Justin Ribble, LEED AP, Associate AIA, B’Arch ’03 joins us for a conversation about a number of great three letter acronyms:  CAB, CSE, IDP, AIA, ARE, ACE, and BIM.

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Show Notes

Site News

• New Facebook Fans
  • Monica Shahrokhfar
  • Greg Wynn

• Tim’s big adventure with the CAB
  • A Big thank you to Elise Drakes and Mark Drwyer
  • What are the CAB offices like?
    • Shout out to Erin, receptionist at the CAB
    • Number of employees in the CAB office
  • Why do commissioners volunteer to give the oral exam?
    • They care about the profession
    • Free Food!
  • Shout out to Lily Dong!
  • What about loosing the oral component of the test?
    • Can IDP add it?
  • Pass rate of the California Supplemental Exam (CSE)
    • Haley has some numbers!
      • 2006-2007 –  1,082 candidates – pass rate = 47%
      • 2007-2008 – 901 candidates – pass rate = 50%
      • 2008-2009 – 1,043 candidates – pass rate = 48%
      • 2009-2010 – 838 candidates – pass rate = 51%
    • Tim thinks the pass rate is fair given his understanding of the process
  • Are Californian architects better than other architects from other states?

General News

• THE SIX-MONTH RULE
  • By the time you’re probably listening to this, it’s probably in effect, so get informed and get to logging those IDP hours!!
  • Due to system performance under severe volume pressure the reporting deadline for the Six-Month Rule has been extended to Friday, July 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The e-EVR is operating at full capacity. Please be patient as you may encounter lengthy response times. It is strongly recommended that you continue to be diligent in your efforts to access the e-EVR during off-business hours.
  • http://ncarb.org/

Rapid Fire Questions:

• Cal Poly or Berkeley? Cal Poly
• Autocad or Revit? urgh… Revit
• Parallel bar or T-Square? T-square
• Facebook or LinkedIn? Facebook
• Arch Record, Arch Digest, or Architect? Record
• Drafting dots or tape? tape
• Yellow trace or white? yellow… only communists use white
• Ad Markers or Prisma? Ad
• Pen or Pencil? pen, all the way
• Mac or PC? both… Mac for home, PC for work
• What’s the Meaning of Life? FUN (to enjoy the time that you have while you’re still here)

SCORE: 746

Interview

• Who are you?
  • From Oregon, decided to see the world and rather than go to Univeristy of Oregon he decided to go to Cal Poly.
  • San Luis Obispo was actually like his hometown, so the adjustment was good.
  • He finished in 6 years, and is glad that he took the time to enjoy his senior year rather than hurrying up to finish and get out.
  • He was able to work in a few offices before he , so when he needed to find a “real job in the real world” he was able to apply those past experiences.
• He has felt disconnected in the years since graduation?
  • When he found sloarch.com, after searching for a Revit question, he was happy to have a place to feel more connected.
  • He’s only a few hours away from SLO and feels that he should get back and get involved.
  • It’s interesting since it is a larger program and students move all over the place after graduation, so having a chance to reconnect and get back into the network being created is a really good thing.
• He’s worked with a lot of Cal Poly grads.
• He spent his 4th year in the east coast program:
  • While here in CA, you can almost always find a Cal Poly grad in a firm, on the east coast it was “Cal Poly what?”
  • Living outside of D.C. and Alexandria makes you feel the political pressure in the area, so there is more competition and rivalry in all aspects of life let alone the program you come from.
  • It was a great experience, he was able to step outside and feel a part of programs outside Cal Poly, which was a great experience since it gave him persepctive.
  • The diversity of professors at the program, where they came from and their specialties was great.
  • It was nice to see how other schools teach design.
• Why stay in CA after graduation?
  • Looking back he wanted to get back east, it’s a great place to live but it’s hard to afford it.
  • Sacramento was a good market and affordable.
  • While there are parts of Oregon that he misses he feels that he has experienced all he could for the time being there, so he’s happy in Sacramento for the time being.
  • Oregon is to California as Sacramento is to San Francisco, to put it in perspective.
• Working towards licensure?
  • Doesn’t have to complete IDP, so he’s happy about that.
  • Took his first exam about a year or so ago, then work got really busy and it was hard to come home after a long day and study, so recently he’s getting back into studying, taking ARE study classes at the local AIA Chapter.
  • The goal is to take 4 exams between now and September.
  • The firm he works at currently is really supportive about professional development. Use this time to do what you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have time, to become better.
• ACE Mentoring, how is he involved?
  • It’s one of those things that he always wanted to do, mentoring high school students about what the profession is and what a career in the building industry is really like.
  • Pay it forward a bit.
  • He’s learned a lot about how others view our field, their perception of “architects” and what they do.
  • Exposing students to the multidisciplinary aspect of our profession as well as the professional and office conduct that you need to know to be a professional.
• Strong feelings about Autodesk??
  • His office recognizes that Revit is the direction to go, so they’re in the process of transitioning everyone to Revit one by one and they’re currently working on their first Revit project.
  • After going to an outside training session there was a need to develop their own way to use Revit based on the type of high end design and modern work his firm does.
  • His biggest gripe is the license process and releases, having to re-up every year isn’t sustainable or do-able, especially right now with the economy.
  • He’s slowly prying himself away from Sketchup and CAD.
  • He recognizes how powerful Revit is and how you can make it do what you want it to do… as long as you keep up your subscription.
  • Transistion is always slow and has it’s hang ups and resistance.
  • Revit is changing the role of the “CAD drafter”.
  • On the flip side, students now are learning Revit, and by the time they become employees think of the change the profession will have seen.

