Detailing in Revit

[jsoto1685]

How do you guys guys Detail in RST? Currently at my firm we model in RST but draw our details in AutoCAD. At my company there is a push to be full Revit based in the near future. My biggest concern in detailing. It seems like it would take FOREVER to do in Revit, but I'm not sure if that's because Revit is very lacking in that area or my lack of education on the subject. See my linked image for example. In that detail I imported the beams but that's about it. Everything else was done in ACAD. Would something like this be easily done in Revit or better in AutoCAD?

We also use tables alot in ACAD. In Revit it looks like I would have to use loose lines. bleh..

How do you guys create your details? How do you guys create tables?

thanks for your input!\

P.S. Ignore the fact that I forgot to send the hatch to back there lol. Just imagine some rebar

[tedg]

How do you guys guys Detail in RST? Currently at my firm we model in RST but draw our details in AutoCAD. At my company there is a push to be full Revit based in the near future. My biggest concern in detailing. It seems like it would take FOREVER to do in Revit, but I'm not sure if that's because Revit is very lacking in that area or my lack of education on the subject. See my linked image for example. In that detail I imported the beams but that's about it. Everything else was done in ACAD. Would something like this be easily done in Revit or better in AutoCAD?

We also use tables alot in ACAD. In Revit it looks like I would have to use loose lines. bleh..

How do you guys create your details? How do you guys create tables?

thanks for your input!\

P.S. Ignore the fact that I forgot to send the hatch to back there lol. Just imagine some rebar

I'm not an expert, and there will probably be people that disagree with me, but I tend to re-use allot of our typical details that are already done in AutoCAD.

I bring them in as a link into a detail view and insert them onto the sheet(s).
Eventually, (I suspect) they may slowly get replaced with REVIT versions as we move forward and use REVIT more often. But for our office, they aren't going to want to pay me to "redo" all our detials in REVIT because we may need them, and ACAD is working just fine for this. I do however, use sections from the model and add detail components to them for a specific project, I'm just talking about non-model related (typical, standard) details.

[Revitaoist]

There are several approaches. I would model that plate in the family editor so it shows up in 3d views, then do a callout and annotate from there, but I am in architecture. Once you get good with Revit, drawing 2D lines in a drafting view goes pretty fast, though not as fast as CAD. DL for shortcut, then change all the linetypes when you're done. If it is super complex and you are screaming fast with CAD, you can easily convert it. Start a new project, import, explode, change to revit lines, copyclip to new file. It really does not take that long.

[david_peterson]

Biggest issue I see with detailing in Revit is the size the detail needs to be. I know we could try to fix that overly complicated weld symbol so its not 4 times larger than it needs to be. I'm also not a big fan of the text editor in revit.
I tend to run my projects with most of my details done in cad and kept in cad. No links or imports, can cause Revit to run slow or not at all in my experience. Get what you can cheaply get from Revit and skip the rest. I do cut section in revit and put them on "Dummy" revit sheets so my sections are still linked to a detail number. I tend to model whats there.
My other issue with doing things in revit is you can't really use the model for details anyway. Unless you're going to detail every connection specifically. Even then, you can't create a correct comp slab on metal deck slab edge detail using the model. You'll never get it to look correct with out a ton of workaround and even then, it's not perfect.

[trialbyfire]

I'm in David's camp too. There are a couple tempting reasons to use Revit 100%, but they have not outweighed the drawbacks yet for our firm.

Drafting goes faster in CAD, and even if it didn't, CAD produces a better finished product than Revit anyway (in my opinion). You have more control over how the detail looks. CAD's control over draw order, line-weights, symbols, text creation & editing, etc are all a class above Revit's.

I cut wall sections, etc. in Revit so I can use the model content. But notes & details are all done in CAD at this time. I know lots of firms have switched fully to Revit though - I'd also like to hear how they manage their details & libraries, drafting speed, etc.

