A Product Review by Michael Anonuevo

Introduction

It has been a year since I wrote my review of Jeff Pinheiro’s BIM. After Dark (B.A.D.). Jeff is the Revit expert who runs Revitkid.com, a great resource for all things Revit. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from the hundreds of blogs he had posted on his website. The first volume of B.A.D. consisted of video tutorials teaching users how to create great presentations using Revit and other applications (http://www.littledetailscount.com/index.php/news/2014/02/01/bim-after-dark).

And now, in this follow up to that great product, Jeff divulges his excellent techniques in creating construction documents (CDs) from a Revit model! This article will give you an idea on what this new volume is all about.

BIM After Dark Vol. 2

B.A.D. Vol. 2 consists of 38* video tutorials. The length of the videos averages to about 9 1/2 minutes _with 1.33 minutes being the shortest and 30.18 minutes being the longest. The total running time of the videos is a little over 6 hours. In fairness to Revit users and to come up with this review, I spent one weekend going through all the 38 videos! In the process, I took down notes while watching all of them. At times, I watched a few of them more than one time to be sure I didn’t miss anything. If you want to skimp the rest of this product review, here is my verdict: this product is a MUST for all Revit users!

You can view the outline of the videos and pricing information from: http://www.bimafterdark.com/volume2.html. However, that outline doesn’t give this new volume justice because there are tips and tricks included in the videos which will be summarized in the following section:

* With the inclusion of Video 27.1 and 27.2

Contents:

Section 1

O1 – Introduction and Setup: The project is a Spiritual Center located in Montreal.

In this video, Jeff shows the presentation images generated from the model before the CDs were created. He chose this project because of its simple geometry and the fact that its size is not too overwhelming. 

Topic included: Project Information.

02 – Project Browser Organization: The building masses are shown here, color coded for design intent:

Topic included: Browser organization; tip on how to create a custom parameter that can be assigned to views

03 – Part Plans and Scope Boxes: In this video, Jeff shows how a big project (that cannot fit a single sheet) can be broken down into different parts

Topic included: Scope box; Duplicate with Detailing; Duplicate as Dependent

04 – View Templates – Floor Plans: This video demonstrates how to create a custom View Template

Topic included: Creating, managing, and editing View Templates

05 - Plan Blowups: Creating blowups is explained in this segment. Basically, they are enlarged or detail plans.

Topic included: Creating blowups of floor plans

06 - Overhead Line Trick: As the title implies, this video will show you how to create dashed lines that represent the building elements above the floor plan.

07 - Reflected Ceiling Plans Setup: In this video, Jeff explains the creation process involved in reflected ceiling plans.

Topic included: Scope box; creating and editing View Templates; creating different ceiling types; specifying surface patterns and halftones to differentiate ceiling materials

08 - Code Plan Setup: This video explains the process of creating Egress plans

Topic included: Code/Egress plan setup; drawing type parameter; displaying model views with halftones.

09 - Building Section Setup: This video will teach you how to create presentable sections

Topic included: Building and wall sections; renaming sections; creating custom View templates; applying halftones and solid fills to cut walls and floors; adjusting location of Level indicators

10 - Wall Section Setup: For efficiency, categorizing wall sections into specific parts is discussed in this video.

Topic included: Referencing similar views; changing orientation of section heads and tails; creating custom View template

11 - Exterior Elevations Setup: In this video, Jeff shows how to create Overall and Partial elevations

Topic included: Scope box; duplicate with detailing; duplicate as dependent; creating a custom view template

12 - Interior Elevation Setup: Similar to the above video, interior elevations and how to they are created is discussed in this video.

Topic included: Interior elevation tags; categorizing views with the Drawing Type parameter; editing a tag family; selecting multiple views and changing their scale

13 - Curtainwall Elevation Setup and Tags: This is an interesting video in that Jeff shows how to create an elevation marker that looks like a curtainwall tag. It is a good tutorial that demystifies the creation of Revit tag families

Topic included: Elevation markers; creating windows used in window schedules

Section 2

14 - Sheet Creation: You may know how to create sheets but after watching this video, there is a better and more efficient way of doing it!

Topic included: Editing a title block family; creating multiple sheets with the copy/paste method; how to quickly rename multiple sheets

15 - Sheet Management and Organization: Baffled in organizing sheets that don’t follow the alphabetical or numerical order? This video explains how to do it!

Topic included: Shared-Grouping parameter and using this parameter to control the order of sheets

16 - Adding Views to Sheets: This how-to tutorial is made more useful as Jeff shows how to used guide grids to align views in sheets (without cluttering the entire sheet with guide grids!).

Topic included: Alternative to the drag technique in adding views; using the guide grid more efficiently; adding views to sheets from the Project Browser

17 - Sheets - Adding a Key Plan: Key plans can be a pain to create but in this video, Jeff teaches you how to create them more efficiently

Topic included: Exporting images; editing a title block; adding title block types in the Properties Palette.

