Get ready to completely overhaul the way you use phasing in Revit 2022. View Filters now support Phase parameters. With this you can set up your own combinations of filters including multiple phases, special conditions, future work or temporary construction. For any but the simplest projects, this is a complete game-changer!

• 2022 Dataset (ZIP - 9 MB)

Most projects require the efforts of many individuals. If you are working in Revit, one of the first things you need to learn about is Revit worksharing. Worksharing enables multiple users to make edits to a single central file and coordinate those changes across the entire project team. The trouble is that worksharing can be complicated. There is lots of terminology to learn and special procedures to follow. To make matters worse, you can’t really learn about worksharing effectively on your own—you need a team. This is where the Worksets workshop comes in. In this hands-on lab, we will break into teams, create our local files and learn how to work together in a live worksharing project. You will learn to make changes, synchronize with central, reload latest and relinquish. We will also look at all the new 2012 goodies. You will learn best practices for working together in Revit and how to avoid common pitfalls. If you are new to Revit and worksharing, this lab will be just what you need to get up and running quickly.

• 2012 Dataset (ZIP - 2.8 MB)
• 2012 Handout (PDF - 20 Pages)

Success with the family editor is so much more than creating simple objects with flexible dimensions. This two-part session will dispense with the basics and jump right into the deep end of the pool! I will share with you several real content creation examples that I have built for my clients over the years. Each will explore family creation concepts that go beyond the basic box or simple flexible family. If you want to up you family creation game, join me for this information packed two-part session.

• 2018 Handout (PDF - 55 Pages)

Creating custom family content in Revit has always been a bit challenging to master. In recent versions of Revit it is even more so thanks to Conceptual Massing Environment. When it first came out (back in 2010) I assumed it would be transitional and that eventually the tools and features of the traditional and massing environments would be merged together to make a single and more powerful family editor. But alas, this is not the case. So here we are several releases later with two similar, but very distinct family editing experiences. This wouldn’t be such an issues except for the fact that you cannot easily move between the two. Take profile families (vs the need to use Generic Models in massing) as an example or the inability to copy and paste between the two environments and you can begin to understand the issue. In this session, we’ll look at a side-by-side comparison of the two environments and then open it up to discussion from the group. Both your questions and your expertise are welcome in this session. Come join the conversation.

• 2015 Handout (PDF - 12 Pages)

preAre you tired of boring box families? Ever heard anyone say: “You can’t do that in Revit®?” Well in this lab, we are going to model a complete Ionic column capital from start to finish. We’ll look at planning the family and breaking it down into its constituent parts and pieces. We will then create the profiles required for the volutes and scrolls. These will become sweeps and swept blends defining the overall forms. But we won’t stop with just modeling these forms. This will be a fully parametric family that is scalable and leverages coarse, medium and fine levels of detail. I like the challenge of building most of this geometry in the traditional family editor, but we will also discuss some ways to incorporate the completed family into adaptive components to leverage unique features like divide and repeat. If you want to kick your family editor modeling skills to the next level and break out of the basic box, come join us for this hands-on session! (You should have familiarity with Revit® essentials).

• 2015 Handout BIMW (PDF - 33 Pages)
• 2015 Dataset CADMW (ZIP - 27.3 MB)
• 2015 Handout CADMW (PDF - 33 Pages)
• 2019 Handout (PDF - 39 Pages)
• 2015 Presentation BIMW (PPTX - 3.3 MB)
• 2015 Dataset BIMW (ZIP - 27.3 MB)
• 2019 Dataset (ZIP - 27.7 MB)

Sure Revit can do walls, doors and even furniture…but what about finishes? If you are responsible for interior design and have tried using Revit to produce finish plans or interior elevations, you may have come up a little short. Sure Revit has Materials and yes, we are in a BIM world, but material and “finish” are not the same thing, and modeling is not always the answer. In this class, we will explore how far we can push our Revit model and learn what to do when modeling proves impractical. Want to make detailed finish plans? Want to call out multiple finishes on the same elevation or detail complex floor tile patterns complete with quantities? Revit can do all of this, just maybe not exactly the way you would expect. If you are stalling on giving Revit a try because you assumed it did not do much for interiors, think again. Come to this class and see how Revit can help you make a strong finish (plan)!

