Autodesk Revit 2011 – Intro to Reporting Parameters

Software: Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011

Description: In this Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 training video, we’ll cover the how to use reporting parameters. I have to say, this feature would have saved me LOTS of heart ache :). but….. I’m really happy we have it now.  This is by far one the coolest things in 2011, a little under promoted but totally awesome! In short, you can create parameters that read or “report” a value from a family. In this video we report the width of  a curtain panel and use it to drive the panel depth.

Here is the file from the video.

Topics Covered:

• Reporting Parameters
• Curtain Panel Family
• Formulas
• Bonus: Ambient Occlusion

So based on a few articles i just saw (links below) it looks like Autodesk is officially announcing AutoCAD for Macs.  I think this is going to get A LOT of architects to switch.  Mayeb we’ll see Revit on a mac soon? That would be pretty cool…

• Wall Street Journal

• Mashable by Christina Warren (follow her on twitter @film_girl)

• VentureBeat (where I got the images)

• CADManager.com

What Autodesk product do you all want to see on a mac most?

Autodesk Revit 2011 – Intro to Adaptive Components

Software: Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011

Description: In this Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 training video, we’ll cover the basics of how to build an adaptive component.  This is not the traditional or expected use.  This video used the adaptive component to construct a mass.  That being said the logic can be used independence of scale (from a panel to a mass).

Here is the file i created

Topics Covered:

• Adaptive Components
• Mass Families
• Reference Planes

Virginia Tech’s lumenHAUS project (mentioned previously here) has won the Solar Decathlon Europe competition in Madrid, Spain. It was one of only two U.S. projects to be entered in the European competition, and was previously exhibited in Times Square. More information on the project can be found at lumenhaus.com. Congratulations to the team!

Grasshopper Data trees

In a DesignReform first, I will be presenting a live webinar tutorial tomorrow (6/11) at 1:30 p.m. EST. I will be discussing data trees using Grasshopper for Rhino. This model is created from a set of parametric lines that are built upon each other, using the data tree tools within Grasshopper to access the individual elements  and create lofted surfaces.

Seats at the webinar will be limited; follow the link below to join:

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/650738275

In this webinar we’re going to take a little time to go over Data Trees in Grasshopper

Title: Rhino Grassshopper - Intro to Data Trees

Date: Friday, June 11, 2010

Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Dear friends, colleagues, readers, acquaintances:

We’ve (David, Steve and Fed of CASE<http://case-inc.com/us>) been busy the last few months putting the finishing touches on the relaunch of our local search and recommendation service, WHObyYOU. Check it out: http://www.whobyyou.com

You can use WHObyYOU to find the best local businesses and service providers recommended by YOUR friends, colleagues and favorite local experts. Currently we have a few million businesses listed in New York, New Jersey and Miami, Florida (where we are based and our investors are located… we’ll be adding more cities soon).

Recommend things like model making supplier and 3d printers, or even who you used on that project to make you those window frames that you really liked, your structural engineer or steel supplier… Here are some examples:

• Searches
  • “3d printing worldwide”
    • http://bit.ly/a4hVTt
  • “3d printing” near the New York area
    • http://bit.ly/aB4tJY
  • “digital fabrication” near the New York area
    • http://bit.ly/b5o0JL
  • “digital fabrication” worldwide
    • http://bit.ly/9KecGn
  • “metal fabrication” near the New York area
    • http://bit.ly/dgHLbJ
  • “curtain wall consultant” near the New York area
    • http://bit.ly/anHjvE
  • “structural engineer” near the New York area
    • http://bit.ly/auc6MH

We know these are VERY New York based and that is because that’s where we are based, but the idea is that this can become the go to place to find the services you need every day in YOUR area, but based on people whose opinion you respect.  Here are our profiles as an example:

• People
  • David Fano, Partner CASE Design, Inc
    • http://www.whobyyou.com/u/david
  • Steve Sanderson, Partner CASE Design, Inc
    • http://www.whobyyou.com/u/steve
  • Federico Negro, Partner CASE Design, Inc
    • http://www.whobyyou.com/u/federico

