Enhanced Reinforced Concrete Detailing with GRAITEC Advanced PowerPack for Revit
Every year, more and more engineering companies take the step into the 3D modeling world and embrace Autodesk® Revit® as their software of choice, and create, design, analyze, and produce construction-based documentation using Autodesk Revit Structure.
So those who are using Revit to create a detailed model, maybe in steel or concrete, produce all the necessary drawings (plans, sections, elevations, details, etc.) in a 2D format from Revit. From these, the design team, client, contractor, and subcontractor construct.
When working on concrete structures, most engineering companies tend to export the information out of the model in 2D format and then, using a 2D detailing application, produce reinforced concrete drawings. So with this new era of BIM (Building Information Modeling) and with programs such as Autodesk Revit, we can now design and build a fully three-dimensional electronic model of a building or structure. So why are we not using the reinforcement detailing tools in Revit at the same time? You only have to look at all the new tools and enhancements Autodesk has made over the last three to four releases to see that there is great potential.
Why 3D Detailing
I used to spend a lot of time creating a model only to then spend even more time setting up all my 2D views to export into AutoCAD®. Once they were referenced in, I could spend the time detailing using a third-party application to detail the reinforced concrete. This was certainly a time-consuming process and something I wish I did not have to do.
If something changed on the project, I would have to repeat the process, update the model, export the views again, amend the external references in AutoCAD, and then adjust any necessary reinforcement to suit revised information before finally reissuing my drawings and schedules.
This was just creating twice as much work for me and the other members of the design team. We can still provide the information in a 2D format to contractors and fabricators in the form of drawings and bar bending schedules they require created directly from Revit.
Figure 1: Advanced PowerPack for Revit
Modeling the reinforcement in the 3D Revit model can only help reduce errors, save time, and eliminate waste either when you first create the detailed model or when it’s updated due to any design changes.
New Kid on the Block
We are hearing about more and more companies across the globe using Revit to detail reinforcement concrete structures and there is a new kid on the global block, Graitec (www.graitec.com), that is helping to enhance the rebar tools in Revit.
GRAITEC is a global Autodesk Platinum Partner that provides cutting edge technology solutions for improving customers’ business activities and design processes. A year ago, GRAITEC launched the Advanced PowerPack for Autodesk Revit. Packed with powerful tools and utilities to increase productivity and efficiency for Revit users across all disciplines in English, Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish and Romanian. Early this year, the tools where enhanced to include reinforcement tools.
The GRAITEC Advanced PowerPack for Autodesk Revit is available as a free trial and to purchase from the Autodesk Exchange App Store (https://apps.autodesk.com). A variety of subscription options can be purchased directly from GRAITEC. Any GRAITEC customers (who hold a current Revit product subscription with GRAITEC) can gain access to the PowerPack for free as part of their standard subscription contract.
This add-on to Revit should help reduce some of those repetitive tasks, enhance the functionality of Revit, and help you work more efficiently.
PowerPack Rebar Tools for Revit
There are more than 20 different tools for reinforcement available on the PowerPack ribbon. These tools allow for controlling the rebar visibility, copying rebar between elements, adding transversal distribution bars to beams, splitting rebar sets, trimming bars sets to the shape of the element it has been placed, and many more. To find out about all these tool check out http://www.graitec.com/en/pp_revit.asp
Figure 2: Reinforcement visibility
Rebar Visibility – Controlling the visibility of reinforcement can be a challenge, but this is made much easier with the Reinforcement visibility tool. This allows users to change the view’s visibility state in order to show reinforcement bars unobscured and/or as solids in 3D views, or to hide certain bars. This can be done for every type of reinforcement element such as rebar, fabric, area, and path reinforcement.
Copy Rebar – Placing reinforcement into a component such as a column, beam, or foundation can take some time. So when you need to do it multiple times over, that can take a large amount of time. The Copy Rebar tool allows users to select the rebar in an element, then copy it over to an identical or similar element that has no reinforcement assigned.
Transversal Distribution − When placing distribution bars into a beam within Revit, you can only add the bars either by fixed distance between them or the number of bars. So setting out to zone is a manual process. The Transversal Distribution tool speeds up productivity by automatically generating the transversal rebar sets with multiple spacing for linear elements. With only one command, the user has the option to quickly create different configurations of the transversal reinforcement in a cage.
Figure 3: Transversal distribution
Trim/Extend − Changes are always going to happen during construction. For example, a hole is drilled in the wrong place or something was missed and further holes or openings are required to a slab or wall. This is then going to affect your current reinforcement so amendments are necessary. These changes are made easier by the trim/extend tools. You no longer need to spend time adjusting bars and adding bars, you can just simply use the split rebar set and then the rebar to face tool. The bar bending schedule will automatically update. Area reinforcement can be easily stretched to fix an area. Openings in rebar sets or area reinforcement can be cut by the Cut Openings in Rebar Set and Cut Openings in Area, respectively.
More to Offer
The GRAITEC PowerPack has loads more to offer—it isn’t only for reinforced concrete detailing. It provides a suite of commands and functionality to increase productivity while working within Autodesk Revit.
Family Manager – One such tool is the Family Manager, which makes it easier to manage all your Revit families either on your local computer or across the company network. The families are listed in a simple tree format and further locations can be added at any time. The user can easily search, select, or filter the list to choose which families they wish to import into their project. This will reduce time users spend searching for their families.
Figure 4: Family Manager
Family Exporter − While working in a project you may have created some great new families or you loaded some manufacturer families you would like to add to your own library, but you can only select one or all the families using the out-of-the-box tools in Revit. GRAITEC has taken that tool and enhanced it a little bit further with the Family Exporter tool. This tool works in a similar way, but you can select all families and/or the types as well.
Auto Section Box − GRAITEC has made creating a section box a little bit better. You can still create a section like the Selection tool, but with added functionality the user can select which 3D view they wish to use and even duplicate it. An offset to the extends of the section box can also be added.
Dimension Annotations − There are also some enhanced tools for dimensioning in the PowerPack. These tools automatically generate dimension lines for overall dimensions, grids, external geometry, structural, and openings. Join dimension lines together and turn a line into a run dimension, crossing walls with quick dimensions.
The user can even configure which dimension style is to be used while using the Auto dimensioning, quick dimension, and join dimension lines tools.
Revit Template
One tip I would like to finish with: “Your model is only as good as the template you started with.” If you want to display the information as per your company standards, then you need a company template. If you continually start with a standard template from scratch, you are going to be spending unnecessary time setting up your project to suit your company standards—time that could be used more effectively elsewhere.
Having a good company template set up before you start work is worth its weight in gold and is really important. It is going to improve efficiency, quality, and consistency on your projects. Once the template is created, it can always be amended or updated accordingly when and where necessary.
Reinforced Concrete at AU2015
If you don’t know much about reinforce concrete detailing in Revit and would like to know more, then check out my class ES10883: Should We Move from 2D Detailing to 3D Detailing for Reinforcement Detailing? at the Autodesk University website (http://au.autodesk.com/). It should give you a better understanding.
