Revit : starter

[NachoShaw]

Hi

This year I'm learning revit and decided the best project would be my current home and the proposed extension office to the back. I am in construction and an expert in Inventor and Autocad so I have a grasp of 3D and build. For Revit, I'm looking for some guidance like

What do I start with?

What is a typical workflow i should adhere to?

Floor or wall first

Changing to a wall that isn't in the selection list. Mine is 2in brick, 2in insul, 5in srud, .5in board

How to work with different wall heights. Outside is 8ft, inside is 14ft in the middle of the house.

How to work with inset ceilings. Mine steps up 1ft x 1ft for example.

When do I set the correct orientation and elevation for my property?

I know it's a lot, I am a quick learner and excited to get started

Any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks

[RDAOU]

@NachoShaw 

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@NachoShaw wrote:

Hi

This year I'm learning revit and decided the best project would be my current home and the proposed extension office to the back. I am in construction and an expert in Inventor and Autocad so I have a grasp of 3D and build. For Revit, I'm looking for some guidance like

What do I start with? 

1. Start with familiarizing yourself with the user interface. 
2. Familiarize yourself with live views plans/sections/elevations/callouts/3d views vs Detail views (2D views) how they work and how to create them
3. Read about the view range of the plan views
4. check out the level datums and how to create with and/or without views
5. Briefly read about the Project north and True North
6. When you first open a new project from template try to start someone around the center of that and not some 20 miles away
7. Look for some easy basics tutorials, how to place basic system families (walls/doors/floor/columns/beams...etc) 
   • how to place them and edit their types
   • their constraints (top/bottom/location lines...)
   • how to assign material
8. You do not to focus on families and how to model them, this you can catch up on in time, besides there are lots of families in the library which you can use as is without much modifications
9. familiarize yourself with phasing (existing vs new which you would need in the permit drawings)
10. You do not need to worry about worksharing and worksets (on a small project like this you probably wont need the option WS offer)

What is a typical workflow i should adhere to?

Floor or wall first It doesn't matter much 

1. Model site & property line (can do this in the same model or a separate model)
2. Link a DWG if you have any sketched up there as a concept
3. place grids
4. Place Floors & Place walls in any order 
5. add columns and beams (can also do so in a separate model  - optional)
6. Edit types modify layers 
7. Place roofs 
8. Add inserts 
9. place rooms & set color schemes 
10. Annotate views
11. add callouts
12. detail callouts 
13. create schedules
14. create sheets 
15. place views on sheets

Changing to a wall that isn't in the selection list. Mine is 2in brick, 2in insul, 5in srud, .5in board

1. Editing wall types and its layers is easy
2. you need to decide how you wish to model the walls first based on the types of walls they are and the level of detailing you wish to achieve later on (once you get started you will figure out which workflow for walls suits your project best)
   • some use a single basic wall family
   • some prefer to model the structure and substrates in a wall and the finish layer as a separate wall then they join both together
   • some combine curtain walls with basic walls for dry wall or wood structures
   • ...etc 

How to work with different wall heights. Outside is 8ft, inside is 14ft in the middle of the house.

1. Model it the same way you would build it..
2. otherwise you can split them by level, stack them and/or use just one element full height. Whatever suits you best when it comes to managing and/or quantify such walls.

How to work with inset ceilings. Mine steps up 1ft x 1ft for example.

• Ceiling is a system family similar to floors. There are the basic type (single line) and Compound Type (layered). You can use the ootb compound type, edit it and modify the grids/material/pattern...etc
• You can also use other components to create more detailed ceiling such as Slopped Glazing which also suitable for inset/grid ceilings
• there are lots of tutorials on this subject online 

When do I set the correct orientation and elevation for my property?

• You can do this at the very beginning if you know the values. Best before you model anything
• to move the project to its proper coordinates you use relocate project or you can also acquire such coordinates from a linked dwg/surveyors drawings
• The angle to true north you can enter manually in the project base point or also acquire from a link if it is already defined therein

I know it's a lot, I am a quick learner and excited to get started 

In a week time you should be able to manage a small project as this one...there is this guy nick named Therevitkid who blogs and Youtubes on Revit...He actually have been through what you are doing now (the planning and building his own Home office Extension part; no the Revit learning part) and he actually posted a Youtube on the process, you might find that useful 

Any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks

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[RDAOU]

@NachoShaw 

And here is the ChatGPT recommendations. AI has some potential too. You could also use it to your advantage. I bet it can even elaborate on any of these topics with more info, details and clarity than the Autodesk Help Section...You might also ask it to make a learning plan for you with online reference material/tutorial. Tested that on Python Training for students 2nd year architecture and what it suggested wasnt bad at all. Have to admit I couldn't have put a better guide myself