Somer Scott, Cal Poly class of ’05, LEED AP, puts up with Tim’s new sound cart and shares with us her perspective on working with large corporate firms.  We mourn the loss of a Cal Poly student and discus the new LEED accreditation program.

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Show Notes

Site News

Big thanks again to Henri, he’s listening to the show!

Cal Poly News

• Cal Poly student killed on Highway 101 Sunday
  • http://mustangdaily.net/cal-poly-student-killed-on-highway-101/
  • Industrial engineering junior Matthew Hurlbutt (21) was killed on the first southbound lane of Highway 101 early Sunday morning.
  • Investigators are still trying to determine why he was walking on the freeway
• Follow up regarding the Hearst Lecture Series
  • http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2010/January/hearst.html
  • The free public lectures are made possible through a grant from the Hearst Foundation
• Hearst Lecture, April 9th, 2010, at 4:00pm Business Rotunda, Room 03-213:
  • Andrea Ponsi, Andrea Ponsi Architect
  • (Sorry we called “him” a “her”)
  • For additional information, visit Andrea Ponsi’s web page:
    • http://www.andreaponsi.it/home_content.html
• Alpha Rho Chi sponsors Portfolio workshop
  • Berg Gallery
  • Saturday, April 10th, 12-5pm
  • Lunch will be provided

• Next week is National Architecture week
  • http://www.designtaxi.com/news.php?id=31326&page=2
• April 14th event at Eve Lounge, on Howard st, 6:00
  • email him if you want more info: adam at mayberryworkshop.com

• D.C. architect Paul Devrouax led the way for black firms
  • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/27/AR2010032702914.html
  • Diversity and Inclusion in the AIA
    • http://aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAS078656?dvid=&recspec=AIAS078656
• Not Architecture but a great CalPoly success Story
  • Follow-Up File: Franchisee sees refreshed Jamba Juice
  • http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/03/27/1082749/follow-up-file-franchisee-sees.html

• California solar projects rush to beat deadline for subsidies
  • http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2010-03-31-californiasolar31_CV_N.htm
  • http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/san-francisco-approves-major-solar-project/
  • http://sfmayor.typepad.com/sf_mayor/2010/04/-construction-underway-at-sunset-reservoir-solar-project-nearly-5000-solar-panels-installed-todate-.html

• Growth of Unpaid Internships May Be Illegal, Officials Say
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/business/03intern.html?pagewanted=1&src=mv
  • SUMMARY: Federal and state enforcers of labor regulations are taking a harder look at unpaid internships with the suspicion that many of them are little more than attempts to extract free labor from willing workers, reports Steven Greenhouse. There are six federal legal criteria to meet before it is permissible to offer an unpaid internship—not least is a requirement that the employer “derives no immediate advantage” from the arrangement. A Stanford University career center director says he sees signs that the number of unpaid internships is ballooning.
• PGE Classes that Haley attended
  • http://www.pge.com/mybusiness/edusafety/training/pec/classes/

Interview:

