Revit UK Electrical Content - Trunking

[andymp2000]

As a long term AutoCAD and AutoCAD MEP user (UK based), I am trying to persuade myself to move across to Revit MEP. Now I know there are loads of requests on here and other forums for better UK content and I have to agree, however, due to the nature of my work most of what I would need to draw would require custom content anyway. 

But, please please someone help me with trunking - I am amazed that this is not included and after quite a lot of searching I don't seem to be able to find any online. 

Any help would be much appreciated. This is probably the main thing holding me back on making the jump. 

[Anonymous]

Conduit is circular as are the connectors available within the category, from what I have found so far.  For rectangular trunking you can use cable tray which is similar to duct and comes in as an enclosed box.  You are then able to set up a type for trunking to allow differentiation between cable tray and trunking

[andymp2000]

Tim.

As an electrician myself, I know the differences between conduit/tray/trunking very well. The problem with using tray in Revit is that when you switch to 'fine' detail, it is obviously not trunking. The type of fittings (pre-fabricated bends) typically used in the UK for trunking are different to that used with tray and/or basket.

AutoCAD MEP has trunking (called raceways) but the lack of such a widely used product in the UK is a real disadvantage.

This is something that Autodesk UK should address urgently (along with the overall general lack of UK electrical content).

There must be other UK users that have come up against this problem and found a solution? Please!

[Anonymous]

Found this site

http://www.monosystems.com/

They have raceways which have been built as electrical equipment and are built as imperial but may give you a start

[andymp2000]

Thanks for that Tim - not bad, but not quite what I am after.

From what I have read, the trays/baskets etc are system families and cannot be edited, I suppose I could create a new 'type' and somehow limit the view of this type to be 'medium detail' only, the graphical representation then looks like trunking.

Anyone??

[Anonymous]

Although I have many years of experience in the electrical industry, I am not familiar with your term 'trunking'. Could you elaborate? 

[andymp2000]

[alan_skipper]

How did you get on Andy, I see no one answered you after this post.

I've been saying that there is no UK content in AutoCAD MEP for years and it would seem that there is none in Revit either.

Cheers

[andymp2000]

Nothing Alan - still having to use tray and tag it accordingly.

To be honest, still struggling to make the switch from AutoCAD MEP to Revit...

I am not too bothered about general electrical content, as most things can be downloaded/modified or created from scratch, but the trunking thing really gets me annoyed!

Is there anyone from Autodesk listening to your UK users?!?!?

[alan_skipper]

I'm left wondering how the large UK companies manage? I understand that they have teams of programmers re writing the software?

I'm just a one man band who caters for a number of small electrical contractors that do not have their own drawing offices. I am an an electrical engineer not a software writer.

When I spend a few thousand pounds and then 7-8 hundred pounds every year on something I expect it to do at least the basics with UK content (since that how it is sold).

Fortunately (although I have AutoCAD MEP) 3D models are not a major part of my work so I generally use it in it's AutoCAD form.

The majority of my work is to produce paper working drawings which the electrician will take on to site, nail it to the wall and then install from it; I've yet to see an electrician with a laptop in his tool box looking at 3D models.

I haven't decent paper drawings produced from MEP.

Cheers

[Anonymous]

On a test project I created custom trunking bend / connection families to work with the standard cable trays, so the drawing would look reasonable.  Still need to go back sometime and finish then off and fix some errors.  Let me know if you want these but please bear in mind that they are not finished properly and may not work well.

Cable trays cannot be placed horizontally against walls, or opening down on u/s of slabs.  Revit is really quite poor in it's ability to do electrical work and not that much better in mechanical use.  Revit MEP is generally not fit for purpose but we are being forced to use it for some of our projects, at considerable cost to us.

Currently I am trying to setup our company standards to be able to create electrical drawings in Revit.  The UK content does not exist so it is all being created for our internal use.  This is a slow process and many bodges needed to get anything to be reasonable on a drawing.

We still do all our electrical drawings in AutoCAD and would prefer to keep it that way.

[alan_skipper]

Mike

Thanks for the offer but I haven't made the jump to Revit MEP yet and probably won't do until they get the E in MEP.

I'm afraid that if I do make the jump I won't have anything to land on.

It's been a while since I spoke to my "reseller", maybe a year ago, and he said at the time that Revit MEP was considerably lacking in the electrical discipline, it looks like things haven't change much.

I don't understand why they don't contact a UK electrical containment manufacturer and get this sorted out.

Skipper

[Anonymous]

Same problem here, we really need a trunking family, and a basket family.

Also the conduit families the bends are way over the top.

[Anonymous]

Just thought I would chip in. I've just been on a Revit MEP 2014 course and can confirm that nothing has changed! Revit still can't do trunking along with the following: dado trunking, lighting switch lines, legends are not self populating or alternatively schedules can't add symbols or product images and it cannot produce schematics. I may be wrong but these were what the tutor advised. I had my reservations prior to using the software and as far as I can see, I wasn't wrong. AutoDesk have clearly forgot the "E"!! Does anyone from Autodesk think to speak to the UK electrical designers???

[alan_skipper]

AutoDesk have NEVER spoken with UK electrical engineers, which I find absosutely mind boggling since they have a main office in Farnham.

There is and looks like there will never be any E in MEP?????????

Over to you AutoDesk.

Alan

[Anonymous]

It seems that everybody here in forum questioned the credibility of Revit MEP, me personally had also problem regarding this cable trunking

Do you think there is no other way that tha manufacturer resolve this issues.

[andymp2000]

Well it's nearly time for Revit 2015, maybe - just maybe......

[Anonymous]

Don't think actual trunking family has been added in 2015.

Could really do with Dado trunking as well and ceiling void trunking.

[Anonymous]

Yes some dado trunking would be good in addition to standard trunking, frustrating.

[JA4EK]

Hi

I've used this Legrand trunking:

https://mepcontent.eu/Product/Detail/18634

It works pretty well but only with their pre-set sizes… although I’ve managed to change size to match MK Dado trunking 57x170 I’ve spend almost two days changing the code within each fitting etc…

Looking at this it is obvious that you can create your own ‘generic’ type trunking family

But so far I’ve lost another two days trying and not all is working as it should…

Here is the Legrand stuff:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/83hmgy8yn4b5itb/AABr2RJ9LnXqvaIjj1Wk3xKza?dl=0

and my work in process generic version:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ox7tk862fk8n2lo/AAD2djRyXai9M5VCdtFjDmOfa?dl=0

If somone out there can make it work please send us link….