Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> newbie: workflow for custom column sizes in a measured building survey?

aeerdogan

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Joined: Tue, Feb 10, 2009
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Hi, I am an architect with some experience in Nemetschek Allplan. No need to mention autocad, I, of course, use it.

I am really interested in revit, doing some tutorials but all tutorials are about basic cases. Here is what I really wonder how you accomplish in revit.

1. I see all column families are inserted via their center points. Do I have to use the grids all the time. I don't want grids so what do I do? Can't I just insert by the corners?

2. The more important problem is, how do you do custom shaped and sized columns, as you would come across in drawing a measured survey. There are columns with sizes like 62cmx34cm, 62cmx35cm, 61.5cmx35.5cm, etc... What can be done in this case. Do I have to create a family for each column? Assume there are 250 columns. How practical is this?

3. Same problem with a different case, lets say  we got a dwg as underlay. And the columns are there. Somebody else drew it. So I have no idea about the columns sizes. Do I have to measure each column before drawing it. Can't I just create them by the corner points in the underlay drawing? For example if I was drawing this (and the problem #2) in allplan, I would just click inside the underlay columns, and allplan would detect the area (just like island detection in autocad hatches), and column would be created, or I could just click cornerpoints. I still wouldn't need to measure at all.

4. And it is hard to put any columns to wall corners other that 90 degrees.

These are what I wonder about revit workflow. I'm sure there must be some tips for there otherwise it wouldn't be so usable for some practices. I would be grateful if you could point me tosome solutions, and please excuse me because English is not my native language.

Sincerely, Emre.

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Typhoon

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Joined: Tue, May 22, 2007
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Hi and Welcome to Revit World, about your questions:

1- You don't need the grid lines to insert the columns, you can pick anywhere them move that by endpoint, midpoint, whatever....

2- NO, you don't need to create a family for 250 different columns, if they have the same shape but different measures you create a PARAMETRIC FAMILY and you can change the measures of the 250 columns AT ONE TIME or individually.

3- Yes, if the base is a square (for EX) measure one side in your "Underlay CAD base" and you can apply your column and change the properties (parameters)....

4- Like what??? some images of what are you talking???

-----------------------------------

I Hope and I Wish to LEARN  more, and more, and more.... REVIT

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aeerdogan

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Hi thanks for the answers,

So you say one family would be enough, but is still seems that I need to change the size of the inserted columns, after measuring the underlay. Am I wrong? The issue is creating, then resizing. It seems a little tedious to me.

For the last problem, is almost the same problem. See the wall corner in the example. As I understand, I need to create an inplace family for each of these columns. Or I need to create a rectangular column and join geometry eith the wall? It seems strange too.

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WWHub

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Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
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1. Rebuild your column families with a different origin.
2. If the column size is type .. just create different types - you could also build them with the size parameter as an instance base and beable to flex each one ...
3. Use the instance based family and pull the column to the right size.
4. ?  Don't understand question.

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aeerdogan

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Hi WWHub, thank you too.

1. Hmm that makes sense but, I still won't work on the fly.

2. I didn't completely undertand the first part, but about the secont part, you mean like dynamic blocks in autocad? 

3. So the problem is there. I have to do it the long way. Or the second part of your problem #2 answer may apply.

4. I put a picture in my second post.

Sorry if I can't explain myself clearly.

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