Rapid Fire Questions

• Cal Poly or Berkeley? Cal Poly
• Autocad or Revit? Revit
• Parallel bar or T-Square? Parallel bar
• Facebook or LinkedIn? Facebook
• Arch Record or Arch Digest? Record
• Drafting dots or tape? Dots
• Yellow trace or white?… or BLUE?? White
• Ad Markers or Prisma? Ad Markers
• Pen or Pencil? Pencil
• Mac or PC? PC

Final Score: Kake — the yummiest score so far

Interview Questions

• What is she up to?
  • Anything and everything she didn’t have time or money for in college!
  • Hired at KTGY in Orange County after graduation, part of the huge convoy of Cal Poly ’05 grads, she thinks there were 50-60 new hires that year, maybe half were from Cal Poly and of different disciplines.
    • She was hired into a design position, doing mulit/single family, did a lot of site and urban design, planning, then moved to more high end design.
    • She left in ’07
  • After a road trip with her sister from Huston to LA she found herself learning Revit in an effort to get employed.
  • Now with HOK in Culver City doing Medical Design, Healthcare planning. She does some limited travel to project sites.
    • HOK taught her how to use Revit and made it possible for their employees to get LEED accredited.
    • After three years at HOK, you’re given the opportunity to transfer to other HOK offices.
    • Last year HOK did a three month employee exchange between New York and Los Angels
• What’s her insight after working in a few large firms?
  • They’re all different, whether it’s size or being part of a corporation.
  • But starting out in a smaller firm, with internships, allows you to get that breadth of practice.
  • There are a lot of trade offs either way you go.
• Revit becoming part of employment requirements for grads and students
  • Should Revit be part of the education curriculum?
    • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/programs/undergraduate.html
    • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/programs/documents/flowchart-0911rev3.pdf
• How has she used her LEED knowledge
  • How are Clients reacting to the LEED process
  • Most clients are asking for it, they’re seeking the certification
• currently working towards licensure? progress?
  • In process of IDP and has yet start her exams
• Is there something you wish you had done or known when you were still at Cal Poly?
  • Wishes she had been made aware of licensure
  • Take the AREs structural portion right out of school
• What kind of advice can you give to current Cal Poly students?
  • Learn how to draw!!
  • Enjoy the classes that aren’t architecture related as well
• Somer gives us some questions to ponder:
  • Tim: His goal was to get licensed… now what?
  • Haley: After school, it was hard trying to figure out what to and how to start that new set of goals after graduation

• We’re interested in hearing from Cal Poly Architecture grads that have left the profession
  • Has their background helped them?
  • What fields did they migrate to?

Alexander Tsai, Cal Poly class of  ’98, Associate AIA, Regional Associate Director for AIA California Council and good friend of Haley gives Tim a lesson on the importance of The American Institute of Architects and joins in a great conversation.

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Show Notes

Site News

• 6 new fans on Facebook
• Email from Somer

Cal Poly News

• 2009-10 Hearst Lecture Series – Spring 2010 Integrated Practices.
  • “Under the directorship of Prof. Mark Cabrinha, the College has been fortunate to draw to campus a number of distinguished guest speakers who have shared their knowledge with students, faculty, and guests. Please mark your calendar, and we hope that you will be able to join us this quarter and enjoy several of the lectures.”
  • Elena Manferdini: Atelier Manferdini, Friday, April 2nd, 2010, 4:00pm, Business Rotunda (03-213) For additional information, visit Elena Manferdini’s web page.
  • http://www.ateliermanferdini.com/
• Alpha Rho Chi sponsors Portfolio workshop
  • Berg Gallery
  • Saturday, April 10th, 12-5pm
  • Lunch will be provided

Other News/Topics

• Revit 2011 new features
• Autodesk Assistance Program Extended through Jan 31 2011
  • http://www.autodesk.com/assistance
• Architects float prison-in-the-sky idea
  • http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20000681-1.html
• Why there isn’t a market for modern homes?
  • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032600029.html
• What Next: Skyscrapers
  • http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126890098467863863.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
• Old-school architect creates an iOpener
  • http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/88796897.html

Rapid Fire Questions… maybe not so rapid

• Cal Poly or Berkeley? Cal Poly
• Autocad or Revit? Revit
• Parallel bar or T-Square? T-Square
• Facebook or LinkedIn? both
• Arch Record or Arch Digest? both… or record
• Drafting dots or tape? dots
• Yellow trace or white? yellow
• Ad Markers or Prisma? primsa
• Pen or Pencil? both
• Mac or PC? PC

Score: 90080-02
Alex questions the philosophical reasoning behind our Rapid Fire Questions… so perhaps he is the ultimate winner?

