Learn to Program the Revit API

If you are interested in learning the Revit API Harry Mattison (Boost Your BIM) created an online course hosted at Udemy (The Academy of You).

It's delivered in 33 video segments which vary from a few minutes to a little over fifteen minutes. It's also very reasonably priced at $149.00. Maybe I'll see you on campus?

Learn to Program the Revit API

Paul Aubin Book Survey Seeks Input

Paul Aubin recently mentioned that he's working on a new book, title TBA. The title is one of the things he's asking about in the survey.

If you are interested in the subject and can spare a few minutes to

Click to Take the Survey

Blog Plug - Steven Shell

Just a short post tonight to plug a new blog that my friend Steven Shell decided to start called BIM: Integrating Art & Technology He is a practicing architect in Tuscon (sole practitioner) that skipped over the whole "CAD thing" and went straight to Revit from hand drafting. He's a self taught Revit aficionado that will tell you he's learned from the Revit community's willingness to help and share with each other. That and his own irrepressible style and creativity...

He's also a lover of music and expresses it through his guitar and the band he fronts called Shell Shock. That's why I call him the "rock-n-roll architect". I've had the pleasure of sitting in with his band (on drums) a couple times in the past. I'm grateful for the guys tolerating me bringing their quality down briefly.

As a solo architect making his way in this new "BIM World" I think he has something to offer others. Often we just need some confidence based on the knowledge that someone like "me" is out there doing it and so can I. He's considered starting a blog before but worried about what he wanted to say. He seems to think he's sorted that out and has begun. The easy part is done, starting it. I'm hopeful he continues to find a reason to write, to share his thoughts with us!

Go Steve!

A Door's Life at Central States Revit Workshop

I'll be presenting a session next Friday called "A Door's Life" at the second annual Central States Revit Workshop.

Central States Revit Workshop Details
August 15 (Thursday) and August 16 (Friday), 2013
Scott Conference Center - Omaha, Nebraska
Registration: $250 (does not include accommodations)

BIM/Construction Speakers
Bill Allen, Scott Chatterton, Megan Johnson, Matthew Lewis, Cauitta Robeson, Connor Christian, and Aaron Baker

Architecture/General Speakers
Bryan Cowles, Steven Shell, Ryan Cameron, Nathan Miller, and Jason Gardner

Interior Speakers
Kelli Lubeley and Carla Edwards

MEP Speakers
Shawn Zirbes, William Spier, Kelli Lubeley, Todd Shackelford, Brett Grell, and Dave Benscoter

Structural Speakers
Aaron Krovance and Luke Stevenson

Special Guest Speakers
Paul Aubin, Brian Mackey, Dezi Mackey, Birgitta Foster, Andy Jizba, Chuck Mies, and me


As for my session, it's not literally about the life of a door. Since this is about Revit it's biased toward dealing with doors as a concept, some doors that look like these.

The handout that attendees will receive is structured as a lab with step by step activities. The session is 70 minutes in a lecture format so rather than going step by step in the lecture I'll be touching on each of the ideas involved with each exercise. I prefer to let people see how I approached the subject by working in Revit, instead of "PowerPointing" my way through. My goal is to leave enough "space between notes" to permit "inquisitive interference".

If you are nearby then you've got to make sure you get to the workshop. Even if you aren't it's still a great deal for two days of Revity goodness.

See you there!

Revit Technology Conference - Europe

If you've been reading this blog you've heard me plug many RTC conferences before. Yes I'm a fan, enough so that I got involved with the committee to help bring it to North America beginning in 2011. This September RTC will land in Europe for the first time, in Delft, Holland. Holland and the Dutch have held a special place in my heart ever since I lived there when I was nine. So naturally when the RTC Events staff and the European committee decided the first location should be there I was IN! If you're like me, living anywhere but Holland, it's a great excuse to go to Europe! The RTC experience and Revity goodness is just gravy on top!

The first event in Europe will be two days, Friday and Saturday (September 27 & 28, 2013) versus the three days of the other events in Australasia and North America. The venue arrangement is a little different too. RTC's have traditionally been held at a resort hotel that also has meeting facilities. Since Europe as a whole approaches this sort of thing differently the event needs to as well. I'm looking forward to the experience!

Here are links to consider if you are on the fence about attending:

RTC Europe 2013 Site
Schedule of Sessions

Registration Costs
Register Now

RTC Videos (get a taste of RTC)
RTC Commentary (attendees/bloggers)

I'm practicing my Dutch!

Hallo! Goedenavond! Ja nog een biertje neem! and later... Waar is mijn hotel?

Parts and Linked Files

When Parts as a feature appeared in 2012 it didn't support creating them from elements in a linked file. When 2013 came out it casually mentioned that it could do so in the last line of the "what's new..." text regarding Parts.

