On the 29th of April we held our first dedicated Revit Architecture User Group of 2009 and as expected, this event was very well attended by a mixture of familiar faces from previous events and a significant number of new members.

The overall event seemed to be very well received and each session prompted a range of discussions on each topic presented. The audience contributed well in the discussions and there were many questions asked, and answered throughout the day.

The first presentation, by Dave Shepherd of Excitech, was an update and summary of the improvements to the 2010 version of Revit Architecture and this solicited a generally positive response. The anticipated resistance to the introduction of the Ribbon Interface did not materialise and there was more positivity towards this move by Autodesk than most had expected.

Alex Dewar, Excitech’s Head of IT Solutions, provided an overview of recommended hardware configurations for running Revit effectively along with some of the networking solutions available to improve performance. This actually proved to be very topical and prompted an awful lot of questions and discussions. Many had little appreciation of the additional hardware requirements for running large projects and those who had been through the process were able to share some experiences. The audience were also advised on the updated Excitech recommendations for workstations for the 2010 solutions and given a brief overview of some of the additional technologies for improving/enabling Revit data access over a WAN, such as Riverbed and the HP Remote Graphics solution.

Dave Shepherd of Excitech then presented an overview of the methods and techniques for sharing and coordinating Revit model files. This touched on the recommended use of coordinates as well as best practices for transferring and coordinating information between disciplines. This prompted a number of questions and discussions on the issues raised and it did highlight the fact that many had not really devised any formal operating standards. This also helped to highlight to those new to the Revit platform, the importance of developing an understanding of these features and defining procedures to support their effective use.

The first user presentation was from Dave Sibbitt, Civil Engineering Manager at ASDA, who outlined their vision and strategy for the application of Revit to all of their future projects. The message behind this presentation was very strong and it stipulated that they now demand that all of their supply chain consultants deliver on the Revit platform. This extended to each of the discipline-specific versions of Revit and they were also very keen to communicate how effectively they had adopted the use of the site design tools in Revit.

I then conducted the next session on conceptual design and this focussed on the application of the main new element of Revit Architecture 2010, which is the new freeform mass modelling environment. There was a good degree of interest in this session, especially as we found out that most of the audience were in fact designers. Most had acknowledged the limitations of the previous modelling tools in Revit and had been reliant on generating complex geometry in different software packages.

The new modelling environment was demonstrated along with some simple examples of how to produce some of the more conventional modelling elements using the new methods.

The next stage was to demonstrate how these forms could be integrated with the main project design environment and to take the opportunity to highlight the existence of the conceptual design development tools that have been in Revit for some time now. The final stage of this session was a demonstration of the ability to divide and apply patterns to any of these conceptual free form surfaces. This demonstrated how such models could be defined using the parametric controls in Revit along with an explanation of how the surfaces could be divided using a number of options to control the pattern and layout. The final stage was to show how the individual panel elements could be created using the new family template available for this purpose.

Several people commented on the fact that they should be generally making greater use of Revit during the design stages and admitted that they didn’t have sufficient awareness of these capabilities. Many admitted that they spent too much time in developing limited SketchUp or Rhino models that ultimately have limited use further downstream.

Following this, Simon Gillis of Autodesk conducted an overview and introduction to Autodesk Ecotect Analysis. He explained their plans in introducing the updated solution in the UK and set the positioning of the software. He also explained how the Green Building Studio service compared to the functionality in Ecotect and made people aware that this would be a key subscription component.

He then continued to demonstrate the key capabilities of the solution and the sort of analysis that it can perform. He also talked about the options from transferring building geometry and space information from Revit Architecture.

The second client presentation was from Angus Brown of Fraser Brown McKenna and this related to their adoption of Revit and their experiences across several projects. The project work on display was excellent and the quality of output looked absolutely stunning. In particular, their use of the ‘Design Options’ feature caught many people’s attention, as this is often something that many people are not aware of; and it was great to see it being applied so effectively.

The concluding session was the Revit Architecture: Tips & Tricks session and this was similarly well received and it prompted further discussion and questions relating to the topics covered. Again, the availability of Autodesk Impression 3, as part of the Revit subscription programme, was mentioned and its ability to apply stylised edges and colouring to DWG files exported from Revit models. Only one person in the audience was aware of it but they were extremely complimentary about how useful it was.

I’d like to extend our gratitude to each of our guest speakers and to all of those who turned up and contributed to making this such a productive meeting.  We hope that you will return later in the year and that you are already thinking of topics that you may want to see presented; or perhaps you would even like to showcase some of your own work!

On the 23rd of April 2009, we hosted the first dedicated Revit Structure User Group meeting; previous meetings had always been combined with the other disciplines.  There was a packed agenda for this session and the attendance was excellent, with the day viewed as a success with lots of questions and discussion throughout the day.

