Fall in the factory brings new feature announcements and demos. Features are put through their paces and refined as needed and time allows. A lot of this work will become visible in the upcoming beta so its a good time to turn back on the released product and share some tips and workflows. Why let the other Revit blogers post all the neat tips and tricks?
Somewhere on the mile long list of "wouldn't it be cool if Revit..." are exploded axon drawings.
I can imagine a setting dialog that controls how items separate from their parent elements (windows out of wall, walls off floors ect..) and some in-canvas controls to specify the separation. You would enter the mode and then drag a control to see the structure produce a refabricating architecture - like image right before your eyes. Very revity and awesome....in my mind.
So given this feature does not exist outside my mind what can Revit do now? Impossible or Possimpible?
Below are the basic steps for creating an exploded axon:
1. View Creation
- First create a base view
- Duplicate this base view for each logical group of elements you want to dislocate.
- Name these views for the logical groups
2. Isolate Elements
In each special view select and isolate the group of elements you want to dislocate.
3. Make Isolation Permanent
- In the Temporary Hide/Isolate menu on the View Control bar choose Apply Hide/Isolate to View.
- Repeat this for each duplicate view you created.
4. Create a Viewport type
Create a viewport type that matches the settings shown below (no title or extension line). Be sure to make a new type and name it so you don't mess up other drawings or confuse other team members.
5. Assemble views on Sheet
- Drag the views onto a sheet in the desired sort order. (Revit does not currently allow Bring to Front/send to Back for viewports)
- make sure each view uses your new viewport type
- Add dashed Detail lines as needed
et Voila!
In the example above I used graphic overrides in one of the views to dim the house. You can also use section boxes to cut out and separate parts of a model.
I am sure others have tried this and have other tips so please share them. In theory this would work in a perspective view too but it would be tricky to get the relative camera positions to match.
_erik
OK, so... that is AWESOME!
Posted by: Erik | December 05, 2009 at 10:53 AM
I have seen this used a few times, while it is nice, the biggest lacking feature to really make this accessable is tags in 3D views. For a house this might work but high end detail structures and any movements requires reworking.
Posted by: Adam Sheather | December 07, 2009 at 12:34 AM
We've been making the occasional exploded 3d view this same way with Autocad for years. What is missing is some additional Revit-ness: access to object data in 3d views. I think one of the really big potentials for BIM in general is in providing a lot more 3d views, especially of details, but until they can be annotated efficiently, that won't happen.
I envision a way to lock the extents of a 3d view. Only in that state would one be able to tag and keynote; dimensions would be place-able on an active workplane. If the view extents were unlocked and then changed, then the annotations would be left in their old position relative to the viewport, but orphaned from their objects, since it seems too much to ask for them to automagically reposition themselves in a cogent fashion given how much the view could change.
Posted by: Joel Osburn | December 08, 2009 at 12:47 PM
I've done this on a few projects over the past few years. Here is an example: http://is.gd/5xTLU
I use a similar approach and take it even further for documenting by placing empty drafting views over the top of the 3D views and adding text, lines, symbols, etc.
Its a tedious process but looks great.
Posted by: TroyGates | December 22, 2009 at 07:14 PM