LTCC "To see things in the seed, that is genius". Lao-Tzu

In “the Nature of Managerial Work” (1980), Henry Mintzberg outline the Ten Roles of a manager.  These ten roles have been applied in many ways to many differing titles within an organization.  I attempt here to apply them to the role of CAD Manager.

He grouped them into three sets – Interpersonal, Informational and Decisional.   Here is the first set.

Interpersonal

1) Figurehead - The CAD Manager acts as a symbol or representative of the organization.  The CAD Manager fills this role when he or she stands up for the company in front of vendors, clients and co-workers.  They represent the company in negotiations with resellers and providers.  They reflect the values of the company to outsiders.  It might be just a ceremonial role when receiving awards or accolades for the firm or when speaking at event.  When they talk, they are speaking as one from a management level of the firm.

2) Leader - The CAD Manager interacts with subordinates to motivate and develop them.  It is their role to encourage staff to use the standard.  Not to just use it but to understand it and agree with the reasons for it’s existence.  They educate others in the use of their tools and software to make the company more productive.  They oversee the overall training efforts.  They motivate others to care about CAD and the quality of the product.

3) Liaison - The CAD Manager establishes a network of contacts to gather information inside and outside the company.  They are connected.  Internally, they connect with upper management and the front line users.  They gather information about productivity, problems and project milestones.  They use this information to define their tasks.  Externally, they link to others in the industry or CAD arena to get more info and tips on how to do things better or avoid mistakes.

These three are focused on interacting with others.  Personally communicating and exchanging information.  Motivating others, representing the firm and gathering information via conversations.

According to a book “The Psychology of Behavior at Work: The Individual in an Organization” by Adrian Furnham (2005), a manager behaves in several ways in the work environment.

Rather than being reflective systematic planners, managers often work in an unrelenting pace.  Their activities are characterized by short duration, variety, and are disjointed and often random when observed.  The book states that most managers dislike being reflective.

Rather than having no regular duties to perform, a manager is relegated to consistent, almost ritualistic duties.

Rather than using systematic data agregated over time, the author states, they often use verbal reports for decisionmaking.

And finally as opposed to becoming a science of professionally trained functions, management still depend much on intuition and personal judgement.

When thinking on CAD Manager duties I can see that they are very random at times, and then very structured at times.  I use a lot of data to make review and comparison decisions, but make a lot of call – off the cuff on my general feelings or based on trust of those reporting to me.

The book goes on to define Ten Roles that Managers take on within an organization.  I will cover those roles in the next few blog posts.

Image of currently represented people/Countries on this blog. Well current at time of the writing of this posting...

I am still surprised and quite happy that many of the readers of this blog span the globe (though I am still looking/hoping for representation in Antarctica & the Arctic)...

I guess this internet thing is going to catch on after all...

Anyhow; while I was looking in on who was perusing the blog I found that one of our Italian Reviteurs, from Perugia, Umbria uses Google Translate to get this blog translated... Hmmm...

Now, Google has many a great asset and 'translate' is one that I must admit is fantastic, even though it has not previously crossed my mind to use it (until now!!!). There are several BIM & Revit Blogs, etc. that are in languages other than my native English... now I can read (and understand) them...YAAY!!! I also placed a Google Translation widget on the right side of this here blog.

With that, the language barrier is just about to end, or it's already over... some of us just need to get clued in to that fact!!! Me included, it seems (seemed).

I just hope the translations are good... I did notice that "Fuck" translates a bit incorrectly into Italian, but that's OK it reads funnier!!!

Thanks to everyone who sent in tips, as well as all you readers who may have or may be helped... Voting had such limited time so instead I posed the tips to a panel of Reviteurs and the Grand Prize Winner is: You for using these tips!!!

Ok, OK, John Raiten, BIM Coordinator @ Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors supplied the winning tip; that will surely prove useful and an inspiration to think beyond our limitations...

