Architecture: Advanced Modelling

Tim Waldock

PTW Architects

PTW

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Topics to be covered:• Getting Revit to do the work for you• Use and abuse of categories• Curtain systems• Ramps and sloping floors• Railings• Sloping and curved walls• In-place families• Embedded walls• Stacked walls• Host sweeps• Openings•

Advanced Modelling

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Getting Revit to do the work for you• Use and abuse of categories• Use the right tool for the job• Use in-built automation• Family type: system vs external vs In-place • Use techniques like “Face-based families” or the “Always vertical” settings in families• Modelling techniques

Advanced Modelling – Get Revit to do the work for you

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Use and abuse of categoriesEach category has different characteristics and behaviour• Normally you should use the one most appropriate for

the building element. eg. Wall category for in-place wall family so openings work

• But you may have a choice, and one option may give easier modelling – eg. sloping floors vs ramps

• Can create a family and then change its category, so it inherits some properties of the original category. eg. Downpipes from structural columns

• You can also use objects of one category for a radically different use – eg. Railings for ramp kerbs or awnings

• If you do “abuse” categories, be prepared to deal with the consequences – you may need to use sub-categories or filters to control visibility.

Advanced Modelling – Get Revit to do the work for you

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Use the right tool• Floor slab or roof for flat roof?• Use a sloping floor or a “Revit ramp” to create a ramp? • Ease of creation and modification• Graphic representation – eg. Cut ramps vs. floors• Avoid Revit's limitations – eg. Joining geometry; Walls attach to sloping floors but not

to ramps

Advanced Modelling – Get Revit to do the work for you

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Use in-built Revit automation• Attach walls• Curtain walls and systems – pre-set grids• Railings – ability to repeat sub objects and to

follow 3D path• In-built wall sweeps• Parametric variables• Profiles – for sweeps etc.• Know the limitations

Advanced Modelling – Get Revit to do the work for you

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Family type: System families• allow Revit automation (walls, railings etc)

External component families• Allow global updates• More efficient Revit models

In-place families - • use as last resort• Not efficient if multiple instances• Copying can cause strange behaviour,

especially if void objects are included

Advanced Modelling – Get Revit to do the work for you

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Modelling techniquesAvoid extraneous joint lines• Use tangent curves or fillet arc

Avoid Triangular facets on blends and sweeps

• Ensure matching line/arc segments for each end of blend

Advanced Modelling – Techniques

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History Faculty - Stirling• Curtain systems

Pacific Centre • Curtain systems

Advanced Modelling – Building examples

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Curtain systemsTwo methods to create – result in very different

types of object:

Ruled Curtain Systems - By Lines• Created by selecting two lines or edges (Revit

“Lines” can be curved• Grids need to be added to create faceted

surfaces, as per curtain walls (particularly for curved shapes)

Curtain Systems - By Face• Created by selecting a face on a mass object

or generic category model• Grids can be automatic or manually added

Advanced Modelling – Curtain Systems

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Controlling Ruled Curtain Systems

Ruled Curtain Surface - By Lines• Manual grid placement only• Grids at angle relative to edges• Curved surfaces are faceted; more grid

divisions brings facets closer to being a curved surface

• Facets cannot be twisted• Can be edited by modifying the originally

selected edges or lines• Cannot use “Edit profile” on Ruled curtain

systems

Advanced Modelling – Curtain Systems

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Controlling Curtain Systems

Curtain Surface - By Face• Grids can be automatic or manually added as per

curtain walls• Grids are parallel on planar or single curved;

tapering on tapered curved surfaces• Can be edited by modifying the original face and

then using “Remake” command• Extent of system can be changed using “Edit face

selection” command• Original mass object or generic model can be

deleted but curtain system shape can no longer be edited

• Cannot use “Edit profile” on curtain systems

Advanced Modelling – Curtain Systems

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Controlling Curtain Grids

Ruled Curtain Surface - By Lines• Placed manually• Take on angle proportionally between

sides• Angle changes if sides changed • Can be moved (but not using temporary

dimensions)• Cannot be rotated (?)

