Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
already has a wide range of 3D library components that may or may not
need to be parametric, so what would be the harm in importing those
objects into a family template of the correct category that is then saved as a
loadable Revit family? There are mixed opinions about this, especially when
companies have to invest substantially in extra development work. With the
bottom line speaking louder than it has for many years, a lot of companies
are preserving or reusing as much as they can, in the hope that doing so will
save them money. At the end of the day, it comes down to economics, but
(and point this out to your employer) invest wisely and spend the necessary
time on developing or purchasing your Revit library. The alternative is
reusing the existing 3D data, but this often has detrimental effects on the
project: file size, excessive complexity, and appearance all play their part in
slowing down your production.
DWGs from Verticals
AutoCAD verticals (such as Architecture, MEP, and Civil 3D) and Bentley
Architecture are object based, relying on additional object enablers to create
more functionality. This can lead to proxy objects, discussed earlier in this
chapter.
The way AutoCAD or MicroStation handles this intelligent information is to
give the user the ability to export to IFC. Exporting
DWG/i.dgn
elements
to IFC does work. Sometimes you even get real building elements when
this data is opened in Revit. However, exporting isn't perfect. Many times
the data is all there but can end up as in-place elements, which can be
inefficient.
SketchUp
There! We said it!
Yes, you can.
Why?
OK. OK! Say that someone has modeled the entire city block and
surrounding suburbs in Trimble SketchUp and you can import that model,
enabling you to perform sun studies. Later in the topic, you'll see how to do
exactly the same thing in Revit and have something useful in your project
file.
