Plotting Line Weights in Revit

[Argyll9846]

Just so you know,
when a screen is inverted to show BLACK, certain Graphical Overrides do not translate properly, such as black poche walls, for example... The fills do not invert.

So if one person on the team is using black fills to distinguish parts of the model, the person with black background will not not see this. And, of course, using white fills will not achieve the expected print result... food for thought. This was the final word in our office debate about background color...

(as for line color, nah, everyone just takes to the B/W eventually... much cleaner and more visually appealing... to us.)

Now this is the best argument I've heard so far and I will concede that I will probably adopt black and white eventually.

[Andre Carvalho]

I know you probably think your sharp,but there are other knives in the drawer that may be just a little bit sharper so you don't have to resort to remarks such as the one you made.

Sorry ntw_fox. It wasn't my intention to use those words against you. I mentioned if you ever drew by hand because you just start posting in the AUGI forum and without asking about your previous experience it is hard to know about it. I'm here to help and that's why my first post directed to you on this thread was helping you to achieve what you want, even if I expressed my personal opinion about black background.

But with 27 years of CAD as you have, I can now understand why you are used to that.

You are not the only one out there defending darker background in favor of eye comfort. People even compare it to the stars: It is easier to look at the stars at night because the sky is dark and the stars are small white dots, but if you try making the sky bright white and the stars small black dots, then you can't see anything. However, IMHO, lines are not small dots and as Aaron Rumple said, me too have no problem with white backgrounds at all.

I'm sure we all respect your opinion and we'll keep helping you when you need, doesn't mater if using black or white background.

Andre Carvalho

[ron.sanpedro]

I'll take your comment about a black screen as a personal opinion but for me it's a personal preference and nothing to do at all with trying to make Revit look like AutoCAD. I treat Revit for what it is ie a program that is totally different to AutoCAD and I'm not trying to turn it into something I know it isn't but please tell me what's the problem with someone wanting to work with a different coloured background as I simply can't see what the problem is and all I hear is that "Revit' looks better that way - sorry but a white screen doesn't cut it and all I get is eye strain (which I don't get working on black).

I guess that was my point, if it is eye strain, I have found monitor tweaking to address it more often than not; not always, but usually, for myself included. When I have seen users want black who really wanted familiar, then less brightness in the monitor doesn't do the trick. As I said, I would love to be able to make the background something that is both less bright and NOT AutoCAD black. Indeed, I don't think it would be that hard to just make the background color whatever the user wants, and still plot white. But I also think autodesk has about 5000 more important issues to fix in Revit, and seemingly nothing is actually easy to do when it comes to Revit programming, so I hope their focus is elsewhere.

Gordon

[STHRevit]

As the manager of an outsource company, I use Autcad and Revit on a daily basis, for extended periods and have not found that the screen colour has any bearing on how tired or stressed I get. Perhaps you need to take a series of breaks during your 16hr days, try reducing the brightness and contrast etc,

You are using Revit now, NOT autocad.
View templates and object style adjustments in revit give you much more freedom and latittude to create a final plot and if you desire you will be able to get it to look exactly like your old Autocad plots.
Revit will show you exactly how it will plot on screen and adjusting the object line type/style is simple if you require a different outcome.
If you keep trying to assimilate Revit tasks into "how it was done in AutoCAD" you will send yourself insane and never realise the true potential of Revit.(it took me a while to realise this, once you do though, you will never look back)
Two different programs and two different ways to reach the same result, only Revit is far superior.

[Argyll9846]

As the manager of an outsource company, I use Autcad and Revit on a daily basis, for extended periods and have not found that the screen colour has any bearing on how tired or stressed I get. Perhaps you need to take a series of breaks during your 16hr days, try reducing the brightness and contrast etc,

You are using Revit now, NOT autocad.
View templates and object style adjustments in revit give you much more freedom and latittude to create a final plot and if you desire you will be able to get it to look exactly like your old Autocad plots.
Revit will show you exactly how it will plot on screen and adjusting the object line type/style is simple if you require a different outcome.
If you keep trying to assimilate Revit tasks into "how it was done in AutoCAD" you will send yourself insane and never realise the true potential of Revit.(it took me a while to realise this, once you do though, you will never look back)
Two different programs and two different ways to reach the same result, only Revit is far superior.