Revit Coordination Tip: 3D Grid Callouts

When coordinating with other disciplines i.e. Structure, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Safety through Navisworks

• Create a custom “3D Text Grid” in Revit (using the line based Generic Model template) that shows a 3D Text in Plan and Elevation (both Front/Back & Left/Right)

• Create a Hidden Workset for these “3D Text Grids”

• Make a “3D Text Grid” to match all of the Normal Revit Grids on one level

• Copy those “3D Text Grids” to each level that is in your model (You may want to Align/Lock them if the Grids move depending on the current status/state of the project)

• Create a 3D view with only the “3D Text Grids” visible – turned on

• Export the ”3D Text Grids” for use in Navisworks

This will allow you to quickly coordinate locations when viewing the Clash models and doing a walk/fly through.

Great idea... I would also point everyone who finds this useful to a post by David Kingham where he shares a family (on AUGI) to do this type of thing. Reviteurs Rule!!! New-grids-in-navisworks-part-deux.

Greg Burr submitted this one:
Say you have two walls side by side and have a door or window inserted into one of the walls but you want the door or window opening to cut through the other wall as well. Simply use Join Geometry and join the two wall together.

From Marcos Santa Ana:
If you turn off the number bubble on a grid line you can use them to show up in elevations and section as property lines and setback lines. Just now have to figure our how to "PL-PL-PL-PL" for example.

Nice work by all for playing along!!! BTW: In regards to the PL thing, an idea I had was for one to also try:

A)
Reference Planes (named) ...I know, I know you'd have to manage all the other Ref Planes to be worksetted, as to NOT be visible by default in all views, so one can turn on printing of these "property line" planes...Hey, it's just a thought!!!

B)

• Create a family (line based) that is a very thin box (1/32") for instance, give height as well
  
• Place that on the Property Lines, locking them
• in the family, in the side views place an array of bits of lines and a symbol (PL) at desired spacing
• Give materiality, if desired to the 3D piece
• Workset these to NOT be visible by default in all views
  An arcing family can also be created but the section views may get squirrely... It's a thought...
  

Communication is so valuable and written communication is the artifact and record of a good process.  Writing is becoming a lost art for the common person.  Go back 150 years and read the articulate correspondence of common farmers who had become enlisted men in the American Civil War.  They are eloquent and full of great words and phrases.  Here is an example. (From a Southern soldiers perspective – not from my family history – just a good example of writing)

Writing today in a business environment should not be compared to such letters, but still requires a bit of finesse in order to communicate well.

Here are a few tips for good emails and memos.

Get to the point

Just like in speaking – get the message across at the beginning.  People will not read a long email or memo.  they will skim it for clues and directives to see if they need to read the whole thing.  If you fail to get your point across in the first paragraph, you may never get them to read more.

Get Organized

Don’t just rattle off an email or memo as the words come to mind.  Figure out a beginning, middle and end.  Choose the order of your written word carefully.  Help the flow of the readers thoughts carry along with the writing.

Write like you speak

Most people write a little loftier than they speak.  Don’t get too far from your typical tone. If you inject humor in your speech, then don’t be afraid to add some to your writing (if the topic allows).  Writing should flow similar to speech.  Not to formal and not to casual.  Don’t use “gonna” or “ain’t” – but keep from getting too formal.

Avoid Fluff

Don’t add information or stories that are not germane to the conversation.  Remove needless sentences that do not advance understanding.

Don’t assume they know anything

Unless it is obvious to all.  Check to see if you have fully explained yourself as if you knew nothing of the subject before.  Quickly explain terms or processes that are not common knowledge.  Remind them of things discussed before.  Give them anchors to start their thinking by referring to other memos or documents.

Remember the reader

Don’t talk down to the readers or over their heads.  Do not use too much “tech talk” if the audience will not understand it.  Focus on what the reader needs to know and present it in easy to understand terms.  Avoid jargon and acronyms.

Read it when you are done

Don’t just hit the send key or the print button.  Stop – take a break – then come back and read it again.  Make changes as needed.  If it is a memo – get someone else to read it and offer comments.  If it is a tutorial or procedure – get someone to try it out, step by step, then send it out.

Lastly – Don’t assume that they read it

If it is critical that one or two people know exactly what is in the memo or email, follow up with a conversation.

Using some of these tips might help clarify your points.  Improving your skills at writing can advance your career.

Communication is one area that can always be improved.  Getting the message across to others is what every manager has to do.  Communicating well and consistently is not easy.  You may do a good job of communicating the message out, but you might not do it often enough or to the right people.  Or you may communicate often and to the right people but never seem to connect your words to their understanding.

