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Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing Mastering Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2013. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.
Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we're still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we're working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.
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Justine: You're a peace-loving Kiwi and mother who insists on handgun lessons and a concealed carry permit. I don't understand all the contradictions in the previous sentence, but the upside is I get to have friends like Eddy and James.
Harrison: High school is upon you. The most amazing careers haven't even been created yet. The trick? Studying in order to become an entrepreneur — not just an employee.
Millicent: As soon as Carol Bartz pens her biography, we're going to stand in line to buy it. Until then, there's always Ayn Rand and Jane Austen — neither of whom would ever suggest you settle for the 99%.
Jasper: Stubbornness is a virtue, and the world certainly needs more people who refuse to believe in the impossible (such as airplanes, atom splitting, and personal computers). But arguing about bedtime isn't one of those things.
—Phil
For Angiela, with whom all things are possible.
—Eddy
To Stephen, Christopher, Arianna, and Joey for being constant sources of inspiration, laughs, and love.
—James
Acknowledgements
Ah, acknowledgments. While all the glory of writing a book is consumed by the authoring team, it takes so many more people than the three of us to actually make this happen. Just like building design, the process of writing and publishing a book is truly a team sport — and without the hard work, dedication, and willingness to put up with the authoring team, this book would have never have happened.
First of all, we'd like to thank the staff at Autodesk® Revit®. Without their fine work, this would be a very empty book. With that, we'd also like to thank Phil Bernstein for taking the time to write such an inspiring foreword and helping to mold the software that helps to reshape our industry.
Second, a big thanks to our technical team. They dot our i's, cross our t's, and belittle us every time we turn in something late. Their work and effort ensures that we as authors can produce something that you the reader can actually comprehend. So thank you to Dick Margulis, duke of content and baron of flow; to copyeditor Judy Flynn for taking our broken grammar and slang sentences and making them into something readable; and to production editor Christine O'Connor for putting all the pieces together and keeping the project going. Thanks also to Pete Gaughan for watching the schedule. We're so very grateful for using you as an excuse for not visiting our in-laws on Sundays. To Tony DiMartino, the technical editor, who checks all of our Revit work and lives solely off of meat, and to our excellent support team at Sybex who helped us develop this foxy content. And always, a big Thank You to Willem Knibbe because without his continuous support, we wouldn't be motivated to keep working evenings and weekends.
We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our friends, the architects who generously shared their work, allowing us to inspire you with it: University of Kansas, el dorado Architects, LakeFlato, Open Studio, SOM, HOK, and AECOM.
The building image on the cover was provided by NBBJ. Thank you, Sean. The building is NBBJ's competition-winning entry for the design of a new world-class, patient-centered hospital, approximately 1.6 million square feet, in Eastern Asia. NBBJ is a global architecture, planning, and design firm with offices in the North America, Asia, and Europe. Its approach is based on the belief that design can support and enhance organizational performance. The folks at NBBJ customize their solutions based on each client's enterprise, using an engaging process of discovery, design, and delivery. NBBJ is a leader in architecture for civic, corporate, commercial, health care, research, retail, science and education, and sports and entertainment. For more information, visit www.nbbj.com.
About the Authors
Phil Read is the founder of Arch | Tech as well as one of the driving forces behind the original Revit software. He's also a blogger, a speaker, a tweeter, and a popular presenter at Autodesk University. After working in both civil engineering and architecture, he downloaded Revit version 1.0 (at the suggestion of an ArchiCAD reseller) and was hooked. Less than a year later, he began working for Revit Technology and then Autodesk as a project implementation specialist, where he had the honor and pleasure of working with some of the most remarkable people and design firms around the world. He relishes the role of change agent as long as it makes sound business sense. Phil holds degrees in communications and architecture as well as a master's degree in architecture.
Eddy Krygiel is a senior project architect, a LEED Accredited Professional, and an Autodesk Authorized Author at HNTB Architects headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. He has been using Revit since version 5.1 to complete projects ranging from single-family residences and historic remodels to 1.12-million-square-foot office buildings. Eddy is responsible for implementing BIM at his firm and also consults for other architecture and contracting firms around the country looking to implement BIM. For the last four years, he has been teaching Revit to practicing architects and architectural students in the Kansas City area and has lectured around the nation on the use of BIM in the construction industry. Eddy has also coauthored several other titles on Revit and sustainability.
