BIM
Revit 2011 Service Pack 1 Released
Jun 30th
Revit 2011 Service Pack 1 Released
The first service pack has been released for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011, Structure 2011 and MEP 2011.
Revit 2011 Service Pack 1 can be downloaded by visiting the downloads section here:
For Revit Architecture 2011:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=14973244
Dont forget to read the Update Enhancement List.pdf
Revit Architecture 2011 – Sun Path
Jun 23rd
Lake Cabin Illustration
Jun 3rd
Here is a lake cabin illustration that I just completed. The model was created in 3DS MAX Design 2011 and rendered using the V-Ray render engine. If you have any technical question feel free to post them here.
Composition is one of the most misunderstood concepts in any form of artwork. It has been said that you can be the greatest painter in the world, but if you don’t know how to compose properly, your painting will fall apart and the same goes for digital art/illustrations/renders.
Like all illustrations of mine, this one started off in my head. First I decide what would make this image special and I decide on a focal point. These cabins are on a lake, very close to the water, and have windows and a deck facing the South. I like to play with contrast so I typically place my camera about 45 degrees from my light source (in plan), with the focal point being in the light. Since the cabins are on the lake facing South I know that you would see the sunrise so I took advantage of the glass on the sliding windows. I chose the sunrise in the reflection as my focal point.
To bring the viewers eye to my focal point (composition is really about moving the viewer’s eye) I placed the boat in the foreground, pointing towards my focal point. The boat was tipped slightly away from the camera so it wouldn’t bring so much attention to itself. I used yellow on the boat to help the viewer up into the image knowing the eye associates colors and the sunrise in the reflection is yellow too. The focal point is also 1/3 to the left of center and about 1/3 below center, which is were the eye is naturally drawn to in an image. I usually have my horizon lower, but I wanted at least as much blue water as blue sky (the water and sky are blue, which are complementary colors to my focal so it brings the illustration into balance).
Below are some screen grabs of my V-Ray settings:
VFB Frame Buffer
Global Switches
Antialising
Image Sampler
Environment
Color Mapping
Camera Type
GI
Brute Force
Light Cache
Caustics
DMC
Displacement
Systems
Elements
V-Ray Camera
HDRI
Gamma
I can comfortably say that I have never used the same settings for any 2 scenes so these settings might not work for you, but it might be a good starting point. I am running a render farm with 90Gb of RAM and 24 processors so unless you have an equivalent farm these settings might be to high for you.
Below find some Photoshop CS5 post screen grabs:
(coming soon…)
Autodesk Homestyler New Product Catalog Items
May 25th
New Today — Have more fun designing your home with over 8,000 new items we just added to the Autodesk Homestyler product catalog! Check out the new cabinetry and furnishings for your kitchen, living room, bedroom and more. http://www.homestyler.com/
IES Releases Revit 2011 Compatible VE Plug-in For Environmental Performance Analysis
May 18th
BOSTON, May 13, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), a provider of integrated performance analysis software and consulting services for sustainable building design, today released an updated version of its VE plug-in to Autodesk Revit Architecture and MEP. The plug-in allows Revit 2011 users to easily export models into any of the IES Virtual Environment (VE) environmental building performance analysis tools; VE-Ware, VE-Toolkits, VE-Gaia and VE-Pro. Removing the need to re-build models, the IES plug-in greatly enhances design workflow and simulation accuracy, bringing comprehensive and integrated analysis options for all design stages to the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process.
This new IES VE plug-in now supports Revit 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It offers enhanced model transfer capabilities and can handle challenging and complex geometry, as well as offering users the option to choose the level of geometry detail exported from the basic, to how shading surfaces are handled, to whether curtain wall mullions are counted as shading surfaces. The VE sets no explicit limits on the number of surfaces that it can import. This important capacity gives users ultimate control over geometry detail used for performance analysis and energy modelling within IES tools. Highly detailed curtain walling systems, multi-faceted shading surfaces and mullions, and additional complex shapes and junctions, can all be handled.
The IES VE tools offer a range of powerful performance assessment options suitable for all different design stages and user experience-level, while the integrated nature of the suite allows the interrelationships between energy use, CO2 emissions, solar, lighting, airflow and system design to be taken into account and analysed at a whole building level. Building mass and form, the climate, natural resource availability, occupancy, materials and services can all be taken into account to ‘virtually’ test the feasibility of different energy saving strategies and low carbon/ renewable technologies.
IES also offers a range of automated tools which assist with the LEED and GreenStar rating systems, and compliance with UK energy reduction and Performance Certificate regulations.
