Multiple Column Text in Revit 2012

Multiple Column Text in Revit 2012

We’ve been waiting for it for years and it’s finally here! Well, sorta. Sorry, before I get your hopes up too high, let me tell you that the headline is a little misleading. There are many great new features and improvements in Revit Architecture 2012, but, sad to say, text manipulation and formatting still has a long way to go. So, how can we get our notes and text to wrap into multiple, free flowing columns? It’s pretty easy, once you know the technique.

We Know: Revit is not AutoCAD

If you’re at all like me, you probably hate it when people compare Revit to AutoCAD, i.e. “AutoCAD can do this… why can’t Revit?” It’s generally not very productive to make these comparisons, as these are two very different products. However, when it comes to text, it’s hard not to make comparisons. AutoCAD has made great strides in the last 10 years and now boasts a pretty full featured set of text formatting and manipulation tools that sometimes leaves Revit users envious. After all, MTEXT has given us easy column flow in AutoCAD for some time now. Just click the bottom grip, and, like magic, the text flows into multiple columns.

I understand that Revit is not a Word Processor, and it was never designed to be used to make large amounts of text look pretty. Even so, the fact is that in a typical set of construction documents, there are plenty of sheets that include a ton of notes. Sometimes, a whole sheet is dedicated to General Notes. So, how can we accomplish a multiple column effect? The trick is to create a Key Schedule instead of a Text object. Schedules can be split easily into columns and flow easily.

Here is how to Wrap Text into Columns in Revit:

Create a Key Schedule, using a category that you probably won’t use, such as Site.

Name the schedule appropriately, such as GENERAL NOTES, and add the COMMENTS field to it.

Name the headings # and Note, if you like (we’ll hide the headings anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.)

Now, cut and paste each of your notes into its own row. That’s the only tedious part, but getting the column flow flexibility makes it worth it.
If you really want the schedule to look more like notes than a table, turn off the lines.

I also like to shut of the Headers. We’ll keep the Title visible.

Sweet! Now we can easily break up the schedule into multiple columns.

You get a grip at the bottom very similar to the grip for MTEXT in AutoCAD that can be used to adjust the height of the column. You can continue to break up the schedule into even more columns.

To rejoin columns into a single column, just drag and drop it onto the main text block. Easy! By the way, this technique isn’t exclusive to 2012. It works for 2011 and 2010 as well.

The Future of Revit

So, this is a bit of a hack until we finally get some of those long awaited text tools in Revit. Rest assured, the Factory is not unaware of the current state of Revit’s text tools, and is always working on ways to give users what they need. Not being a hard-core programmer myself, I can’t really talk about what the hold up is, but I do understand enough to know that AutoCAD and Revit are built on very different software platforms, so it’s certainly not as easy as pulling a module of AutoCAD code and slapping it into Revit. Good things take time, and I look forward to the day I can announce that Revit 20xx has had a text formatting overhaul!

Until then, workarounds like this can get us through, and still let us benefit from the vast number of things that Revit really does rock at!

Happy designing!

10 Easy Steps to Conceptual Energy Analysis

As many of you already know, I’m a big Ecotect Analysis fan. Over the past year I’ve had the pleasure (well, mostly a pleasure) of helping hundreds of designers in the US and parts of Europe use this tool to improve the performance of their buildings. That being said, I’m also the first to admit that the process of creating an efficient BIM that can be used for energy analysis is far from perfect. At times it’s time consuming, and other times, it’s just frustrating. Even after getting the hang of it, the process could certainly be improved.

Well, the good news is that our great friends at Autodesk have been hard at work to improve this process and to lower the barrier to entry to start using analysis on all of your designs. The tool they’ve developed is the Conceptual Energy Analysis plug in and the best news is that it runs right inside of Revit!

I’m sure you’ve already heard of it, and maybe even checked out some of the videos Autodesk has posted on Youtube. But, just to show you how easy it is to start using this great tool, I’ve put together a list of 10 easy steps to jump start your building analysis.

This application makes it a snap to upload a properly formed thermal model to the Autodesk Cloud, making use of the Green Building Studio web service to perform whole building energy analysis but without the pain of submitting it to GBS yourself. The analysis is fast, easy, and turns out some awesome charts and graphics to help validate your design decisions. Get up to the Subscription Center right now and give this tool a whirl!

There you have it. I know I told you there were 10 steps. The 11th pic is not a step — that’s your results! Enjoy them. See, I told you it was easy…

Bonus Tip:

You can use Ecotect with the model the Conceptual Energy Analysis tool builds. Simply click Export and choose gbXML. Import it into Ecotect and you’re ready get down to business with an incredibly clean and well constructed thermal model!

1. Export to gbXML from the Results and Compare dialog.
2. Import the gbXML into Ecotect and perform your analysis with an incredibly clean, efficient, and well constructed thermal model!

Amazing! Thanks, Autodesk.

Network, Multiseat or Standalone – How to utilize downloadable software for repair, reinstall, clean installs or updates.

We have been getting a few cases on helpdesk regarding downloaded software and what it means to keep the downloads on hard drive and why. This article attempts to strategize ways by how to utilize the downloads for the future.

In with the new – Using software downloaded from Autodesk Subscription website entails a little forethought where repair, reinstall, clean installs and updates are concerned. If many users are like me I will download and extract from an executable file, this is an example of one that is downloaded Autodesk’s subscription site:

Autodesk_Revit_MEP-B_2011_English_Win_32-64bit.exe

After downloading the executable file and extracting the contents of the executable file, the default folder is usually along the lines of the example below:

C:\Autodesk\Autodesk_Revit_MEP-B_2011_English_Win_32-64bit\RevitSetup\RevitMEP\

Users have the option to select the browse button to point to a folder on the external drive or the server that will extract the contents of the executable file. This will then create the contents of a DVD to the hard drive.