Parts can now be made from loaded families (such as Columns, Structural Columns, Structural Framing, and Generic Model) and from originals in a Revit link. (my emphasis added)

Perhaps this willingness to work with link elements could be leveraged for some sort of coordination approach as compared with the Copy/Monitor tool?

As it happens, Desirée Mackey with Martin/Martin is presenting a class (lab format) at RTC next week called "The Prolific Potential of Parts". I'm looking forward to hearing what she has to say!

Revit 2014 API Languages

Revit 2014 has added a couple new language options for people who can speak to Revit through its API (application programming interface). If you have a long history with CAD you might have spent more than a few hours "Lost in parenthesis" (LISP)? In Revit we can get lost in them when we deal with conditional formulas in the family editor.

In Revit 2013 the API supported two languages C++ and C# (technically any VB.net language). Revit 2014 has added Ruby (aka Ruby on Rails) and Python. If you have no programming experience they are not gems or reptiles, just alternatives to the far more widely used C++ and the much newer C# (and supposedly "easier to learn").

The dialog is a little smaller too (really subtle eh?).

If you are looking to get started with the Revit API you might consider Don Rudder's book:

Instant Autodesk Revit 2013 Customization with .NET How-to

Looking for some hands-on training with a sherpa? Get in touch with Harry Mattison (Boost Your BIM), he's gone from deep within Autodesk working on Revit and its API to the life of a freelancer who shares his knowledge on his blog and creates applications for hire. He's started offering some online training too.

Don Rudder and Case-inc have also offered API focused training in the past and are always considering hosting another so keep an eye on their site for a future class offering.

I've also written a couple blog posts before about getting started with the API (though I'm still remiss in taking it seriously myself).

Getting Started with the Revit API
My First Revit Plug-in

Years ago when I did some programming more seriously I found the book "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell quite helpful to help understand the process and concepts.

Happy coding!

RTC AUS 2013 Auckland

Today I am heading to Auckland, New Zealand to attend the Revit Technology Conference. On Tuesday night I'll be hanging out with fellow American Aaron Maller in Christchurch at a local Revit User Group meeting. It's my first trip to NZ so I'm looking forward to it naturally!

Next week I'll be writing via the RTC Blog. I've managed to get some OpEd stuff scheduled to post while I'm away, just on the off chance somebody might miss my rambling. :)

If you haven't committed to attending the conference in Auckland yet...reconsider there is still time. There are a number of options for registration if time and/or budget are concerns. Hope to see you there!!

If NZ can't be part of your plans... remember, there are two other RTC's to consider, North America's event in Vancouver (July) and Europe's in Delft, Holland (September). Don't be a stranger!!

2013 Central States Revit Workshop Registration

Registration for the next workshop opened 9 days ago, very sorry to be so slow to mention it.

Please let me encourage you to consider spending a couple days (August 15-16, 2013) at the Scott Conference Center in Omaha soaking up Revit information and wisdom. I attended and participated in a couple sessions last year. It was good fun, well worth your time and a great bargain.

Here are a few important links:
Welcome
Location
Schedule
Speakers

REGISTRATION

Come mingle with and hear special guest speakers Paul Aubin, Brian and Desirée Mackey (and maybe their BIMbino), Birgitta Foster, Andrew Jizba and Chuck Mies.

Revit Technology Conference Info

This is an echo of my earlier post, which was quickly overshadowed by news about Revit 2014 features, just to give it a little more attention.


If you read this blog (regularly) then I think/hope that RTC is no surprise to you. I'm writing this as a reminder to those who already know about it as well as to introduce them to anyone who hasn't already heard about them. After all May and RTC AUS isn't far away now...

These are the events in the order that they occur this year:

RTC Australasia - May 16-18, 2013 - Auckland, NZ
RTC North America - July 11-13, 2013 - Vancouver, Canada
RTC Europe - September 27-28, 2013 - Delft, Holland

Each event gives you an opportunity to listen, learn, talk and mingle with many of the best and brightest people that our planet has to offer, seriously!

I attended my first RTC in 2006 in Australia, where it all started (in 2005). I've been a fan ever since and even became a committee member to help start the first RTC in North America in 2011. It isn't any single thing that made me a fan. It was the whole of the experience.

For example, I knew that every person I saw around me was like me, fascinated by Revit, just Revit then and now by what it has expanded into. I knew that no matter who I listened to, talked with or saw in a hallway that I'd see them again...in a session, in a few minutes or during a break or during dinner and drinks. The value of the social side of the event can't be overstated. People have cultivated great friendships, formed at each event, and these last and prove mutually satisfying for years to come. I can vouch for this personally.

