From the Ground Up

So Revit isn't new, but then again it isn't old like AutoCAD is old. So I'm sure Autodesk wouldn't might jettisoning some archaic methods of working if only it did not have to keep legacy users sweet. Therefore we have Architecture behaving like AutoCAD with its drafting background and Revit behaving like a Building Information Modeling System and Graphical Database. One of these approaches will likely be the future and one will likely not.

No prizes for guessing which.

As I said earlier I'm disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm for CADD (and one of the the Ds stands for Design) systems by many of the Architects I've worked with. Often it is claimed that the computer takes away the creativity when I'd argue that it takes away the drudgery.



Nobody really wants to do the elevation, and with Revit nobody really has to. It's like magic.

So Technicians need to throw away their drafting software, and even moreso Architects need to throw away their 2B pencils.

Eventually Getting Down to Looking At Revit

Obviously I've had on-and-off contact with Revit, Revit Users and Revit Design Data, mostly through the avenue of having to convert or otherwise translate Revit information to AutoCAD or Microstation readable formats.

Well, I might as well learn to the use it; I have time while I'm not working and I have free online video tutorials and I have a 30 day trial of the most recent incarnation of the software.

Autodesk seems to be in the process of winding its support down for its Architecture product and pushing existing users to the Revit, Revit Structural and Revit whatever and it makes sense to get familiar with it, at least to the extent I'm familiar with Architecture, Architectural Desktop et al. I'll have to admit now that I'm not really conversant with any of the versions passed 2006, but I did have a pretty thorough and current knowledge up to that point having used it for a number of years previously.

I was a bit hesitant in getting into Revit because I knew the program was young in its development life and had functionality issues guaranteed to raise the ire of Architects. I'll admit my biases that I've always felt that Architects need very little reason to decry technology as "depriving them of the artistic and creative ability" rather than allowing them more creative freedom.

But I digress.

Navisworks Timeliner

The TimeLiner tool adds 4D schedule simulation to Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2010. TimeLiner imports schedules from a variety of sources, allows you to connect objects in the model with tasks in the schedule and simulate the schedule showing the effects on the model, including planned against actual schedules. TimeLiner also allows the export of images and animations based on the results of the simulation. TimeLiner will automatically update the simulation if the model or schedule changes.

An I guess that is what it does, even though its a fiddly process with a number of steps most of which cannot be readily automated. But even saying this, timeliner really is a useful and helpful tool.

I can actually see where this would be very beneficial in tying together design components from a number of separate disciplines and checking interactions for potential construction issues, however, I'm not sure I'd want to be in charge creating and checking the schedule\model links. Hitting the play button and watching your project evolve time-lapsed as task after task go from translucent green to approximated finish surface is pretty cool, error trapping less so.

But hey, if you can get the civil guys to link their tasks, then get the drainage guys to link their tasks, then get the architecture guys, then landscaping, then presto, a fairly practical method of communicating internally or externally the progress of the works is born.

Not perfect but more fun that sitting with a giant gantt chart and reams of paper plans and phasing plans.

Navisworks ... The Good

I'm going through a number of tutorials from the guys and Cad Learning, just following along from start to finish and trying to gauge how the software could be used to manage previous projects I've been involved in.

Obviously the software is designed for the manager who is removed from the nitty gritty model design\construction and the plan production aspect but it still requires a decent learning curve and is a pretty involved piece of software.

On first blush, the clash detection, the redline capability and the schedule timeliner seem the most useful, with maybe features such as the animation and scripter functions of less value, the animation for example seems not quite polished enough for presentations and I'm pretty sure that is its intended rationale.

Oh and the Navisworks Interface

I'm so used to looking at the new 2010 Vertical Product Ribbon Interface Menus that going back to the archaic looking Navisworks interface looks like we're back to using Amigas.

Navisworks and Revit

I already have a fairly good grasp of Navisworks and Revit, but then again I've never had formal classroom instruction and I've never really worked alongside somebody who I'd considered a power user of either of the software packages.

How then to tell if my methods of working are efficient, logical or even correct? If only I had a series of video lessons to instruct me in the many and varied features available?

Hey.

The aforementioned Cad Learning has literally hundreds if videos on the subjects. Cool.

I've download all of the datasets and all of the trial versions of the software and I'm going through every single video step by step and examining every discrepancy between how Cad Learning's professionals use the software and how I'd been using the software up until this point.

And the conclusion, well [shrug], I meant to fall off my bike.

Actually much of the method of working has been vindicated and I've learned a good number of new tricks, so chalk up another benefit from winning that pesky Top Daug thing.

