Remove Demo Work and Combine Existing with New Phases

[craigh_bim]

Hi,

I have a BIM that will see 3-4 renovations in the coming years, and we're trying to maintain the model as an 'As-Built'. We are NOT trying to save all elements from every project if they've been demo'd. I think it would just pile up too many elements and bog the BIM down. I'm hoping that after the end of the project we can combine Existing to Remain with New Construction, and remove the Demolished elements. I know we can't have Ceilings or Walls join/combine, but this is a first step.

Does anyone have a good workflow? My workflow creates too many errors.

I see this post, but it's not what I'm after.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture-forum/combine-phases-but-remove-demo-info-while-do...

[RobDraw]

You can create a view that shows only demolished elements and delete them. After that combine the remaining phase(s) to the existing phase.

BTW, you don't have a BIM, you have a Revit model. BIM is a process, not a thing.

[RDAOU]

@craigh_bim 

Are the renovations running  simultaneously or successively one stage after the other (Finish to Start)?

[ToanDN]

I would delete non-hosted demolished elements (furniture, fixtures, equipment, etc...) but leave hosted demolished elements (doors, windows, other fenestration, etc....) alone.  In the new working model, create Phases that match those in the linked as-built model, then map them accordingly. Your New Construction Phase will be after all of those phases.

[craigh_bim]

Successively.

This is for Facility Management, and maintained BIMs

[RDAOU]

@craigh_bim 

So it is more or less similar to the workflow described on the following link...

1. once 1st stage renovation is complete , its model (M1) becomes existing and is linked into the model of the 2nd stage (M2) which will be phase new construction
2. once stage 2 is complete, its model (M2) including all which have been executed in (M1) is linked as Existing into the model of stage 3 renovation (M3)which will be New Construction

Demolishing is done during the New Construction of each stage

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-architecture-forum/import-model-to-quot-existing-phase-quot-lay...

[Basam.Yousif]

Why do you think you will "bog the model down"? How big is the model?

You know, Revit models will get big and that is not a problem at all - not anymore! 1GB+ models are the norm now, and deleting elements will probably have little to no impact on model size or performance.

Instead, I think you should focus on "model maintenance".

• Audit the model every time you open it
• Compact the model weekly (but only when you're the only one in it)
• Purge unwanted content and remove links, design options, CAD imports, etc. but NEVER do a "purge all"
• Make sure you have plenty of disk space (minimum = 100GB on the C drive)
• Install all Revit updates
• Stop thinking about Revit models with AutoCAD mentality
• Use worksets efficiently - including linking models partially
• Simplify your families
• Avoid using hacks, fake objects, and all other workarounds. A common one is OVER-using of phases to control visibility 

[craigh_bim]

Hi Bassam,

Thanks for your input, but I think we're thinking differently here.

We're not using a Workshared model, it's for FM / AIM. The issue is passing this model back and forth over the next 5 years for different TI work. I really don't see a value in keeping all previous phases as we have record documents of that work.

To be clear, I have one building model that is keeping the phases of work, but I'm not sure it will have value, so for other BIMs I'm removing the phases. I'm wondering what other people's process is for properly removing demo components, as I've run into some issue with deleting the 'demo' only elements.

We have no .dwg components, no design options, and the families are fairly simplified. But the buildings are 200k sqft and 4 stories, so the size will grow and I'm concerned with file management for our A/E teams that do future work. If they have to work through 5 phases of past work I can see how they'll have difficulties doing the contracted work.

Thanks.

[RobDraw]

There are only a couple of people that I've seen around here that actually do facilities management and it is something that I've wanted to get into.

The process is fairly simple in theory. You have a model (not BIM as you keep saying) of the existing building, no other phases. A project comes up for renovation in an area of the building. That part of the building gets "checked out" for the duration of the project. When complete it gets checked back in as existing. The hard part is connecting/joining everything after the check back in.

[martijn_pater]

Couldn't this actually just be another phase in the project compared to the original?... edit:reread the question, you specifically didnt want that actually. Will have another look at this later to find out more, caught my interest.