• 2014 Handout (PDF - 45 Pages)
• 2014 Dataset (ZIP - 14.3 MB)

Have you ever tried to control the shape of a curved form parametrically in the Family Editor? If so, you’ve no doubt discovered that flexing them sometimes throws you a curveball. In this session we’ll explore several techniques to tame your unruly parametric curves. We’ll look at examples of circles, arcs, quarter round, half round, arches, and we’ll even check out some splines. We’ll look at both simple and compound curves. We’ll work primarily in the traditional Family Editor but most techniques apply to the massing Family Editor environment as well. We’ll explore curvature and rotation, and we’ll throw in some trigonometry for good measure. After this session, I cannot guarantee that you’ll never have another misbehaving curve in your family content, but what I can promise is that you’ll come away with several useful tools to help you tame them when curve-mischief strikes!

• 2023 Dataset (ZIP - 44 MB)
• 2023 Handout (PDF - 55 Pages)
• 2016 Extras (PDF - 8 Pages)
• 2014 Handout CSRW (PDF - 62 Pages)
• 2015 Handout (PDF - 73 Pages)
• 2015 Dataset (ZIP - 14.0 MB)
• 2015 Presentation (PPTX - 1.4 MB)
• 2016 Handout (PDF - 61 Pages)
• 2014 Dataset CSRW (ZIP - 18.5 MB)
• 2014 Handout MU (PDF - 15.3 MB)
• 2014 Dataset MU (ZIP - 54 Pages)
• 2016 Dataset (ZIP - 16.8 MB)

Are you an interior designer thinking about using Revit? If so, wait no longer. Revit is a terrific tool for interior design. In this session, we’ll explore some of the essential skills you will need to begin. We’ll look at creating Revit models and setting up grids. We’ll add walls, doors and FFE. Place rooms and load them up with useful data and then use that data to help build schedules, create color fill plans, finish plans and quickly place room tags. And of course we’ll talk about importing CAD files too. Wrap it up with some export options and when you leave here you will be ready to begin your first Revit interiors project. If you are already using Revit for interiors, there will be some tips for you too, but this class is aimed at those just getting started. Wait no more! See for yourself what Revit has to offer.

• 2014 Handout (PDF - 21 Pages)
• 2016 Dataset CADMW (ZIP - 16.5 MB)
• 2016 Dataset BIMW (ZIP - 16.5 MB)
• 2016 Handout CADMW (PDF - 29 Pages)
• 2016 Handout BIMW (PDF - 24 Pages)

Perched atop the majestic hilltops in Tuscany, Volterra is an ancient Italian city, continuously inhabited for 3 millennia. This session explores the use of lidar and photogrammetry to capture and compile point clouds, mesh models, Revit models and virtual reality experiences documenting the city’s priceless treasures. Participants in International Reality Capture Workshops, held annually in Volterra, gain unique access to equipment, expertise and timeless architectural and archaeological treasures. The team consists of professionals from around the globe and local practitioners living and working in and around Volterra. This session will take you on a tour of Volterra and the data captured there (over 3 terabytes!) We’ll explore the point clouds, the tools we used to process them, Building Information Models created from the data, and finally some video and virtual reality experiences of the results. This session will show you a small cross-section of this exciting and ongoing work!

• 2020 Handout MU (PDF - 34 Pages)

If you have tried to use Autodesk Revit software to produce finish plans or interior elevations, you may have found it challenging to develop an acceptable workflow. Many approaches are often employed; using materials, split face, and paint or simply using text notes and symbols. Each of these approaches has its benefits and its limitations. However, without one consistently reliable approach, the project team can suffer. Developments in recent releases of Revit offer a compelling alternative. Revit 2012 introduced parts and 2013 has overhauled materials. While neither of these feature enhancements was specifically designed for designating finishes, you can nonetheless build a very compelling workflow with parts and materials being the central component of the workflow. In this class, we will look at parts, understand their features, and couple them with the new materials functionality to make a very compelling workflow for designating and documenting finishes in your architectural and interiors projects.

• 2013 Dataset (ZIP - 16.8 MB)
• 2013 Handout (PDF - 22 Pages)

Got your attention, didn’t I? Well thankfully, not that kind of explode, but rather “exploded” axonometric views. Using the new Displace Elements feature in Autodesk Revit-based software, we can create custom 3D views that “pull apart” our model to show how it fits together. This powerful tool is a great way to visualize any part of your Revit project. This feature can enhance nearly any kind of communication—from details and presentation views to marketing brochures and even product design documents. The best part is, the displaced view feature is view specific! This means that your exploded 3D view is a unique view of the model that does not affect any other view. However, as you would expect, changes to the main model do affect the exploded view as well. In this class, we walk through the process to create a displaced 3D view. We create the view, enable displacement, learn to move the pieces, and even add path lines to show where they came from. The potential that this tool opens up is vast, so come and have a look at this exciting new feature in Revit 2014!

