Offsets from Location/Reference Lines

[ttourangeau_svn]

The Problem

As architects we often have our slab edges offset from the perimeter (for curtain wall or brick, for example), but we want the slab edge to follow the same line as the wall. Through the DD process the exact floor location may shift around, which means you have to endlessly re-trace the floor profile.

Similarly, when doing quick design studies you often want to push things in and out - the only option in Revit is to move the actual wall or profile.

The Solution

Offsets!

Imagine this - if you set your perimeter of your floor to hug the exterior face of your wall, but you type in an offset for the floor itself. So instead of the floor hugging the wall face, it can be set in a certain amount, everywhere. This would let us inset floors behind walls when using "model by face" with masses, and it would also let us make quick design changes. Similarly, if you place a wall and want to change it (say to move it "out" to see how it looks in the design), instead of moving it around you can just change the offset to a different number, look at it, and change it back if you need to.

Your competitor, ArchiCAD, has had this function for walls for at least 15 years and it is excellent as a design tool. Floors may be trickier but I believe in you Autodesk!

[Anonymous]

I'm not totally sure what you mean, so to clarify, are your floors drawn to the inside of the walls and they need an offset to bring the line to the inside, depending on the wall?  You can constrain the floor line to the wall so that it moves with the wall.  You can also apply a slab edge to be the thickness of the wall if you need the floor to project to the outside of the wall as a curtain wall support.

[barthbradley]

I think you could get there in Revit by Aligning and Locking Floor Sketch Boundary to Ref. Planes that are Offset from the Walls and driven by Global Parameter-labeled Dimension.  

[ttourangeau_svn]

well sure, you can always find a workaround. but that's for one person, and that doesn't help the user base.

what i just realized is that i put this in the wrong forum, it's supposed to be in Ideas! going to move it now.

[barthbradley]

I don't understand why you think a "workaround" would not help the user base.  That's a rather odd statement to make, considering that's what most of us do for a living  -- and in life generally.       

[ttourangeau_svn]

how would a workaround buried in a single post reply on one specific forum on the internet help the userbase?

things that help the userbase: features in the software that manuals and training can support.

[barthbradley]

Huh?  Is this a serious question or are you just pulling my leg? 

[ToanDN]

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@ttourangeau_svn wrote:

The Problem

As architects we often have our slab edges offset from the perimeter (for curtain wall or brick, for example), but we want the slab edge to follow the same line as the wall. Through the DD process the exact floor location may shift around, which means you have to endlessly re-trace the floor profile.

Similarly, when doing quick design studies you often want to push things in and out - the only option in Revit is to move the actual wall or profile.

The Solution

Offsets!

Imagine this - if you set your perimeter of your floor to hug the exterior face of your wall, but you type in an offset for the floor itself. So instead of the floor hugging the wall face, it can be set in a certain amount, everywhere. This would let us inset floors behind walls when using "model by face" with masses, and it would also let us make quick design changes. Similarly, if you place a wall and want to change it (say to move it "out" to see how it looks in the design), instead of moving it around you can just change the offset to a different number, look at it, and change it back if you need to.

Your competitor, ArchiCAD, has had this function for walls for at least 15 years and it is excellent as a design tool. Floors may be trickier but I believe in you Autodesk!

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The necessary tools are there.

[bin]

maybe use Pick Wall when you create Floor, Roof, ceiling etc. so you can type it offset. 

Also you can use HH and HR instead of moving things around.