Do you know some good vendors that your friends keep asking you for? Give it a try!  And to celebrate the relaunch and our participation at TechCrunch Disrupt (http://disrupt.techcrunch.com/) we decided to give away an iPad… that’s right someone is going to get a new, shiny iPad, free of charge, just for using the site (we hope it’s one of you

Some of the features on the new site we’re really excited about include:

• Complete redesign of the look and feel. You will be able to make recommendations, requests and agrees more quickly and from more places.
• Accurate and powerful local search. With “Social Filters” you can dynamically filter your search results based on the criteria that matter to you. Try this one on for size: http://wby.im/ap5eBl
• Use Lists to organize your recommendations and share them with others, like this: http://wby.im/cHWvXP
• Bookmarks top save local services that you want to try later.
• Connect with Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. You can recommend any businesses you’ve checked-in to on Foursquare on WHObyYOU.

All that said, we are still in beta, so there will be bugs, glitches and missing functionality, which is the nature of this process. That’s why we need you to use the site, break the site, tell us what is working, and more importantly, not working. You can click the Feedback on the right of any page, or email us at: feedback@whobyyou.com. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone that you feel would like to share their recommendations.

Thanks again for all of your support and good luck,

Software: Autodesk Revit 2010

Description:  In this Revit Architecture 2010 Training video, we’re going to take a look at a workaround for creating multi-line annotations.  This simple workaround was developed for annotations with leaders that tend to move as the text descriptions lengthened.

Topics Covered:

• Material Properties
• Material Tag Family
• Labels
• Invisible lines

Software: Autodesk Revit 2010

Description:In this Revit Architecture 2010 video, we show how to pass through view-specific elements from a linked into a host file.  We take the 2d extents of grid lines, wall, window and door tags, as well as dimension strings in a linked file and make them visible in a host file by changing the display settings of a particular view.

Topics Covered:

• Display Settings
• File Linking
• Grid Lines
• Wall Tags
• Window Tags
• Door Tags

Hi All!

So… I post this with my nerves a little on edge We (CASE) want to invite you all to test out WHObyYOU (www.whobyyou.com).  WHObyYOU is a local, social search site that we have been working on for over a year now.  The basic idea is that a few recommendations from your friends or experts are way more valuable than a bunch from strangers.  It’s been a public site for a bit, but now we really need users and recommendations. That’s where YOU come in,  if you have an extra 5 minutes, please test it out and recommend your favorite services.  You can add a great fabricator, consultant, re-seller, 3d printing service or even a great place to get coffee.  Right now our database has business from New York, New Jersey and Miami, that’s because we have to pay to get those and we only have so much money :). That being said you can recommend a business anywhere.

Here is a video I put together trying to explain how it works:

You can sign up at http://www.whobyyou.com/signup or if you use Facebook just sign up with your facebook account. If You want to list your business and get recommended you can do that too. If you only have 1 minute than maybe you can recommend CASE  here http://www.whobyyou.com/b/case

Last thing,  you ARE going to encounter bugs if you test it out, please use the feedback button on the right or just email me directly at d.fano@case-inc.com. Thanks in advance to anyone that tries it out!

Dave
(follow my recommendations here http://www.whobyyou.com/u/david )

p.s. please pardon the typos, those are totally my fault, as anyone that reads designreform should expect

This is a bit off topic for our usual posts, but as bloggers we very much believe in the power of new media, especially considering the impact that it is beginning to have in our industry.  Not many people out there personify this better than our friends David Assael (@davod) and David Basulto (@dbasulto) of ArchDaily

As we all know Chile was hit hard with an 8.5 magnitude earthquake on Saturday a.m.  Since, their sister site, Plataforma Arquitectura, based out of Santiago, has been doing an incredible job at keeping people up to date (pictures, pictures, maps) on general infrastructure and building reports. Another, and probably more important initiative, is that they have turned their site into a meeting place for architects, designers, engineers, builders from all of Latin America and Spain (….and the world) to come together and offer support.  Creating a venue for people to organize.