Within an hour of using Revit I decided that the only approach to using it was to forget about AutoCAD and start from scratch. I don't have any issues with 3D and I like the way Revit does things like insert doors and windows. When I take up a new CAD program (I've tried a few) I generally don't try to compare it with AutoCAD as, like you said, that will drive you nuts. I do notice, however, that when it comes to detailing, 2D drawings still holds sway (at this stage) and there is not much point in doing them in 3D until the industry starts using 3D for construction, which I feel won't be very soon. I really enjoy modelling with Revit almost as much as I did with Sketchup, I tried working with a white screen today and have had quite a few long breaks but the eyes are telling me it's time to call it a day.

[Argyll9846]

Sorry ntw_fox. It wasn't my intention to use those words against you. I mentioned if you ever drew by hand because you just start posting in the AUGI forum and without asking about your previous experience it is hard to know about it. I'm here to help and that's why my first post directed to you on this thread was helping you to achieve what you want, even if I expressed my personal opinion about black background.

But with 27 years of CAD as you have, I can now understand why you are used to that.

You are not the only one out there defending darker background in favor of eye comfort. People even compare it to the stars: It is easier to look at the stars at night because the sky is dark and the stars are small white dots, but if you try making the sky bright white and the stars small black dots, then you can't see anything. However, IMHO, lines are not small dots and as Aaron Rumple said, me too have no problem with white backgrounds at all.

I'm sure we all respect your opinion and we'll keep helping you when you need, doesn't mater if using black or white background.

Andre Carvalho

Not a problem mate and it's well behind us. In spite of my long experience with AutoCAD I do recognize a good program when I see one and I fully realize how good Revit is for what it does. You can only wonder what lies ahead.

[Argyll9846]

I guess that was my point, if it is eye strain, I have found monitor tweaking to address it more often than not; not always, but usually, for myself included. When I have seen users want black who really wanted familiar, then less brightness in the monitor doesn't do the trick. As I said, I would love to be able to make the background something that is both less bright and NOT AutoCAD black. Indeed, I don't think it would be that hard to just make the background color whatever the user wants, and still plot white. But I also think autodesk has about 5000 more important issues to fix in Revit, and seemingly nothing is actually easy to do when it comes to Revit programming, so I hope their focus is elsewhere.

Gordon

the colours I work in are mid grey in Photoshop, default (mid) grey in 3ds max and black in AutoCAD - Revit is still undecided at present. I use the mid greys because they don't affect the colours your seeing onscreen. I[ve tried the charcoal grey colour scheme in 3ds max quite a few times over the years but find the icons and menus are way to hard work on my eyes. The grey I find works best for me and if I could work in grey with Revit I think that would be my ideal choice as I've put in many 18 hour days on 3ds with no effect on the eyes. I think there are probably a few issues that do indeed need to be addressed in Revit but getting that message across is often a difficult task fo single users as it's specific companies who have the ear of Autodesk and it's they who seem to call the shots. But like they say, if the wheel is squeaky enough, it eventually gets oiled.

[mthurnauer]

The days of 3d construction drawings is already here. I had a project that was in concept eight years ago and construction completed over two years ago and the entire exterior precast skin was fabricated directly from a 3d model. (I.E. form manufacturer generated their forms off of 3d model pieces.). The coordination between steel structure and precast cladding was done using 3d coordination models and errors were found before fabrication was complete. The model was also used to resolve many other complex geometry and coordination issues. Since that experience, I am being asked more often to provide electronic files for coordination and building layout. why dimension the heck out of a site drawing or a building layout drawing if the surveyor is just going to use the digital file? This process has reduced errors......now if we could just get additional compensation for it.

[ron.sanpedro]

But like they say, if the wheel is squeaky enough, it eventually gets oiled.

Unfortunately I think with autodesk it is "if the wheel pays for 500 seats it gets oiled, greased, massaged and coddled. Everyone else take a flier..." Gonna get yelled at for saying it, but I think if (insert some huge company name here) wants a non photo blue background, we will all get it and nothing else, and if the big guns are good with white and black, well, it must be ok for everyone then.

There are some people who have squeaked for years, all it does is annoy people who are ok with the status quo. Which I am sure I have just done.

Gordon

[dbaldacchino]

Some people leave the brightness of their screens higher than a tanning bed. That's what causes eye strain. Just lower your brightness until your screen looks close to a piece of white paper on your desk, have adequate contrast and you can easily work on a white screen.