James Vandezande is a registered architect and a principal at HOK in New York City, where he is a member of the firm-wide BIM leadership and is managing its buildingSMART initiatives. After graduating from the New York Institute of Technology in 1995, he worked in residential and small commercial architecture firms performing services ranging from estimating and computer modeling to construction administration. In 1999, he landed at SOM and transformed his technology skills into a 10-year span as a digital design manager. In this capacity, he pioneered the implementation of BIM on such projects as One World Trade Center, aka Freedom Tower. James has been using Revit since version 3.1 and has lectured at many industry events, including Autodesk University, VisMasters Conference, CMAA BIM Conference, McGraw-Hill Construction, and the AIANYS Convention. He is a cofounder of the NYC Revit Users Group (http://nyc-rug.com) and has been an adjunct lecturing professor at the NYU School for Continuing and Professional Studies as well as the Polytechnic Institute of NYU.
Foreword
As I write these notes, we are fast approaching the 10th anniversary of Autodesk's acquisition of Revit Technologies in April 2002. One of my earliest presentations after joining Autodesk in 2000 posited that the building industry takes approximately 10 years to understand and absorb any innovation, and the uptake of Revit, and with it the concept of building information modeling (BIM), in some ways is proof of that concept, but in other more important ways, perhaps I missed the real point. When we decided to make that acquisition more than a decade ago, we were convinced that the building industry was poised to make an important transition in the means of representation — a shift from exclusively drafting-based paradigms to something much more efficient. But who could have anticipated the sorts of changes, and the emerging potential transformations, that Revit has driven the BIM revolution?
Of course, everyone knew that parametric modeling could be the basis of better technical drawings of all sorts and that poorly coordinated documents were the plague of the industry. But Revit's early competitors touted those capabilities. What was really interesting about 2002 and the decade to follow was the convergence of a number of ideas: realization that productivity in the industry was stunted, that sustainable design was no longer optional, that new business structures could create systemic change, and that ever-more-powerful computers brought the reality of modeling to the architect's desktop. Lots of work and investment by the AEC industry — software providers, individual customers, academics, and consultants — created the technology platform for transformation that has changed the very nature of design, construction, and building operation on the basis of BIM — and with Revit at the forefront. But for the tool to have had such an impact across a broad spectrum of critical industry issues, it needed advocates, fierce critics, and contributors to its success.
Three such contributors to that momentum are the authors of this book — Phil Read, Eddy Krygiel, and James Vandezande. Each is a technical virtuoso in his own right, but what separates them from the many who understand and advocate on behalf of Revit is their very public enthusiasm for innovation and their uncanny ability to explain the implications of the use of tools in the furtherance of the design and construction professions. Although each has trod a different path, they come together regularly to collect, synthesize, and, most important, memorialize and transmit their enormous skills and insights so the entire community of architects can benefit from their know-how. The text that follows this foreword, the fifth iteration of the Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture series, is testimony to their insight and dedication and is a necessary companion for anyone traveling the BIM path.
More than ten years into this project to improve the built environment by empowering designers and builders with new tools, we have reached a point where BIM — as enabled with potency with Autodesk Revit — is no longer speculation but rather the emerging reality of modern practice. Hundreds of thousands of copies deployed and in use testify to that shift. Assuring that practitioners are properly equipped to both understand and exploit the power of these tools is what Phil, Eddy, and James have done so well during their careers. It's been a pleasure to watch their progress, share in our mutual successes, and be assured that they continue to work tirelessly and advocate for the profession through technology. This text is just another in a long line of their contributions toward that end. I am sure its readers will benefit accordingly.
—Phil Bernstein, FAIA
Vice President, Strategic Industry Relations, Autodesk Lecturer in Professional Practice Yale School of Architecture
Introduction
Architecture is the process of turning a thought into space. While it's so simple to convey that in the written word, the actual act of doing so is much more than it is possible to write. It's glory, it's torment, it's frustration, it's freedom, it's the realization that one miscalculation means a complete redesign, like blowing on a house of cards, and it's the 3 a.m. epiphany when you realize that the new design was what you were meant to get to in the first place. With all of that, it's also the burning desire to work relentlessly to make something better one step at a time.
Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software is one of the many tools we employ to help us through this organic process. It's one tool in the toolbox, but it can be much more than that. It can be the workflow that helps to empower a team. That team is the designers, the contractors, and ultimately the owners who are all looking to speak the same language.