Interview

• What’s your story?
  • born and raised in Taiwan, moved here when he was 13
  • went to Cal Poly, graduated and opened his own practice in the bay area.
• Currently serving as the Regional Associate Director (RAD) for the AIA California Council, he was also the first Associate member to sit on the AIA California Chapter Board of Directors, and has also sat on the Board for AIA San Francisco and been the chair of BAYA (Bay Area Young Architects).
  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BAYA/
  • BAYA – Bay Area Young Architects on Facebook
• His Rad position means that he currently serves on the AIA National Associates Committee (NAC) representing the Associates of California at the National level of the AIA.
  • http://www.aia.org/professionals/groups/nac/AIAS078702
  • As the California RAD he also sits on the Council of Advisors for the AIA CC Academy for Emerging Professionals (AEP) along with Haley.  The AEP brings together Emerging Professionals in California in various career stages; students, interns pursing licensure, or perhaps not pursuing licensure; and architects licensed in the past 10 years.  This group offers cross mentorship.
  • http://www.aiaccaep.org/
• What brought him to AIA?
  • He wasn’t involved in the AIA until later in his career
  • While at Cal Poly he was the vice chair of the CAED council at Cal Poly but not really involved with the AIAS.
  • After Cal Poly he started his own business and it got lonely as a sole practitioner, so he got involved with BAYA to help start a network and from there he started getting more and more involved.
  • He started to realize there are many resources that the AIA offers, and wanted to get involved.
  • The AIA isn’t perfect, that’s why he’s involved to help change it!
• How does he keep in touch with the needs of Associates in California?
  • The main source of information is the AEP
  • We have a network throughout the state that helps gives us information through all of the local chapters
  • The AEP works to develop this network so members in those various career stages of Emerging Professionals feel that their membership is of value and their needs are represented accurately.
• We put Tim on the spot!!!  Why has Tim never been involved with the AIA, and what would be the reasons for him to get involved?
  • There are events you can attend for free
  • All recent Cal Poly (or Arch. Program) graduates get a free Associate AIA membership for 1 year and entry into the National Convention
  • Networking, meeting people locally in your profession
  • Fellowship and commradory with other professionals
  • Advocacy, not only for AIA members but all Architects, on state and national issues
  • Public awareness and outreach
• Is there something you wish you had done or known when you were still at Cal Poly?
  • Don’t dwell in the past, it distracts from the now!  – a quote from one of Alex’s favorite movies, “The Incredibles.”
• What kind of advice can you give to current Cal Poly students?
  • Encourage them to get out of the studios, get out and look around, it’s important to have a full and complete college education and experience, get involved with student council and sports, it’s important to broaden your horizons with things outside the world of architecture
  • While we sometimes travel in packs, it’s important to be able to communicate with those outside of the CAED
  • Get involved, even the best looking resume won’t necessarily get you the job, sometimes it’s the network you’ve built, how effectively you communicate and how plugged into your community you are
• AIASF.org has a jam packed calendar of events!!!

Happy New Year!  This is the first episode for 2010 and we are off to a great start.  Special guest Elise Drakes, B’Arch ’06 Associate AIA, talkes about healthcare Architecture and the ACE Mentor Program.  We discuss the rise of green buildings and the IDP program.

Be sure to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes and vote for us on Podcast Alley!

News:

• Doug Jackson – ARCH 481: Transformalism First Public Thesis Review Fri., Jan. 8 1:20 – 4:00pm 05-301
  • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/current/fifth-year.html
  • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/current/documents/prospecti-0910/jackson-09.pdf
• http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/news-events/index.html
  • The 6th annual vellum furniture competition sponsored by vellum desing build + the CAED is proud to announce that the DESIGN WITHIN REACH will host a reception on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 607 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA between 6:30 – 8:30pm.  http://www.dwr.com/category/find+a+studio/santabarbara.do
• Cal Poly Open House Announces Theme for 2010 Weekend, Set for April 15-17
  • http://calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2010/January/Open.html
• IDP 6 month rule
  • http://www.ncarb.org/Experience-Through-Internships/Maintaining-Participation/Six-Month-Rule.aspx
• IDP Units to hours
  • http://ncarb.org/Experience-Through-Internships/Intern-Development-Program-Overview/Training-Hours.aspx
• Half Of Non-Residential Buildings Will Be Green By 2015 -Study
  • http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2010/01/06/half-of-non-residential-buildings-will-be-green-by-2015-study/

