Autodesk Revit Tutorials, Revit Families, BIM Revit

   
     
     
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Conceptual Design and Early Studies
 

Using Imported Geometry from Other Applications for Massing
You can use various outside applications to create geometry to be imported into Revit for massing. This section looks at using SketchUp, Rhino, and Inventor.
 
SketchUp
SketchUp is a fantastic piece of software. It’s considered by many to be a beautiful concept model-ing and visualization tool that is easy to use, produces great results, and really feels architectural. Many architects adore SketchUp for conceptual studies or early images of design ideas. Revit users use SketchUp to make initial massing and conceptual studies to produce nice graphic outputs for their clients. They can then move the model into Revit for the documentation phase.
SketchUp files can be imported in either of two file formats, which are tied to different work-flows and expectations:
  1. SKP—Use this format if you’ve created a complex geometric element in SketchUp that is pretty much final and you just need to import it into Revit using the direct import of the SKP file. An example is a building with a complex shape or roof that you couldn’t easily do in Revit.
  2. DWG—If you expect a dynamic workflow where the models need to move back and forth and maintain some intelligence, use file linking and link in the DWG files. This way, if the DWG changes, the model will update to show the latest version of the DWG. Note: You can only leverage the linking functionality if you import the SketchUp model within the project environment. If you import it as a Mass, the reload link functionality will not work.
Here is how we suggest working with a SketchUp file:
  • In SketchUp, Make a quick and easy initial concept design like the one shown in Figure 8.22, and save it.
  • Before getting into too much detail, import the file into Revit (Figure 8.23). The best practice is to import it in a mass family by using the Create Mass tool in the Massing tab of the Design bar. Then, import the SKP file:
Figure 8.22
Massing created in SketchUp		  
Figure 8.23
Import dialog		  
  • Finish the family
  • Switch to 3D view, and switch the model graphics of the view to Shaded With Edges. The SketchUp model appears in Revit. You can also activate shadows to see the model better (Figure 8.24).
Figure 8.24
Imported SketchUp file with shadows turned on		  
Often, when you finish the mass family after importing the SKP file, you’ll get a Warning message:
It’s important to read this message in order to understand the future expectations for the import. If a mass family imports only non-volumetric geometry, you can’t create floor area faces in Revit. However, if an imported mass family contains both volumetric and non-volumetric geometry, you’ll be able to create floor area faces from the volumetric portions of the geometry.
When you’re placing walls by pick face, the wall might be placed inside out. To flip the wall, select it, right-click, and choose Flip Orientation from the context menu
 
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros is a neat application that many architects love for the powerful shapes it can create and its relative ease of use. The surfaces created by this modeler are NURBS surfaces. Revit doesn’t natively create NURBS but can easily import them and transform them into a mesh.

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You can then use that mesh in a mass family as the basis for creating roofs. In this example, a draped form was created using Rhino and then imported into a Revit massing element (see Figure 8.25), just as you’d do with a SketchUp import. The form was then covered with a curtain system:
Figure 8.25
NURBS turned into curtain systems using the Curtain System by Face tool		  
To import an SAT file from Rhino into Revit, the best approach is to make a mass family in the project environment. When you’re importing a mesh into the family, you get a message about cal-culation limitations:

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This can safely be ignored. Finish the family; then, from the Massing tab, select the Curtain Sys-tem tool. You can select a different type from the Type Selector. Click the imported file geometry, and click the Create Roof tool on the Options bar.
The new object—a curtain system—is generated out of the underlying geometry (Figure 8.26). It’s important to understand that glass panels don’t conform to the surface—the panels remain pla-nar and attempt to fit the surface as best they can. So, as the panel cell size gets smaller, deviance decreases. You can always change the type later, just as you can for any element in Revit. Once you’re happy with the type and the size of the panels, you can apply mullions. Depending on the complexity of the imported file, this can take up to a few minutes; but don’t worry, it’s a one-time action! Note that tighter grids give better results but also increase the demand in per-forming processing.
Figure 8.26
You can apply a cur-tain system to a NURBS import		  
Inventor
You can import complex shapes created in Inventor and use them again to create faces out of which you can generate Revit building elements. The format in which you should export the Inventor file is SAT. Note that Inventor models have to be simplified prior to the export so to be optimal for use in Revit. If you use Inventor to easily create powerful shapes, then you should be OK. Save the file as an SAT file, and import it into a mass family either in the family editor or in the Project Environ-ment just as you would a SketchUp or Rhino file.