The two Autodesk presentations, by Ralph Pullinger and Nigel Rees, generated a number of questions and discussions on future development. Ralph covered the updates to Revit Structure 2010 and these were generally received quite positively by those in attendance, most of whom had decent experience of the software. The Ribbon interface was generally perceived as a positive enhancement, as was the long-awaited introduction of slanted columns. He also talked about the new subscription extensions for Revit Structure:

• Bridge Modelling
• Steel Connection Detailing
• Structural Analysis of Complex Forms

Most people were not aware of the availability of these extensions, so this provided a great opportunity to raise awareness and generate some discussion on their relevance.

Throughout the day Ralph took extensive notes based on comments and feedback from the users during the open discussions. Although most of these were well known problems and limitations he did provide some valuable insight into Autodesk’s acceptance of these issues.

Nigel Rees presented the Robot Analysis solutions and covered the specific Robot extension that runs inside of Revit Structure for performing load takedowns. This looked very impressive and relatively easy to use, with in-built reports and the ability to animate the simulation of forces through a structure.

There was quite a lot of discussion regarding hardware requirements for Revit and it seems that many have been struggling to achieve the required performance levels or are not sure what specification of workstation they need. The Excitech recommended hardware specifications were highlighted in this respect.

Lawrence Hooker of Excitech also delivered two excellent technical presentations, consisting of tips and tricks along with a ‘Family Planning Clinic’! Both were very well received and prompted further discussion and questions from the audience. He was able to demonstrate the use of the new extensions for integrating Revit Structure and the AutoCAD Structural Detailing package and how this now supports a working bi-directional link. In no time at all, he threw together some AutoCAD lines, applied structural member designations and then threw this across to Revit Structure.

There were three client presentations from Mott MacDonald, Arup, and HOP, and these were all very compelling. They outlined their experiences with Revit but also highlighted some of the frustrations that they had along the way. There was also a good explanation of why they made the decision to progress and most importantly, listed the significant advantages they have seen since switching to the Revit platform. Both the Arup and Mott case studies focussed on large complex projects. Jim Williams from Arup also presented an exclusive preview of one of their major projects that had recently been modelled in Revit Structure. The final client presentation from HOP focussed on projects of a much smaller scale but the work was nonetheless equally impressive, as it showed their progress from relatively small projects to high-rise developments and an excellent stadium model.

Again, I’d like thank each of our guest presenters for a splendid contribution and the same for all those who attended to make this such a worthwhile session!

The AutoCAD Architecture User Group meeting on the 22nd of April 2009 was the first one that we had held for some time and it was well attended and the delegates were keen to contribute to the discussions.

The initial discussions were focussed around the new features of AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture 2010 along with associated technologies such as Impression, Ecotect Analysis and the available Subscription Content. The feedback on the primary updates to the 2010 version was actually very positive, despite the general perception that AutoCAD Architecture has not received many enhancements in this release. The AutoCAD platform enhancements were viewed positively, particularly the improved PDF handling and the enhanced 3D modelling capabilities. The audience were also quite complimentary about the improvements that have been made to AutoCAD Architecture, as they do address items that are directly relevant to the work of most users; in particular the improved wall cleanup editing options.

Another thing that was evident is that there is still a generally low level of awareness about not only new features in the main solutions, but also the availability of adjacent solutions. For example, many were unaware that they were entitled to Autodesk Impression as part of their subscription or could freely download DWG TrueView. They were genuinely impressed by the capabilities of these solutions and it was good to have one or two people in the audience who have effectively adopted these solutions, rave about how worthwhile they were. Many were simply not aware of their subscription entitlements, such as the Autodesk extensions and the Excitech UK Content.

Ecotect Analysis was introduced in a brief presentation, which highlighted lots of interest in this solution and has raised awareness levels of how it can receive data from the Autodesk architectural solutions.

Paul Grimston of Excitech then presented a technical session that included some practical examples of how some of the more advanced tools in AutoCAD Architecture can be applied, along with some tips and tricks. He demonstrated how to model the solar shading around our main office building, where the event was held, using a custom railing style and also explained how to define custom ‘Display Themes’ to enable floor plans and model views to be coloured using specified property data; such as Fire Rating, Area or Floor Finish.

My final session of the day was an introduction to the Revit platform for AutoCAD Architectures; and was based on the numerous requests we had received on this subject. The presentation highlighted the differences between the Revit platform and a more traditional modelling environment and also highlighted the increasing number of similarities in both the software and its application to projects.

There was significant interest in the Revit platform and some were already actively using Revit on specific projects. Most were still investigating and pondering on the future of ACA and Revit, and found the opportunity to discuss their thoughts on this issue highly invaluable. It was concluded that those successfully using ACA should have an easier transition onto the Revit platform, due to their experience of delivering model-based information and the associated processes.

The group seemed to acknowledge the message that AutoCAD Architecture is still a very valid solution and that Revit Architecture should perhaps be evaluated as part of a longer term strategy; if not considered for a more immediate adoption on a suitable scale. There was a reasonable consensus on the logic of Excitech’s recommendation of formalising their use of AutoCAD Architecture in such a way as to ensure the introduction of conventions and processes that can, as far as possible, be transposed to Revit in order to ease any future transition.

So a big thanks to everyone who turned up and contributed to the day and we will no doubt be expanding upon some of the issues raised and sharing some of the software tips on this blog in the coming weeks!