Detailing BIM: No Lines Necessary
Revit is not a drafting software.
Revit is not AutoCAD.
CAD* is not BIM (*as understood in normal conversation).
CAD* processes Do Not Work In BIM.
Any part of “traditional” or drafting-based approaches will fail in BIM.
Yes, any and every… if you can find one that works let me know @JayZallan on the tweeties…
We are going to focus on Detailing; one area where value can be generated if applied comprehensively; namely Using Detail Components and never Lines.
If you are going to callout, or point to, or list in any way, or even look at now or sometime in the future; Use Detail Components for items (never lines), and Tags and/or Keynotes in place of text, to provide “the words and numbers.”
Toward a Zen of Revit: Less Text = Less Mistakes
Details using lines, arcs, circles & text are a disaster, but disasters land on a continuum and there are worse “details in Revit blunders:”
- Linking .dwgs in (10% to 30% longer project time)
- Importing .dwgs in (15% to 40% longer project time)
- Converting .dwg linework to Revit linework (10% to 25% longer project time).
I understand that most offices have many hundreds of standard details or typical details that are used… With that in mind the workflow entails recreating (yep, recreate) all of the existing, ‘appropriate’ details in Revit natively, using only Detail Components for items that will be called out and specified… then use Keynotes and Tags instead of text when detailing. The goal will be overall and long term saving of time, money and will raise project and informational quality. The quality of the data “between” details using this setup will payoff for years, literally… not doing it will add hidden losses to every project, also for years.
Assess | Plan | Create | Validate
OK onto those details sans lines…
How-To Create a Line Based Family
FWIW: I am not talking about lines within ‘sketch modes’ etc. either; in fact the detail component that we will be creating in this posting will ultimately use a line (though at the family level, so it doesn’t count lol)… The logic is: ‘When the line-based family is used to make a detail component, it may work and look like a simple line but it has become far more than that… it becomes a ‘Data Enlightened Object.’
In the example below we are looking at a waterproofing membrane (image 1) to be specified.
-Perhaps even create and use Detail Components for generic items such as “WALL PER PLANS”, etc., when no wall is needed 3 dimensionally… Oh and YES, the wall below would NOT have the waterproofing membrane on the exterior of the finish… I merely use it as example.
Image 1
As described above, in the stead of using lines and pointing to them with non associative text we will rather build Line Based Detail Components or Detail Component line based (Image 2), as the family template is so named (depending on what year you read this).
Image 2 (Revit Circa 1842)
The procedures to ‘draw’ with these Line Based Detail Components once in a project are similar to pulling lines around; with a few main differences:
1) Depending on how built these can add “offset” for more productivity… or nest these together to make one family satisfy any dynamic future need (we will cover this in a future posting).
2) When there is a fundamental change in a detail component all the other instances will change, in every detail, on every sheet… the Tags & Keynotes too!!! Thus we leverage one Power of BIM: Change it once and it changes everywhere.
The following step-by-step should be clear if you have a decent understanding of Revit Family Creation.
Making a Line Based Detail Component
1) Using the Big “R”, at the top/left of Revit (AKA: the Application Button) choose the flyout arrow next to NEW, then choose FAMILY.
2) Select the Detail Component line based template (Image 2).
3) Create a line in the new family.
-there, I said it… my rule is technically broken if you are thinking how I usually think…though in this case I am not being that literal (ahh, the contradictions of communication).
4) Lock it to the REF PLANES (Image 3).
Image 3
5) Flex the length
If all is working then move on, if not try again…
6) Save the family (use a good naming convention & library location, right? But you knew that…).
OK ready for the proof? Here we go…
These 4 details (Image 4) are the same, right? Not really… one uses lines, the other three share a Detail Component of the line based variety…
Image 4 (Looks can be deceiving)
In the next image there is a change to the Detail Component from being “Bituminous Sheet Waterproofing” to “6 Mil. Polyethylene”… Note the text becomes instantly wrong… in a lot of places…
Image 5 (Change can be great)
Now extrapolate this type of change out to the multitude of components in the numerous details you may have and you can probably see the benefit of taking a little extra time up-front to find and create your Detail Components (line based or otherwise), AS DETAIL COMPONENTS for every specific case necessary… Word to the wise: If you have never looked at how many detail components there are in the OOTB Revit library, go bounce there asap!
Again, Revit is not a drafting software.
Happy Detailing!!