18 - Custom View Titles: If you ever wondered how a View Title family is created, this video teaches you how to do it.

Topic included: Creating custom view titles; how to fit a large drawing into a sheet

Section 3

19 – Grids: This video focuses on the creation of grids in plan views

Topic included: How to edit a grid head; the Propagate Extents tool; editing a grid line

20 - Rooms and Room Tags: Jeff sheds light on how to tag rooms in this video

Topic included: Rooms; interior fills; tag all not tagged; how to change the leader arrow of a room tag

21 - All About Dimensions: Dimensioning in Revit is relatively easy. However, this video also demonstrates how to edit tick marks and other dimensioning options

Topic included: Dimension pick options; editing a tick mark; changing a dimension tolerance globally or a specific dimension string.

22 - The Text Tool: Yes we all wish Revit has a better Text tool. But while you’re waiting for Autodesk to come up with a better one, Jeff teaches you how to use the text tool more efficiently in this video.

Topic included: Create similar command; how to use the View reference tool to link details to text callouts; how to edit the default size of the View reference text placeholder.

23 - Plan Notes and Note Blocks: This is an awesome video that shows how to create a Note tag that updates the Note schedule automatically!

Topic included: How to create a Note tag and Note block

24 - Tagging Doors: Although this subject is relatively easy, Jeff includes this for the benefit of new users.

25 - Graphic Appearance Adjustments: Revit CDs can be boring to look at. In this video, Jeff teaches you how to make your CDs look more legible, clean, presentable and professional.

Topic included: Object styles; changing lines of objects below a floor to halftone; Beyond line style; view range; annotation tab>line weights

26 - Wall Types and Tags: Tagged walls can be made more presentable and how to do it is shown on this video

Topic included: Tag all not tagged command; tag category, applying poches to wall to make them stand out; creating custom walls

27.1 - Ceiling Tags Notes and Elevations - Part 1: This video shows you how to tag ceilings and elevations more efficiently

Topic included: Changing ceiling heights from the Properties Palette; editing a ceiling callout family; using curtain walls as ceilings; using the spot elevation tool to look like a ceiling tag

27.2 - Ceiling Tags Notes and Elevations - Part 2: Can you copy and paste details from another project into your current project? This video will show you how.

Topic included: Copying and pasting drafting views from another project into the current project;

28 - Roof Plans and Crickets: There is a neat trick to creating sloped roofs in this video.

Topic included: Flat roofs; slope; sloped insulation; roof crickets

29 - Code Plans and SAuBIM: What is SAuBIM and what does it have to do with Code Plans? You’ll find out in this video.

Topic included: Code/Egress plans; Discussion on SAuBIM Revit add-in; use group; creating and editing egress line types used as paths

30 - Wall Sections: Want to embellish your sections and details? Watch this video.

Topic included: Adjusting visibility of wall sections to read better; using halftones; adding detail elements to a wall section; filled regions used to represent gravel, sand, etc.; loading detail items into your project

31 - Exterior Elevations: You don’t have to get stuck in the default elevations that Revit generates. In this video, Jeff teaches you how to embellish elevations in CDs.

Topic included: Surface patterns; the Visibility Graphics dialog box; the Line Work tool; overriding a line type; shading; applying a view template to multiple views in the project browser without opening the files

32 - Interior Elevations: There is a great tip in creating interior elevations in this video.

Topic included: Avoiding filled regions (e.g. in toilet interior elevations); modeling walls that shows tile patterns; using the wall sweep tool for bases

33 - Curtain Wall Elevations: This video shows you how to tag curtain walls and how to create a curtain wall schedule

Section 4

34 – Legends: Legends can be copied from another project into your current project. This video will show you how

35 - Schedules – Walls: In this video, Jeff teaches you how to create Partition schedules which is also similar to the creation of Wall schedules.

36 - Schedules – Doors: Is there a faster way of generating a door schedule and filling it with pertinent information? Yes! Just watch this video!

Topic included: Creating a door style; key schedule

Section 5

37 – Printing and PDFs: If you don’t know how to, then watch this video

Conclusion

I’ve sat and watched these videos for 3 days from the viewpoint of a beginner and believe me, I’ve learned a lot! It was as if Jeff was right beside me teaching me all the things I need to know in creating construction documents. Having used Revit since 2006, there are still procedures and techniques I still don’t know. Like I said in my first review of B.A.D, Revit education is a continuing process. Up to now, I still buy Revit books and discover new tricks from my colleagues such as Mr. Jeff Pinheiro. This volume is a must for beginners and advance users. It is a welcome addition to BIM managers and experienced users like me. Well done Jeff!