This effort has begun to pay off in incredible ways already.  Most notably they have already connected with Architecture for Humanity which has set up a site for people inside the U.S. donate as little as $5.00 toward the effort.

One of the most basic needs is the inspection of structures post earthquake.  Inspections are critical in determining the usability of the remaining infrastructure, which will allow the government to determine who can return to their homes, and who needs to be temporarily housed. Architects from all over have volunteered for these tasks, but getting to these areas and supporting these efforts still takes resources.

Donations will go toward helping volunteer architects in Chile.  So, again, please do what you can or forward this to people you think can help.

Link to donate: Link

Image: Reuters/Ivan Alvarado

Software: Autodesk Revit 2010

Description:In this Revit Architecture 2010 Training video we’re going to take a look at the pattern based curtain panel family.  I learned this technique on Zack Krons’s blog, buildz, this post in particular.  The basic premise is to create reference points on each point within the panel so the outside edge of the panel projects perpendicular to the normal of the host surface.

Disclaimer: This video is a section of my class Rethinking BIM at Columbia’s GSAPP so the sound is a bit different and you might hear me address students a few times

Topics Covered:

• Pattern Based Curtain Panel Families
• Divided Surfaces
• Conceptual Massing Environment
• Reference Points
• 3d snapping

Here is Zach’s Video (mine is not very different, I was showings students and am posting the video for them):

CAD/BIM Support Specialist

at KPF in New York, NY

Tags: KPF CAB BIM Support

Structural Designer and/or Piping Designer and/or Piping Engineer

at Mike Nickols in Marinette, WI

Tags:

Software: Grasshopper in Rhino 4

Description: In this Grasshopper video tutorial we will be creating different patterns of Iso-curves that have the potential to be used as toolpaths for CNC milling machines. In this first version of the exercise we’ll create a “parallel cut” pattern on the surface by extracting parameters incrementally along one edge. We will then modify the “parallel cut” pattern to be affected as the surface climbs / descends in the Z value. This video encourages designers and students to design not only the parts, but also the fabrication techniques. Generating G-Code is not covered in this video.  As always, please let me know if you questions and/or inquiries.

Topics Covered:

• Extracting BREP Wireframe / Edge Curves
• Dividing Curves
• Finding the Closest Point on a surface
• Evaluating a surface at a parameter
• Creating / Translating Iso-Curves

The Virginia Tech lumenHAUS project for the DOE Solar Decathlon will be exhibited in Times Square from January 27, 2010- January 31, 2010. There will be a reception and seminar on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 from 6:00-7:30pm at the Hafele America Co. New York Showroom located at 25 E. 26th St. @ Madison Ave. If you or anyone else you know would like to attend, visit this site for invitations.

Read about the project below:

The Virginia Tech LumenHAUS is a smart home powered by the sun. Previous to its pending arrival on Times Square, It was part of the exhibition Sustainable Communities; Greenovation the National Building Museum and competed in the Solar Decathlon Competition sponsored by the Department of Energy. It is one of two projects from the United States selected to compete in the Solar Decathlon Europe in Madrid, Spain in June, 2010. Lead faculty from the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech will present several of the innovative building features including:

• Smart home - information from sensors automatically adjusts house for energy efficiency and comfort
• Home weather station controls shutter screens and insulation panels
• Geothermal heating and cooling saves energy
• Passive heating, natural ventilation and Pavilion living
• Lighting of the future - Dimmable Fluorescent and LED lights
• Space saving features lend generosity and grace to small house
• Putting light where it has not been - walls any color desired, no paint required
• i-Phone interface - information about house energy use and control of systems
• Sustainable materials as beautiful expressions

Presented by:
Robert Dunay AIA IDSA Professor and Director for The Center for Design Research/ Virginia Tech
Joe Wheeler AIA Professor and LumenHAUS Project Coordinator/Virginia Tech