Revit Type Catalogs

As we continue to test more Revit Families with our FAR Designer we have come across some very interesting items related to creating Revit Type Catalogs.

Here are some examples of items we found that I would like to present as discussion points and encourage your feedback:

• A Revit Type Catalog included Parameter Values using simple equations for a manufacturer and/or other text items where no equation was required. The parameters are not part of the text file, but part of family. It is my understanding that Revit will add those Parameter Values when importing into the Revit Project File which eliminates the need to have Revit evaluate an equation that is not required in a Revit Type Catalog. However, if you do not use Revit Type Catalogs, then it is appropriate to take the approach of including Parameter Values using simple equations.
• Another Revit Family we tested included Parameters with Values that were determined by an equation and they were trying to place those Parameters into Revit Type Catalog text file. I question why anyone would consider doing this as any Parameter that has an equation should let Revit determine the Value.
• Another Family we tested had an Instance Parameter in the Type Catalog and Instance Parameters should not be in Revit Type Catalogs.
• We also tested a Revit Type Catalog that had 170 Types and 45 Parameters within the Type Catalog. I question the size and feel it should have been broken down for ease of use, as going through 170 Types is a lot to search when looking for what you need.
  

I can fully understand why architects do not trust what they are downloading when there are such inconsistencies, even with something as trivial as creating Revit Type Catalogs.

It is my opinion that a 'best practice' approach should be taken into account when creating Revit Type Catalogs.

FAR Designer Type Catalog Issue2

Someone using the FAR Designer tried to put Parameters that have equations into the Revit Type Catalog. I do NOT recommend putting a Parameter in a Revit Type Catalog that has an equation and suggest you let Revit handle that inside the Family. When looking at the differences between Types in a Family, I consider the Type Catalog to be a place to hold the Parameters with different values that are not controlled by an equation.

FAR Tool Tip: If you are creating a Revit Type Catalog when using the FAR Designer, do not select a Parameter that has an equation.

FAR Designer Release

CAD Enhancement Inc. is announcing the release of the FAR Designer - a valuable tool allowing the following functionalities within a Revit Family to:

• Create Type Catalogs
• Manage the Type Catalogs more efficiently
• Add Types, add or remove Parameters, rename your Parameters, change the values of the Parameters etc.- all within the Revit Family Editor
• Define which Parameters are within the Type Catalog
• Show the Parameters within their groupings along with their values and any equations
• Allow you to print or save a ‘read out’ of the Parameters within a Revit Family to a rich text file that can be opened as a Word document
• Show what will be in the Type Catalog after it has been saved
  Download a Free Trial of the FAR Designer
  
  Note: To access the FAR Designer you must have Revit 2010 and the FAR Manager installed on your computer:
  
  Read about the FAR Designer

Feel free to call 651-815-0220 or email Lrobinson@cadenhancement.com with your questions, comments and feedback regarding the FAR Designer.

FAR Designer Use 1

Right after announcing the release of the FAR Designer we received this inquiry, "We have a large number of Revit Families that have Types within the Family and would like to create the Revit Type Catalogs for these Revit Families. Can your tool help?" We were happy to respond by saying, "Yes, it can, as that is one of the reasons the FAR Designer was developed."


Below is just one example in a step-by-step process showing how you can use the FAR Designer to create Revit Type Catalogs for Revit Families that already have Types within:

1. Select the Revit Family
   
2. Open the Revit Family within the FAR Designer
   
3. Select the Parameters you want in the Revit Type Catalog then save as a Type Catalog. It will create the txt file and remove all the Types from the Revit Family

Another FAR Designer feature to try as you are creating your Revit Family and adding all the Types, would be to group all the Parameter names in the Family Editor within the FAR Designer, thus allowing you to see the differences, which in turn, allows you to make a good decision of what Parameters should be in a Type Catalog.

Click here to download a 15 day Free Trial of the FAR Manager and FAR Designer. (Revit 2010 and the FAR Manager must be installed on your computer before accessing the FAR Designer.)

Revit Type Catalogs - FAR Designer

Are you tired of opening Notepad or Excel to create your Revit Type Catalog? We have created a tool called the FAR Designer to help with this task. It is built on our FAR Manager technology (within Revit 2010) so it does require that you work in a project file. This can be an actual project file or just click on a new project file in Revit.

Once you have created your geometry, you can either create all your Type(s) as you would with a typical Family or go to the project file and open it using the FAR Designer. If you choose to open the project file using the FAR Designer you will have the capabilities to add Types, Parameters, rename your Parameters, etc... within the FamilyEditor. You can also select the Parameters you want to be in the Type Catalog.