There are several key things to keep in mind when trying to get your message out.  Talk may be cheap, but the value of a good communication process can not be overstated.

Lets take a look at verbal communication

Get to the point.

Bottom Line Up Front – BLUF – I have heard it put this way.  Get to the point of the conversation.  Let people know what you are going to talk about and then add more info as you see their interest wax and wane.  This is one that annoys me a lot.  I will admit that after two or three sentences, I want to know what the purpose is for  the conversation.  Get it out there.  Peoples minds will wander when someone babbles on with more info than what is needed.

Don’t ask undefined questions.

Don’t start a conversation that causes the other person to be defensive out of the gate.  “Do you have some spare time?”  “Would you be willing to help me out?” “Are you busy at 3:00pm?”  These kinds of questions immediately put the other person on the defensive.  The usual answer will be “Why?”.  People do not want to commit to doing something or offering their time if they do not know what is involved.  Better to say “Do you have some spare time to help me with the report that is due in 2 hours?”

Ask them to repeat what you said.

This is kind of tough and can appear insulting.  When passing on instructions to others, some have given advice that includes having the person repeat the instructions you gave.  They would respond with “You told me to reformat the hard drive, reinstall the software and configure the printer.” This might work for subordinates or your kids, but not for peers and others.  I never ask them directly what I said, but ask them to confirm my summary of the conversation.    “The delivery is coming in early next week and you should see your new laptop after we prep it – so about 2 days later (just in case) – sound good?”  “The CAD Software will be installed on your machine next Tuesday – that will work for you right?”

Confirm what they said to you.

Just like the above only now you are confirming what they said.  “So you will be there at 2:00 pm with the laptop and projector – right?”  “So the next step in my plan is to seek advice from Sr. management and you suggested I call Bob – correct?”

Get commitments.

If you are seeking to get someone to assist or provide you with something, then get a commitment before you close the conversation.  Don’t just trail away hoping that they will return to you with an answer.  I usually ask for a commitment at the end.  “Then you will help me – right?”  If the conversation calls for a delay in the commitment, I try to get a deadline for the decision.  “So you will get back to me by next Monday.  Can I call you on Tuesday if I don;t hear from you?”

Avoiding some of the pitfalls of verbal conversations has many more nuances than just the very short list I have above.  Think about how you can get better and try these and others.

New Users learn the best and worst from others. What are you passing on?

People seem to pick up the bad habits and not the good habits.  Some get the good habits and define the bad ones that they do not want to mimic.  Which ones are you passing on to others – the good or the bad?

What defines a bad habit?  Is is just something that you like doing that others cannot see the productivity in?  Is it the old way of doing things that is not wrong, just “older” than some of the new methods?  Is a bad habit wrong if it gets the job done?  When do bad habits move from just annoying to being productivity killers?

I have learned a few things along the road of CAD and have jettisoned some bad habits as well as picked up good ones.  My bad habits, as defined by you, may differ from my definitions.  Using outdated dialog boxes or avoiding the ribbon – bad habit or dangerous?  Using the command line in place of the a screen menu – bad habit or productivity drain.

I have specific ways of getting my job done in CAD.  I learned them from others, or tutorials or books or screen casts or wherever.   I have settled into doing things a specific way and it may differ from your work patterns.  I think I am being efficient and you may think I am missing the point.  Either way, we both get the job done and the product meets the CAD Standard.  So we are all good – correct?  My way or your way does not matter as long as we produce the output needed.

If it we on a construction site, I could say that using a screwdriver as a chisel is not acceptable.  Using a hammer to drive in a screw might force the screw head to be level with the wood surface, but it might not hold for long.  But who is to say that some CAD Habits are bad and some are good.

Let me take a stab at it…

When do CAD Habits become Bad Habits?

When they impact others in a negative way.

You may be very comfortable having layer names like Front1, Front2, Wall2, A25, A26 or whatever.  I have seen people name their layers after their kids or dog or whatever, thinking that they are temporary and will be changed later but never come back to change them.  When someone else looks at the file, they cannot figure it our and spend time renaming the layer to be something standard.  You have moved into the bad habit zone.

When they cause files to become corrupt.

Bad hatch patterning, multiple dimension overrides, creating in-place linestyles, fancy xref rotation, attachments from nowhere, and on and on.  Compounding creative creations can cause conundrums.  When you are focused too much on the look of an object and fail to think of the method of creation, it becomes a bad habit.

