Create a dummy project, call it whatever you want. Place your walls, ceilings and floors. Then place the familes you want to change the hosting for (we can do multiple familes with this). When done, start another dummy project. Link in the first dummy project. Now you will want to copy/monitor those familes into the second dummy project. Once that is done, they will change to a face based family. You can now right-click save-as from the project browser or open the family and save them.
Here is a list of family categories you can copy/monitor.
•Air terminals
•Communication Devices
•Data Devices
•Electrical Equipment
•Electrical Fixtures
•Fire Alarm Devices
•Lighting Devices
•Lighting fixtures
•Mechanical equipment
•Nurse Call Devices
•Plumbing fixtures
•Security Devices
•Sprinklers
•Telephone Devices
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Becoming the BIM Manager
Being the companies new BIM Manager as had its ups and downs, that is for sure. It can be super frustrating, but also very rewarding. Let me give a little background (after writing turned into a lot) of how it came to be that I am the BIM Manager.
I started in this business of Mechanical Engineering as a CAD guy in late 2007. The company had just started working on a project in AutoCAD MEP 3D. That was in house for over a year and I primarily worked on that and several smaller AutoCAD projects. We managed to stay above water with regards to projects and our layoffs were pretty minuscule between 2008-2010.
We have a major airport client. We had designed a terminal expansion in AutoCAD (before I started) and in 2009 they wanted us to translate that into 3D. I took the autocad files, xref'd them into the 3D model and had laid out one entire level of the terminal, duct mains, most of the take-offs and air devices in about 4 hours. We started laying out the rest and about half way through the process, the client came back and said, we have changed our minds and we want this in Revit. All disciplines had to switch. We were thrown into the Revit pool head first but basically got paid to learn Revit.
This project continued for well over a year. Whenever I could not get something accomplished, I would go to my dear friend Google and search for things, Id watch videos or Id read blogs or all of the above. I learned a lot by trial and error, continually doing things right or wrong and by just dissecting things. For instance, our Shared Parameter file, it contains about 750 parameters. I started with the Autodesk parameters, meshed in some of my own and some from a manufacturer who had their own parameter file. I would also make families if I couldn't download them from someone. I started using Keynote for work notes, implementing Revit Schedules (created in Revit) without using a back to excel addins or converting autocad details into revit.
Ive been doing these things since shortly after Revit came to pass in our office. So essentially Ive been at the forefront of Revit users in my office for a long time now. Ive also had my hand in some way, shape or form of every Revit project within the office even if I didn't work on it. I'm not an engineer or designer, but just a CAD guy still. When it came to specific question regarding mechanical, plumbing or electrical, there were several people in the office that I could pick there brains. For months the mechanical designer I talked to said that we needed a BIM Manager but no one took notice or said much. I, however, was basically doing that job without the acknowledgement he would say.
After several projects went out the door, we had a "Revit" round table discussion in our office on the future of its use and some other aspects. During the meeting this mechanical designer said to the entire group, which included owners, principals and associates, that we need a BIM Manager and that he thought I was the best person for the job (as he didn't want it). They thought on it some, but the meeting continued. About 30 minutes after the meeting had ended, the owner called me into his office, sat me down and told me that I am now the company BIM Manager. He thought about it and agreed that I was the best fit. To my knowledge after, he didn't consult anyone, he just did it.
I officially had become the companies BIM Manager on October 17, 2012 (almost 5 years to the day of my hire which was October 29th, 2007). The stipulation was that I would be 50% BIM Manager and 50% production but that never works out to be the case.
Now after that long winded history, I do not know if I have enough typing power to add more and may best be left up to another blog post.
I started in this business of Mechanical Engineering as a CAD guy in late 2007. The company had just started working on a project in AutoCAD MEP 3D. That was in house for over a year and I primarily worked on that and several smaller AutoCAD projects. We managed to stay above water with regards to projects and our layoffs were pretty minuscule between 2008-2010.
We have a major airport client. We had designed a terminal expansion in AutoCAD (before I started) and in 2009 they wanted us to translate that into 3D. I took the autocad files, xref'd them into the 3D model and had laid out one entire level of the terminal, duct mains, most of the take-offs and air devices in about 4 hours. We started laying out the rest and about half way through the process, the client came back and said, we have changed our minds and we want this in Revit. All disciplines had to switch. We were thrown into the Revit pool head first but basically got paid to learn Revit.
This project continued for well over a year. Whenever I could not get something accomplished, I would go to my dear friend Google and search for things, Id watch videos or Id read blogs or all of the above. I learned a lot by trial and error, continually doing things right or wrong and by just dissecting things. For instance, our Shared Parameter file, it contains about 750 parameters. I started with the Autodesk parameters, meshed in some of my own and some from a manufacturer who had their own parameter file. I would also make families if I couldn't download them from someone. I started using Keynote for work notes, implementing Revit Schedules (created in Revit) without using a back to excel addins or converting autocad details into revit.
Ive been doing these things since shortly after Revit came to pass in our office. So essentially Ive been at the forefront of Revit users in my office for a long time now. Ive also had my hand in some way, shape or form of every Revit project within the office even if I didn't work on it. I'm not an engineer or designer, but just a CAD guy still. When it came to specific question regarding mechanical, plumbing or electrical, there were several people in the office that I could pick there brains. For months the mechanical designer I talked to said that we needed a BIM Manager but no one took notice or said much. I, however, was basically doing that job without the acknowledgement he would say.
After several projects went out the door, we had a "Revit" round table discussion in our office on the future of its use and some other aspects. During the meeting this mechanical designer said to the entire group, which included owners, principals and associates, that we need a BIM Manager and that he thought I was the best person for the job (as he didn't want it). They thought on it some, but the meeting continued. About 30 minutes after the meeting had ended, the owner called me into his office, sat me down and told me that I am now the company BIM Manager. He thought about it and agreed that I was the best fit. To my knowledge after, he didn't consult anyone, he just did it.
I officially had become the companies BIM Manager on October 17, 2012 (almost 5 years to the day of my hire which was October 29th, 2007). The stipulation was that I would be 50% BIM Manager and 50% production but that never works out to be the case.
Now after that long winded history, I do not know if I have enough typing power to add more and may best be left up to another blog post.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
FIRST EVER Blog post!
Welcome to my blog. This is officially my first ever blog post as "That BIM Guy". I see this being is an outlet for my thoughts and my day to day dealings as our company's new BIM Manager. Being a BIM Manager has its ups and downs and I will do that in another post.
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