Out with the old – Now if DVD media was the deliverable source, for the purpose of repair, reinstall, clean install or update, the installer program would call for the location of the contents of the DVD in seeking an .msi file. Hence, I would have specified the alternate in the Use Source to be the contents on the Autodesk Revit MEP 2011 DVD. Contents remain on the DVD media to be utilized by popping the DVD back into the drive when Repair/reinstalls or clean reinstalls and updates are needed.

With deliverable DVD media replaced with subscription downloads; installations, repair, reinstall, clean install or update processes will instead call for the .msi file in the extracted contents folder. While it looks and behaves the same as the DVD installation, it will instead require the contents to be in a path on the hard drive, external drive or server. This will be specified in the use source field. (see image below)

This means if the executable and the folders are deleted after install, they have to be downloaded and re-extracted for the purpose of having to perform that subsequent repair, reinstall, clean install or update processes.

For Network or Multi-seat deployments; this is not necessarily a problem because, the software will be bundled as an “image” on a server location by which a initial deployment process will use the location of the image to install the networked or multi-seat program on the client PC. The image has to remain on the server so that subsequent repair, reinstall, clean install or update processes will transparently utilize the image for these operations. If you use a path of your choosing, it should be on a shared folder on the network server.

Single seat users, after installing products, are inclined to delete the extracted files on the local drive to save space. This fine with the exception that when repair, reinstall, clean install and applying updates are needed, the contents extracted to a folder are no longer available to utilize during these tasks when called for by the installer script. In addition to the msi file there may be a need for some of content of the extractions to be available when performing repair, reinstall, clean install and applying updates. So once again, the executable file needs to be extracted to a folder either default or user specified to utilize the Autodesk Revit x64.msi or Autodesk Revit x86.msi file.

Just for fun, I have attempted to use a Revit Architecture Autodesk Revit x64.msi file with my Revit MEP update to see if I could get around the need to keep or extract both of the program files on the server or my local drive. This was unsuccessful as it seems even similar named files are structurally different in some way in the code and the Revit Architecture and Revit MEP msi does not work across one another.

Being on subscription allows the benefit of using downloads of older versions, extensions and getting updates. When on subscription; regardless if a network, multi-seat deployment or single user, product downloads and extensions are available online and contract management is available online for the company’s contract administrator.  Where ever possible try and use a multi-seat standalone if network license is not an option in the firm. Because a multi-seat standalone allows the use of a single license serial number with deployment image configured at one time. It allows applying service packs to deployment image once and using the deployment on the server for repairs, reinstalls, clean installs and updates. Link to Autodesk Multi Seat Standalone

So to summarize how best to use downloaded executables in three scenarios:

Standalone installation – Extracted content can remain on users own hard drive or the server to use for repair, reinstall, clean installs and updates for more than one seat. This scenario uses a different serial number for each seat. At the users discretion, extracted content can be removed leaving the zipped executable to extract again if needed for repair, reinstall, clean installs and updates.

Multi-Seat Standalone installation – Deployment image can be left on the server to be used for repair, reinstall, clean installs and updates for more than one seat. Deployment image allows a single serial number up to the allowed number of seats licensed.

Network Installation – Like multi-seat deployment, image can be left on server to be used for repair, reinstall, clean installs and updates for more than one seat. Deployment image allows a single serial number up to the allowed number of seats licensed to be administrated by a license server.

If are any questions you can contact us at support@cadsoft-consult.com or call us at (480) 820-0408 and we can help you with your licensing, updates and managing your subscription options.

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.

Subscription Advantage Pack for Autodesk Revit Structure 2011 Released

These are new new tool extensions for Revit Structure that make an impact.

Contents of the Advantage pack includes:

• Autodesk Revit Server Extension
  • For collaboration within geographically dispersed teams, and design productivity.
  • Allows a single project team over a distributed wide area network (WAN) to collaborate with higher performance and efficiency
  • Enables a seamlessly integrated collection of Revit central models on a single server that team members can access from local servers that update to/from the central server.
  • Easily manage products on Revit central server using the web-based Revit Server Administrator tools
  • Benefit from built-in redundancy in case of WAN connectivity loss.
  • Provides tools for early stage conceptual energy studies.
  • Automatically rationalize concept models into energy models for analysis.
  • Evaluate design options side-by-side based on reports that compare energy use, lifecycle costs, and breakdowns of consumption and loads.
  • Access a web based high-resolution global climate data set that contains more than 1.5 million weather data sets from Revit Architecture

• Revit Extensions for Autodesk Revit Structure 2011 In addition to your current list of Revit Structure 2011 extensions:

• • Floor vibration analysis—Assess vibration characteristics to help meet requirements of the AISC Design Guide 11.
  • Gravity column analysis—Design steel columns based on the AISC 360-05 design code.
  • SDNF import/export—Import or export SDNF file format.
  • As well, previous extensions like the Text Generator are also available.

• How to get:

• • Subscription customers can download their Subscription Advantage Pack from within their product through the Information Center.  Click on the key icon to open the Subscription Center menu and select Susbcription Advantage Pack from the “Subscription Only Downloads” section.
  • Or subscription customers can download the Subscription Advantage Pack from Subscription Center at www.autodesk.com/subscriptionlogin
  • Learn More, View Videos

www.autodesk.com/advantagepack-revitarchitecture

• How to Access & Download

www.autodesk.com/downloadingadvantagepacks

• Create a Subscription Center Account

www.autodesk.com/selfregister