sloArch

Tag: Revit

  • The Studio 15: Yay!

    The Studio 15: Yay!

    Somer Scott, Cal Poly class of ’05, LEED AP, puts up with Tim’s new sound cart and shares with us her perspective on working with large corporate firms.  We mourn the loss of a Cal Poly student and discus the new LEED accreditation program.

    Don’t forget to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes, vote for us on Podcast Alley, and follow us on Twitter!

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  • The Studio 14: Your Check Is In The Mail

    The Studio 14: Your Check Is In The Mail

    Alexander Tsai, Cal Poly class of  ’98, Associate AIA, Regional Associate Director for AIA California Council and good friend of Haley gives Tim a lesson on the importance of The American Institute of Architects and joins in a great conversation.

    Don’t forget to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes, vote for us on Podcast Alley, and follow us on Twitter!
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  • The Studio 2: Thank You China

    The Studio 2: Thank You China

    Happy New Year!  This is the first episode for 2010 and we are off to a great start.  Special guest Elise Drakes, B’Arch ’06 Associate AIA, talkes about healthcare Architecture and the ACE Mentor Program.  We discuss the rise of green buildings and the IDP program.

    Be sure to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes and vote for us on Podcast Alley!

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  • We Want You!

    We Want You!

    Okay, I know, the graphic is way overused.  But it’s true, We Want You for sloArch!  As part of our 2010 initiative sloArch is expanding and we want your help.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  You are busy.  But we hope to make this website the portal for all things Architecture and that means you.  You are an Architect after all, or you at least pretend to be one.  So help us and let us help you!  So… what can you do?

    • For starters, subscribe to The Studio! This is our new weekly podcast by, for, about, and featuring CalPoly San Luis Obispo students and alumni!  Yeah, that’s right, we’re talking about you!
    • Contribute to our new forums!  Have a Revit or AutoCad question?  Need help with the IDP?  Not sure what’s the best technique for creating a model that’s sure to get you noticed in studio?  Post a question and we”ll help you find the answer.
    • Write for us!  We are looking for contributing authors.  If you have a report on a show in the Berg gallery, news on a Hearst lecture, a Revit tutorial, or want to promote your latest project, we want to hear from you!  If you are interested please contact us!

    Don’t let Uncle Sam down,
    contribute today and help out the Cal Poly Architecture community!

  • Revit Families 102 – Revit Experts don’t Use Locks

    In May I published my picks for Best Revit Blogs on the Web.  Coming in at number 2 was The Revit Kid and Jeff’s Lock Noob Classic Thong.  I still try to read everything Jeff writes but I thought I might stir up a little controversy and make the argument that, contrary to what the thong says, a Revit expert is one who doesn’t use locks.

    I think that Jeff has it backwards.  In my experience the newcomer to Revit wants to lock everything.  I think the initial instinct is to not trust Revit and just lock things down.  Later when this user tries to change something they get a string of messages telling them constraints aren’t met and they end up getting frustrated and removing all the locks anyway.

    therevitkid-locknoobthong

    I’m sure Jeff would argue that the Revit Expert knows how to use locks properly.  I would agree that as you experiment with Revit you learn when to lock and when not to lock.  With Revit family creation that time is only as a last resort.

    So what to do instead of locking?

    1. Reference lines and planes:  Hosting and aligning geometry to reference lines and planes automatically creates a strong connection between them.  The link isn’t quite as strong as a lock, under some conditions it will detach.  But for most purposes it works just fine.  Align geometry to a reference plane and flex your model.  You’ll be surprised how often this works.  Carl Gibson has a great overview of the types of Reference lines.
    2. Parameters:  Instead of locking a dimension to a fixed dimension assign a parameter to it.  Using parameters gives you flexibility to easily change things later, and more importantly it lets the user of the family know what’s going on inside it without having to edit the family.  For example, create a a parameter called Table Thickness and give it the formula 0′ 2″.  This tells the user that the Table is 2″ thick and locks it from changing.  Note that locking a parameter with a formula locks it across all types in the family.

    Locking does have it’s place, but I always try to make a family work without locks first.