Advanced Modelling – Curtain Systems

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Controlling Curtain Grids

Curtain Surface - By Face• Configuration settings by element• Rotating and offsetting grids• Cannot rotate grids on curved surface• Manually added grids rotate with settings

Advanced Modelling – Curtain Systems

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Curtain Walls and Systems Automation by type:• Curtain panels• Joint conditions• Grid patterns• Mullions

By element properties:• Number of grids• Rotating grid• Aligning/offsetting grids

Advanced Modelling – Curtain Systems

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Sloping floors vs Ramps Ramps• Curved Ramp• Ramps do slope calculation• Whole ramp shown in plan

(no break lines, unlike stairs)• Automatically add and update railings

Sloping Floors

• Revit 2009 can do curved ramps by sloping floors (but railings do not slope)• Railings only follow slope if floor is sloped using old method (from an edge)• Walls attach to floors• Floors cut in plan at cut height (need to manually add break lines)

Advanced Modelling – Ramps

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Guggenheim Museum - FLW • Curved Ramp• Sloping walls• Railings

Advanced Modelling – Building examples

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Railings • Awnings• Ramp kerbs• Spiral walls

Revit railings:• Follow sloping surfaces around

3D paths• Repeat sub-objects (balusters)

at controlled spacing• Can be hosted by stairs, ramps,

floors; will be modified if host is changed (to a limited degree on floors)

Advanced Modelling – Railings

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Curved walls• System, by face or in-place• System walls can attach to roof or floor

Sloping walls• Wall by face• Can not attach to roof or floor

Tapering walls• In-place families• Can not attach to roof or floor• Can not edit profile

Walls with sloping or curved top or base• Edit profile (flat walls only)• Attach to roof or floor (even to complex in-place objects)• Railing• Void form to in-place wall

Advanced Modelling – Curved and sloping walls

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Ronchamp • Curved walls• Sloping walls• In-place families

Advanced Modelling – Building examples

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Embedded walls • Draw wall to be embedded within the main wall• Use the “Cut geometry” command – pick main

wall first, then one to be embedded.

• Some curtain walls automatically embed and cut the host wall (setting in type properties)

• Curtain walls can be embedded• Walls can be embedded into already

embedded walls• Embedded walls can have profile editted• Use the paint bucket to hatch the reveals if

needed

Advanced Modelling – Embedded walls

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Wall sweeps and Reveals • Add sweeps using host sweep command • or• Add to wall definition (in section preview)• Wall sweeps can be added to embedded walls and to

host walls (will be cut where embedded wall cuts host) and to sub-walls in a stacked wall

Advanced Modelling – Wall Sweeps

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Stacked Walls • Made from pre-defined

basic walls stacked vertically

• Cannot include curtain walls

• One subwall must be of variable height

• Sub-walls are scheduled individually (stacked wall not counted)

• To edit the structure of a stacked wall, you must edit each sub-wall separately

Advanced Modelling – Stacked Walls

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Stacked walls • Sub-walls must be in same phase, workset and design option as the

parent stacked wall• Sub-walls can host sweeps / reveals, but parent stacked wall cannot• You can separate a stacked wall into its component walls by right

clicking on it and choosing “Break Up”. The operation cannot be reversed (except by Undo). Component walls take on Base constraint of stacked walls with relevant offset, but top constraint will be “unconstrained” plus the offset.

• You can edit the profile of a stacked wall, and it will affect sub-walls; you cannot edit the profile of individual sub-walls

• If a stacked wall is broken up, resultant walls inherit any edited profiles• A door or window in a stacked wall may span across sub-walls. Use

the “Pick main host” on the options toolbar, to choose the correct sub-wall if it does not behave as expected.

Advanced Modelling – Stacked Walls

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Combining stacked and embedded walls • If a basic host wall containing embedded walls is

changed to a stacked wall, “Cut geometry” needs to be re-done on the embedded wall

• Embedded walls crossing two sub-walls of a stacked wall host need to be cut from each sub-wall

• Wall sweeps and reveals in sub-walls are cut by embedded walls

Advanced Modelling – Building examples

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Host sweeps - limitations Fascias• Works on sloping or curved floor edges (but not if sloping and curved)• Revit Won't join segments around corners if roof is sloping

Gutters• Only works on level roof edges• Does curves and joins segments on level corners

Wall sweeps and reveals• Always level, even if wall base/top sloping

Floor edges• Works on sloping and curved floor edges only if slope set by angle from an edge (old

method)• Top of floor edge profile remains level on sloping floors (ie not perpendicular to floor

slab) – therefore corner segments don't join on sloping floors

Advanced Modelling – Host sweeps

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Use the right opening type for each occasionOpening by Face• Works on selected object only, at any angle; cuts perpendicular to selected face

Vertical Opening• Works on selected object only, at any angle; cuts vertically only

Dormer Opening• Revit makes both vertical and horizontal cuts in the roof

Wall Opening• Makes rectangular opening perpendicular to selected wall face• Works on curved, stacked and sometimes on embedded walls

Shaft Opening• Cuts floors, ceilings and roofs only• Has height control by level – multiple levels possible• Cuts through multiple objects• Cuts vertically only

Advanced Modelling – Openings

Questions ?

Thank you

Tim Waldock PTW