How to create a house plan in Revit exactly as the blueprint?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I'm a student and i just want to know why revit is deliberatly so complicated ? i actually work on a house and i just want to draw a line and even after 15mins, i can't do that.A second thing, why when i point something with my mouse, i select a part that is behind the part  i'm actually pointing ??? that make no sense ! it took me 4 hours to do something that could be done in 3 mins on solidworks.

and why the tool that show you the length of something, doest allow you to modify it, if you don't click on a specific part, why do i have to try all the part , just to change a lenght and when i can finally do it, why it change itself alone when i change another lenghth? it's nonsense to have to do one and then the other one in a specific order and i know about the "locking" but every time i use it, it create error. when i set something, i don't expect it to change without my will, i just want to make the house exactly as it is on the blueprint, but i can't figure out easily how to set length and make them stay like this, the software is just not good, i'm loosing time because of this, and i can't afford it, for me, and for all my collegues, this software is just not worth it's price.

Oscar

P.S.: I know that you'r not responsible of the developpement, but i had to say all this to the company that makes this horrible software that i'm obliged to use.

[ToanDN]

Maybe you need some training? And nobody is obligated to use anything they dislike or are unable to operate.

[Anonymous]

actually i'm obigated to use it, because of my teacher, and after 15h of teaching, you can do much more thing correctly on solidworks, than on revit.

[ToanDN]

Pick another school.

[Alfredo_Medina]

After 15 hours of training you can't draw anything? Take training with another instructor, or as said before, sign up for another school. Or pay more attention to the training or practice more at home. This does not make sense to me, that after 15 hours of training someone is some confused that he cannot do anything.

[Anonymous]

you don't understand how school work ? you can't just change the teacher and why would i change school ? i want to become a mecanical engineer, not an architect, i have no reason to change to another school, i just need to know little about civil enginnering and that's it, don't think i'm just some student who don't listen during the class, 15h of teaching is just not enough to do basic thing, there is too much thing to know about, to much function in the software that i don't need at my level but that are necessary to do something basic

[ToanDN]

I think you are suffering because you are already familiar with one program and expecting another to work the same.  When it does not, your brain starts resisting and that impedes your ability to learn.  It is not uncommon at all.

If you have to learn Revit, forget about Solidwork while you are at it.  Treat yourself as a completely newbie and you will have an easier time.

[petebalf]

Hello, im a teacher of students of revit. So, you've been told to use the software, and been given 15hours instruction.? From what i read here i assume that is the case. You're talking about stuff i cover in the first 4 hours! I had a 68 year old student succeed last year. He had originally done hand drawing. He learnt how to access tutorials, press the F1 button, read forums, read books. Does your school have access to lynda.com? Have you accessed autodesks learning tools? And by the way, why do you need to draw a line? I hope you are being shown modelling! No-one will learn this software purely by a kinetic approach. There is a reason for everything you seem to think is a fault. You need to understand the whole theory, the parametric associations. Think of it like a spreadsheet, with a 3d model as the interface. It is not deliberately complicated, it is complicated in areas out of neccessity. I'm thinking you wont realise this for a long time. Meanwhile, you may well find the outcome of your course does not require the use of revit specifically, so choose another poison. But whatever you do, get over that first frustration hump, because the end result can be a huge skyscraper perfectly documented and parametrically scheduled and notated. At this point in time i have to say it is you, not the software. Good luck, dont let the frustration take up valuable learning time, and press F1.

[barthbradley]

@Anonymous: How many hours did it take for you to learn Solidworks? 

[Anonymous]

hello, i've been given instruction but the 15H of teaching are not enough to do what i have to do without help and actually the goal of my course is to work with revit, there is no other goal. You say i can't learn this software just by a kinetic approach and that is the big problem with it, i have learn solidwork without having to go on forum, because it is an intuitive software, but revit is not, if you don't know exctly everything about every function, you end up on forum or pressing the help button

[Anonymous]

to learn how to make a basic thing on solidwork, it took me around 10h, and then i learn by myself, and now i create 3D-model that are actually done in the real life

[petebalf]

I'm not sure what avenue you are going down, you mentioned mechanical engineering but also mentioned a house..What is the actual output requirement? residential, commercial, mixed use? I'm architectural based with teaching. But in 15 hours, i could have you with topography, levels, slabs, slab edges, internal beams, wall, floors, roofs, fascias etc..and with some fun along the way! .That's if you have your design worked out, revit won't design it, it will model you design. All with cleaning up to do of course for the final sheets, but nonetheless basic modelling done.

Try Bimscape youtube channel. Ian has created a fantastic 88 tutorials for beginners.... Try one of the texts like Mastering revit Architecture..Get together with your student buddies..And as you watch tutorials, don't do them just to get the end product, do them to understand the tools being shown along the way..At the start of my working drawings Unit, I get the students to watch a chosen 8 hours of Lynda.com tutorials. That way they are familiar to the point where we can start the project and apply their learning. Not many do the full 8 hours, but I can tell you, they wish they did!

Obviously most courses for architectural modelling do not demand a certain software. That would be collusion or close to it. They simply require an output, 2D sheets, maybe renders, etc...If you are more comfortable with another program that can provide the same output, then meet with the head of faculty or whoever, and bring it up. All that is unless the course is a specific Revit course.

[-FDC-]

Drawing a line is not a basic thing when building a house.

Basic things are foundations, floors, walls and a roof.

A line is 2d.

[bimscape]

Hi,

Are you still looking to learn Revit? If so, head on over to my free course.....

http://bimscape.com/beginners-guide-to-revit-architecture/

I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have as you work your way through it.

Many thanks,

Kind regards,

Ian

[Sahay_R]

@Anonymous - the 'horrible software' that you are so perturbed by is the industry standard for architects all over the world. 

[Viveka_CD]

Hello @Anonymous

It's been a while and I'm checking back to see if you need assistance from the community!

Which version of Revit are you using? You are welcome to download a trial version for your school projects.

I understand that you are trying to create a residential plan from a hard copy (blue print)

We are trying to help you and iron out the differences, it will help if you can post a screenshot of your plan.

You wrote:

________________________________________

 i actually work on a house and i just want to draw a line and even after 15mins, i can't do that.A second thing, why when i point something with my mouse, i select a part that is behind the part  i'm actually pointing ??? that make no sense !

________________________________________

I feel that you are missing some crucial steps here! Post a screencast of the steps you are doing - this will help us understand where and why you are stuck.

Take a look at this video which demonstrates how to create a simple house plan

Please understand that  Revit comprises of parametric components: every single element is no longer 2D but a 3D object with parameters that can be modified. This is why the changes you make in one location affects elements and your model will update dynamically.

Looking forward to your reply update and screenshots.

A request to the experts replying to this post: Please let focus more on helping the student with his Revit project.

Regards,

[chrisplyler]

Okay, seems obvious to me that he's got a specific thing he wants to do, and they haven't yet covered that thing in his course yet.

Or maybe he's under the mistaken impression that Revit should be able to easily create a free-form jelly doughnut rhombus the way Solidworks can.

[bimscape]

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Or maybe he's under the mistaken impression that Revit should be able to easily create a free-form jelly doughnut rhombus the way Solidworks can.

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What? You mean it can't???

[barthbradley]

Additionally telling, is that he isn't just having difficulties learning Revit; he's also having difficulties learning to use a mouse. ("A second thing, why when i point something with my mouse, i select a part that is behind the part  i'm actually pointing ???") 

In all fairness though: I still can't figure out how to set the clock on my VCR. 

[ToanDN]

You have a VCR?  Do you want to buy my tape rewinder?