Rapid Fire Questions:

Elise scores = 426,212 points

What’s Elise Up To?:

• After graduation she started working with a multi-residential design firm
  • Two years ago she started working at Taylor in New Port Beach
• Currently working towards licensure:
  • Going through IDP
  • Currently studying for Programming ARE
  • Licensure is a long process, it’s hard to find study time
• Is Healthcare “insulated” from the current economic state?
  • Every Firm, regardless of the type of the work, has had to make those tough decisions
  • The uncertainty of Health Care Reform is causing hospitals to cut back on spending
• Thoughts on Cal Poly grads out in the industry
  • LOVE Cal Poly!!
  • Cal Poly grads are “do-ers”
  • Architecture Program does a good job of integrating the many facets of our industry
  • It would have been nice to learn more about how to find the area of architecture you fit into and are passionate about
  • It’s sad to see students graduate and then not like what they are doing and leave the industry
  • Wishful thinking for more well rounded internships in different industry areas while being a student
  • While jobs are hard to find, don’t be discouraged if you can’t find a job in a firm, if you’re interested in Healthcare perhaps look to get a job related to nursing where you’ll be learning about the day to day operations of their work and operations
  • It could benefit students if a variety of internships were supported and suggested
• Taylor supports a number of “extracuricular” activities
  • Research on hospital design
    • the mammography suite of the future
    • long-term living
  • ACE Mentor Program
    • Using Legos to teach about RFI’s
  • Make a Wish Foundation
    • Room redo

Elise Interviews Haley and Tim

• Haley is involved with the AIA and NCARB and all grown up
• Tim got stuck in the housing crash and doesn’t have to do the IDP

We get sidetracked and talk about the IDP

• The IDP is a good idea, it empowers intern Architects

• For starters, subscribe to The Studio! This is our new weekly podcast by, for, about, and featuring CalPoly San Luis Obispo students and alumni!  Yeah, that’s right, we’re talking about you!
• Contribute to our new forums!  Have a Revit or AutoCad question?  Need help with the IDP?  Not sure what’s the best technique for creating a model that’s sure to get you noticed in studio?  Post a question and we”ll help you find the answer.
• Write for us!  We are looking for contributing authors.  If you have a report on a show in the Berg gallery, news on a Hearst lecture, a Revit tutorial, or want to promote your latest project, we want to hear from you!  If you are interested please contact us!

Don’t let Uncle Sam down,
contribute today and help out the Cal Poly Architecture community!

I think that Jeff has it backwards.  In my experience the newcomer to Revit wants to lock everything.  I think the initial instinct is to not trust Revit and just lock things down.  Later when this user tries to change something they get a string of messages telling them constraints aren’t met and they end up getting frustrated and removing all the locks anyway.

I’m sure Jeff would argue that the Revit Expert knows how to use locks properly.  I would agree that as you experiment with Revit you learn when to lock and when not to lock.  With Revit family creation that time is only as a last resort.

So what to do instead of locking?

1. Reference lines and planes:  Hosting and aligning geometry to reference lines and planes automatically creates a strong connection between them.  The link isn’t quite as strong as a lock, under some conditions it will detach.  But for most purposes it works just fine.  Align geometry to a reference plane and flex your model.  You’ll be surprised how often this works.  Carl Gibson has a great overview of the types of Reference lines.
2. Parameters:  Instead of locking a dimension to a fixed dimension assign a parameter to it.  Using parameters gives you flexibility to easily change things later, and more importantly it lets the user of the family know what’s going on inside it without having to edit the family.  For example, create a a parameter called Table Thickness and give it the formula 0′ 2″.  This tells the user that the Table is 2″ thick and locks it from changing.  Note that locking a parameter with a formula locks it across all types in the family.

Locking does have it’s place, but I always try to make a family work without locks first.

Still, you can build some functionality into your families to ensure that a value never exceeds a specified range or create warnings for the user of your family.

