Revit Families: Take a Look at Their Classification

Revit is incredible software which possess plethora of features which have improvised the design process for building projects. Revit is developed to deal with various disciplines with its separate software such as Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP. Revit family editor is the tool which is available in each Revit discipline which assists in developing different sorts of building components (families) including both small and gigantic.

These families can be of window, door, ducts etc. and those are immensely vital for developing Building Information Models for architecture, structure and MEP. Professionals have to be careful while the development of these families as one minute flaw can cost huge amount of money. Revit Family Creation Services comprises of three categories which are system families, loadable families and in-place families.

Systems families

Let’s look at the explanation of system families first which are a category of Revit families. These are by default installed components in this software and these cannot get altered. In other words, as System families cannot be edited by technicians, it is important that they are used in their original form in the project. With the help of ‘Transfer Projects standards command’ users can transfer these system families in multiple projects conveniently.

Loadable families

Loadable families are those components which can be created individually by drafters. Apart from that they can be saved as separate files and whenever required by Revit technicians they can be included in the project. This makes them exceptionally important for Revit modelers.

In-place families

In-place families are also important part of Revit families and they are created for developing extremely unusual building components such as home kitchen sink and furniture etc.

Know more information on Revit Families Email us @ projects@bimservicesindia.com

BIM is used extensively in UK and US

Though Building Information Modeling is a global phenomenon today, but its uses are more in United Kingdom and United States when compared to rest of the countries in the world. Both the UK and the US are highly developed countries in the world and their decision to adopt Building Information Modeling only indicates that they always make intelligent choices. By knowing the fact that these two countries are the biggest users of BIM, I can only draw the conclusion that they substantially comprehend the potential of Building Information Modeling in streamlining the entanglements of construction process.

In these countries tremendous support is poured from government side to reinforce BIM implementation in both private and public sector construction. In fact these countries consider construction industry as an important part of their economies. 

If we talk about United Kingdom, the government is taking all the indispensable measures which can lead to increasing implementation of Architectural BIM Services, Engineering and Construction industry. In fact in the year 2011, the United Kingdom government had made it mandatory through a proposal that all the construction projects executed by public and private players should be surely using BIM by the year 2016.

In the United Kingdom, ‘The Construction Industry Council’ which is abbreviated as CIC is tremendously enthusiastic about the implementation of Building Information Modeling and is significantly helping the government in reinforcing its initiative.

It is believed that with the enactment of BIM in construction business, high performing buildings are developed by design and construction professionals in very less cost. Another important part of BIM is that it sorts out all the potential difficulties which can be otherwise faced by AEC professionals when they literally start constructing a building in actual world.

Similarly the government of United States is also very keen into using BIM in construction.  In fact the private players are already reaping the fruits of seamless construction which is facilitated by Building Information Modeling.        

BIM’s contribution in the advancement of MEP

The growth which AEC industry has witnessed in recent decades is just unprecedented. Certainly there would be numerous factors to give credit such as availability of raw material, improvement in the safety of the structure, swift construction process etc. BIM is one of those factors which has drastically changed the construction process of architecture, structure and MEP disciplines in AEC industry and delivered the unprecedented growth.

Design development for MEP sytems is undertaken when architecture and structure of the building is ready since it has to be set up according to architecture and structure and it is very complex. It is very essential to design according to the specifications handed over by architects.

Synchronization process in MEP has improved by building information modeling. BIM enhanced the coordination of MEP systems internally as well as with other systems, too. Through MEP BIM Services elements are produced in balanced way which reduces the frequency of errors.  

MEP comprise of many systems like heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, fire protection system, power distribution system plumbing solution etc. BIM provides high end models for all these systems with the help of Revit software.

BIM facilitates effective scheduling which manages timing for each system smoothly. It specifically denotes the period of time each system require and help AEC professionals in allotment of the resources. 

With the support of BIM, professionals can easily identify the cost related information for MEP systems. Cost estimation helps in allocating budget for the precise development of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

What make rendered images and walkthrough videos so important for clients?

The process of providing photorealism to architectural images and models with software solutions like 3ds Max and SketchUp etc is called rendering. That means the life-like architectural images produced by rendering artists for interiors and exteriors of a building cannot be created without the use of these 3D rendering and modeling software solutions. The concept of communicating building design to clients through architectural images existed even before the advent of rendering software products, but at that time design and construction professionals used to optimize color pencils for making them attractive. But the architectural drawing on which photorealism is produced by rendering artists through software solutions is beyond perfection.

Both architectural images (images produced through interior and exterior rendering) and walkthrough videos are very important for architects as they can easily communicate their design concept to promising buyers, real estate agents and building owners etc. I think all of us agree with the saying that ‘a picture speaks thousand words.’ That means instead of verbally describing something to people it is better that we provide a picture of it to them which can make more sense. Similarly when architects try to represent their architectural design to clients, it is appreciated if photorealistic images are presented to them. High quality rendering tools become available to rendering artists when they execute 3D rendering services with the support of 3ds Max.

But, what are those elements which are necessary for producing naturalistic or life-like effects in architectural images?  Well, this is an important question, isn’t it? Realism cannot be produced in an image until and unless we add such elements which can bring life to it. For example, if an image represents the living room of a building, then it is necessary that all the elements which are generally found there are included in it such as sofa set with centre table, flower vases and exquisite paintings etc. Apart from that a huge role is played by lighting effects, shadow effects and texture etc when it comes to providing naturalistic effects in 2D architectural drawings. 

