Subscription Advantage Pack for Navisworks 2011

This release year’s software enhancements available to Subscription customers center around integration and communication.  The offering includes:

• New avatars
• Appearance profiler add-in
• Extended support for existing applications
• New file format support

Select from an extended range of third-person avatars to better explore project models and communicate stakeholder perspectives.

New Avatars

Represent various roles such as safety professionals, construction workers and building inhabitants.

Override the appearance of multiple objects within the model based on user-defined classifications.

In fewer clicks than before, we can color-code objects by property values such as systems and even sub-components of those systems to clarify related objects or groupings.

Keep workflows current with support for existing applications:

• Primavera P6 v7
• Google™ SketchUp™ v7
• Autodesk® Inventor® products

And improve object quality and access to property information through direct file support with PTC’s Pro/ENGINEER® parametric file format.

Pro/E Support

Subscription customers for Navisworks Manage & Simulate, the Education Suites, and the Factory Design and Plant Design Suites can begin taking advantage of this offering today.

Keyboard Shortcuts in Revit 2011

“Lest we forget…or were unaware.”  Undoubtedly, most Revit users utilize shortcut keys – how else did some of us navigate the change to ribbon functionality in 2010.  I admit liking the ribbon, but finding things after such change was difficult at times.  Oh the helpfulness of hotkeys!  But one thing I’ll admit to, mainly because of the required editing of the keyboardshortcuts.txt file prior to 2010, I never had the thought that someone would obviously create a shortcut for the “Keyboard Shortcuts” dialog box…big duh.  We often get into repetitive process and don’t look at the screen.  Remember one of the great things about the Revit UI is that any customized hotkeys appear in the hot tip with the command, if we just look.  I didn’t look until late last year that “KS” would bring up the dialog I needed without finding that item on the ribbon.

Hot Tip Reference

Don’t do like I – look, log, memorize…whatever – those hotkeys and use them.  Many a class I have reiterated the test case from AutoCAD long ago where two individuals performed exactly the same task, one using hotkeys, the other full command line entry.  In that case of old, the hotkey user saved two hours over an eight hour day.  What boss doesn’t love that kind of efficiency?

Shortcut keys are a real timesaver and should be customized to your workflow.  The 2011 Revit products allow us a couple areas of access for this optimization.

1.  The Windows panel of the View tab, choose User Interface and select Keyboard Shortcuts.

2.  The Options dialog from the Application drop-down menu, choose Customize next to Keyboard Shortcuts on the User Interface tab.

Ribbon Access

Options Dialog Access

Assign Shortcuts

Check out your User Guide for information of shortcuts functionality; there are some newer items.  Multiple assignments and using arrow keys to cycle through available ones, filtering the customization list, importing and exporting as xml files for user exchange, etc.  Definitely define some for coarse and fine detail level display, but when will we ever gain access to View Range?  Anyone know a secret?

Autodesk Revit Structure 2011

We will see several item enhancements in the 2011 release, such as:

Revit 2011 Text Formatting

Continuing to enhance the use of slanted column conditions.

The ability to remove beam system and truss family configurations while retaining the model elements.

A growing capability of modeling and design features as Extensions for Subscription users.

Additional productivity enhancements for 3D alignment, Drawing Lists and Text formatting shortcuts.

Revit Structure 2011 Cleanup

Although there is much more, I hope you find the concrete joining and cleanup enhancements worthwhile.

Check back soon for additional comments, views and other information.

Check out the New Features for Revit Architecture as well, since these platform changes will affect Revit Structure as well.

Have fun exploring the new release!

Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2011

I won’t attempt to list all the new features for Navisworks 2011, but here are a couple items I hope interest you:

The Ribbon interface and Quick Access toolbar have now been added to match the existing product line for most all Autodesk software.

Although the Options Editor will allow the user to choose a classic mode if desired.

Personally, I’m liking how the Sectioning toolset has been enhanced, with direct manipulation tools for dragging, rotating, and scaling.  These should add to the production workflow.

And…if you’re into Gantt Charts….

Take Advantage of Extensions for Revit Structure 2010

Subscriptions users…if you haven’t downloaded and installed Revit Structure 2010 Extensions and/or the Subscription Advantage Pack for Autodesk Revit Structure 2010, you are missing some additional, valuable features that may provide time-saving functionality.

While there are several add-ins, I’ll focus on two for structural detailing. It is true in a Revit Structure model that connections do not need to be detailed to take advantage of the analysis capability, but at times it is advantageous to represent a connection in 3D for communication, presentation, etc. The following screen shots show tools for and “End-plated Column to Beam” connection, and a “Column Base” connection. Both tool sets use a dialog-driven approach that simplifies a three-dimensional detailing process by selecting from a “catalog” of choices to define the connection.

Extensions Manager

After selecting the column and beam to detail a connection for, launch the Extensions Manager and select Beam to column – end plated. Then select appropriate settings for each tab in the dialog to define the connection. Materials will be used from the template so your settings may need alteration if you do not find settings you are wanting.

Settings Dialog

Added Connection

To edit settings of the connection, select the assembly, launch the Extensions Manager and double-click on the tool again to access the dialog.

A second modeling feature is for column base detailing. The process is similar with selections to define the specifics you need.

Settings Dialog

Added Base Plate

Even though connections aren’t usually needed for documentation purpose by Engineers, Detailers and Fabricators using Revit Structure 2010 can take advantage of these and other extension tools to streamline their workflow.

Access your Subscription account today and see what is available for you to enhance how you work with Revit Structure 2010.