We hope that in the process of using this book, you'll experience a bit of the struggle to realize a bit of the satisfaction of finding the solution. We hope what you learn in this book helps inspire you to your own bit of greatness. Because what's most important is that architecture isn't about buildings. It's about what we are able to accomplish with what little time we have. This is the elegant essence of Revit.
All the tutorial files necessary to complete the book's exercises plus sample families are hosted online at www.sybex.com/go/masteringrevit2013. To download the trial version of Revit Architecture, go to http://usa.autodesk.com/revit-architecture, where you'll also find complete system requirements for running Revit.
Who Should Read This Book
This book is written for architects and designers who have had some exposure to Revit and are eager to learn more. It's for architects of any generation — you don't need to be a computer wizard to understand or appreciate the content within. We've designed the book to follow real project workflows and processes to help make the tools easier to use. The chapters are full of handy tips to make Revit easier to leverage in your day-to-day world.
This book is also for the entire range of architects, from those who are fresh out of school to seasoned project managers. We have endeavored to include content for all walks of the profession so that regardless of your role on a project, you can learn how BIM changes both workflow and culture within a project team. With that, a basic understanding of Revit will make it easier to work through the book. Revit is a very robust tool requiring more than one project iteration to master.
For BIM managers, the book offers insights into the best practices for creating good project or office templates; these managers should also take a sneak peek into the powerful world of building content and Revit families. We've added many timesaving and inspiring concepts to the book, supported by examples from our own projects and the rest of the real world, to help motivate and inspire you on your journey through building information modeling.
What You Will Learn
This book will help you take the basics of Revit and BIM that you already know and expand on them using real-world examples. We will show you how to take a preliminary model and add layers of intelligence to help analyze and augment your designs. We'll show you how to create robust and accurate documentation, and then we'll help you through the construction process.
We go beyond introductory topics. To that end, we won't be starting a project from scratch or teaching you how to build a simple BIM model. If you are interested in learning at that level, we strongly recommend you pick up Introducing Autodesk Revit Architecture 2013 (Wiley, 2012) before plunging headlong into this book. Instead, our book begins with a brief overview of the BIM approach. As you are already aware, BIM is more than just a change in software; it's a change in architectural workflow and culture. To leverage the full advantages of both BIM and Revit in your office structure, you will need to make some changes to your practice. We've designed the book around an ideal, integrated workflow to help you make this transition.
Starting with the project team, standards, and culture, we'll discuss how BIM changes your project approach and how to best build your team around a newer workflow. From there, we'll delve into conceptual design and sustainability studies, continuing through best practices for design iteration and refinement. You'll learn how to use powerful modeling techniques, how to design documentation best practices, how to make compelling presentation graphics, and how to take advantage of parametric design with the Family Editor. We'll explore workflow topics like tracking changes and worksharing as well as some strategies that move beyond traditional concepts of BIM. The book concludes with an appendix on troubleshooting and best practices so you can avoid common pitfalls. Throughout the book we've shared our practical experience with you, particularly in the form of real-world scenario sidebars.
Whether you're studying Revit on your own or in a class or training program, you can use the “Master It” questions in the section called “The Bottom Line” at the end of each chapter to test your mastery of the skills you've learned.
Also featured is a color project gallery containing inspirational Revit projects from friends and colleagues who were generous enough to share their good work with the rest of the world.
The Mastering Series
The Mastering series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers with intermediate and advanced skills, in the form of top-notch training and development for those already working in their field and clear, serious education for those aspiring to become pros. Every Mastering book includes the following:
Real-world scenarios, ranging from case studies to interviews, that show how the tool, technique, or knowledge presented is applied in actual practice
Skill-based instruction, with chapters organized around real tasks rather than abstract concepts or subjects
Self-review test questions, so you can be certain you're equipped to do the job right
Contacting the Authors
In all, we welcome your feedback and comments. You can find the three of us on our blog, www.architecture-tech.com, or email us at MasteringRevit@architecture-tech.com. We hope you enjoy the book.
Part 1 Fundamentals
Although this book is focused on helping you master Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software, we recognize that not everyone will know how to find every tool or have a complete understanding of the workflow. The chapters in Part 1 will help you build a foundation of essential knowledge and may even give the veteran Revit user some additional insight into the basic tools and concepts of building information modeling (BIM).
Chapter 1: Introduction: The Basics of BIM
Chapter 2: Principles: UI and Project Organization