When a file cannot be output by everyone (only you can get it right).

If you are in the habit of adjusting your personal pentable to get perfect plots then that is a bad habit.  Making fine tuned pentables that may only work on your machine or your office or your hardware impacts the next person down the line.  Don’t do it.  Break the habit.

There may be more that I have not thought of yet, but you get the picture.  Generally when it hurts someone else – it is a bad habit.  even if others are not impacted – it still might be a bad habit.  Think before you act.

A preliminary thanks goes out to the the BumpShack for their posting where the image (and link) above was found (when I searched for the biggest tool :-))...

First off I must admit that the reason for this posting is that I have been given a free copy of these tools for my use, in return for my giving a copy to one of you...Oh, and for pimping it up herein... Not a bad thing but I do want it to be clear.

That said:

Anyone heard of the Avatech Utilities for Revit? better yet anyone NOT heard of them? Well in any case one of you, my most appreciated readers, will be getting a free copy of the full package of these Tools... My gift to you...YAAY!!! Well, more like their gift to me FOR YOU!!!

I was thinking to give these tools away by asking for inappropriate photo submissions that would be voted on... but that kind of 'contest' I think is better suited to be on my other (rarely used) blog, or simply via email... not that I am asking mind you :-) So here's the plan... If you want to be in on this opportunity to win a copy of these, then all you need to do is the following:

1. Use the EMAIL link above or add a comment to this posting that describes (in full) the best or most hidden tip or technique you have for Revit (any flavor). To post a comment click the "comments link" at the bottom of the post... it's just left of the envelope icon!!!
   
2. Include your real name and email address at the bottom of the body of your comment to be eligible.
3. Vote. (when open)
   

Voting will begin Monday July 26th, 2010 and will will conclude on Thursday July 29th, 2010; right here on this blog (I will provide a voting widget); then, we will all vote on our favorite comment, compile the results and Voilà... When a winner is chosen I will send their name & email address to the organizers and they will then receive their free copy of the fore mentioned Revit tools directly from said organizers. Why is this all happening? well, the cost of the full package of these tools is going to go from $99 to $399 after August 1st... so free is good!!!

Tips are good too and after this I will post all of the tips in a proper posting and we can all help one another... Good Luck!!!

Whether you are or you are not a CMAA member and you will be in the Southern California area August 12th you may want to take a look at the entire flier by clicking the image above.

I am happy to be joining up with several (other :-) industry heavyweights to help grow the understanding of potentials that BIM holds, in an effort to get to a sustainable AEC, O world.

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Since I have gotten worse at frequently posting, a few people have offered to help keep (bim)x a little more alive by writing posts when they are inspired. Here is one, from on VDC Manager who has decided to post by a pseudonym: VirDC. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Laura Handler has graciously offered to open-up her blog for an occasional, anonymous blog post, just to keep her readers on their toes. Thank you Laura, for giving me such a prestigious podium! The past few years have been a mad scramble for many of us getting a foothold in the AEC industry and I've found great comfort in the priceless contributions that you and your fellow Toccisti have made to our industry my developing career.

I hate to start my piece as just one more take on where BIM is taking the AEC industry, but I may as well get it out of the way in my debut post with some really cool links. Anyway, it's been bugging me that some people have analogized the adoption of BIM with the transition from hand drawing to CAD. Though I love history and I believe there are always lessons yet to be learned from the past, there has really never been a true paradigm shift like we are experiencing. If you aren't seeing it, you may want to figure-out why you aren't seeing it before it's done and position yourself accordingly.

For the past few years, everything's been a bit wild in the AEC industry and not just due to the economy... While the industry finally hit full stride with the Green movement, there's been a much more tumultuous undercurrent welling-up that is changing the way the entire industry is structured and it's only amplified by the poor economy. As anyone who follows this blog knows, information and technology is what is transforming the industry by way of relational, object-oriented programming that simply allows us to relate various information, relate that information, and produce information that has additional value. Call it BIM, PLM, or even ERP if you want, but is finally transforming the way we use computational power to assist us. Yes, I say finally because not only has it taken a long time for it to get from this guy's head to your fingertips, but it is essentially the limitless transformation sought by creative minds for millennia: a way to turn pure creativity, knowledge and resources into an informed reality.

