Revit for Mechanical Design Professional Certification Prep course question

[austin.garst]

Hello all - 

I am a beginner using Revit, with no kind of CAD or BIM experience at all. I am currently trudging my way through whatever MEP courses I can find online for a fairly reasonable price so that I may someday soon become proficient in using this technology. I scored very low on the pre-test for the course in my title, offered by AutoDesk. And I am finding myself having some difficulty finding the correct answers in suggested locations. I am having some issues with the exercises as well. Some of them seem out of order. But for the most part, I am learning a lot.

Do you guys have any suggestions for some good learning resources that may have helped you? I am nearing the end of completion of many of these courses, but I do not feel confident that I am going to be as useful as my company needs me to be by the time that I'm finished. I would like to learn more.

As an example, on the pretest, I cannot figure out why the answer I have selected is incorrect. Any suggestions?

[s.borello]

Spaces are different from analytical spaces I believe... perhaps that's why the answer is incorrect.  Someone else will need to shine some light on the specifics, I don't use analytical spaces. 

[austin.garst]

I'm not sure that you're correct. I won't be using a lot of this, either. But I would like to add the certification to my resume, so I would like to pass the exams. I'll enclose a screenshot and the link to the lesson it cites. In the lesson before, the instructor clearly refers to these as Analytical Spaces. And in the screenshot I'll include, when you select one from the System Browser, it is referred to as an Analytical Space in the properties palette. The model I'm using is from the datasets included with the course.

https://www.autodesk.com/certification/learn/course/revit-mechanical-design-cert-prep/1tlwO9vBKeZRHX...

[austin.garst · Accepted solution]

Ok, I found the answer.

Analytical Spaces are created when the Energy Analytical Model is created. So I believe the answer is 0. This is described in the lesson "Create Energy Model" not in "Create Analytical System." The model I was using must have already had this created.

This slight disorganization has also been causing me issues.

[HVAC-Novice]

I know nothing about that test or certification. But that example tells me that this test does not determine an engineer's capability to actually use Revit in real life (i.e. on an actual project with computer).  I've been using Revit for a long time and think can figure things out by just trying and looking. But I couldn't answer those questions. 

You are better off getting a good book and work through the examples. There are books that walk you through a complete project chapter by chapter. that won't give you a certificate for a resume, but actual skill. 

I had good success with an older version of this book. 

Specific things, like the analytical zones in your example, you can learn from online help and those features keep changing anyway. 

[austin.garst]

I'm certain you are correct about that. When I first began studying and taking these courses and assessments, I thought certification would require a project or exercise structured in a way where I would have to use many of the skills deemed necessary to demonstrate my capability within Revit. But the further I work through this course, I am discovering that the certification seems more about definitions, processes, and if I click X then Y will happen scenarios all within Revit. It does not particularly seem like a fair way to assess proficiency. The pre-test alone, I believe people using Revit for many years would have difficulty passing. Particularly because of trick questions like the one I posted earlier. I believe a lot of what I'm learning could be useless for me, because I intend to primarily use Revit for MEP fabrication and installation. I have an add-in app called SysQue that is supposed to be more specifically for that. But I felt like I needed a stronger familiarity with Revit before I began that specific training.

[HVAC-Novice]

I don't know if the test actually will involve using Revit. But if it is just on paper, or an electronic version of paper (without actually using Revit) it is useless for actually using the software. IMHO. 

Everybody learns different. I'm self-taught and am someone who needs to work on an actual project or problem to learn. I'm really bad with using terms and if I don't see the software, couldn't walk someone through. 

Some good books will give yo a good overview and basic skills. I recommend  understanding this at minimum:

- parameters (family, shared, project and the newest, global) and what they do and how they get used

- families (inc. parameters) and understand loadable and non-loadable families 

- planes (inc. in families - geometries work much better if you build a plane skeleton)

- schedules

- visibility, phasing etc. You can get lost in a project if you are in the wrong time or things are invisible

- views, filters etc. Understand each view (flor, 3D, section etc.) is just a slice of an actual 3D model that selectively shows or doesn't show elements.

- templates

Understand Revit is a toolbox. You are the carpenter and can do a lot of things the inventors never intended. Often you need to know what works best for you. Revit is used by interior designers, engineers, architects etc. and all work in different bidding environments, company structures. What works for me, may or may not work for you. 

If you don't have CAD experience, that is actually good. Many people suffer because they want Revit to work like AutoCAD. It doesn't.  

Make a spreadheet where you track what shared parameters you create, what filters in what templates etc. 

I also find the "Revit Kid" and "Balkan Architect" youtube channels useful. Always some good nuggets of wisdom that I hadn't known about. 

Obviously tracking this forum is good and if googling didn't help, ask specific questions.  

[SunsetSam]

This is addressed to Autodesk. Please explain the difference between the MEP Professional Certification Prep test Question 40 (see screen shot) and the instructions in the PDF document L4_02_SystemZones (see screen shot).  What am I missing here?

<edit> What are we missing here.

[RobDraw]

Autodesk barely moderates this forum. Getting a direct answer is unlikely. By limiting who you direct your question to, you are limiting possible answers.

[SunsetSam]

Be sides being a worthless comment....is there not anything that you don't stick your nose in? Go pound sand!

This is intended for RobDraw...and why don't you make like a breeze and blow away.

And you answered it. Why not answer the question relative to the subject matter I posted...you're an....

[RobDraw]

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@SunsetSam wrote:

Be sides being a worthless comment....is there not anything that you don't stick your nose in? Go pound sand!

This is intended for RobDraw...and why don't you make like a breeze and blow away.

---

LMAO!!!

Why so angry? Did I hurt your feelings? How can informing you be worthless?

It's a fact that Autodesk is not likely to respond and there are many non-Autodesk people that can tell you the difference but you didn't ask them.

LOL!!!

[SunsetSam]

You are a real jerk.

[RobDraw]

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@SunsetSam wrote:
You are a real jerk.

---

Yes, I am.

Have you learned anything yet? Aside from recognizing a personality trait in someone. A trait that has no affect on the quality of the content of my posts. Delivery sucks but that is often dictated by the post that I am responding to, i.e. the poster shunning the community.

BTW. you are wasting a lot of time berating me when you could be asking your fellow users about your question. There are a lot of us here. You could have had your answer by now. In fact, I would have given it to you if you hadn't so rudely brushed aside everyone non-Autodesk that could answer it for you.

Good day!

[jwinkler8A6WX]

For what It's worth, I took the Architectural Revit Certification, and there was a question with an error in it.  I verified with the exam administrator later.

[SunsetSam]

Thanks. I haven't taken the certification exam yet so I have no
administrator to contact. The question is from Autodesk's prep. I'd like to
know how to contact someone at Autodesk that could explain what I and
others are missing in that question I posted a screenshot of.