Lets start with a simple example.  In the plan view below I am showing a basic table.

Lets say in this example that we never want the table’s width to be greater than 1/2 the depth.  We have a few choices.

1. Don’t do anything
2. Display an error message for the user
3. Default to another value

Don’t do Anything

By default your parameters allow the user to input any value they want.  You can set up relationships between parameters using formulas but the results are still dependent on user entered values.

When creating families it’s good practice to set up the basic types that you expect the user  will need.  This will limit the amount they need to edit the parameter values.  Understanding when to use instance versus type parameters will also limit problems in the future and make the family easier to use.

A well designed family should be clear and easily understandable by someone other than the person who made it.  Some things I look for are:

• Model geometry is hosted to reference plans and lines that have meaningful names
• Well named parameters grouped under the appropriate categories
• Parameters are assigned to the geometry in a logical sequence
• Model and dimension locks are kept to a minimum

Even in a well designed family there will be times that a user will be confused as to why a model is breaking, or there are conditions that must be met to keep the model valid in the real world that must be maintained.  For example, a manufacturer won’t make a table longer than 8 feet long.  With the default model there is no way to tell the user that 8 feet is the maximum length or provide clarification as to why the model broke when value “x” exceeded value “y”.  So what can we do?

Display an Error Message

The easiest thing to do is to give the user a message.  Start by creating a text parameter, I placed my error message in the Text category so that it’s at the top of the Family Types browser.

Back to our example of not wanting the table’s width to be greater than 1/2 the depth.  To alert the user to this we create the following formula for our new text parameter.

=if(TableWidth > (0.5 * TableDepth), “TableDepth”, “OK”)

Notice how I am mixing parameter names, numbers and text strings?  Pretty cool right?  If our table with is greater then half the table depth then the user gets the message “TableDepth”.

Of course in the real world you give a more descriptive message like “Table width can not exceed half the depth”.  But I wanted to make sure the formula fit in my screen shots.

If the Width is less than half the Depth then the user gets a simple “OK” message.

I really like this technique.  You can create nested error messages to handle different scenarios too.

=if(TableWidth > (0.5 * TableDepth), “Table is too wide”, (if(TableWidth < (2′-0″), “Table width must be greater than 2 feet”, “OK”)))

Default to Another Value

The guys in my office will point out that this option can be annoying because it overrides the value the user inputs and may cause confusion.  Sometimes inputing a value out of range will break a model completely so this method is necessary to prevent that from occuring.  I recommend using this method in conjunction with the error message to let your users know what you did when they weren’t looking.

In order to build this functionality you need to add some complexity to how your family is structured.  In the examples above the parameters were directly linked to a piece of geometry.  We need to insert some logic between what the user inputs and what the model does.  To make this work we create an additional set of parameters.

The parameters under the Dimensions category are what the user modifies however the parameters under the Analytical Model are what actually control the geometry.

Now we have some flexibility to insert control logic.  We can now assign the following formula to TableWidthActual.

=if(TableWidth > (0.5 * TableDepth), (0.5 * TableDepth), TableWidth)

This formula checks the values the user entered for TableWidth and TableDepth.  If TableWidth exceeds half the depth then the formula ignores the user entered width and defaults to half the depth.  Otherwise the formula passes the user entered width through.  (NOTE:  The formula in the image below is incorrect)

The ability to control the values your users enter is powerful.  Use it with caution, and like I said earlier, creating an error message like this is helpful.

=if(not(TableWidth = TableWidthActual), “Your width was changed because it was too big”, “OK”)

If you have any questions leave them in the comments.  Thanks Faekk for the inspiration for this article.

Over the last couple days I’ve done some experimentation with creating 3d PDF documents.  Why PDF’s?  The only reason is because everyone is using them and knows what they are.  This is a benefit over the DWF format which requires the download of an additional viewer program.  (Autodesk True View or Design Review)  Being able to have a model embedded in a PDF that a client can open and manipulate is very appealing.  Multiple sheets could be set up with 2d images and 3d “live” models.

To get started I followed Tim  Huff’s post on “How to get Autodesk Revit models into Acrobat 3D version 8“.  I downloaded a demo version of Adobe Acrobat Pro Extended and gave it a try.  My results were very disappointing.