The more we harness information, the more potential uses for the derivative information there become. We have only just begun to conceive of the ways information can be used in the real world to influence design, construction and results, but there is literally limitless potential. We're just not likely to be able to identify many advanced uses from the outset: clash detection, code compliance, takeoff quantities, costs, etc are only the very early beginning. Frankly, it's a little bit scary to consider some implications. For instance: if we tie quantities to costs and tie those costs to an online marketplace, are we really just commoditizing the industry and extracting the "Hu element?" Would a commodity market dynamically tied to a design really take material costs off of the list of variables forever? I doubt it, but I can't say what would happen if nearly every designer/planner had that level of information at every step. Predicting the usefulness of information just one or two steps out with any degree of certainty gets pretty nebulous like predicting the weather, the economy, or the climate for that matter. But, what I do know is that we will continue to push ahead and the use and application of derivative information will not grow linearly.

Today, we struggle with data workflows to leverage basic information, interoperability of data, detection, isolation and correction of bad or flawed data, and the human interfaces to that data. But, the seeds of a different growth pattern have already taken root. Before long, we will have worked-out a defined modularity for new, extensible data, thus resolving interoperability and making workflow objective rather than subjective. We will have a slew of intuitive and fully-customizable interfaces to capture our every inspiration and truly dynamic, proactive and predictive feedback on design and logistics. Possibilities will mean something else entirely... just look at what Wolfram Alpha is doing with relational data. It's just the beginning.

I skimmed this recent article AECbyte article to see what I missed at the AIA Convention and noticed that the article missed something I had heard about: Virtual Reality for the AEC industry.

We tested a previous version of this solution a few months ago and were very excited about the potential of it. Now it looks like WorldViz, the company we are working with, has released an AEC-specific toolset and showcased it at the AIA Convention. We are probably going to implement this for one of our clients; is anyone actually using this on projects right now?

The first sighting of our new book – Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 – has been reported in the US! Eddy got his shipment of promo copies today and just take a look at the size of this one…

 

Eddy, Phil and I are really proud of the content we’ve developed for this year’s edition. We hope you’ll enjoy it, too. As always, feel free to drop us a line at MasteringRevit or visit our Facebook page.

It’s still available at the discounted preorder price on Amazon.com, so hurry up before it goes up to regular price.

It use to be pretty tough to get special characters into your text in AutoCAD.  You had to use %% or other tricks to get it done.   Some may still use these “inline” tricks or you could use the menus.

Ever use Unicode – I have not… but…

When entering text, you can create special characters, including the degree symbol, plus/minus tolerance symbol, and the diameter symbol, by entering the following Unicode character strings:

\U+00B0 = Degrees symbol (°)

\U+00B1 = Tolerance symbol (±)

\U+2205 = Diameter symbol

Better yet – Use %% – this is a more standard way of enter special characters

In addition to using Unicode characters for entering special characters, you can also overscore text, underscore text, or insert a special character by including control information in the text string. Use a pair of percent signs to introduce each control sequence.

You can use this control code with standard AutoCAD text fonts and Adobe PostScript fonts:

%%nnn – Draws character number nnn.

NOTE: You can use these control codes with standard AutoCAD text fonts only:

%%o – Toggles overscoring on and off.

%%u – Toggles underscoring on and off.

%%d – Draws degrees symbol (°).

%%p – Draws plus/minus tolerance symbol (±).

%%c – Draws circle diameter dimensioning symbol .

What if I want the % sign???

%%% – Draws a single percent sign (%). This is valid for the TEXT command only.

Overscoring and underscoring can be in effect at the same time. Both turn off automatically at the end of the text string.

You can use the %%nnn control sequence to display special characters using the PostScript fonts.

You can also get most of these off the MTEXT menu now.

Click on Other to get even more…

Last week, one of Tocci's VDC Modelers sent this article to our team, on AIA New York's Shifting Paradigms: Design in Transition event.

The discussion point in the article that stood out to me was not the "insecurity of the audience"; it was Paul Seletsky's criticism of BIM software, which does infact "lack the ability to simultaneously look at design geometry and energy management". I would extend that to any type of analysis. For instance, even though we are able to extract quantity information directly from a model to feed an estimate in a much shorter time period, it is certainly not instantaneous pricing feedback.