So with the support of photorealistic Architectural BIM Services walkthrough videos, AEC professionals can represent the building design to potential buyers in the most appropriate manner.

What is the prime goal of clash detection process?

For the identification of field conflicts and physical conflicts between the elements of architecture, structure and MEP, Architecture, Engineering and Construction professionals have to take the support of clash detection process. In other words the main goal of clash detection process is to figure out the physical collisions between multidiscipline design elements and the time based conflicts which are determined by AEC professionals on the actual location.

Clash Detection Services basically performed before executing 3D coordination in Revit. Now you may think that why is it important to perform clash detection before executing 3D BIM coordination. Well, clashes are identified prior to coordination so that when multidiscipline models are combined in Revit, their elements do not overlap each other. So we can say that by performing clash detection process in Navisworks, it becomes easier for design and construction professionals to coordinate architectural, structural and MEP models in 3D modeling and building design software Revit.

All the major design and time based conflicts are successfully eliminated by design and construction professionals through clash detection before the actual field work starts. The elimination of design and time based clashes help in reducing rework, improve onsite safety, minimizes wastage and finally curtails the project cost to a significant extent.  Due to the eradication of clashes in design and scheduling, AEC professionals can reduce the construction time to a great extent. This has a very positive impact or result on the productivity of architects, structural engineers, MEP engineers, general contractors etc. Since all the errors and conflicts from the design are effectively located and resolved, it can bring great efficiency during fabrication of building components. Increased on-field productivity is the direct benefit of clash detection process.  The productivity of design and construction professionals cannot be reinforced without identifying and sorting out different kinds of clashes.

The reduced cost of construction project is a big achievement for general contractors and owners. The composite building model which is developed after resolving clashes is capable of producing accurate as-built drawings for different building trades. 

Who all are the actual beneficiaries of BIM?

The main reason for implementing Building Information Modeling in construction business is because it provides sufficient benefits to architects, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, plumbing engineers, contractors, owners and fabricators etc. There are a lot of people who still think that Building Information Modeling is all about constructing 3D parametric models for architecture, structure and MEP, but their understanding about BIM is far from reality. Their understanding about this dynamic concept (BIM) does not represent its problem solving capacity adequately which is eventually the digital representation of entire information associated to construction project.

All the physical and functional characteristics of a facility are adequately portrayed by 3D multidiscipline models. For example chief architect can provide entire information associated to architectural framework to building owners and contractors through 3D architectural model. On the other hand if structural engineers and MEP engineers want to provide comprehensive design information to fabricators about architectural and MEP BIM Services design they can easily provide them with relevant parametric models. With the assistance of structural and MEP models fabricators can obtain detailed design information about the components of these models which is essential for them during the fabrication process.

For construction professionals BIM models can provide complete information whatever is required by them for developing a building. Architects and engineers can easily foresee all the complications and challenges which can be faced by them when they begin with actual construction work with the help of BIM models which are created in Revit. Complications and challenges can be identified by AEC professionals with the collective evaluation, assessment and review of 3D, 4D, 5D and 6D BIM models. The potential construction challenges which are identified by design and construction professionals after reviewing BIM models can be easily controlled by them by implementing changes in design, strategy and equipments etc. In this way architects, engineers and contractors can receive substantial benefits from Building Information Models. Similarly accurate BIM models from which design problems are sorted out help in flawless construction which saves time and money and building owners are direct beneficiaries of that. In this way all the people who are connected with AEC industry are significantly benefited by BIM. 

How is steel detailing process significant for the durability of the building?

For the development of highly durable buildings and structures it is crucial that the design developed for them fulfills all design criteria effectively. Effective building design and its appropriate construction results into the development of high performing and durable buildings. Structural BIM Services design remains an important part when it comes to the development of highly load resistant and durable buildings. Steel detailing which a crucial aspect of structural engineering process plays an important part in the development of strong and durable buildings.

Durability of any building lies on the fact that its structural framework should be highly capable of resisting all kinds of applied loads. Load resistance is not enough its appropriate transmission is also important when it comes to analyzing the strength and robustness of the building in question. And for the achievement of these things it is important that steel members such as columns, beams, joists and trusses are effectively designed and fabricated. That means once the design is completed, design and construction professionals must generate detailed drawings for steel parts which can be utilized by manufacturers for their fabrication.

The drawings which are generated by steel detailers for the optimization of manufacturers are called fabrication/shop drawings and they incorporate fabrication related details in a very organized form. Complete details about the shape, size and dimensions of steel parts are incorporated in fabrication drawings which are produced by detailers with the close support of contractors, structural engineers and architects. Same process is applied when detailers create detailed erection drawings which are used steel erectors when they start assembling steel parts during structural installation. Durability of the building can only be assured if effective design is created for it, when its components are manufactured properly and finally when they are effectively installed.

For performing steel detailing it is mandatory that required steel detailing standards are utilized during the process. American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), World Steel Association, British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) and Canadian Institute of steel construction (CISC) are some of the important international organizations which have developed important steel detailing standards that are used worldwide.