3ds Max Design - Project Folders

Project folders in 3ds Max Design are a great helpful tool! By setting the project folder, this allows 3ds Max to search, or look, in the folder of that project directory. This works well for when other people are working on a project with you, or if you have to come back to a project after a few weeks. Setting the project to be active then re-paths the search folders in 3ds Max to look for presets, scenes, import/export and other project specific folders.

Found under the Application big "M", and then Manage, setting the folder is easy, either to an existing folder, or creating a new one.

Navisworks: Appearance Profiler

My favorite feature of 2012 Navisworks Manage is the Appearance Profiler. It can be used in conjunction with Search Sets to color-code your coordination models. The nice thing is that the settings can be saved out and recalled as needed in the Navisworks NWF file which makes updates to the model much easier. Pre-planning, particularly in file naming conventions, will make this feature update even with the introduction of updated models from the CAD programs. In the figure below, I built search sets based on the file names. Then I assigned those search sets to colors and level of transparency. My architectural model is green and transparent, with electrical in red, ductwork in blue and steel in yellow. Last step, SAVE the profiles listed in the Appearance Profiler to a DAT file that can be imported to any NWF when needed.

The Volumes Dashboard Extension for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2012

Playing in the Dirt.........

The Volumes Dashboard Extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 software provides a streamlined interface for design and construction professionals to calculate, report and visualize surface volumes within AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 software.
Refining earthworks through iterative design is a common operation that is
performed throughout the design and construction process on infrastructure
projects. This extension can streamline and help optimize the current process
in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012; it will also provide an easy to follow workflow for
common tasks, helping new Civil 3D users become productive, more quickly.

3ds Max Design - tips

Here
are a couple of quick tips from a recent 3ds Max Design class
that I was teaching...

3d model rotate - hold down the Ctrl key and mouse wheel to spin the model.

Cloning - Move tool, hold down Shift. This will duplicate the object, but giving you the option of Copy, Instance or Reference. Instance vs. Reference... Instance you can change any of the object copied and it updates all of them. Reference, you need to change the original, to update the others.

Save Copy - This saves your scene and adds a number sequence to the end of the file name.

Mirrored Door Number Bug

Door schedules in Revit are great. However, if you include room numbers with your doors, you should know about a bug. Door schedules can include data from a "To Room: Number" parameter and "From Room:Number" parameter. The image below shows a simple floor plan with 5 room objects and 4 doors. Looking at a floor plan view, all the doors swing From Corridor Room Number 100 and swing into their own unique room. However, you will notice on the door schedule that Door Number 4 has the associated room parameters reversed. Why? Doors numbered 1 through 3 were placed in the model using the door command. Door swings were flipped using either the space bar or by the using the flip arrows. Door number 4 was placed using the Mirror command. Apparently, not only did Revit mirror the door, it also reversed the From Room and To Room parameters.





To correct the room parameter information, users can open the door schedule view and update the room parameters by simply selecting the correct room value for the drop down list. I should also mention that if you try to flip any of the doors so they swing into the corridor, the same room parameters in the door schedule will not update as well. The work around is the same; go to the Door Schedule view and update the parameters.
Mark Petrucci

3ds Max Design - mental ray Proxies

Need a stand-in for your objects? This can help save time for rendering and when working in a scene file. What is it? mentalray Proxies in 3ds Max. They are a placeholders that are only loaded into memory and are processed per bucket during rendering. Files that used to lock up or freeze should now render quickly!

Go to the Create Panel , select "mental ray" in the Primitives drop down. Pick the "mr Proxy" button and place a box in the scene. Go to "Modify" panel and pick the "none" button to select the source object in the scene. Then pick the "Write Object to File..." button to save the data of the object for rendering time. At this point everything is in place. Now you can copy, clone, or array the Proxy in your scene. You will see several boxes, but when you render they will all be nice rendered copies of the source object.

BIM, CAD, Revit and Commerical Interior Design

Many argue that BIM requires all work be done in a BIM authoring tool, like Revit. BIM does not exclude the incorporation of legacy data that exists world wide. In fact, for BIM to evolve the AEC industry it has to accomodate decades of hand drawn and CAD produced documentation. Does this information have the ability to contain and share the same volume of information and capability that a Revit model does? Absolutely not, however, legacy data provides valuable historical and as-built records that are useful for informing the design team while they create and/or re-create all or part of a project in Revit.

I suggest that there is far more renovation, remodel and addition work and less new construction. There is far more built environment than under construction. BIM is well positioned for new design, construction and operations where as much of interior design works in previously occupied space. Most of that space was not designed using BIM in its modern context. It only makes sense that to use Revit for commerical interior design, a designer must consider leveraging existing electronic files as part of the design or to build on top of. Until BIM is fully adopted in the AEC industry and all existing space and architecture is recreated using BIM authoring tools, it is logical to use CAD files as part of a BIM workflow.

Most fees do not have the capacity to re-model an entire facility or space for a renovation project. When the technology advances to streamline the 3D laser scanning to Revit model workflow and reduce the cost, then designers will opt for this path. So, for the near future, leverage scans of hand drawn drawings or CAD files in your Revit project to leverage the best of both worlds and available legacy information.