Here is why 3d PDF’s are not ready for use with Revit:

1. Even after following Tim Huff’s directions exactly I could not get the Print Screen key to capture a Revit model.
2. Importing a DWF into Acrobat worked, however with more complex models (an actual building with linked RVT files and design options) the building was exploded and scattered in 3 dimensions making it unusable.
3. Importing an IFC file worked, however Revit doesn’t exported linked RVT files in the IFC.  So you are limited once again to very simple models.
4. Navigation in a 3d PDF is not intuitive.  I was getting frustrated manipulating the model and trying to explain how to navigate to someone not familiar with 3d models would be nearly impossible.
5. Paying an extra couple hundred dollars per licence for the Extended version of Acrobat is a hard sell when Autodesk offers DWF creation for free.
6. Probably most importantly, the files size of a 3d PDF was substantially larger than a DWF file.  Depending on the model it was anywhere from 2 to 3 times larger.

I had high hopes for 3d PDF’s but for now we will be staying with the DWF format.  It’s a little inconvenient to require a client to download another program, but it’s much better than the time and cost required to make larger less functional (or unusable) 3d PDF’s.

I do some pretty advanced stuff with formulas, but we need to get the basics under our belt first.  Most of this post is from the Revit Help files.  To save you the trouble of looking it up, I’m putting it here.

Basic opperators:

Conditional Statements

Some Extra Stuff

• Revit allows you to use integers, decimals, fractional values, and parameter names in formulas.  You can enter dimensions in feet and inches just like you do in dimension strings.  Remember that parameter names are case sensitive.
• You can enter a value in a formula essentially locking it across all types.  This is an alternative to locking the dimension in the model.
• Instance and Type parameters can not be used in the same formula.

Initial Setup and Naming of Family Parameters

One thing that Eric didn’t cover in too much depth was naming and grouping of parameters.  I also use Eric’s programming syntax method for naming parameters except I usually capitalize the first letter.  It doesn’t make much difference really, I just like the look of it in my parameter list.  For example, “WindowTrimWidth” instead of “windowTrimWidth”.  Although Revit supports parameter names with spaces, I think having your parameters as one “word” makes writing formulas easier.

The first thing I do when setting up a new family is place all of my reference planes, dimensions and parameters.  I flex the model with the reference planes and make sure it works.  If it does then I’ll start modeling the geometry.

When I first add parameters I don’t write out the whole name for parameters that I know will involve some calculations.   Sometimes formulas can become quite complex:

if(and(LoopOne, LoopTwo), DepthDefault, if(or(LoopOne, LoopTwo),DepthDefault- DepthBikeLoop, Diameter))

Make one error in typing this out and you have a hard time debugging it.  I start with naming my parameters with shortened names like LO, LT, DD, etc.  This makes the structure easier to see.

if(and(LO, LT), DD, if(or(LO, LT), DD – DBL, D))

Once I know everything is working I rename the parameters and they are automatically updated in my formulas.

Grouping of Family Parameters

Currently Revit only allows us to categorize parameters in a set list.

• Analysis Results
• Analytical Model
• Constraints
• Construction
• Dimensions
• Electrical
• Electrical – Lighting
• Electrical – Loads
• Electrical Engineering
• Energy Analysis
• Fire Protection
• Graphics
• Green Building Properties
• Identiy Data
• IFC Parameters
• Layers
• Materials and Finishes
• Mechanical
• Mechanical – Airflow
• Mechanical – Loads
• Model Properties
• Other
• Phasing
• Photometrics
• Plumbing
• Rebar Set
• Slab Shape Edit
• Structural
• Structural Analysis
• Text
• Title Text

I’m glad that Revit doesn’t let us customize this list, it would just complicate things even more.  Eric reminds us to “choose a pertinent parameter group for your parameters,” but what does that mean?  Really, it depends on your office.  I would recommend creating a standard.

I discourage the use of the “Other” category because it ends up being a trash bin holding everything.  ”Dimensions” is obvious, but I only put parameters in this group that are relevant to the user of the family.  I use “Analytical Model” for any behind the scenes calculations or dimensions that the user of the model doesn’t need to bother with; unit conversions, dimension calculations to keep the model from breaking, etc.  I have also seen “Model Properties” used for this.  If I have toggles for the visibility of different components I put those under “Construction“, if I have a toggle for something that is graphical only, like in an annotation family, I put that under “Graphics“.

Tomorrow we will look at using formulas in families.