• 2014 Dataset (ZIP - 5.8 MB)
• 2014 Handout (PDF - 15 Pages)

Global parameters (GP) bring the power of the Family Editor into the project environment, letting you label dimensions and drive parameter values directly in the project environment. Imagine being able to drive an offset distance between elements in multiple locations around the entire project, or drive instance parameters of several independent families from a single control panel. These are the kinds of things that are possible with global parameters. In this session, we’ll walk through several scenarios using GP to establish relationships in your projects. We’ll explore using them for establishing critical design dimensions and helping with design exploration. We’ll also look at how GP can make your content even more powerful by letting you control several separate families at once from a single parameter, without needing to embed the families into one another first. If you want to explore the exciting global parameters feature, then this is the session for you.

• 2018 Dataset (ZIP - 124.7 MB)
• 2017 Handout RTC (PDF - 22 Pages)
• 2017 Dataset MU (ZIP - 106.4 MB)
• 2018 Handout (PDF - 40 Pages)
• 2017 Dataset RTC (ZIP - 106.4 MB)
• 2017 Handout MU (PDF - 25 Pages)

Part of creating a successful building information model is knowing what to build into the model and what to leave out of the model. When learning Revit, many users have a tendency to “over model.” What is often not clear, is that Revit offers a powerful suite of detailing tools. This class will explore the process of extracting views from your model and then detailing them within Revit. You will learn about model views and drafting views. You will gain understanding on when to model, when to draft, and when to import graphics from other CAD programs. We will cover detail components, drafting elements, symbolic lines, text, annotation and keynotes. If you have been told the myth that you can’t do construction documents in Revit Architecture, then join us in this session of “myth busting” as we explore the complete detailing process in Revit Architecture.

• 2012 Handout (PDF - 14 Pages)
• 2012 Dataset (ZIP - 32.7 MB)

Anyone who has used Revit for a while knows that the mere mention of shared coordinates always gets the attention of users both new and old. Let’s face it, Revit’s way of handling coordinate systems is unique. But unique doesn’t make it any less powerful than other software. In fact, Revit’s approach is quite powerful indeed. In this class we will walk through a few file linking scenarios using Shared Coordinates. The goal will be to remove some of the mystery surrounding this sometimes baffling topic. We’ll explore common scenarios involving single buildings, multiple buildings and how to both set up coordinates and maintain them as a project progresses. We won’t cover every possible approach to using coordinates in this lab. But we will cover solid and reliable ways to use shared coordinates to ensure that your models are always positioned correctly.

• 2012 Handout (PDF - 15 Pages)
• 2012 Dataset (ZIP - 25.0 MB)
• 2015 Handout (PDF - 15 Pages)
• 2016 Dataset (ZIP - 33.6 MB)
• 2015 Presentation (PPTX - 2.1 MB)
• 2015 Dataset (ZIP - 26.9 MB)
• 2016 Handout (PDF - 24 Pages)

If you create Revit family content, there has been a slow trickle of new features that have crept into the family editor in recent releases. They just have not received much fanfare, so let’s play a little game of: “Is that new?” We’ll look at new features like: room aware location points, new family templates and let’s not forget reordering parameters! We’ll explore 3-point adaptive arcs and the newest new feature: “load into project and close”. But we won’t just focus on new stuff. Using some slightly obscure techniques we can make a parameter hidden in the project environment so you can use it to drive formulas without users inadvertently modifying it (because they won’t even know it’s there). We will explore using family types parameters to build drop-down lists and play some tricks with categories and shared vs. nonshared families. If you create family content even occasionally, there’s bound to be a topic in this session that will have you asking: “Is that new?”

• 2016 Dataset RTC (ZIP - 35.1 MB)
• 2016 Dataset BIMW (ZIP - 35.1 MB)
• 2016 Handout BIMW (PDF - 25 Pages)
• 2016 Dataset CADMW (ZIP - 35.1 MB)
• 2016 Handout RTC (PDF - 30 Pages)
• 2016 Handout CADMW (PDF - 29 Pages)

Perhaps you have heard that stairs and railings in Autodesk Revit 2013 software have gotten some significant new features. It’s true! Stairs and railings sport many new features in this release. In this class, we will focus on a few new areas that should have an immediate positive effect on your stair and railing modeling workflow. Many commercial buildings include overlapping stairs, such as overlapping egress stairs. Using the new component-based stair, we will explore how we can now create an overlapping stair. Revit 2013 gives us ways to achieve such a stair without the common workarounds. With the new railing features, we can create handrails that include parametric railing extensions. Furthermore, handrails can now have true supports and returns (not balusters masquerading as supports). Stairs and railings are likely to remain an active area of development in future Revit releases, but don’t let this stop you from exploring the many exciting possibilities that Revit 2013 presents right now.

