An ARNG Project Autodesk Revit Case Study

1. An ARNG ProjectAutodesk Revit Case Study Mark Da Gama Rose Design Technology Manager – JACOBS

2. Class Poll Audience Composition: • Architect/Interior Architect • Engineer (Structural/MEP) • Principal • IT/BIM Manager

3. Class Intentions • Stress How Early Decisions On A Project Can Have A Lasting Effect • Talk About What Worked And What Did Not Work • Show Recent Solutions To Issues That Arose On INARNG-AFRC • Stress How The BIM Process Is As Important As The Hardware Specs, Software Version Limitations And the Team’s Learning Curve • Communication And Standards Are Key Especially As A Project Is Hampered By Its Weakest Link

4. Class Topics • INARNG-AFRC Project Background • BIM Mentality And Process • Expectations – Both Internally and of Client • Hardware • File Linking • Worksharing And Worksets • Model Performance Checks • Challenges And Decisions Made Within Each Discipline • Coordination Between Disciplines • Construction Document Creation • Making CAD Files Compatible With AEC 3.0 CAD Standards • Revit To 3D Studio Max Rendering Process • Summation And Closure

5. INARNG-AFRC Project Background Purpose: Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center to serve the peace-time missions of the assigned unit and space for all personnel to perform the necessary tasks that will improve the unit readiness posture Project Size: 168,095 SQ. FT. • Design Deliverables:

6. INARNG-AFRC Project Background • Building’s permanent masonry-type construction consisted of: • Slab-On–Grade First Floor And Elevated Steel Structural System For The Second Floor • Brick And Concrete Block Units With Concrete Floors • Exterior Masonry Walls Combined With Interior Masonry And Steel Stud/Gyp. Board Partitions • Steel-Framed Roof Structure – Combination Membrane/ Sheet Metal Roof Primary Spaces Include: • Toilet Rooms • Shower Rooms • Locker Rooms • Military Unit Storage Rooms Including Arms Vaults, Mechanical, Electrical And Equipment Rooms • Office Areas • Classrooms • A Distance Learning Classroom • An Assembly Hall • Commercial Kitchen

7. BIM Mentality and Process THINK BEFORE YOU DO – BIM Process as important as the: • Hardware Specs • Software Version Limitations • Team’s Learning Curve EARLY REVIT DECISIONS CAN HAVE A LASTING EFFECT ON THE PROJECT Key Steps in the project: • BIM Strategy Call • BIM Kickoff Meeting With Team • Maintain A Living, Breathing BIM Implementation Plan Throughout The Project

8. Expectations – Both Internally and of Client • Per the Client’s Scope of Work the only final documents of record were AutoCAD files. • However, Jacobs’ internal mandate is to do projects in BIM…. This project was done using the Autodesk Revit 2009 platform.

9. How were those Expectations Managed? • Strived To Plot All Construction Documents From Revit For All Disciplines Apart From Civil, Survey, Landscape And Food Service • Team Member Support Came From Bim Coordinator And Revit Discipline Leads • Tried To Have Weekly Bim “Lunch And Learns” To Train, Discuss Discipline Collaboration And Reinforce Revit Rules And Procedures • Needed To Have A 5 Minute “Huddle” For Revit Discipline Leads To Recap Previous Day’s Issues/Challenges Just Because We Develop A Model Does Not Mean We Deliver A Model….Client Expectations/Budgets/Staffing/Billable Hours

10. Hardware • Revit Discipline Leads Had Dell T5400s – 64 Bit (Specs: 8GB RAM, 3.16 GHz, 512 MB Nvidia Video Card) • Most Team Members Had Dell T3400s (Specs: 4GB RAM, 3.16 GHz, 256 MB Nvidia Video Card) • One Rendering Computer: (Specs: Dual Quad core; 8GB RAM; Xeon Processor) • All Users With Dell T3400 Had 3gb Switch Enabled And Paging File Increased To 8GB • All Users Had Gigabit Switch To The Desktop Connections