Another functionality of the FAR Designer is the ability to easily add and remove Parameter Sets to the the Type Catalog prior to saving it. This can be done by clicking on the selected Parameter(s) within the Type Catalog column. You will also find a Type Parameter Unit column that allows you to set the Parameter Header correctly with the ## symbols.

The FAR Designer tool also allows you to take a Type Catalog and re-insert all of the Types back within the Family as well as remove the Type Catalog.

One of the most significant features of the FAR Designer is the ability to create a 'read out' of the Parameters within a Revit Family and save it into a rich text file that can be opened in Word or printed out for your product managers and others responsible to verify the product information in the BIM format is complete and accurate.

Contact us with any questions or comments

Release of Far Manager and Bim Manager

CAD Enhancement Inc. is announcing the release of the FAR Manager and BIM Manager tool sets for use with Revit Architecture 2010.

The FAR Manager is a Content Manager that allows the users to:

• Import the whole family
• Import just the type
• Add parameters and types
• Access to RevitCatalog
• Search for families within the users network by Category, Sub-category, Types, Parameters and their values
  

The BIM Manager is a tool set that allows the BIM Managers to:

• Add/edit parameters by batch
• Control the folders that the users can use with the Far Manager
• Catalog the family for quick search
  

The best part is that CAD Enhancement Inc. is providing these tool sets for Architects to download and use for FREE.

Read about the whole process that includes these two tool sets at http://www.cadenhancement.com/labels/FAR.html

To download the FAR Manager and the BIM Manager http://www.cadenhancement.com/2001/01/far-manager-bim-manager.html

Take a look at some of our video clips of the FAR process:
1.) BIM Manager Utility Tool capabilities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwp6XqQQm9s
2.) FAR Manager Search capabilities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAW3HdOTodY
3.) FAR Manager - Importing Types capabilities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1qwWZnz0_o
4.) From an Inventor file to Revit Family http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBwXiRpw6hM

Contact us with your comments, feedback and suggestions as you begin working with the FAR Manager and BIM Manager tool sets.

Manfacturers data / BIM data

My last blog on CAD drawings and BIM returned some interesting comments from within my blog as well as from Linkedin Groups. It appears some were missing the point or not understanding it while some responses were building upon it. As a means to clarify my point I would like to take this discussion to the next level.


For the purpose of this blog, let’s consider the BIM data as representations of the manufacturer’s product data. In order for building manufacturers to be competitive they will most definitely have to be concerned with the BIM representation of their product data. But that is not all they are concerned with as they have the manufacturer’s representation of that data, not to mention marketing data such as cut sheets, shop drawings, etc.

• Manufacturers Representations – There are a number of categories relating to data from the perspective within manufacturers’ walls but let’s just look at a few items:
• Engineering data comes in all sorts of different methodology such as solid modeling, database driven and plain old 2D. This data is the life blood of the manufacturer, not only displaying current product line but being used to create new product (R&D). Actually, when I talk to manufacturers I like to draw a big circle and label it as the engine model from which everything is a derivative of this data.
• Marketing data - Even though there are and can be more derivatives than just marketing data from an engine model, for this blog let’s look at the marketing data as data including BIM data and cut sheets or shop drawings.
• BIM data is from a geometry point of view and should, for the most part, focus on providing the ‘foot print’ and ‘volume in space’ for the product. There are other concerns involving more detail that I will leave for another blog. The BIM data from the meta data perspective is also a key factor as it is really where manufacturers have to be cognizant in order to provide all the data necessary for their product, which includes pointers to cut sheets or shop drawings and specifications to name a few.

What I was trying to convey in my l last blog was that manufacturers will need to continue providing drawings of their products in a 2D fashion. This data will most likely take the form of a PDF file which will continue to provide the necessary detail and information that an architect or engineer needs. Again, this is something the BIM models do not provide other than by including a URL link to this data.
There are quite a few other derivatives we could talk about but the main point I want to emphasize is that all of the product data could be taken from the engine model, which is exactly what we are doing with the FAR Process - becoming a derivative of the engine model.

Patrick Johnson

The Future of CAD with the World of BIM

As one of the fastest moving initiatives in the commercial industry, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an innovative approach to integrating the design, construction and management of a product.

