Some symbols are not supported by the existing Windows® fonts; hence they could not be shown up correctly in Revit, e.g., some Chinese reinforcement symbols. To fix the issue, a Windows® font should be created specifies to the symbols, here are the steps:

1. Create Windows^® fonts.

   Sketch the corresponding symbols in a fonts creator and assign each symbol with a Unicode number, when all the symbols are created, save the font file to the Windows fonts folder. Here are some Chinese reinforcement symbols, the font file was saved as Revit.ttf and the font name was also set as Revit.

   

   

   
   
2. Use the font in Revit
   1. Input text in Revit or customize the tag fonts, click Element Properties button, and choose Revit font in the Text Font list.

   

   1. Input reinforcement symbols

      $ represents $,

      % represents,

      & represents,

      # represents.

      
      

      

      
      
      
      
      

       

   For example, if '$10@100 (2)' is input with Revit font set, it will show as' 10@100 (2).'
   
   2. Customize structural rebar bar types

      The following shows how to customize rebar symbols.

      In the project browser, rename the rebar type name with $%&# etc., when tag the rebar with rebar tags, it will show the right symbols.

Tag the rebar with bar types refined and the customized the rebar tag.rfa

1. Set Windows^® settings to display the Rebar Bar symbols correctly in the project browser. The steps are ,

• Click the right button in Desktop, go to display properties
• Click Appearance Tag
• Click Advanced in the left bottom of the dialog

  In the Advance Appearance dialog, choose Menu for Item and Revit for Font.

Launch a Revit Project (.rvt), the Rebar Bar types in the project browser will display correctly.

Other special symbols could also be created in this way.

Description

The Autodesk® Subscription Advantage Pack for Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2010 extends the capabilities of Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2010 software. Productivity-enhancing functionality and features better support structural analysis, modeling, concrete reinforcement, interoperability, and construction documentation, while improved tools help you work more efficiently within the software.

In addition, new applications that complement Revit Structure 2010 workflows will help you:

• Validate the accuracy of building information models created in Revit Structure 2010 against pre-determined standards.
• Import and export data between a Revit project and an external database, and then more easily maintain the relationships of linked data.
• Facilitate the use of building information modeling (BIM) for building renovation projects by creating 3D models from 2D digital photographs.

This Subscription Advantage Pack is available exclusively for Autodesk® Subscription customers through download in the Autodesk Subscription Center: http://www.autodesk.com/subscription

Features and Benefits

1. Subscription Release Pack for Autodesk Revit Structure 2010—Improve productivity with the Subscription Release Pack for Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2010:

• Gain exclusive access to new functionality and tools, such as the ability to add insulation detail or generate non-workplane based structural framing using pick lines on imported 3D AutoCAD® drawings.
• Work more efficiently with greater control of keyboard shortcuts and improved access to some frequently used commands.
• Access the latest updates available for Revit Structure 2010 (Update 2).

2. Revit Extensions for Autodesk Revit Structure 2010—Revit® Extensions extend the capabilities of Revit Structure 2010 in key areas, including structural analysis, modeling, concrete reinforcement, interoperability, and construction documentation. This pack contains updates to previously released Revit Extensions as well as 3 new features:

• Wood Framing—More quickly and precisely model a wood frame structure within interior and exterior walls.
• Bridge—The Bridge Extension enables you to more accurately and efficiently model 3D bridges and helps generate typical 2D drawings of plans and sections.
• Rebar Collision Detection—The new rebar collision detection feature allows structural engineers and drafters to check for interference of reinforcement earlier in the design process.

3. Autodesk Revit Model Review—Automate the process of reviewing and auditing BIM projects in Revit Structure 2010 with the Autodesk® Revit® Model Review plug-in:

• Check the accuracy and consistency of a model against standards set by your firm, your clients, or industry best practices.
• Correct inconsistencies with a single click or with instructions provided when manual fixes are required.