• 2013 Handout (PDF - 2.3 MB)
• 2013 Dataset (ZIP - 23 Pages)

In this session you’ll gain the skills you need to begin getting the most out of your Revit Material Libraries. Learn to create and manage material libraries and share them with any Revit project or family. Create custom procedural materials and even image-based materials from your own photographs.
All model elements in Revit use materials, but if you like many Revit users, you have probably not spent much time in the Material Editor beyond simply selecting from the existing list. Considering how many times the factory has redesigned the material editor in recent years, it is no wonder that most users have tried to steer clear. In this session, we will take a look at the material editor (which is now unchanged over the last couple releases). We will explore how to manage our material library, locate existing materials, add them to projects, families and more importantly to customized libraries that we can share with our teams. Next we will explore how to create custom materials. If you have always assumed that to get really robust materials that you had to leave Revit and use 3ds max or similar products, you might be surprised at just how much complexity is hidden away in the Revit material editor. We’ll explore both standard procedural textures and creating custom materials using photographs of real life materials. At the end of this session you will have the skills you need to begin getting the most out of your Revit Material Libraries.

• 2016 Dataset (ZIP - 79.3 MB)
• 2017 Dataset (ZIP - 87.9 MB)
• 2016 Handout (PDF - 32 Pages)
• 2017 Handout (PDF - 30 Pages)

If you are new to Autodesk Revit Architecture software and want to get a quick hands-on overview of the recommended practices for using BIM in architecture and its associated workflows, then this is the class for you. We highlight several workflows, including conceptual design, documentation, visualization, and multidiscipline coordination. These workflows highlight the capabilities of Revit Architecture, and touch on some of the Autodesk® BIM 360™ cloud-based offerings as well. In this hands-on lab, you walk through exercises that highlight each of the major phases of design, with an emphasis on recommended workflow, while simultaneously incorporating features that are new to Revit Architecture 2014.

• 2014 Dataset (ZIP - 369.5 MB)
• 2014 Handout (PDF - 34 Pages)

Years ago I began exploring the possibilities of creating the classical orders of architecture in Revit software. Parametric families are the cornerstones of Revit software, and this project presented an ideal way to push Family Editor to its limits. Challenges were many, but there were plenty of successes as well. This session is part case study (of the journey I took from the original idea all the way to the publication of a book) and part tutorial (to show the “nuts and bolts” of how we built the families), all demonstrated directly in Revit software. In this session I’ll talk about scaling, content reuse, profiles, moldings, formulas, nested components, and complex forms in both the traditional and adaptive component family editors. I’ll show the final successful versions and a few not-so-successful earlier versions as well. If you’re interested in historic architecture and/or classical form, or you just like pushing family editor to extremes, then this session is sure to please.

• 2015 Handout (PDF - 49 Pages)
• 2015 Presentation (PPTX - 123.9 MB)
• 2014 Handout (PDF - 57 Pages)
• 2015 Dataset (ZIP - 16.3 MB)

Over the years using a program like Revit, you develop little tricks; tidbits of useful information (like how View Range actually functions) and sometimes you are working on something else and you remember a little gem you had forgotten (like how useful a view list schedule can be). While we won’t be rivaling Lynn Allen’s 90 tips in 90 minutes (how does she do that?) we will cover quite a bit of ground. Here’s a short list: Linework tool, when to create Line Styles, what objects show above the cut, what objects show below the bottom, how to create a Family Types parameter, line based Families for fire tape lines, Decals, Filters and Browser Organization. And that’s just the stuff you can do in any release. New in this release: the new adaptive divide and repeat, View Templates, custom View Types and exporting Material libraries. Anyone count that? Still not 90? Oh well. I still guarantee that there’s something for everyone here. If you use Revit, I have a tip for you.

• 2013 Handout (PDF - 34 Pages)
• 2013 Dataset (ZIP - 22.8 MB)

Revit has a pretty ingenious way of dealing with project phasing. You do not manually configure each object as new, existing or demo. Rather, phases in Revit are like points in time. You develop a timeline of your project’s life-cycle and then each object is plotted along this timeline. You can view any point in the past, present or if you are clever, the future as well by creating phase views. “Existing” happened before the project began. Any number of “new construction” phases can be configured after this point. Demolition however is not a phase. Instead it is the point in time where an object’s “life” ends. Sound intriguing? In this session we’ll learn how to set up phases, configure views and display demolition, existing and new construction in appropriate ways. As if that weren’t enough, we’ll even explore a little work-around to overcome Revit’s inability to display future work. Intrigued now? Then join us for this walk along the Revit timeline!