If you struggle with getting your firm to support sending you, or if you are the firm, or if you are trying to justify sending your staff consider just the classes alone. If you or someone in your firm was charged with putting together a class of equal quality, compared with any you'll find at RTC, you can reasonably expect a 10-20 hour commitment. That's time spent preparing themselves, making sure they've covered every angle of Revit knowledge they need, then organizing it all, preparing to share it with other staff and finally actually sharing it with them. It might take longer if it is the first time they've had to do something like this, or they might not be knowledgeable enough yet to tackle it all themselves. If this same person attends RTC and returns home not only with the material from the dozens of sessions they attend but access to all the material for each and every class offered at RTC you'll have a wealth of material for FAR less cash outlay than devoting them to developing the same material in-house.

It isn't just the classes either. It's the interaction, the setting, the focus, the passion and excitement expressed by others and witnessed by everyone. You can't help but feel reinvigorated. You'll recharge your batteries so to speak. When you leave RTC you leave ready, ready for anything and eager to take it all back to the office. It's just a shame that you can't bring your whole office along to experience it for themselves...well you can...just not many offices will dare to. There are a few firms that do send as many as 10-15 staff as they see it as their annual training for key people. Do your best to attend the nearest conference, you and your firm won't regret it!

P.S. If you represent a Local User Group focused on Revit I'd like to help you get the word out to your members. Get in touch with me so I can pass along information that you can use to make it easier to talk about it at your next meeting.

What is Revit and BIM Resource

Alex Gore and his firm F9 Productions have created, as part of their company website, a resource for people that are just getting started with Revit and BIM or those who are still trying to decide what to do.

The site offers these items of interest:

• A brief description of important modeling concepts
• A PDF example of a complete Construction Documentation set
• The Revit file of the above mentioned PDF
• A 2012 Revit Residential Template to start your own creations
• Links to tutorials for further help

A skeptic might read this and regard it as purely a marketing move. Alex's primary motive is to share the wealth with the community so to speak. For example a frequent question or concern people have is being able to see a completed set of documents. This is based on their fear, uncertainty or doubt that another software application, that is so intrinsically tied to how they make money, will truly be able to do what they need to do. So at the very least being able to examine their sample project and set may be useful, and if it is then the rest is "gravy". Have a look, see if you find something useful.

BIM Blog Plug - Practical BIM

Just a quick post to plug another blogger's effort. Antony McPhee has been using Practical BIM to document his thinking on the subject of BIM; design and construction project planning. Apart from researching the various documents available today he's been trying to express what he thinks the process could or should look like based on his experience. Some of his recent posts include:

Collaboration or Coercion: The Design Collaboration Plan
Utilising Your Office BIM Manual: Participants BIM Plans
BIM for Owners - The BIM Project Brief
Single project BIM Execution Plan: A Good Idea?

Back in September he did a series of posts to review the "BIM in Practice" document from the Australian Institute of Architects.

If you and your firm are wrestling with BIM you ought to read through his posts and add them to your considerations. Worth a read even you aren't...

Kitchen Equipment - RW Smith BIM Booklet

Here's a post doing a little bragging about Taylor. I've known him for many years now. We met first at the South Coast Revit User Group (SCRUG). He has been doing some pretty satisfying work after landing a gig with R.W. Smith. I mentioned him awhile back when he shared a video of some work with me.

The company recently finished up their BIM Services booklet hosted by Issuu. It helps them have a meaningful conversation with their clients. I can see why, polished presentation as well as high quality modeling work. I've embedded it here so you can take a peek. Check out the full size version. Something to strive toward or perhaps raise the bar from for your firm?

RTCUSA - Cannon Contest - I Heart BIM

Okay, have to post an echo. Liz Chodosh with Cannon Design wrote about the contest they are running internally to send a staff member to the Revit Technology Conference in Stone Mountain, GA this June. The entries have to submit 100 words about why they love BIM. If you don't work for Cannon you are free to submit your entry but you won't be eligible to win the prize. Liz shared a submission from Emma Hooper called, "P.S. I Love BIM" awwww... It's a heart modeled in Revit

Looks to me like she's got the edge for now!! Nice job Emma!

Revit Equipment in Action

Just a little unsolicited plug for a friend's work in Revit. Who says Revit equipment families can't be "sexy"? :) Nice work Taylor!

Shades of Grey Revit Blog Plug

This is a brief post to plug Andy Milburn's blog Shades of Grey. He started blogging in October of 2010 and his work is a fine testimony to quality over quantity.

Lately his posts have been about his exploration into the work of various masters and how he's used Revit to further his study of  them. I enjoy his work and appreciate that he takes the time to share it with us. If you haven't already found his blog I think you owe it to yourself to subscribe so you won't miss future posts.