Where our success has been is in finding workarounds that create "almost-instantaneous" feedback. Obviously these workarounds require setup and BIM Execution Planning, but short of improved interoperability and connectivity between software platforms, its what we have. And although it isn't perfect, it is certainly better than traditional process.

Just a quick note that I will be giving a lecture in New York City at the Center for Architecture on July 13. My presentation is titled “buildingSMART in Architecture” and will be focused on how the design profession needs to step up to the plate and provide more relevance to the building process before builders and fabricators take over our services – and fees.  Several project case studies from HOK will be presented to support the notion of using BIM and integrated design and delivery to support life-cycle information stewardship, rather than just the latest way to deliver paper documents.

Registration is free, but you must RSVP at the AIA NY website by clicking here.

In a meeting today, Atul Khanzode from DPR mentioned their model slicer, and then it appeared here today. Excited to try it out. I'll let you know how it goes. Direct link to download the product.

Recently I got a complement/comment posted to an older blog entry “Converting CAD Details To Revit Details: Just Do It...One way or another.” where it was said: "Great in-depth post on this difficult process. Well written, not confusing for anyone of any skill level. I work with the McGraw Hill Sweets Network, an online database where you can find all your cad detail needs." Well I do like a lot of the items on the Sweet’s sites (especially the BIM objects to be found there!!!) and think the publisher is doing great work for our industry without a doubt; but I want to make a distinction between what we NEED in BIM projects as opposed to CAD projects... Cad detail needs are not at all similar to BIM detail needs and it is just an error of imagination to confuse the two... an understandable error but error nonetheless (in most cases).

CAD detail are obviously good for CAD work flows but not for BIM projects as a whole. Basically CAD details are lines, arcs , circles & text (all dumb objects and merely belief based) …we (read as I) need to revisit the whole concept of detailing in Revit in the hopes of shedding more light on how it may be best to work WITH BIM, rather than against the river that it is.

I have become an overwhelming advocate against the use of CAD details in Revit at all; if one can possibly help it. Then I have extended this to drawing lines in Revit...

I would like to forward the following postulate to those who have details drawn in Revit using lines, arcs, circles & text and still think that they have Revit details: you have not much more than sticky back details (yes, I have seen Revit details where nothing more is technically needed and in those cases I might agree that lines can be used... I just don't.

I'd still personally make the items into detail components, in case I ever use it again elsewhere -like the handicap symbol... and especially if the items use CAD lines that were "Revitized... that usually (read as most always) converts smooth curves into billion-segmented line nib-lets, creating bloated and slower files and worse than that hundreds or thousands of the ill-desired and dreaded Warnings. YUK:

From Toward a Zen of Revit: No Warning is a Good Warning (I am writing that presently)

Bottom line: details using lines, arcs, circles & text are not as close to being as powerful as they can be with a true Revit (AKA: BIM) efficient work flow: (remember that was why you bought Revit wasn't it? The associative power & efficiency? Or was it that your client forced it on you???)

Next I propose a challenge: NEVER, EVER, EVER USE LINES IN REVIT.

Especially those lines converted from CAD files or details, as discussed previously... even though I gave that as an option in that older post...can't life be fickle? ...I said that was an option...it is just a bad one for long term practice).

I understand that most offices have hundreds of standard details or typical details that are used as starting points… With that in mind I do suggest recreating (yep, recreate) all of the existing, appropriate details in Revit, using only (OK; mostly only) Detail Components for items that will be called out and specified... then I suggest using Keynotes and Tags instead of text in as many cases as can be!!!

From Toward a Zen of Revit: No Text = No Chasing

Dogmatic? Yes
Makes Details & Projects better? Yes
Saves time in the long run? I have found
Tastes great? Huh?

Using Detail Components (for every item) can be more possible than you might think right now... be creative!!!

OK onto those details sans lines...
I am not talking about lines within 'sketch modes' etc. either; in fact the detail component that we will be creating in this posting will ultimately use a line (though at the family level, so it doesn't count)… So I make a rule and break the rule… The logic there is When the line is used to make a detail component, it may work and look like a simple line but it has become far more than that... it becomes a Data Enlightened Object.

