Revit MEP Spaces to Navisworks Clash Detective

[dennis]

Scenario:  I was working thru a Revit MEP model, layout of Spaces in both Occupied and Plenum areas, heading toward Loads Analysis.  I kept seeing in the Loads app that I had overlapping Spaces.  I could not find the overlap, so I thought, Export the Spaces (new 2013 feature) and run a Clash, then I would see exactly.  Trial and error on the Export, but finally got the Spaces over.  Very nice.  Then my OMG moment, they won't clash.  I even tried moving one Space well into another Space, made individual SelectionSets out of each and tried to clash the selection sets, but alas, no clash was found even though I was looking right at the clash.

Am I missing anything, I hope????

FYI findings:

Spaces:

Exporting from Revit to NW: 1) Still needed to have a 3D view up even if I picked "Entire Project" to export.  When I didn't do that, the first floor spaces came into NW flat, while the second floor Spaces came in correct.  2) Exporter took for ever to export and all my RMEP model had in it was the Spaces.

NW Reading directly the RMEP Model: Again I used "Entire Project", went much faster and all came in fine...they just won't clash with one another.

[john.lipp]

Hi dennis


To convert spaces you’ll need export from Revit 2013 (Revit 2012 ignores spaces when exporting) with Entire Project set in the exporter or open a RVT with Entire Project selected in the File Reader options.  Exporting NWC files from non-3D views results in issues.

Regarding the time, perhaps the other settings are different in the exporter than that from the RVT file reader.  If you have convert element properties marked in the exporter and not in the reader, this would explain the difference in load time.

Regarding the spaces not clashing, I found this as well, and I believe it is due to the size of the spaces and the number of triangles that make them up (only 12 total).

If you set the clash test type to hard conservative do the spaces clash? 

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Navisworks/Clash-Distance-incorrect/m-p/3050368/highlight/tru...

This setting is available in the 2013 release regardless of the Developer > Internal Properties setting.


Best regards,



John Lipp
Support Specialist
Product Support
Autodesk, Inc.

[dennis]

Thanks for the heads up on the Hard(Conservative).  I finally got the Spaces to Clash when I changed the standard way I set the rules.  I usually check "Items in same group/block/cell", which in experimenting, I unchecked and then the clash showed up under both the normal Hard and the new Hard(Conservative).  Kinda odd huh?!

I have attached my NW model as an NWD if you would like to look at the clash.

[john.lipp · Accepted solution]

Hi dennis, 


As you are using the RVT file reader, when you open the file, the selection tree structure will be based off of the "collapse on convert" setting in the options, which by default is set to composite objects.  When set to this, there won’t be an individual space object with geometry item beneath for your spaces.  Instead, all the space geometry items reside under the Spaces collection, which is why Clash Detection is ignoring the results when that ignore rule is active.

You can either :

 - Unmark this rule,

 - Export to an NWC from Revit rather than import the RVT files directly, which won’t collapse these space objects,

 - Click Application Button > Options, expand Model > Performance and change the Collapse on Convert setting to None.  Then Home > Project > Refresh to reload the RVT files with the new setting.

Please let me know if this resolves the issues


Best regards,



John Lipp
Support Specialist
Product Support
Autodesk, Inc.

[dennis]

Click Application Button > Options, expand Model > Performance and change the Collapse on Convert setting to None.

That did it.  And I like that better than changing the settings for my Rules.  Thanks John.