11. File Linking INARNG-AFRC Project File Structure INARNG-AFRC-S-CENTRAL.RVT INARNG-AFRC-A-CENTRAL.RVT INARNG-AFRC-M-CENTRAL.RVT INARNG-AFRC-I-CENTRAL.RVT INARNG-AFRC-A-DETAILS.RVT INARNG-AFRC-M-DETAILS.RVT INARNG-AFRC-A-DRAWINGINDEX.RVT INARNG-AFRC-E-CENTRAL.RVT INARNG-AFRC-F-CENTRAL.RVT INARNG-AFRC-P-CENTRAL.RVT INARNG-AFRC-E-DETAILS.RVT INARNG-AFRC-F-DETAILS.RVT INARNG-AFRC-P-DETAILS.RVT INARNG-AFRC

12. File Linking 3 Main Reasons Why Discipline Models Were Separated Out: • Each Discipline Controlled Their Own Drawing Sheet Set • Prevented Disciplines “Stepping On Each Other’s Toes” Concerning Element Borrowing And Relinquishing • Model Performance Was Controlled Through The Opening And Closing Of Linked File Worksets

13. File Linking Negatives To Linking By Discipline • Systems Connections – For Instance, Powering Mechanical Equipment • Security Drawings Needed To Show Door Tags From The Architectural Link – Needed To Create “By Linked Views”; Debate As To Who Is Responsible For Updating This View (Electrical Or Architecture) • Interiors Had Their Own Model – Difficult To Duplicate Interior Elevations With Annotations (File > Insert File From View > 2d Elements)…looking Back May Be Better To Have Interiors Work In Architectural Model

14. File Linking Negatives To Linking By Discipline • File Management Issues Magnified – Team Needs To Be Well Aware In The Beginning Of The Project Of The Proposed Model Structure And Any Deviations That Occur As The Project Moves Along; Revit Discipline Leads Need To Work With Bim Coordinator To “Health Check” Models • Communication Needs To Be Especially High When There Are Design And Construction Document Standards Changes (For Instance: Titleblock Does Not Automatically Reload)

15. File Linking A “Model” And Typical Detail File Was Created For Almost Every Discipline • Pros: • Model Performance • Discipline Workflow – Newer Revit Users Focused On Tasks Like Creating Details – Prevented From Entering “Model” File • Cons: • View And Sheet Referencing – Manually Needed To Be Coordinated Between Both Rvts • Two Files To Manage Settings And Coordinate Drawing Sheets With The Drawing List For Submittals • Need To Be Very Clear Whether Drawing Sheets Are Located In “Model” File Or Typical Detail File

16. File Linking Important Considerations: • Rename The Linked Instance As It Is Very Easy To Create A New Instance • Pin Linked Instance – Prevents Users From Accidentally Grabbing The Link When Panning Or Zooming • “Make Editable” Linked Project Files • Keep Same Name Of Linked Central Files (Project Prefix-discipline Initial-central.Rvt) • INARNG-AFRC-A-CENTRAL.RVT • INARNG-AFRC-M-CENTRAL.RVT

17. File Linking INARNG-AFRC-DRAWINGINDEX.RVT Separated Out To Own File For Two Reasons: • Model Performance – Added “Dummy” Drawing Sheets For Civil, Landscape, Food Service • Architectural Workflow – Allows Specialization Of Task – One Team Member Can Work On Index While Other Work On Model/Construction Documents

18. File Linking INARNG-AFRC-DRAWINGINDEX.RVT • Downfalls • Took A While To Open As 12 Linked Files (Even With All Worksets Closed) • Each Discipline Model Needed To Have Its Own Index To Adjust Sorting, “Appears On Drawing Index” – Only Changes To Dummy Sheets Allowed In INARNG-AFRC-DRAWINGINDEX.RVT • Did Not Have Multiple Discipline Sheets Grouped In Drawing List – Constantly Had To Readjust “Clusters’ Of Schedule As Changes Were Made • Maintaining Discipline Sorting To Follow AEC CAD Standards (Especially With Civil/Survey Sheets)

19. Worksharing and Worksets “LARGE CHUNKS OF THE MODEL” Uses: • Workflow (Managing Workset Accessibility) • Model Performance (Closing Worksets = Freeze Layer; Owning Worksets) • View Visibility Control – Inside Of Project File (Independent Of View Template) • View Visibility Control – Between Project Files (“Not Visible By Default”)

