don't know when, but our goal is to all (6 of us) be fluent in Revit....

Thanks for any input,

Jason

[aaronrumple]

1. Do it all the time. Set the first up and copy paste away.

2. Dummy sheets will work. You could also make an annotation family that looks like a callout, but is "dumb" and doesn't refer to anthing. Best in my opinion is to link the acad details into Revit drafting views and let Revit deal with everything from there.

3. You can and should lock Revit linework to the model. Try to also use less linework and more detail componets. These are simpler to lock.
We often use filled regions to show a truss when we don't want to model. The filled region hides the intersection you didn't want to model. Group this and any other detail information a you can place the same truss on several views. This way you can update one view and all the truss details will change. Works well fro keeping 2 different scale drawings coordinated as well. (Something I'd like Revit to automate...)

4. Uninstall AutoCAD. Will solve that problem in a weekend.

[Scott D Davis]

1. Is it possible to have a detail reference on a Revit plan, such that the same detail callout can be copied to a "similar" location and have the same detail number (You know how it always forces a new number, chronologically - don't want that)?Yes, place a callout, but check the "reference other view" on the Options bar at the top of the drawing window. Revit will add the SIM tag to the callout for you.


2. I want to mix CAD detailing in a Revit project. Okay, so I have a tedious workaround...I have been making dummy sheets, with callouts from the plans/sections/elevations to the dummy sheets. The dummy sheets are actually copies of "real" sheets in Autocad, with the proper-looking details. Having the dummy sheet is, of course, to trick Revit into showing the right numbers on the callouts. Is there a better, quicker, more intuitive way to do this?Place the individual AutoCAD details onto Drafting Views in Revit. Place those Drafting views onto a Revit sheet. Create callouts as in 1., and reference the drafting view on the sheet.


3. We've been using Revit generated sections, and drawing the detail lines on top of them. Works fine, except when, lets say for example the roof or floors change height. Can all the detail lines be locked to the model? Also, what do you do with the unrealistic geometries created by intersecting roofs? We have a section through a roof but it needs to look as though it's a truss, not the way it is now. Is there a way to hide the Revit mess, and draft some truss profile?If you use the "Pick" option when placing lines, you will get a 'lock' symbol (or check the Lock box on Options prior to selecting). This will lock the detail lines to the geometry.

Next, when you say "unrealistic geometries" what do you mean? If you've modeled the condition properly, it will be reality. The section will be showing exactly what you would actually see. Place the truss families in the model, and you will see then in section. You can used filled regions and lines to 'draft' over areas if you need to.

[Wes Macaulay]

Geez -- can't even get to my own clients before the rest of you jump in! Ya crazy volunteers, ye!

In 6.1, Revit can point a section or callout to another view - a drafting view in your case - as the others have noted.

If you need a dummy elevation in 6.1, put in the elevation tag, and put the elevation on a sheet and have the Display Model setting for the elevation set to Do Not Display. Drop your drafting view with the AutoCAD elevation into place. (In R7 even elevations can be redirected to drafting views).

This is for the public benefit... I shall ring bro Jason momentarily...

[Dimitri Harvalias]

4. Uninstall AutoCAD. Will solve that problem in a weekend.
<Ward Cleaver mode on> "I know it's hard, but it's for your own good Beaver! You'll just have to trust me." <Ward Cleaver mode off>
Gotta like that 'tough love' approach Aaron. :wink:

[DanielleAnderson]

Here--this may be a quick band-aid from a project that we had to do some detailing in autocad (for many reasons). It's not the best idea to get into this kind of habit (printing styles are a pain to match between programs, for one thing) but I have a feeling you're dealing with a similar situation.

Danielle

[BomberAIA]

Scott does as I do. I have over 1000 Acad details. I create a Drafting View at the proper scale and import an Acad detail. I edit it w' the current font I'm using and heaving up a few lines as I would if I was drawing the detail. You can use a referenced callout on a view to tag the detail after you place it on a sheet.

[Wes Macaulay]

Ah - Danielle - that's brilliant...

[endy]

Due to scheduling limitations, and an abundance of CAD details, our team has decided not to recreate simulated Revit sheets, but rather we'll leave our details as they are currently laid out and plotted from Autocad.

I'm trying to create a section head that will contain two instance parameters to control the displayed (but not actively linked) Drawing and Sheet numbers. Ideally we could show this fake section detail tag in a unique color, so we can visually identify which tags to manually track and coordinate back to our Autocad sheets.

Any ideas?

Not to be shunned from this site, but my former office uses Vectorworks, and it was relatively easy to "link text to record" as it was called, to create custom annotation symbols controlled through object info (properties) dialog.

Perhaps Danielle's file "SectionHead-Forced.rfa" addresses this, but I'm having trouble loading it into our model, or finding my way through the Settings / View Tags and other property settings.

Thanks
Stephen

[twiceroadsfool]

Mine is probably not going to be a popular answer, but IMHO i wouldnt bark up that tree. It may not be worth the tie now, but it will be later if anything starts changing. I wouldnt even redraft anything, id just import your AutoCAD details in to the drafting views and recreate the sheets. Then youll have the live link to everything.

If theyre already drafted in CAD it shouldnt take that long.

People try to use quick work-around/band-aids in our office all the time, and they find out it always knocks them down in the home stretch...