FABulous
More than ever, Autodesk is looking to connect the dots between nurturing ideas and making reality. For the MEP user, this has meant a steady progression toward fabrication workflows for HVAC. This includes the introduction to quite a few tools.
First in line is the Design to Fabrication tool. This tool allows generic Autodesk® Revit® MEP elements to be converted into a fabrication model, side-stepping the long-used method of redrawing. Users can simply select a group of ducting or piping system, and then pick the Design to Fabrication tool (Figure 1).
Figure 1
Revit will display a set of compatible services for the selected elements. Choose the appropriate service to convert the elements (Figure 2).
Figure 2
This version has some limitations with sloped duct and pipe. Accessories, terminals, equipment, dampers, and flex are not yet supported. Open ends and elevation changes for mains to run outs may also causes issues. It’s clear this is a first go, but it is a necessary step toward simplifying the fabrication workflow.
Once Fabrication parts are placed, parts can be merged and lengths can be optimized with the aptly named Merge Parts and Optimize Lengths tools.
The Route and Fill tool will route the required fabrication parts between two open connectors. Revit offers multiple solutions to make the connection; users can filter the available parts to refine the available solutions.
Tees, valves, dampers, and other inline equipment can now be added into runs, not just the ends, with the Insert Part tool (Figure 3).
Figure 3
The Connect as Tap tool allows any fabrication part to tap into a flat section of rectangular or oval duct.
Right-click on a fabrication part connector and select Quick Connect to route a connector on another fabrication part with a simple click and drag.
Fabrication parts now have an enhanced rotation tool, making three-dimensional rotations a whole lot more straightforward (Figure 4).
Figure 4
Mechanical Design Features
HVAC designers can now specify an ASHRAE table for tap junction fittings, making pressure drop calculations more accurate (Figures 5 and 6).
Figure 5
Figure 6
Ducts and wall display performance has been improved in two ways. First, by only regenerating walls and ducts that are visible on screen at any given time. Second, Revit now reduces walls and ducts to simplified lines when they are displayed very small on the screen.
A new parameter type has been added to address temperature change. A change in temperature will be represented by the parameter of type “Temperature Difference,” and is available to Electrical, HVAC, and Piping disciplines.
Electrical Design Features
On the Electrical side, users will no longer have to choose between “None” and the only distribution system that will function when placing a panel. If only one system will work, Revit will automatically select it. “None” will still be an option where there are multiple or no functioning systems available. While this is not a breakthrough feature by a long shot, it is a convenience that will be insanely easy to get used to.
Another electrical perk is the ability to define the default circuit rating of circuits and spares. If you don’t like 20Amps and 0Amps, just change the defaults in the Electrical settings dialog under “General.”
The most important electrical update is the ability to pick how to sum electrical power. In previous versions, Revit used varying methods to sum electrical power, which resulted in inconsistencies. The user will choose from a “Sum True Load and Reactive Load” method and a “Sum Apparent Load and True Load” method. Users that have complained about subpanel loads not equaling distribution panel loads will now have finer control over how Revit sums loads.
Platform Features
So things have not exactly burned up with strictly MEP updates, but there have been quite of few platform changes that will affect the MEP user. Most notably are the changes to the text editor. These have been long awaited and it wouldn’t be hard to find a mess of MEP folks willing to give up discipline advances for a decent text editor. So, what did we get? (See Figure 7)
Figure 7
For anybody who has ever tried to put a short specification on a sheet, or just had a very readable set of notes in Word that became a huge chunk of words in Revit, the Revit text editor has taken another step into multilevel lists. Bulleted and numbered lists were introduced previously, but now use the Tab key to create sublists to parent lists. The inverse can be done with a Shift-Tab combination. Shift-<Enter> can be used to add blank spaces between lists. The results can look something like the example below.
1. Top Level List
- Sub level list
- Sub level list
2. Top Level List
- Sub level list
- Sub level list
Subscript, Superscript, and convert to CAPs tools have also been added (Figure 8). These options should work fine for text entered on the screen, but users importing text from AutoCAD® should check the option to “Maintain Visual Fidelity” rather than “Maintain Editability.”
Figure 8
Worth noting is that this version of Revit has changed the way it measures text height to better align with AutoCAD. In the past, the distance was measured from the font base line to an ascender line. If you are confused you are not alone. The height of a font is now measured from the bottom to the top of a capital letter E. What does this mean to us? All text will change slightly. Upgraded text may change where it wraps and text may seem bigger or smaller. What happens is based off the font used, so keep an eye out for the differences.
Users can now create Calculated Parameters in tags by picking a discipline and creating a formula from the values in the tags’ category. Text, Yes/No, and numeric parameters can be used in the formula, allowing users to tag just about any calculated value.
You can pin tags and they will stay put when the tagged elements are moved. The leader will increase or decrease as required.
Tags will no longer relocate to the original location when the leader is switched, turned to On, Off, or Free End. It will also no longer change its shape when switched between Free End and Attached End.
There is now a search function inside the family types dialog that gets users to the parameter they need right away. For those who have been dealing with more and more complex families, having this search function is a real time-saver and a good habit to get into the more you hear the words BIG Data.
Parameters can also be combined in schedules using the Combine Parameter tool. A suffix, prefix, and separator can be added during the combination or added later (Figure 9).
Figure 9
View templates for schedules have been added (Figure 10). These will be highly intuitive to anyone who has used view templates in the past. In fact it is the same drill, just with schedule parameters instead of view parameters.
Figure 10
Revit will constrict users to only those parameters that can apply. That means if you try to apply a diffuser schedule template to a light fixture schedule, you will only be able to control parameters grouped under “Appearance” because the appropriate fields just don’t exist. Similar to view templates you can assign them and apply them to schedules. It might make sense to assign an Appearance template to all schedules, and then apply schedule-specific templates to individual schedules. In this way, if a style change is required per a client’s needs, it can quickly be assigned to a whole project without changing anything else.
I am personally excited about the ability to cancel prints in progress. When printing or exporting, Revit now provides a convenient “Cancel” button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Click it, tell Revit you are sure, and you are clear to make more changes and print again (Figure 11).
Figure 11
The filters dialog now has a tree structure that separates the Selection-based filters from the Rules-based filters (Figure 12). It might sound simple and not all that helpful, but my guess is that we will not want to go back after just a little bit of real use.
Figure 12
Global parameters have been introduced. Global parameters are project-level parameters that can be associated to dimensions and instance parameters. Think about global parameters as a family parameter that applies to a whole project. Find the new Global parameter tool in the Manage tab with Project parameters and Shared parameters.
What’s a use for a global parameter? There will undoubtedly be more than one initially thinks. For now think about when one element might drive another. You could set a global offset for the length pendant fixtures drop, then change them all at once, or associate the material of face plates to a global parameter to switch from ivory to off-white in a single step.
This go around Autodesk has made strides in text editing, usability, and fabrication. Years of steady steps continue this year and I am sure users will be excited to make the jump. This particular release includes some game changers in Global Parameters, Schedule Templates, and Fabrication strides. The way families are put together will change, standard procedures and best practices will change, and logos will change. Change is good, folks. Dive in and enjoy.