CadLearning

So as part of my prize for being Top Daug (in addition to getting a T-shirt) I get a year long subscription to CadLearning.

The seem to have a pretty deep list of short videos on most of the software I'm keen to get a handle on; a good investment from what I've seen of it so far.

Phew! ... this is a big network

Still working on creating the highway drainage model for US206 Hillsborough Bypass.



Long process to convert dumb graphical information to intelligent Civil Design drainage networks, but good practice with complex layout and unique custom structures and pipe types.

I'm not really enamored with the part builder aspect of drainage networks; the custom drainage design does seem a little cumbersome and non-intuitive and combined with poor manual and lack of in-depth help means that it isn't the most fun.

Grading Groups

Civil 3D grading tools vs InRoads grading tools

It's probably going to end up being Civil 3D but they are much more difficult to utilize as they are a separate type of drawing object class rather than a technique for creating regular surfaces. Longer to learn but when implemented clearly they'll be more flexible and can be more easily modified rather than InRoads "start the surface again" modus operandi.

And of course it doesn't help that Civil doesn't run that smoothly on my system and crashes fairly often and fairly spectacularly.

putting cad camp to use ...

Busy converting an Inroads project, actually really no more than Microstation information, into Civil 3D as a test project.

First time I've created a number of large drainage networks and it seems pretty easy, pretty stable and pretty simple to manage, at least so far as the 250 drainage structures added so far.





Getting closer all the time to completing the network. Its a pretty big job for a single user but I'm having fun.

I'd like to to see a good real world procedure for multiple users designing a single large network, practice is not the same as doing it for real. It's certainly going to require pretty strict standards, conventions and policing.

yay success

AUGI Top DAUG Contest: Be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to understand your Autodesk product proficiency and participate in the AUGI Top DAUG Contest during the San Francisco CAD Camp. The top 10 participants will be announced at the wrap-up reception, and the participant with the highest score will receive a one-year subscription to augieducation.cadlearning.com with an "All Access Pass" for all of the courses available on the site ($399.00 value to AUGI members, $499.00 value to non-AUGI members). The national attendee with the highest score will win a free pass to Autodesk University in December, 2010.

Even with the competition set up leading to lots of chances for people to lean over shoulders and see upcoming questions and groups of users collaborating to come up with a team score, I still managed to get the top score.

Not bad for a Microstation and InRoads user.

A kinda low turnout, perhaps understandable in today's economic environment, but still some interesting products to be demonstrated, experts to be quizzed and fellow professionals to be networking with.

I ended up going to all of the Rick Ellis' Civil 3D presentations and the first of the Lynn Allen general drafting tips presentation. Lots of praise for Rick's presentation which was excellently done and with some good solid advice for practical use of the program rather than a sales pitch (Reminder to look into maybe buying some of his books Amazon)

damn fine animation from the kids at autodesk

Love it.

Cad Camp

I've signed up for Cad Camp in SF, this coming Thursday, and I'm all aflutter.

I like Cad Camps even though I'm not sure that its an opportunity to learn that much in detail. The format, I guess, is simply to let Autodesk demonstrate newer products and there isn't much detail that you can get in to. There is probably more to be gained from questioning the experts in between presentations and quizzing the other attendees.

OK. Now what ...

So, I've officially Mastered Civil 2010 ...

I'm going to go through the fun process of taking the most complex InRoads at my last place of employment using NJDOT deign guidelines and convert it to a Civil 2010 project using Caltrans design guidelines. (and of course for good measure I've have to do a Caltrans InRoads version too, since it it their preferred format).

Should be interesting.

No News ...

An observation, but probably a criticism also.

I'm looking at a news report in the Chronicle on Commissioner Paula Daniels proposals for legislation to force builders to mitigate stormwater run-off; the report looks like this.

Los Angeles may try to rein in storm runoff by having builders capture it.
More Bay Area News

A proposal making its way through committee would require new homes, larger developments and some redevelopment projects to collect and reuse rainwater or build systems to filter it.

Commissioner Paula Daniels — who authored the proposal — says it would prevent 104 million gallons of polluted storm runoff from reaching the sea. She hopes it will be approved this year and take effect in 2011.

Builders would have to deal with all the runoff from a storm that drops three-quarters of an inch of rain or pay a mitigation fee of $13 a gallon.

The ordinance has won approval from the Department of Public Works.

And that is all the news that's easily accessible. Every one of the dozens of news reports into this story is simply a recycled version of the Associated Press' content, with slightly different font and formatting.

Are there no journalists any more? Does the profession of journalism consist simply of ctrl-c and ctrl-v?