Workflow from FDU & Revit

[DesignGuy12]

I have a complex Revit model of my factory & processing equipment.

Is there a way to sync the Revit model to a FDU layout?

The Revit model has steel structure for overhead I-Beam conveyors and so would like to use FDU functionality to manage processing and analytics.

Is there any workflow between FDU & Revit? 

[XuesongBai]

Hi there,

That is the big topic between the factory layout design and Revit interoperability. We don't have the recommended workflow to cover this but we will be carefully considering the workflow. Could you please share the challenge you are facing now at your routine work?

And we heard that some users discovered some best practices Revit interoperability with Inventor Factory and Navisworks. Below is the detailed introduction from Autodesk University. Hope that will helpful for you.

 https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/Factory-Design-Suite-Power-Workflow-2016

Thanks,

-Xuesong

[DesignGuy12]

The fact that FDU can not accept an AEC (Revit) BIM model to work from, seems ridiculous.

I have created a whole company environment based on BIM, with all facilities modeled (REVIT) and families created for equipment, vehicles, work centers, and every aspect of a manufacturing facility.

But yet, FDU does not accept any of my existing data / models, and forces me to go back to a simple 2D drawing that only lets me start over to create equipment, structures, etc. I already have.

The lack of interoperability of FDU and Revit does not make much sense. Also, the connection between Revit ARCH, STRUC, MEP, also seems more complicated than they ought to be.

Very perplexing that Autodesk seems to SILO their products and does not take advantage of what could be so useful in a HOLISTIC approach to their products.

If i create a building with walls, and specify WF I-beams as the steel structure and then add a Bridge Crane system supported by the building steel structure, why can I not have that function in one product, instead of creating (3) separate models.  Revit for building, Revit STRUC for the steel work, and FDU for the bridge crane.

Not as useful as it should be.

Frustrated, and disappointed

[XuesongBai]

Thank you a million for the detailed explanation and support for Autodesk products. We will carefully consider your suggestion and make a better solution in the near future.

By the way, what type of the roles (personas) will be involved in the whole workflow from Revit building to Revit Structure to Factory layout design.

Thanks,

-Xuesong

[DesignGuy12]

The only people involved now in the whole workflow is just me.

I model equipment and some fixtures in Autodesk Inventor (2019) and then have to EXPORT BIM to create an RFA element I can then load into my Revit project.

But they are not linked, so if I need to make a change to the Revit project element, I am forced to open the original Inventor object in Inventor, make my modifications and then go thru the whole export process, load process again.

So very frustrating.

I try to convince my IT dept. to standardize on Autodesk Products, but I do not have much of a case when the

interoperability and functionality are so very poor, if even existent at all.

It would be nice if someone at Autodesk would sit with a person who actually uses the products and LEARN how best the workflows should be taken into account when the products are designed and coded.

[DesignGuy12]

I have tried to help others and created a TUTORIAL to convert 3D model files into Revit (RFA) file types, using Autodesk Inventor.

see link at Grabcad:

https://grabcad.com/tutorials/create-revit-rfa-element-from-3d-objects

[jzhangustc]

Hi,

Thanks for your feedback. Since Inventor can import Revit model into a part file, you can place the part into Factory layout. When you said "FDU does not accept any of my existing data / models", can you provide more details on it?  It will help us improve.

Thanks,

Jun

[totharq]

I agree with the comments. Import elements in  FDU of Inventor does not solve the workflow with Revit. In many projects we have to delivery 2D drawings with a compleet layout ( architectuur + instalation + machines). Link Inventor files  in Revit (And vice versa) would Be  the optimal solution for project development

[jzhangustc]

Hi,

I agree with you about supporting linked Revit file in Inventor or vice versa. For your case, does it work if you can generate your 2D drawing of the complete layout in Inventor?

Regards,

Jun

[totharq]

Nope. In de development of the architecture/ structural projects, every week of daily modificativos are made in the drawings in Revit.  The Factory Layout also changes according with proposal And final configuration of machines at the same speed but in Inventor. The synchronisation of this information has to be versátil, hás to be up to date the hole time. EXport/import demand lot of time and version management, because partner use different programs.

[jzhangustc]

I think I didn't make it clear.  I agree with you that the referenced Revit model in Inventor OR Inventor model in Revit should support update instead of re-import.  Does it matter to you if your 2D drawing of complete layout is generated in Inventor environment OR Revit environment?

Thanks,

Jun

[totharq]

Yes it matters, our library and standards are based in Revit and also connected to PLM

[DesignGuy12]

Both are 3D model systems, so I'm not sure what the gain would be to use 2D drawing.

???

[DesignGuy12]

If a person uses Revit to create a facility, there is not a 2D drawing of any kind.

The Revit model is a 3D object. Yes, you can view it as a PLAN view, but the object is nonetheless, a 3D model.



If a person uses Inventor to create a part or fixture, then you use a 2D 'sketch' to begin, but then it becomes a 3D object after extrude or whatever other modeling operation you do.



The issue was that an Inventor created part or fixture, can not simply be "opened" or "added to a Revit facility model, without a series of conversion steps and operations.

But once converted, then if anything needs to change in the Revit model where the converted Inventor object has been added, then you must go back to Inventor and modify the original model and go thru the whole conversion process again, in order to get it updated back into Revit.

sage

[DesignGuy12]

I have not visited the issue for some time, since there was no working solution at the time.

FDU and REVIT did not have a workflow to interact or recognize each others object types.

Perhaps there is a solution now, but I have not heard of it yet.

The perplexing aspect of the issue is how can a bldg design software program (REVIT) and an EQUIPMENT DESIGN software program (FDU), that creates equipment systems, that presumably are located in a BUILDING, do not interface with each other???

That just didn't make sense.

It would seem that the solution would be, to ADD the FDU function to REVIT.

So after you have created a REVIT 3D model of the facility, then you could move to the FUNCTION of adding EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS to the REVIT bldg.

That seems like it would be the optimum solution.

[jzhangustc]

In Inventor 2021 Beta release, it supports associative reference to Revit model.  If the referenced Revit model is changed, it can be updated in Inventor.  Please check it out in Inventor 2021 beta to see it it helps.

Regards,

Jun

[DesignGuy12]

Thank you for the update on Inventor to Revit comms, but the thread really was to address the lack of comms between Factory Design Ultimate (FDU) & Revit.

Yes, Revit / Inventor is an issue, but the main point of this thread was FDU to REVIT.

Do you know of any work being done to help bridge that gap?

[hengkimleng]

AutoCad Architecture and FDU is good in this aspect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIK8_M_Tnxo&t=1083s

[DesignGuy12]

I haven't used AutoCAD Arch, as it seemed to be just a 2D system, last time I looked at it.

is that still the case or does it offer 3D modeling features, similar to Revit?

KEY POINT IS:

if I have a whole structure created in my BIM s/w of choice, it seemed unacceptable that I could not use that and was forced to recreate a new building structure in FDU, to be able to create an equipment layout.

Why can I not use my existing BIM model and simply lay in the equipment I wish to use?

Someone at Autodesk will have to explain why they have not built their s/w packages to work with each other.

Please .....

[jzhangustc]

Since you can import your Revit model into Inventor and create equipment layout there, what doesn't work for your workflow? Thanks.