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3D DWG (lines only) into Revit for use as path.

27 REPLIES 27
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Message 1 of 28
davidwilliamedwards
9548 Views, 27 Replies

3D DWG (lines only) into Revit for use as path.

Is it possible to import a 3D DWG (lines) to be used as a path for a sweep? I'm assuming (because I've found that it appears not to possible) that model lines must be assigned to a workplane and that "floating" 3D lines from a DWG aren't assigned workplanes and therefore can't be converted into Revit Model Lines.

 

David William Edwards

David William Edwards
Dave Edwards Consulting
27 REPLIES 27
Message 2 of 28

 

It is possible to utilize 3D forms or lines from a CAD file.  You should be able to use the “Pick Lines” tool and TAB select the CAD import as needed.  Make sure “Draw on Face” is active.  Also you can simply add lines with “3D Snapping” active to trace over any 3D points; no work plane required:
Thank you,

 

It is possible to utilize 3D forms or lines from a CAD file.  You should be able to use the “Pick Lines” tool and TAB select the CAD import as needed.  Make sure “Draw on Face” is active.  Also you can simply add lines with “3D Snapping” active to trace over any 3D points; no work plane required:


Video Example: http://screencast.com/t/nqEsIFxN14cI


Thank you,



Ryan Duell
Message 3 of 28

Is this only in the Conceptual Mass Families or v2011? (I'm on 2010.) None of the suggestions seem to work. Tabing on a CAD import just beeps. Drawing lines only creates lines on the active workplace. 3D Snapping doesn't work on lines, only points.

 

A lines-only DWG should be able to be brought into Revit, exploded and those lines used for whatever. Currently an explode collapses the lines to the current workplane. This is pretty basic.

 

David William Edwards

David William Edwards
Dave Edwards Consulting
Message 4 of 28

It should work in 2010 as well.  

 

A good approach is to utilize 3D snapping, which shoukld allow you to draw lines in Revit along any path you can snap to.  I did a quick example of this in the Revit 2010 video below:

 

Video Example: http://screencast.com/t/r3jgseALr

 

Thank you,



Ryan Duell
Message 5 of 28

My 27 years of CAD experience is failing me. 3D Snapping only is an option in an Conceptual Mass Family. Once selected only Reference points can be placed. If Pick Lines are used, the Lines are created on the current workplane. 

 

I give up... this should be a very simple procedure...

 

David William Edwards

David William Edwards
Dave Edwards Consulting
Message 6 of 28

a few years later.....is this possible yet as i need to model a tunnel, i can do this in other programs, like microstation really easily but i'm lost with revit... (i only have several months experience but cant get my head around this?)

Message 7 of 28
samu3
in reply to: davidwilliamedwards

I too would be interested in further discussion on this topic!

 

Thanks,

Samu

Message 8 of 28

I would also like to know if/how this can be done!

 

Too bad the video examples are gone...

 

Message 9 of 28

Hello,

 

I've imported a 3D DWG line into a generic adaptive family.  (on this 3dline where already placed several points annotated with there coordinates).

I've used the spline through points line in plan view and changed the z-coordinate for each point (offset in properties)

Now you can import the adaptive family in you project.

 

Andy Windey

Senior BIM designer

BESIX - BELGIUM

Message 10 of 28
samu3
in reply to: BIM-design

Hello all,

 

Thank you for the reply, Andy. It's just very time-consuming to manually change the z-coordinate when you are working with hundreds or thousands of points...

 

You would think that there's a way to automate the process. Anyone?

 

Samu

Message 11 of 28

I've tried to draw 'a spline through points line' in a 3d view and snapping to the points from the imported 3d dwg and it works.(in the generic adaptive family) so you only have to redraw the line !

But I didn't find a way to automate this process...

 

Andy Windey

Senior BIM designer

BESIX - BELGIUM

Message 12 of 28

...and several more years later, wouldn't you believe it...still a problem!! WTF Autodesk - this is pretty standard stuff. I've tried in-place mass, conceptual mass family, generic family....nothing works, all picked lines go to the current workplane. 

 

I too am wishing, simply wishing, to make tunnels. I want to pick the 3d lines from Autocad as a path and apply the tunnel profile. SIMPLE! Not!

 

Autodesk, how about a fix for this - 4+ years is long enough huh.

Cheers in advance

Message 13 of 28

I'm been told that this has to do with Revit's insistance that everything be hosted, including 3D lines which could be used as a path to create a Sweep which is not hosted. Go figure!

David William Edwards
Dave Edwards Consulting
Message 14 of 28

One more year............any solutions yet?? Or some kind of workaround? Need to use a 3D polyline from CAD

 

EDIT: painfull workaround: I managed to generate in autocad a 3D surface from EACH of the lines in the poly, then this planes can be set as the workplane in revit and then just use the pick lines tool, it gets the job done but is VERY VERY inefficient.

Message 15 of 28

I've found that 90% of the time you can insert the DWG file into the conceptual mass environment and pick up the end points and lines no problem. However 10% of the time Revit just won't pick up anything at all!

I use the following "intuative" workflow in those cases:

  1. Start a new project, insert your DWG file that describes the path
  2. Create a toposurface from this path (yes the path will traingulate, and yes it only works if the path isn't looping)
  3. Export the toposurface as a DWG from Revit 
  4. Make an in-place mass and insert (not link) the DWG file you just exported. Finish the mass
  5. Now if you make a component, and use the sweep tool, you can use Pick 3D Edges and it will pick up the edges of the in-place mass

 

Message 16 of 28
bridgeboy
in reply to: rromero

i got the same problem.i just  want to build a tunnel with a path which built in civil 3D. but the revit can not import the 3dline in a dwg file. Even the sketchup can import it very well. how stupid!!! 

Message 17 of 28
mpwuzhere
in reply to: bridgeboy

Revit can't see the 3D objects from civil3D, but, if you export out as lines which will have Z-Values Revit will see that.  It has been a wishlist item for quite some time for better interaction between Civil3D and Revit without a lot of workarounds.

Message 18 of 28
rromero
in reply to: bridgeboy

You can import a 3D polyline in a adaptive generic compoennt family, then define 3D points in the vertices of the lines of the path, then use the "line throguh points" (or something like that) command an use it to make a sweep with the section profile of the tunnel.

 

This is what I did in the end with my problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuiqg3nEAkE

 

The coordinates from the path in civil3D were extracted to a excel file, dynamo reads the file, creates the points and a lot of other things...you could do something similar in case you path has many points and is very likely to change.

Message 19 of 28

In revit to trace the 3D-models of dwg needs to follow a long process.

You need to create reference planes for each side (not view) each face of the model...   It is very tedious

 

Example

 

ScreenShoot ReferencePlanes.jpg

 

This example, was modeled in 3ds max  Export it as .dwg to Autocad to setup the layers. Then import this to Revit in a Generic Model Adaptive.

Message 20 of 28
ecalzavara
in reply to: kseniaPB

It's absurd that in 2018 this is still the only way to do it without having to pass through Dynamo... just to pick a 3D polyline as a path... Any new update??

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