[tedg]

...
I tend to run my projects with most of my details done in cad and kept in cad. No links or imports, can cause Revit to run slow or not at all in my experience. Get what you can cheaply get from Revit and skip the rest. I do cut section in revit and put them on "Dummy" revit sheets so my sections are still linked to a detail number. I tend to model whats there.

So in you cut a "pretend" section in REVIT but send it to a 2D AutoCAD detail on an AutoCAD sheet and not use the actual section in REVIT and detail it? Interesting.... Sort of makes sense, but I can hear the die-hard REVIT people rolling over in thier graves here

My other issue with doing things in revit is you can't really use the model for details anyway. Unless you're going to detail every connection specifically. Even then, you can't create a correct comp slab on metal deck slab edge detail using the model. You'll never get it to look correct with out a ton of workaround and even then, it's not perfect.

Agreed, I thought it was just me. I work in REVIT Structure, and I have created connection details using the model and detail components, it was pretty nice when done, but god forbid you MOVE the section marker on the plan!

[jsoto1685]

If i started modeling all the plaates and such I'd get an ear full for showing too much detail lol. In general we do not show any connections. If memory serves me right I think the images that AutoDesk uses while your installing RST shows steel structures without connections as well lol. And these are the ones AutoDesk uses as samples.

I saw like 2 videos on youtube (not exhaustive I know, i'll watch more when I get the chance) and noticed 2 things.

1. You'd need a ton of custom detail components. I suppose this is not too much different from blocks. However I never create blocks for slabs or footings for example. They are just too easy to draw in ACAD. It would take me longer to insert one than to create one.

2. Keynoting. This looks pretty awesome and fast in Revit. The problem though is that the keynote gave only very basic information. For example it would call out a anchorbolt size, but not give the spacing or embed depth. Maybe you can add that in the id of the detail component I dont' know.

3. The text editor in Revit is horrible, plain and simple.

Does anyone know of a video that demonstrates a full complete structural detail being draw in Revit? I'd love to see it.

[david_peterson]

So in you cut a "pretend" section in REVIT but send it to a 2D AutoCAD detail on an AutoCAD sheet and not use the actual section in REVIT and detail it? Interesting.... Sort of makes sense, but I can hear the die-hard REVIT people rolling over in thier graves here

Yep. I don't bother to even send the section to 2d cad. I redraw it. The **** you get when you export revit to cad is just about useless IMHO. I simply use the section cuts in revit to fill in the numbers. I draw most details in cad and leave them in cad. Importing cad into revit or linking it (either way) ends in not so good results.
I get what I can easily get from revit (elevations, plans, 3d views....) and do everything else in cad. My revit model (while it is correct for what we want the final product to be and the details that are cut in revit while they have about 0 info on them look just about like the details so you can still do a little coordination) is more or less just for plans and a place to cut details from. Not detailing in revit also helps big time in model performance.
I'm sure there's plenty of users that would cringe at this thought, but it's a difference of opinion. Arch models to me, seem to be a little schematic while Struct needs to be at about a shop drawing level. It is what it is. It's also the first thing to go in. So as I tell everyone here, if it exists in the building, you need to model it so everyone else knows it's there. You don't have to detail it, but the model need to show intent and correct size. As long as you do that, I tend to play the "If you didn't see that it was a problem and you didn't look at it cause you unloaded my model, good luck." If you don't model it, you get in trouble.

[Revitaoist]

I'll second David Peterson's approach, and I am pretty die hard Revit - see screen name. I did this on my last project and it worked great. The coordination of the detail callouts is not as bad as you might think, even when you decide to rearrange the numbers and sheets. It's always been a goose chase with callouts, so it's par for the course.

[david_peterson]

I thought I made this clear. I'm not using dummy text only section cuts, they are linked to dummy sheets in revit. Detail on acad sheet matches detail on Revit sheet. Move it in acad, move it in revit. Section cuts update themselves.
Sorry if there was any confusion.
You have to create the duplicate dummy sheets in revit anyway so you're sheet lists still work correctly for sheet schedules and revision schedules.
Hope this clears things up.