The latest version of the IES VE Revit Plug-in can be downloaded at http://www.iesve.com/Software/Model-Building/Revit-plug-in
Autodesk Developer Network Introduces Companion Products for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011
May 18th
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Apr 06, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Autodesk, Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!adsk/quotes/nls/adsk (ADSK 30.11, -0.04, -0.13%) announces that several Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) members have released companion solutions for Revit Architecture 2011 and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011. ADN developers reconfigure Autodesk software for niche industries, providing customized products that streamline design efficiency, innovation and sustainability.
“ADN partners, offering companion solutions to Revit Architecture 2011 and Civil 3D 2011, are allowing their architecture, engineering and construction customers to efficiently and collaboratively model and design complex projects,” said Richard, Harpham, Autodesk director, AEC industry marketing. “These solutions extend building information modeling practices that cut the costs and time for delivering work. Our developer partners, building on Autodesk technology, are reaching millions of new customers in niche markets and, in turn, tremendously increasing the growth of BIM adoption and by helping customers become more competitive in winning work.”
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an integrated process for exploring a project’s key physical and functional characteristics digitally before it’s built, helping to deliver projects faster and more economically, while minimizing environmental impact. Coordinated, consistent information is used throughout the process to design innovative projects; better visualize and simulate real-world appearance, performance and cost; and create more accurate documentation.
ADN members that have released products supported by Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 include:
– Adapt (www.adaptsoft.com/revitstructure/)
– Eagle Point (www.eaglepoint.com)
– GSA (www.gsa-network.com)
– hsbSOFT NV (www.hsbcad.de)
– Struc-Soft (www.strucsoft.ca)
– Trelligence (www.trelligence.com)
Analyze the effects of solar radiation on various surfaces of your conceptual building model.
May 16th
Use the Autodesk Solar Radiation Technology Preview for Revit 2011 to understand and quantify solar radiation on various surfaces of your conceptual building model.
Using the Autodesk Solar Radiation Technology Preview during the conceptual design stage of your project can help you make informed design decisions about building shape, orientation, and shading strategies early on when changes are least expensive.
The technology preview uses the geometry of conceptual massing elements from Revit and calculates the amount of solar radiation hitting the selected surfaces of the massing shapes, based on location and weather data. It is possible to display the distribution and availability of solar radiation over an entire building or even a city block. This can be particularly useful when considering shading requirements or assessing the best areas to place photovoltaics for maximum collection.
The Autodesk Solar Radiation Technology Preview is modeless and delivers an integrated experience within the Revit environment. This experience is made possible by the Analysis Visualization Framework, Dynamic Model Update, and other new API’s made available with the Autodesk Revit 2011 family of products.
This technology preview is a limited term release to seek customer feedback on its performance and expires on November 5th, 2010.
3ds Max 2011 How-To Movies
May 15th
Hidden away in the training section of the 3ds Max product page you will find a handy link to over 50 How-To movies. The focus of the movies cover all aspects of the software and from beginner to intermediate skill levels. This year Amer Yassine and the rest of our documentation team have been quite busy and added 23 new videos using 3ds Max 2011.
www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-howtos
Remodel Your Home For Free? Sort Of…
May 14th
A new online tool helps consumers test out remodeling ideas, or just dream about their home’s possibilities — for free.
Zebra Imaging’s realistic holographic 3D visualization displays
May 13th
It doesn’t matter how good 3D gets in games and imaging packages because there will always be occasions where someone wants to see an actual physical model of say, a building, landscape, or product. When requested, designers usually turn to modeling such items and then transporting it to the client. That can be both a costly and time-consuming task.
Zebra Imaging has a very cool alternative, however. The company came up with a system that prints a holographic color image on to a 2D display. As you can see in the two included videos, what you get is a 3D model but in an easy-to-carry plastic sheet format.
In order to see the display you need a light source above it. Zebra can supply a stand integrating such a light if necessary. There’s also a selection of screen sizes to choose from starting at 12 x 12 inches and going right up to 24 x 36 inches.
These displays are already useful in industries such as architecture, landscaping, and within the military. I can also see technology manufacturers using them to show off early gadget concepts rather than producing the actual models because it is simply cheaper to do.
You can see five more videos of these holographic displays in action at the Zebra Imaging Holographic Gallery.
Z-Depth
Apr 2nd
Below you’ll see a Z-Depth pass, yet another trick that allows you to do some post production work on your illustration. The Z-Depth pass allows you to quickly mimic a cameras depth-of-field lens trick. Gaussian blur in post allows you, while using the z-depth channel, to control the blur from light to dark. Doing this allows you to have a foreground, which is important for your composition, but it will not overpower your illustrations focal point.
Ambient Occlusion
Apr 2nd
Ambient = Dark
Diffuses = Light
An Ambient Occlusion pass returns a gray scale image with intersecting geometry darker. This technique allows you to do some post production using layer manipulation. Revit 2011 has some built in Ambient Occlusion capabilities so be on a lookout in the next release.
