Linking AutoCAD files

[Luke.Kemel]

Good Morning All,

I am currently working with Revit 3D models, and I have noticed that our company is changing standard details within AutoCAD quite frequently due to current circumstances. this means I am forever updating 3D models to suit, is there a way to link a 2D model from AutoCAD that once changed will update the 3D model. 

any assistance will be greatly appreciated

Regards,

Luke Kemel

[aleksei.tkachenko]

Hello

When you link dwg into model you can then rewrite dwg and update link in order to transfer changes from dwg to the model.

[Luke.Kemel]

Hello,

would this not solely update the linked AutoCAD file? I did not think this would be referenced to the 3D model, So to clarify, if I detail a building up in revit based off of an AutoCAD detail, and I add 50mm insulation to the 2D AutoCAD file, can I rewrite the file so that the 3D model will automatically update to include the 50mm insulation? 

[aleksei.tkachenko]

Ok, now I get it! I Don think that Revit itself has such functionality. But you can try to find an add-in that can synchronize dwg and Revit modell in this way. 

[Luke.Kemel]

Ahh I thought it was a bit of a long shot, ill give it another go but failing that ill take your advise and try to find a plug in maybe. 

thank you for your help

[kadmonkee]

it may be a better approach to create your details in Revit, either using created generic symbolic families or Detail Components out of the box.

Linking AutoCAD files into Revit will work for some things, but cause issues for others.

text formatting gets unpredictable.

line weights dont print consistently depending on the original source of the detail.

there is no magic button to update a 3d model from a 2d drawing linked or inserted.

you can link in the detail and use revit lineweights and style to select elelments from the link (selection Tool) to create your Revit Detail then remove the cad link when completed.

if you create a project solely for the purpose of storing all Standard details ,then you can import those views as needed into your porject.

[Luke.Kemel]

Hello,

The details I am currently producing within Revit are to be used by external sources, so architects looking to use our façade system. I have been tasked to produce detailed 3D models of our standard details, so I have detailed each individual component to make up our system. We have mullions, flashings capping's fixings and panels etc... so we alter many drawings, I hoped there would be an easier solution to save time but I suppose this is part of the revit scene. Never mind!

further to this, I noticed your title, 'BIM Manager' can you assist me with another query:

I have been asked to produce these details to LOD400, so for now if we are excluding all the back ground information and focusing on the detail, what impact does the level of design detail within the model have in terms of achieving the LOD400 status? 

I ask this, because prior to myself taking the time to learn how to use Revit, we typically got our details drawn externally or we just never issued Revit details, now I am by no means an expert at Revit, but my details seem much more detailed and component based than the LOD400 drawings that we had done externally, would there be a reason to this? I did however notice that within the section views there were generic symbol families to make up the details, and the 3D view simply displayed basic shapes such as rectangles with no visual details. can you just shine some light on this matter, does the level of design detail play a huge role in LOD400 or is it a conjunction of both that and background information?

thank you for your time

[kadmonkee]

the Window families Out Of the Box (OOTB) provide a basic profile of the mullion shapes, these can be duplicated and modified to suit your needs

this is always a good starting point.

Revit provides a number of Detail Components OOTB that should help to reach the LOD 400 as expected.

you can also duplicate these and modify them to suit your needs

these are typically located here during installation.

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2017\Libraries\US Imperial\Detail Items

I have attached the LOD Specification PDF for your review and to help get a better understanding pages 12-13 will provide definitions and purposes.

the video link below may help with some techniques aslo

Detailing Mullions Lynda dot com

LOD has 3 definitions

LOD = Level Of Development- 100, 200, 300, 350, 400

LOD = Level of Detail - Fine , Medium , Course

LOD = Level of Design, this one to me is always open to translate. it is part of the previous 2 definitions but often misused in the LOD conversation.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction.

[chrisplyler · Accepted solution]

Regarding the LOD400 requirement...

Personally, I would interpret a requirement for 3D LOD400 - if that's the way it was put - to be accurate modeling without the need for detail components, because detail components are view specific, and so the model isn't going to have them when the viewer is orbiting around in 3D. But if the guy ASKING me for LOD400 modeling really wanted every screw hole with thread forms modeled natively in Revit, I would tell him where to stuff his request.

So I think you had better ask whoever established the requirement exactly what they want, and it should be a long and thorough conversation with notes taken. I've seen varying descriptions of LOD standards, and I've seen people causing problems by spitting the reference out of their mouths without a specific and thorough understanding of what it implies, and other people causing problems by inferring things from the reference that were not intended by the speaker. A deep, mutual understanding should be reached.

[chrisplyler · Accepted solution]

Regarding the LOD400 requirement...

Personally, I would interpret a requirement for 3D LOD400 - if that's the way it was put - to be accurate modeling without the need for detail components, because detail components are view specific, and so the model isn't going to have them when the viewer is orbiting around in 3D. But if the guy ASKING me for LOD400 modeling really wanted every screw hole with thread forms modeled natively in Revit, I would tell him where to stuff his request.

So I think you had better ask whoever established the requirement exactly what they want, and it should be a long and thorough conversation with notes taken. I've seen varying descriptions of LOD standards, and I've seen people causing problems by spitting the reference out of their mouths without a specific and thorough understanding of what it implies, and other people causing problems by inferring things from the reference that were not intended by the speaker. A deep, mutual understanding should be reached.

And if anybody resists your efforts to have such a conversation, you can be confident that they don't know enough about LOD400 to be aware that they really ought to have the conversation.