4. Autodesk Revit DB Link—Import and export data between a Revit Structure 2010 project and an external database, and then more easily maintain relationships of linked data with Autodesk® Revit® DB Link.

• A grid view of the data enables you to make any final edits before import.
• Databases can be updated following internal or external changes.
• The grid control enables you to create Revit shared parameters to add new fields to related tables in the database.
• Changes to new fields within the database automatically update Revit shared parameters upon future imports.

5. Autodesk ImageModeler 2009—Use 2D digital photographs to more quickly and cost-effectively create, edit, and texture 3D models for building renovation projects and energy-efficiency analysis. Bridging the 2D and 3D worlds via DWG™, Autodesk® ImageModeler™ 2009 software helps enable you to:

• Capture building design elements
• Take measurements
• Create 3D models based on the form of existing buildings

By leveraging models developed directly from the physical environment, ImageModeler 2009 helps structural engineers better integrate improvements or renovations in BIM projects.

Applicable Products

Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2010

AutoCAD® Revit® Structure Suite 2010

Autodesk® Education Master Suite 2010

Autodesk® Education Suite for Architecture & Engineering 2010

Autodesk® Education Suite for Civil & Structural Engineering 2010

Some elements, e.g., bolts or piles, are the assemblies of a host family, e.g. a steel connection or a pile cap, and they might be nested/ used in multiple families. People usually expect them to be scheduled independently.

Those elements should be created as "shared" families before they are nested into the hosts to enable them to be "shared" among hosts. The example is shown as fig 1,

 
 Fig. 1, Family Category and Parameters' settings of a shared steel pile

If a host is nested with shared components, after it being loaded into a project, each nested shared assembly will be shown separately in the project browser under its respective family category, shown as fig 2. As a result, the shared nested families (e.g., the steel pile) could be scheduled independently, shown as fig 3.

  Fig 2, project browser shows the nested shared steel piles after the pile cap is loaded

 
Fig 3, Pile cap scheduling, shared nested components are schedulable.

Thanks

Wai

Autodesk labs site provide "Google Earth ^TM Extension"for AutoCAD, Architecture, Civil 3D, Map 3D, the usages of the tool are:

• Import Google Earth image to .dwg applications (AutoCAD, Architecture, Civil 3D, Map 3D)
• Publishing 3D DWG Models to Google Earth ^TM
• AutoCAD Drape a grayscale Google Earth ^TM image onto a 3D mesh in AutoCAD applications

The 3rd function provide a method to import the elevation data for the current Google Earth view into AutoCAD as a mesh, then one can link the site .dwg as a reference to create Revit site, here are the steps:

1. Launch AutoCAD (or Civil 3D, etc), do as per the guide (please refer to page 8-11 of the Google Earth ^TM Extension white paper, shown at the bottom of this article) indicates. Here are the results,

1. Launch Revit application or open a Revit project file (.rvt), link and put the .dwg object onto the target level, adjust the location, size (scale factor) if necessary.
2. Activate the Mass & Site tap, create "Toposurface"

    
   

3. Choose "create from import\select import instance" option and select the linked dwg file.

    
   

4. Here is the result in Revit GUI,

Note,

Google Earth ^TM Extension downloads site: http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/google_earth_extension_beta/term_and_condition/

Google Earth ^TM Extension white paper:

http://labs.autodesk.com/files/201_300/205/file_205.pdf

In Revit Structure, the structural beam, column and brace are regarded as bar elements, and the analytical mode lines join with one another at the nodes, shown below,

For some steelwork however, the joints require the elements not to be overlapped with one another while two or more elements are connected, e.g., as the following image indicates, two C shaped elements are placed in parallel to bearing the forces or bending moments. If two beams are put there, there will be two parallel analytical lines from one node to the next, and it will cause the analytical error.

To solve the issue, two steel elements are created in one family, and a spacing is set to control the horizontal offset of the beams, shown below. As a result, both modeling and analysis purpose are satisfied in the project.