• 2020 Handout (PDF - 2 MB)
• 2020 Dataset MU (ZIP - 19.9 MB)
• 2013 Dataset (ZIP - 19.9 MB)
• 2013 Handout (PDF - 28 Pages)

The power and potential of the Autodesk Revit Family Editor is vast, and 90 minutes just doesn’t do it justice. Dispensing with the basics, this hands-on lab jumps right into the deep end of the pool. (If you need to brush up on the basics, video recordings of many Family Editor basics are posted on my website for all attendees.) In this hands-on lab, we explore advanced parameters and the use of formulas to drive the geometry. Whether you are new to the Family Editor or just want to use its more advanced features, this lab gives you the tools to begin making more advanced family content. We explore formulas, family type parameters, materials, and even dabble in some trigonomic functions. So be sure to buckle your seat belt. You are in for an exciting ride!

• 2013 Extras (ZIP - 10.8 MB)
• 2013 Dataset AU (ZIP - 40.7 MB)
• 2014 Handout (PDF - 40 Pages)
• 2013 Dataset CSRW (ZIP - 41.6 MB)
• 2013 Handout AU (PDF - 41 Pages)
• 2013 Handout CSRW (PDF - 28 Pages)
• 2014 Dataset (ZIP - 35.8 MB)

If you use Revit in your work every day, you have no doubt discovered how important it is to have good family content at your disposal. When you do, things move quite smoothly and when you don’t, they can be quite the opposite. Inevitably, regardless of how good your library is, we all need to visit the family editor from time to time. In this session, I thought it would be fun to let you decide. Come to the session with ideas, we’ll take a vote at the start and if your idea is chosen, I’ll build your family content suggestion live in real-time as I discuss how and why I am performing each step and decision. If you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall of someone else’s office as they work through a content creation problem, here is your chance. We’ll cover approach, design and strategy and many modeling, and parametric family creation techniques. The final file will be made available to all attendees following the conference.

• 2019 Dataset (ZIP - 37.3 MB)
• 2019 Handout (PDF - 26 Pages)

3D Printing has been around for years. But until recently you had to have access to very pricy equipment in educational institutions or large corporations. But with the advent of many consumer and prosumer level machines priced around $1000, 3D printing is poised to become mainstream. Add to this the ability to create 3D printer ready models directly from the software you use every day, and 3D printing is more accessible than ever! In this session, I will showcase a small 3D printer that you can purchase as a kit, assemble yourself and with free software, begin creating 3D printed models at home or in your office. We’ll discuss the machine (which I will have physically on premises), building the model in Revit and the accompanying considerations, and then show the print actually being made as well as a series of finished products.

• 2015 Presentation (PPTX - 47.5 MB)
• 2015 Handout (PDF - 25 Pages)

step-byMaybe you know the power of Revit software’s Family Editor but you’ve avoided it, or it’s intimidated you until now. Wait no more. This lab will introduce you to the basics of Family Editor. Once you get past being intimidated, you will find that while Family Editor is extremely powerful, it can actually be great fun. In this short introduction to Family Editor, we’ll create a Revit component family complete with constraints and parameters. Don’t worry if you don’t know what a constraint or parameter is—we’ll cover that too. Whether you’ve never worked in Revit software before, or you’ve used Revit for a while but you’ve simply avoided Family Editor, this lab will teach you the basics of the Family Editor in a simple step-by-step fashion, and in the best way possible: hands-on! (The session will use architectural examples, but the concepts apply to all flavors of the Revit software, including Revit LT.)

• 2017 Handout (PDF - 40 Pages)
• 2015 Dataset (ZIP - 37 Pages)
• 2020 Handout (PDF - 43 Pages)
• 2012 Dataset (ZIP - 10.4 MB)
• 2015 Handout (PDF - 2.7 MB)
• 2016 Handout (PDF - 39 Pages)
• 2018 Dataset (ZIP - 12.4 MB)
• 2017 Dataset (ZIP - 11.8 MB)
• 2020 Dataset (ZIP - 11.7 MB)
• 2016 Dataset (ZIP - 11.8 MB)
• 2012 Handout (PDF - 35 Pages)
• 2018 Handout (PDF - 42 Pages)