20. Worksharing and Worksets Key Project Aspects: • Workset For Each Linked File • Minimal Amount Of User Created Worksets • Element Workset Classification Identified And Updated In BIM Implementation Plan • Naming Convention • *LINKED MECH • *LINKED STRUCT • Shell • Core

21. Worksharing and Worksets Key Project Aspects: • Need To “Specify Open” At Startup And Close Worksets Intermittently During Session The Goal Is To Focus On Only Opening Worksets Needed For The Immediate Task – Easier Said Than Done; Usual Response: “If I Close A Workset, I Need To Open It Almost Right Away” – Could Be Alleviated By Organizing What Parts Of The Model Team Members Work On • Element Borrowing Was Heavily Used – Hardly Ever Owned Worksets Making Worksets “Editable” Allows 2 Main Benefits: • Prevents Anyone Else From Manipulating Elements Tied To That Workset • Revit Does Not Constantly “Ping” The Central File About Who Is Borrowing Elements Of That Workset

22. Worksharing and Worksets Key Project Aspects: • Only Discipline Leads Were Allowed To Create New Worksets • Need Mentality “Why Do I Need To Create A New Workset?” • New Team Members Struggled With Always Checking Their Active Workset Before Adding Any Non-Detail Elements To Views • Workset Classification Correction Needs To Happen At Least Once A Week By Revit Discipline Lead • Best Approach To Relinquishing?....Save To Central Dialogue Box….Relinquish Worksets • Project File Team Members Had A Hard Time Deciphering The Difference Between Altering Workset View Visibility (View Specific) And Closing Worksets (Global)

23. Model Performance Checks • Closed Project Files on **SAVE TO CENTRAL** Drafting View – Recently changed name to **Open/Close** • Used 64 Bit Machines To Plot Out Submittals; Ran Into Situations Where Dell T3400s Would Not Print All Walls – Memory Issue • Benefited From Using The 3gb Switch – Not Sure If This Should Be Defaulted On Bim User Machines • Important To Close Worksets When Possible • Work In Wireframe/Plot In Hidden Line – This Was Not Enforced From The Start With Many Disciplines – Very Important With View Regeneration (Working + Printing Views) • Review And Fix Warnings – Had Many In Each .RVT; Can Become Unyielding To Leave Unfixed • Family Detail Level And Visibility In Plan/Elevation

24. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Common Challenges Amongst The Disciplines • Important To Sit Close To One Another • Important To Keep Worksharing Monitor Open To See Which Users In Each Discipline Model Might Be Saving To Central – Nothing Can Replace Picking Up The Phone Or Yelling • Worked Well To Save Local And Central Every Thirty Minutes (Use Toolbar Icons) – File > Save To Central…relinquish When Leaving File Or “Stepping On Team Members Toes” • Put (Least Experienced) Revit Users On Details – Primary Focus On That; Worked In Separate Detail File • Allowed Senior Members Of The Team To Assist By Getting Into Schedules Only – With All Worksets Closed

25. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Common Challenges Amongst The Disciplines • Newer Team Members To Revit Had Hard Time Deciphering: • Which View Or Drawing Sheet Of Which Project File They Were Working In • How To Find An Element If “Hidden” – Troubleshooting Checklist: • Workset Open Or Closed • Visibility Graphics (Model Category Or Subcategory/Worksets/RVT Links) • Hidden Element Light bulb • View Range • Extent Of Masking Region Boundary • View Crop Boundary (Scope Box/Annotation Crop) • If Linked Element On “Not Visible By Default” Workset

26. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Architectural Challenges • “Elements Have Duplicate Mark Values” – Two Or More Team Members Adding, For Instance, Door Tags Simultaneously – Plan Workflow To Prevent Occurring • Team Members Rotated In And Out Of The Project • Wall Join Conditions

27. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Interiors Challenges • Had To Work In Autodesk Revit MEP 2009 When Adding Spaces To Match Rooms From Architectural Model • Interior Elevations • Had To Create New Elevations To Match Architectural Model • Had To Use File > Insert From File > 2d Elements To Match Details From Architectural Model • Had To Keep Both Architectural And Interior Model Open To Maintain View And Sheet Consistency • Tile Patterns Manually Added With Detail Lines….Needed To Use Fill Patterns • Based On The Scheduling Capabilities In Autodesk Revit 2009 The Material Legend Had To Be Done And Updated In Excel To Meet Jacobs Template Standards….Printed In Revit

28. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Structural Challenges • Coordinating Design And Revit Production Workflow • Structural Engineer Wanted To Get Dimension Takeoffs From The Revit Model But Without Affecting Production – Created New Project File And Linked In Discipline Central Files Including Structural….Better Approach Than Every Time Detaching From Central • Custom Truss Creation

29. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Mechanical Challenges • Systems Creation • Family Creation

30. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Plumbing Challenges • Used Filters To Distinguish Pipe System Types By: • Color (Graphically) • Linetype (for construction documents) • Export Mapping To Systems Layers In AutoCAD • Worked Over WAN To Coordinate Plumbing Design And Model Between St. Louis (Production Staff) And Columbus, Ohio (Engineer)

31. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Fire Protection Challenges • Sprinkler Pipe Creation

32. Challenges and Decisions Made Within Each Discipline Electrical Challenges • Circuit Creation • To Host Or Not To Host? – Hosted Or Non-hosted Families (Receptacles/Light Fixtures)

33. Coordination Between Disciplines • Needed To Get Architecture From The Start To Set Structural Usage Of Interior Partition Walls That Are Bearing – Alleviates The Need For By Linked Views In The Structural File • Needed To Assign Categories And Subcategories (Where Possible) To Allow For Linked File Visibility Overrides…not Possible For System Families And Filled Regions

34. Coordination Between Disciplines • Electrical Needed To See Correct Room Volumes To Run Lighting Analysis In AGI Software As Well As Internally In Revit – Architecture Did Not Set This From The Start; Space Just Copies Room Name And Number – Volume Would Have To Manually Be Coordinated In 2009 For All Rooms • All Mep Discipline Models Had A Tough Time Coordinating Room Tags From The Architectural Model – Spaces Sometimes Did Not Create If Rooms In Architectural Model Were Bounded By In-place Families Or Wall Joins Were Not Correct • If Arch Changes Walls Or Ceiling….Needs To Be Edited, Not Deleted And Re-added (Type Of Hosting For Linked Families…no-host Better Option…explain Why…better To Be Floating In Space Rather Than Circuit Being Manipulated)

35. Coordination Between Disciplines • Structural Column Grid Updates Need To Happen With Structural Team Sending Email Out To The Whole Team Notifying Them Which Grid Lines Have Shifted – Do Not Rely Solely On Coordination Review To Do This • Important To Lock (Make Editable) The Shared Levels And Grids Worksets Once Levels And Grids Are Set So That No Team Member Can Accidentally Move Grids Or Levels; They Would Not Have Permissions To Do This • In Preparation For Each Design Submittal Stage (I.E.: 35%, 65%, 95% And Final) The BIM Coordinator Must Lay A Concrete Procedure Plan That Must Be Strictly Followed By All Disciplines • 4 Days Prior To Submittal To Client – Stopped All Work On Model (Work That Affected Other Disciplines) • 2 Days Prior To Submittal To Client – Stopped All Work On Drawing Sheets Followed Immediately By BIM Coordinator Archiving Discipline Project Files And Revit Discipline Leads Plotting To PDF

36. Construction Document Creation • Browser Organization – Crucial For Views And Sheets • Need To Sort By Working And Sheet Views And Then By Sub Discipline If Needed • Bad Example (INARNG-AFRC)

37. Construction Document Creation • Good Example • “Use” Parameter – Sort Views By *Coordination, *Working, Printing Views (Show Screenshot Of HCCP AS) Note: Working Views Should Be For Plans Only; Elevations Have To Be Printing Views Only (Duplicate Tags Otherwise)

38. Construction Document Creation • Did Not Really Use Dependant Views – Building Orientated At 14 Degree Angle; Would Need To Use Masking Regions – Great Feature If Able To Use • Had To Use Masking Regions As A Polygonal Viewport Clip • Make Sure All Partial Callout Plans Are Set To Floor Plan, Not Detail View, In The Type Selector

