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Revit project with consultants working in CAD

4 REPLIES 4
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Message 1 of 5
jim.overholtzer
730 Views, 4 Replies

Revit project with consultants working in CAD

As an consulting engineering MEP firm, we have always dependent on other firms work. Revit seems to make this dependency even more apparent. How are other firms handling Revit projects when they are given CAD data that needs to be circuited in Revit.

 

In our case, it is usually the food Service consultant that is still working in CAD. We need to circuit the devices that they specify.

 

Our current workflow is to use a simple (non-graphical) connector element and create different types for each piece of equipment specified. We place these connectors over the CAD linked equipment. Now we are able to complete all of our circuiting in Revit.

 

The other option is to do the work in CAD and link it back in, but this does not utilize the Revit circuiting and results in a "hybrid" mess of CAD and Revit circuits and schedules.

 

I prefer the Revit connector method, but management does not like the upfront time it takes to generate the connectors.

 

We often work on projects that contain multiple restaurants/kitchens/bars so we could wind up with a couple hundred Food Service Connectors.

 

My argument for this method is that the upfront time spent creating connectors is saved later on in the project when we wind up with a fully revit circuited and coordinated model.

 

Anyone have any other suggested methods of handling this situation? How do I illustrate the benefits of the all Revit method?

4 REPLIES 4
Message 2 of 5

You are on the right track, doing the best you can (with the connectors). Better than that, would be something maybe more radical: ask your food service consultants to migrate to Revit. Some companies that are 100% Revit prefer to work with those companies that work with Revit, too. I know this is not always possible. Just a suggestion.


Alfredo Medina _________________________________________________________________ ______
Licensed Architect (Florida) | Freelance Instructor | Autodesk Expert Elite (on Revit) | Profile on Linkedin
Message 3 of 5

Alfredo,

 

Thanks for your response.

 

After I posted this question, I have done some more research into this issue of Food Service Equipment, and have determined that having the Food Service consultant working in Revit will not actually make much diffrence in our case with their file linked into ours.

 

It appears that the Food Service industry standard for Family creation is to create the families in the Specialty Equipment category.

 

We're not able to Copy/Monitor this category in MEP, so we would not be able to access any Electrical connectors in their families.

 

So...Unless I am missing something here, I can't use the Food Service consultant's Equipment for circuiting when working with their file linked into mine.

 

Agree?

Message 4 of 5

You are correct. That is an issue. I remember reading complaints from members of the food service industry about these problems. Since there is no "Food Service Equipment" category, and since "Specialty Equipment" is not on the list of families that can be copied from a linked file, the food services equipment families are forced to be in a different category if they are supposed to be used with copy-monitor.

 

The Factory should address this issue by implementing either one of these two changes:

 

1) Include "Specialty Equipment" on the list of categories that can be copied from a link. Or...

 

2) Add a new category : Food Service Equipment, and include that on the list of categories that can be copied from a link.

 

In the meantime, since we don't have control over those decisions, there are 2 alternatives:

 

1) Have the other party change the category of the families that are supposed to be food service equipment to one of the categories on the list, such as Electrical Equipment, Plumbing Fixture, or Mechanical Equipment. Or...

 

2) At your office, develop a library of "connector families", named by each typical equipment in the food service industry, and place those families where the linked model is showing the food service equipment.

 

 

 

 


Alfredo Medina _________________________________________________________________ ______
Licensed Architect (Florida) | Freelance Instructor | Autodesk Expert Elite (on Revit) | Profile on Linkedin
Message 5 of 5
jbayne
in reply to: Alfredo_Medina

2) At your office, develop a library of "connector families", named by each typical equipment in the food service industry, and place those families where the linked model is showing the food service equipment.

 

I would like to learn more about this as we are going forward we are running into this issue. Is there been a better workaround now being a year later. If not, could you please share the best practice for making "connector families".

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