Cut topography horizontally - Cliff Housing

[JasonLLINDNER]

Good morning Experts 🙂

Project is a Cliff Housing

Site is an closed down, decommissioned Quarry/Mine

I am preparing for my final architectural project for this year and the designated site is an old Quarry on a mountain cliff; which we need to restore. The concept which I am working on is based on Cliff Housing (see image below). I don't want to work for two months on something then figure out that it was the wrong way and I have to restart from scratch... So here is the problem and the challange

The FIRST is; I have no clue how to dig a cave in the topography! In other words I want to make a horizontal cut in the topography.

The SECOND problem is that the project is also being partially graded (15% of the grade mark) based on Revit & BIM methods used as part of another course. So one needs to think twice on the implementation of the concept!

As most of the experts on this forum seem to have solid experience on real projects, I am hoping someone can give some hints or a guideline on how to proceed with this...Any suggestions or ideas are welcomed as long as they fit somewhat within the limits of Best Practice of the trade.

PS: I am open for alternatives taking into consideration that this is my second semester taking Revit as an elective. I have knowledge in Vasari with some Rhino and Grasshopper... Oh! and I am also good at googling and youtubing (however; no answers there)

[constantin.stroescu · Accepted solution]

I such case I'll use a Conceptual Mass for the terrain instead of Toposurface...as I shown already in previous post:

 http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture/toposurface-and-in-ground-housing/td-p/6299369

[JasonLLINDNER]

Thanks for the reply Constantine...

It looks like remodeling the whole site in conceptual mass.

How can I justify not using the given site topography? Or in other words how can I put the surveyed site already in Revit and the Conceptual mass together?

If you see the layout of the house in the upper right corner of the image above...I have the curves and topography I'm just not sure how to dig in to it from the escarpment's side

[RDAOU · Accepted solution]

@JasonLLINDNER 

Massing is one of the ways for sure and I also think that it is the better solution for such cases. Fortunately enough; Conceptual Massing environment is the FUN enjoyable part of Revit…Nonetheless; in reply to your question; you do not have to salvage the Toposurface if you already have it…there are still ways to work with it (rather than around it) either entirely, partially or replicate it then trash it

To Use only Revit Toposurface is possible however, it’s a question of adequacy and convenience (example: just stacking them… not ideal and requires quite some cleanup work but works) then comes the scale and extents of the project...If those are not defined its kinda hard to decide which method to use.

One Alternative...

If you do not want to model the site from scratch; you can replicate/copy a Revit Toposurface into a Mass. No special means used; a Site Family and an Adaptive Component which copies the Toposurface below it. PS: screencast below was done roughly just to clarify the idea. If you take your time doing it, it can be done more precisely and can also be parametrized as well. Once done you can delete the Toposurface and use the mass instead. They will be more or less identical.

The advanced method for the same uses Dynamo, which does what you did above manually and converts all your points and curves into an identical mass which you can work with. I could give you something but not sure if that would be cheating!!

A Second Alternative...is to rely partially on massing and partially on Toposurfaces and Partially on massing. IE: I use building pads to cut then masses to fill (and masses can be just anything; including Model in Place extrusions; and sweeps say you are trenching for example)...I did a screencast but it is refusing to upload peacfully...once it doe sI will upload it in the meantime see photo how it looks like

[RDAOU · Accepted solution]

@JasonLLINDNER

Missing Screencast

Someone mentioned that you can do this using a copy of graded region...So if interested in that too you can ask them HERE ON THIS THREAD

[RDAOU · Accepted solution]

@JasonLLINDNER

Alternatively ... a variation of from the above (screencast takes off past placing the site and facebased families)

PS: Can substitute this with an addaptive component for the same result

[Anonymous]

This is the exact same thing I was shooting for at my project/topic that Constantin referred to at: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture/toposurface-and-in-ground-housing/td-p/6299369/high... I seemed to have resolved the problem at a relatively fashionable way (and easier).

[RDAOU]

@Anonymous

You have a basement!!! this guy here has literally Cliff Housing!!!

Nothing personal mate but it is best you focus on your Revit problem described in your post!!! 4 pages of replies and and discussions on conceptual massing and ways to model underground housing...At the end it turned out you have no idea what in-place sweeps are;  how to add points to a toposurface; and your project which you attached had nothing to do with what you were aiming at!!! There is nothing fashionable about that

[JasonLLINDNER]

Whutchison; I do not see how my project is similar to yours and I also did not see any solution accepted which resolved the problem on your posted topic... So I do not really understand what you mean

RDAOU;

thank you for your replies was lots to watch before I can say anything. I like the copy toposurface trick I tried that and it worked fine but it will be lots of work

I also tried the method following your last screencast which worked great but I have to admit that what you mentioned about massing the whole site from the topographic survey which I have sounds the most tempting so far. If I am not mistaken it would be combining both what you suggested with what Constantine suggested.

I will try to look into what Dynamo has to offer in terms of translating those survey points to a mass...  And you are right the purpose of this post is not to have someone do the work for me but only to set me on the right track so any tips or guidance where I should be look is appreciated (which dynamo packages should I look into for example or has something I can use)

[RDAOU]

@JasonLLINDNER

I understand what you are saying; but the options in Dynamo are more or less unlimited to a node from this package or that...you can try for example SPRING Nodes - Topography.ToPolysurface (A silmilar node can be found in other packages ex: Berger); if you want to create an instance family out of it (Generic/Mass) you can also try out FamilyInstance.ByGeometry also in Spring Nodes...the rest is pretty much basic Revit/Geometry Pkg.

Pay a visit to the forum DynamoBIM.org there are lots of suggestions there which we can't really bring on to this forum 🙂 besides you need to give the guys there some credit. The following is related not 100% same but should be good as a kick-off

1. SEE HERE A
2. SEE HERE B

Good Luck

[JasonLLINDNER]

HI thanks for all the help ... I submitted 3 proposals based on the 1 from Constantin and the two from your screencast and jury was today 🙂 I didn't even need Dynamo 

A for the concept and research 

B+ on Architecture

A+ on Revit and BIM implementation

I tagged this post as source on my submission 🙂 and one of the professors thinks he knows you but he said he will check with you or the person he knows to see if it the same lol

Anyways thanks again both of you

[ubaldurban]

Hi! Thanks for so much info on the topic. I have only one question.

I am doing now housing estate with an underground garage. A part of it extends the building's external walls so part of garage is going to be covered with soil.

I am wondering how it will work with schedules that give the volume of soil that needs to be removed from the site. 

Do you think, should I model it with mass and then schedule masses separately.

Does anyone know any better way?

Many thanks,

Ubald

[RDAOU]

@ubaldurban 

Is this your Post Here? https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture-forum/basement-void-under-topography/td-p/9302991

If yes, would you mind sticking to that discussion in order to focus on solving it there 🙂 that would be much appreciated

[Seychellian]

Cant Autodesk just play nice and let us cut bloody topographies? 😞

It would also be nice to see lines between objects and the terrain (it looks really inconsistent without them)

I am trying to make a septic tank (which is beneath the surface of the ground (see attached) show as a void when it is cut through. I don't supposed there has been any developments since this thread was in full swing? 

[Seychellian]