39. Construction Document Creation • View Templates • Not Enforced From The Start And Maintained Thereafter On INARNG-AFRC • Very Important To Set Up In The Beginning • Need To Have One For Each Type Of View – Should Be Part Of Template • Team Constantly Would Complain That Their Views Would Change (“Ghost Of Revit”) – Allows Linked Annotation Elements Such As Structural Column Grids And Levels To Be Off From The Beginning (Tried To Close Shared Levels And Grids Workset Across The Link – Did Not Stay Closed) And Then As More Disciplines Build Up Their Models, Backgrounds Don’t Constantly Change

40. Construction Document Creation • Only Copy/Monitored Structural Column Grids And Levels; Could Have Used Offset Option For Copying Levels From Architectural To Structural Model…T.O. Steel • Section Cuts Apparent In Multiple Plans – Need To Hide Element As View Template Will Either Keep All Section Cuts On Or Off • Mep Disciplines Could Not Show Arrowhead On Space Tags

41. Construction Document Creation • Instead Of Keynotes (Could Not Number By Keynote Or Sheet) We Used Note Blocks • All Keyed Notes Per Type Of View Listed Regardless Of Shown Or Not • Strike Through Keyed Notes Not Applicable To View • Needed To Have Note Block And Corresponding Tag For Each Type Of View That Has Keyed Notes

42. Construction Document Creation Details • Imported And Exploded In Revit – Intention To Build Up Revit Detail Library • Replaced With Detail Components • Incurred Numerous “Line Slightly Off Axis Sketch” After Importing • Text Style Converted To Revit Text Style – Imported Text Styles Need To Be Purged Out

43. Navigating through the Export Process to Match AEC CAD Standards Checklist In Revit Before Exporting • Mapping Of Layers/Colors (Export Layers Txt File) • System Families Do Not Map – Needed To Select “Create New Layers” Since Using Filters • No Subcategory Mapping For Generic Annotation Symbols In Families, Text And Filled Regions • Set Background Layers To Color Id 252 • Set Viewports Export Layer To Defpoints • File > Export…export Options • Keep “Automatic Short” Naming Convention….El-101.Dwg • Remember To Uncheck “Xref Views” On Sheets” (Binded Drawing Sheets) • Miscellaneous • Text On Titleblock Should Be Set To Transparent • Had Issue With Section Headers Hatching – Needed To Edit Block Symbol

44. Navigating through the Export Process to Match AEC CAD Standards 3.0 Checklist In AutoCAD 2007 After Exporting • Linetype Scale – Scale Up X92 For 1/8”=1’-0” • Fill Patterns And Masking Regions Were Solid Hatch In AutoCAD Files • DWG File Naming Convention To Match AEC CAD Standards • Text Style Needs To Be Checked For Font Compliance • Background Mask On Text Properties – Check Whether Needs To Be Opaque Or Transparent • Dim Style Needs To Be Checked For Standards Compliance • Dimension Arc Leader Values Do Not Export As Arcs…check

45. Revit To 3DS Max Rendering Process • Exported Revit Discipline Models (Detach From Central, Remove All RVT Links, Export 3d View To DWG); Decided Not To Go The Route Of FBX Export As Its Makes A Mesh That Is Overly Complicated (Not Clean) And Conversely Puts A Strain On The Computer Note: On a recent project we did use the FBX Export and used the Max script, Autoedge, to clean up the model

46. Revit To 3DS Max Rendering Process • In 3ds Max We First Linked In The Architectural DWG And Then Linked In Each Other Discipline DWG (A Lot Cleaner Than FBX Export And Preferable To Importing DWGs As Links Can Be Updated With The File Link Manager); However Every Single Family Instance Is Itemized (Hard To Select All Instances Quickly) – Each Family Type Should Be Listed When Trying To “Select From Scene”

47. Revit To 3DS Max Rendering Process • The Model Was Then Only Edited If Needed For A View For Rendering – Materials And Lights Were Added In 3ds Max (FBX Export Supposed To Help Bringing In Materials And Lights From The Revit Model); We Used VRAY In 3ds Max To Set Up The Model For Rendering

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