Autodesk® Revit® MEP: Classy Construction Documents

Autodesk® Revit® MEP: Classy Construction Documents

Jay Ayala – Autodesk, Inc.

MP5829

In this class, you will learn how to use some of the most overlooked features of the Revit platform to help you consistently organize your MEP construction documentation. Knowing how to use these features will enable you to differentiate the quality of your construction documents from those of your competition.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this class, you will be able to:

  • Create and manage Guide Grids
  • Create and manage Scope Boxes
  • Create and manage View Templates
  • Create and manage Construction Documentation

About the Speaker

Jay Ayala is located Portland, OR. and is one of the many AEC Solutions Engineer for Autodesk. He has over 13 years of experience in the AEC industry with 5 years at Autodesk. His background is in HVAC and Piping design for commercial buildings. He is the public persona of the Autodesk Revit MEP line, including "Ask Jay" and regularly hosts screencasts and tips and tricks videos.

Introduction

When it comes to creating construction documents in Revit MEP, this can sometimes become a challenge to get them to look the way our standard AutoCAD Construction Documentation looks. And it is simple things like the when you line up the printed versions of the floor plans, they don’t always match up well. With a few tips and tricks you will learn in this session, you will have the ability to create consistently organized construction documents.

Guide Grids

We will explore how to leverage these features to help use create consistently organized sheets.

  • Definition of Guide Grids - You can add guide grids to sheets to align views so that they appear in the same location from sheet to sheet.

1.Guide Grids

  1. In a sheet View create a new Guide Grid. The tool can be found on the View Ribbon.
  2. Give it a new name, define the Grid Spacing, move and crop the Guide Grid to fit within the graphics area of the sheet’s borders.
  3. Align your views and annotations like view titles to the Guide Grid making note of which Guide Grid intersections are being used.
  4. When you are finished with the Guide Grid and no longer wish to display it, DO NOT DELETE IT! Simply choose to use <None>.

Guide Grid is located in the View Ribbon, in the Sheet Composition Panel.

Scope Boxes

We will explore how to leverage these features to help use create consistently organized sheets.

  • Definition of Scope Boxes – A Scope Box is a cropped region that you can save to the entire project and can be reused from view to view.

1.Scope Boxes

  1. In any plan view create a new Scope Box. The Scope Box tool can be found on the View Ribbon.
  2. Make sure that the visibility is on for the Scope Box annotation category and select it to give it a new name.
  3. Instead of using the Crop View feature make it a habit to use Scope Boxes instead. Turn on the Scope Box in the View Properties by defining the Scope Box name and select the desired cropping options.
  4. Use this same Scope Box on subsequent plan views to get consistently cropped views especially in cases where you have different disciplines like Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Piping.

Scope Box is located in the View Ribbon, in the Create Panel.

View Templates

We will explore how to leverage these features to help use create consistently organized sheets.

  • Definition of View Templates – A view template is a collection of view properties, such as view scale, discipline, detail level, and visibility settings, that are common for a view type (such as plan or elevation). You specify the value for each property in the template.

1.View Templates

  1. In any view, edit the view settings as necessary. The View Templates tool can be found on the View Ribbon.
  2. To define a template from your current view settings, choose the “Create Template from Current View.”
  3. It will be a good idea to create a different template for all of your different disciplines, (HVAC, Plumbing, Piping, Electrical, Life Safety...)
  4. To apply the settings to a new floor plan of a particular discipline, simply use the “Apply Template to Current View” tool and select the appropriate discipline.

View Template is located in the View Ribbon, in the Graphics Panel.

Construction Documentation

We will explore how to leverage these features to help use create consistently organized sheets. Use a combination of these techniques to create sheets for construction documentation.

1.Construction Documentation

  1. Use View Templates to consistently organize your views.
  2. Use Guide Grids to locate your views on the same spot on a sheet easily.
  3. For sheets that have been split into sectors, use a combination of Guide Grids and Scope boxes together to line up your views on the same spot on the sheet.

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