The below image was created via a script and I use this technique on almost all of my work. It gives your illustration a more realistic feel. This is also how I create the museum board stills and animation.
Autodesk® Design Review software
Mar 31st
Accelerate architecture, engineering, or construction design workflows with Autodesk® Design Review software. The free*, integrated 3D model viewer provides team members who don’t use CAD software easy access to rich designs. It also reinforces the use of complete design data for building information modeling (BIM).
Accelerate Project Review Cycles
Significantly reduce time from building review and approval cycles and reduce printing and shipping costs by using Autodesk Design Review to mark up and review designs created with Revit® and AutoCAD® software products.
Effectively Show Designs in Client Presentations
Fully visualize drawings and walk through building models to create presentations that enable clients to experience a project before it is built.
Document Construction Change Orders
Use the markup and status-tracking tools in Autodesk Design Review to track the changes required throughout the construction process.
Publish, Share, and View
Conduct virtual walk-throughs of architectural models using the navigation wheel.
The Autodesk Seize the Opportunity Virtual Event
Mar 29th
Increase your speed and power without sacrificing flexibility. Deliver building, transportation, and environmental engineering projects faster and more economically. Design, visualize, and simulate ideas on screen – with no need for a physical prototype. It’s all possible with Autodesk® 2011 software.
Learn more at the Autodesk Seize the Opportunity Virtual Event. Attendance is free.
- See the Difference: Lynn Allen’s AutoCAD 2011 Tips & Techniques
- Go Beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping with Autodesk Inventor 2011
- Getting to Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- On the Road to Success: Autodesk Solutions for Roads and Highways
- Take Control with AutoCAD LT 2011 Software
Time: 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
What’s new in Revt Architecture 2011?
Mar 25th
So what’s in RAC 2011 you may ask? RAC 2011 introduces some new concepts, an improved interface (needed too after the grief that Autodesk got about the Ribbon for 2010) as well as some genuine user feature requests. Whilst this blog just covers the main features it does not cover everything, but I do plan to cover specific functionality in future articles.
Project Chicago – LEEDs
Mar 19th
IPD + BIM
Mar 17th
IPD is the Infrastructure and B.I.M. is the vehicle.
Infrastructure is the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function.
A vehicle (Latin: vehiculum) is a mechanical means of conveyance, a carriage or transport.
Trelligence Affinity for Revit Pre-Design | Programming | Schematic Phases
Feb 8th
How can I automate the collecting/managing of a design project’s conceptual/programming data while connecting it with my Revit project?
Which is easier and less costly to obtain?
- Asking a client to “sign off” on a design that’s been “lightly modeled” according to their design scope or waiting until its been fully modeled in Revit?
Trelligence President, Larry Ciscon PhD, demonstrated Trelligence’s value for capturing, visualizing, analyzing and bi-directionally syncing a design project’s programming data (scope) with Revit models.
Business value points from my Madison Revit User Group notes:
- Trelligence is designed to “inform the designer, without forcing the design programming onto the designer”.
- Start your project in Trelligence Affinity or in Revit – Changes syncs using Revit’s API
- Import spreadsheet data sources & connect/sync to Revit project properties
- Template driven for specific project-type & prototype programming; schools, hospital, medical clinics, restaurants, etc.
- Templates store your standard client questionnaires, pre-defined room layouts, space types, equipment requirements, room areas & volumes
- Provides visual color coding (text, 2D or 3D) to compare programming to design: spreadsheet views, bubble diagrams, graphing, mass modeling, single-line or color filled walls between spaces
Quantifies spaces-volumes between multiple buildings, floors, wings, departments, alternates, design options and phases - Sets relationships, dependencies & priorities between spaces-rooms | informs designer when these conflict with original programming.
- Revit-BIM Interoperability: Importing, connecting & syncing 2D/3D plans between Revit & Trelligence
- Export to IFC and gbXML formats
Trelligence has been available for Revit 2008, 2009 and now 2010.
Trelligence Affinity provides significant value for the best phase of a Revit project; before its fully modeled.
Additional Revit Conceptual / Pre-Design Phase Tools
- WinEstimator Revit-BIM Workshop | Marquette University-College of Engineering
- January-February 2010 Free University Seminars | WinEst Revit-BIM Construction-Estimating Technologies
Original article from the Revit-BIM Playbook
Revit Architecture 2010 Wall Framing Extension
Jan 29th
A 20-minute overview of the Revit Wall Framing Extension, available in the Revit Subscription Advantage Pack.
Hooray! Wood wall framing in Revit Architecture! (and Revit Structure, and Revit MEP)
Revit Architecture 2010 Wall Framing Extension from Jason Pratt on Vimeo.
