Forums >> Community >> Newbies >> Newbie Reviter in a newbie town.

randomdrafterguy

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Joined: Tue, Oct 16, 2012
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Hi there, you group of magnificent people you. Been flicking through your archives like a slightly rabid animal going through your bins, and have decided to introduce myself, praise you all as the Adonis like figures you are, and then ask for advice.

The situation is as follows: my firm has recently taken up Revit as it is pretty obviously where the future of MEP drafting lies. The city in which I work (ommitted to protect the innocent) is pretty Revit-free, the only real users of it being larger national corporations where are notoriously unhelpful to outsiders. The biggest piece of advice that I have been given, by practically everyone, is "Make sure your library is a good one".

Sadly, nobody follows up with the logical sequel to that advice - how to actually build a good MEP library.

So I throw myself at your feet, staring up with big, blinky, innocent eyes and ask for advice. When starting a library from scratch, what should I be looking at, for, and with? For those of you who have built libraries from scratch, what sort of advice do you wish you'd had when you were starting out. That sort of thing.

If there is actually a thread related to this very topic that I have missed, I can but throw myself on your mercy and beg forgiveness. Also, quietly ask where that thread is without drawing additional undue notice to myself.

 I thank you all in advance and pray that you remember the horror of jumping onto Revit for the first time and take pity on the poor, lowly noob.

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mansell5

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Joined: Sun, Jun 14, 2009
68 Posts

hey there random

mansell5 here , also in your newbie town.

a quick google search brought up this site as well as numerous others

http://revitmep.blogspot.com.au/2007/07/revit-mep-family-editor.html

youtube can be helpful, and also

daryl gregoire's site at  dgcad.com he has loads of instructional videos.

goodluck

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jlights

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Joined: Tue, Dec 18, 2007
146 Posts

As you build your library, consider the schedules that you will be using and make a set of "starter" families that contain all the parameters you'll need for each schedule. For example, say you have 15 (or whatever) parameters in your diffuser schedule. Make a diffuser family that has these same shared parameters in it and save it somewhere not in the main library. Load it into a test project to make sure that it will show up in your schedule and that all the parameters are working, and then every time after that when you need to make a diffuser, you'll have all the parameters ready to go and all you'll have to do is create the geometry. And you'll know that the family and the schedule are working together.

Don't over-model things in the families; keep the geometry siimplified but sufficient to make the element recognizable. The families are used for placement, size, scheduling, creating systems; they are not used as a manufacturing reference, so you don't need internal parts, screwholes, tiny parts and details, rounded edges that won't be perceivable in a 3D project view unless you are zoomed way in, etc. also, be sure to read the Revit families guide and do some of the family tutorials. Good luck!

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jlights

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randomdrafterguy

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Joined: Tue, Oct 16, 2012
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Thanks for the replies, guys.

Now, I'm not specifically stating that you two are fundimentally better people than the other people who haven't replied yet, but it does seem a coincidence that you helped while others looked at the poor, suffering, cad monkey in the rain and turned away. Never fear though, various toffs and toff-ettes! You can still turn my frown upside town - surely there's even more good startup advice!

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