BIM & BEAM

Problem between Revit Structure 2008 and ETABS

Dear RST users,

In the last couple of days, CSI has informed our RST Product Team that when trying to send a RST2008 .rvt model to ETABS 9.1.5 several of their customers have encountered an error message saying: "Attempted to read or write protected memory. This is often the indication that other memory is corrupt" .

Me too, I am able to reproduce this issue on my machine and I have already reported this problem to our Revit Development team. Several of our developers are currently investigating and working on this issue.

Once I get any comments from our development, I will let everyone know, so stay tune.

Best Regards,

Wai Chu
Revit Structure Product Manager
Autodesk, Inc.

How to adjust the temporary dimension text font size through Revit.ini file?

In the new build 20070810_1700 Web Update Enhancement List, there is a point mentioning: "When temporary dimension text too small to read, user can adjust the size of the font through Revit.ini"

Our Autodesk Support team is currently in the process of creating a Knowledge Base solution that explains how to modify the Revit.ini to adjust the size of the temporary dimensions. However, the following are the steps to do so:

1. Open Revit.ini file in Notepad. The file is typically located in C:\Program Files\Revit Structure 2008\Program.
2. Add the following line to Revit.ini in [Graphics] section:

   TempDimFontSizeInPoints=N

   Where N is a number larger than 8 (default hardcoded value). Good starting point is twice the default size (i.e. 16-17).
3. Save Revit.ini.
4. Restart Revit. If the size of temporary dimensions is still small, repeat from step 1 with larger number.

Please note, the [Graphics] section may not exist. If this is the case add a line that contains [Graphics].

Thanks

Wai

New build of Revit Structure 2008 (20070810_1700) is available on the Web

Dear Revit Structure users,

I would like to inform you that the new English build of Revit Structure 2008 (20070810_1700) was released earlier today in the Autodesk website for customers to download. It can be found under the RST2008 English product download page:

www.autodesk.com/revitstructure-downloads

This new build has improved several platform and structural specific issues which are documented in the new Web Update Enhancement List.pdf. In any case, I am including the list in this blog:

Improvements made in the current RST2008 Web Update SP2 build (20070810_1700):

· Straight beam joins and cuts back properly when supported by vertical curved beams.

· Improves stability after receiving a corrupt element warning when opening a project.

· Improves stability when saving a Project with a linked DWG™ file that contains an image.

· Improves stability when applying a view template to a sheet view.

· In Windows Vista™ operating system, allows the ability to write to revit.ini, licpath.lic, KeyboardShortcuts.txt, and the Journals folder.

· Line based families contained in a group are no longer flipped when the group is mirrored.

· Improves stability when importing group into Titleblock family.

· Allows the ability to export renderings to TIFF format.

· When temporary dimension text too small to read, user can adjust the size of the font through Revit.ini.

· Linked DWG added by another user will now show up in Manage Links after reload latest.

· “Relative” spot elevation updates automatically with the change in Level elevation.

· When exporting to DWG file, overlapping lines that share a point are no longer missing in the resulting DWG.

Getting To BIM

I'm pleased to report that Structure magazine has just published the first in a three-part series on getting to BIM with a bylined article by Scott Hammond with extensive information on Revit Structure:

http://www.structuremag.org/archives/2007/August%202007/C-Technology-BIM-Hammond-Aug-07.pdf 

Nicolas

Link between Etabs from CSI and Revit Structure 2008 is now available

I am very excited to announce that our partner CSI, just released a new link between their analysis product Etabs and Revit Structure 2008

CSI put a lot of work to improve to develop a very powerful interface between the 2 programs in order to support the BIM structural engineering workflows

More information and downloads are available at: http://www.csiberkeley.com/Revit/

Nicolas

Is it possible to import accurately an "almost orthogonal" DWG/DXF Line into Revit?

Some users have reported that when they tried to import/link a dwg/dxf file representing the property boundary (where one of the boundary is accurately measured with 90 degrees, 0 minutes and 30 something seconds; or there is a deviation of 3/8” over the length of the site) provided by the property surveyor, Revit will treat and round up those angles as exactly 90 degrees.

They would like to know how they might set up their models to account for this level of accuracy, or explain the thinking behind this rounding up by Revit.

Here is the technical explanation.

Revit requires almost-vertical and almost-parallel lines (where "almost" is defined as 0.02 degree off or something like that) to be made exactly vertical or horizontal in order for our Geometry engine to work properly. This code applies to the imported lines as well. That’s why when importing a DWG/DXF with “almost orthogonal” or “very sharp angle” line, Revit will somehow “straighten” it for the Geometry engine purposes.

For now, here is a workaround that for users to input exactly the 90 degrees, 0 minutes and 30 something seconds:

1-     Import the DWG/DXF in Revit (yes, I know that some of “almost orthogonal” line will become “straightened”)

2-     Go to Site > Property Line > Create property lines by sketching

3-     In sketch mode, use Pick Lines tool and select all the imported DXF lines.

4-     Finish sketch

5-     Click on the Revit generated Property Line and then on the option bar Edit Table

6-     Now you can do the adjustment by inputting/adding back the 30 something seconds into the original “almost orthogonal” line. (See below jpgs)