What I mean is: do not (in almost every case) use lines for pieces of Revit details, such as the example herein, where a waterproofing membrane (image 1) is specified.

-I even create or use Detail Components for standard/generically specified items such as “FINISH FLOOR PER PLANS”, etc… Oh and YES, the wall below would NOT have the waterproofing membrane on the exterior of finish... I merely used it as an example about these detail components!!!

Image 1

In the stead of using lines and pointing to them with dumb (read as not associative) text I suggest using “Line Based Detail Components” or Detail Component line based” (Image 2), as the family template is so named. Unless of course you want to chase text and naming around all of your details… hey; maybe I am wrong about this and you make so much money that spending time or wasting time is of no consequence… If that is you then draw lines and link in CAD details and have fun with all the inconsistencies (CAD dimensions & arrows, etc.), time lost to re-re-re-modification and finally project slow down (too many CAD files will create a situation where Revit seems to work like it’s in molasses!!! Or like a Fucking Stupid Donkey)

Image 2

The procedures to ‘draw’ with these Line Based Detail Components once in a project are similar to pulling lines around; with a few main differences:
1) We cannot chain line based components together (awww ) , so click away my pretties
2) Detail Components can be brilliant!!! If we change one in a detail all the other instances will change… thus we leverage The Power of BIM: Change it once and it changes everywhere!!!

The following should all be clear if you have some pre-existing understanding of Family Creation. Uhhh; Revit Family Creation that is...

Making a Line Based Detail Component

1) Using the Big “R”, at the top/left of Revit (AKA: the Application Button) choose the flyout arrow next to NEW, then choose FAMILY

2) Select the Detail Component line based template (Image 2)

3) Create a line in the new family

-there, I said it… my rule is technically broken if you are thinking how I usually think...though in this case I am not being that literal (ahh, the contradictions of communication)

4) Lock it to the REF PLANES (Image 3)

Image 3

5) Flex the length
If all is working then move on, if not try again…

6) Save the family. (use a good naming convention & library location, right? But you knew that…)

OK ready for the proof? Here we go…

These 4 details (Image 4) are the same, right? Wrong… one uses 'them there' dumb lines, the others use a Detail Component of the line based variety… But you knew that (by now)…

Image 4 (CLICK THE IMAGE!!!)

Now, I am going to change the Detail Components from being "Bituminous Sheet Waterproofing" to "6 Mil. Polyethylene"...

Can you guess which one of them won’t change when the meta-data (Keynote value, in this case) is changed? … I’ll wait… OK, see (Image 5) for the answer.

Image 5 (CLICK THE IMAGE!!!)
Now extrapolate this type of change out to the multitude of components in the numerous details you may have and you can probably see the benefit of taking a little extra time up-front to primarily FIND and secondarily, Create your Detail Components (line based or otherwise), AS DETAIL COMPONENTS for every (or as close to every) specific case necessary… BTW: Have you ever looked to see how many detail components there are in the OOTB Revit library, let alone floating around on the web-o-sphere??? There are A LOT!!!

Happy Detailing!!!

Interesting link posted by Tom Vollaro here about 3D printing with concrete. Very cool concept - it will be interesting to see how this fits within current model-based execution options.

Simply hit the link via the above image and get Twitching (Using ADSK Software without installing them)!!! bandwidth withstanding...

We can lead technology but only if we participate!!! Get to it!!! The Labs have getting started videos as well... Unfortunately for our international friends these are just for the USA and Canada at present...damned treaties???

"Change The Words" [read in the cadence of a blues song]

AutoCAD's a religion
It's just belief system; yeah
-draw two lines and hatch in between them
now point to it with some text

that's what you have now: i'n't it?
but that's just what you believe...
' don't trust me? just change the words,
what does it now mean

If your belief in the object
fails or breaks down
you're back to just lines again: text and hatch

"I believe what I want to believe"; don't trust what you believe
Things are just what they are, they are
no alterations apply

It's just what you believe, no one's gonna change you yourself
you have to embrace change, that's the only thing that remain( )

Change Remains but Belief is Fleeting
Construct a Future and Use New Idea( )

AutoCAD's a religion, BIM is one too
The difference as it seems to me; blind faith and dogma
you can have what you want, you want
but is it really YOU who want( )?