• Recent studies revealed:
  Over 50% of architects, engineers, contractors and owners are utilizing BIM at moderate levels or higher.
• Architects are the heaviest users of BIM with 43% using it on more than 60% of their projects (that number is expected to grow throughout 2009).
• 77% of BIM users are involved in at least a moderate number of green projects.
• Half of the industry is using BIM or BIM-related tools today — a 75% increase in usage over the past two years.
• 42% of non-users believe that BIM will be highly or very highly important to the industry in five years.
• One in five users who formally measure ROI see returns above 50%, while 9% of users who
• formally measure ROI see returns above 100%.

BIM (Building Information Modeling) is changing the world and has also created a burden for manufacturers to supply data to the architects in a different format. This does not mean manufacturers need to forget about the simpler CAD drawings they have been supplying in the past. There will always be a need for these drawings. Actually, in the BIM format, a manufacturer should be supplying a link to their CAD file (shop drawing) as a way of providing the information part of the ‘I’ in BIM

As a manufacturer you may be asking, ‘Why do we need to provide BIM data?’ The answer is simple, the world of architecture and design is changing and it is changing fast. Right now we have two states, Wisconsin and Texas, mandating that all their government projects must be a BIM format. Many architects are stating that your product(s) will not get specified unless you provide BIM data. I will also add that a properly developed BIM model will put a manufacturer’s product specifications in front of the architect, which in turn, greatly increases the chance of getting that product specified.

However – not all projects will be in BIM. You will have some architects that will not move to the BIM format, projects that will not demand it and there are all of the existing buildings that may have expansion plans and already have documentation in CAD formats. With the understanding that BIM is a new format that is here to stay, it’s important to acknowledge the need to provide CAD drawings and shop drawings will not be going away any time soon.

The following are links to information supporting the use of BIM by architects:

BIM adoption rate exceeds 80% among nation’s largest AEC firms

http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/ca6668193.html

SmartMarket Report on Building Information Modeling (BIM)

http://construction.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0249-296182_ITM_analytics

First Wisconsin, now Texas mandates BIM for state projects

http://www.bdcnetwork.com/blog/1340000734/post/1350047735.html

Patrick Johnson

When to use the Far Creator

When to use the FAR Process as the most efficient means to creating Revit Families.

When do you know that you want to be able to use the FAR Process to automate your data into BIM Models (Revit Families) for the architect to use? Just because you can automate the creation of BIM Models does not mean that it justifies doing it.

Attached is a flow chart that presents various scenarios for building manufacturers illustrating the points to consider when creating your product data into BIM Models and when it justifies automating this process with the Far Process.

I’ve highlighted some of the points to consider as you review the Flow Chart.

• What are you using to create the designs for your product mix? (AutoCAD; Inventor; SolidWorks; Pro E)
• Are your designs 2D or 3D?
• What is the most efficient way to create BIM data/Revit Families for your product Type?
• Static
• If the product is stable (does not go through engineering changes) and unless there is a common design around multiple products, a manual creation of the Revit Families is most cost efficient
• When a static product is changeable, the FAR Process is the most efficient method of creating Revit Families
• Configurable
• Customizable
• Both Configurable and Customizable products should follow the same methodology when creating Revit Families
• The FAR Process is most efficient to create the Revit Families when provided a basic core model and a list of options that differentiates the product models
• When the parametric changes of a product impact the form, fit and function, the FAR Process is the most efficient method to create Revit Families
• When the parametric changes impact the dimensional changes of a product, a manual creation of the Revit Families is most efficient
• Made to order
• When the product is ‘made to order’ and is static (the geometry is non parametric), then the FAR Process is most efficient when creating Revit Families. The AEC Exchange is another option but is only available to Autodesk users on the manufacturing side with some limitations.
• Build Design (product design for a specific building project)
• The FAR Process is most efficient when creating Revit Families. Again, the AEC Exchange is another option but is only available to Autodesk users on the manufacturing side with some limitations.

Contact us if you would like to discuss your product mix and how the efficiencies of the FAR Process can work for you.

Patrick K. Johnson

Building%20Manufacturers.pdf

Far Process Summary

The intention of this blog is to provide you with an overview of the FAR Process and describe how your company can automate the creation of Revit Families as well as manage your library of Revit Families more efficiently and effectively utilizing the FAR Process.

The objectives of the FAR Process are:

• To create a Revit Family automatically that is usable, maintainable and sustainable throughout the life of the building project.
• To create a tool for Manufacturers to manage/control their product data for Architects using the BIM format without being dependent upon an outside provider to create and maintain their Revit families.
• To create an automated Revit Family created that includes product data provided directly from the Manufacturer and is ready to be downloaded into BIM projects.

Overview of the FAR Process:

The FAR Process is built from 3 main components:

1. FAR Creator
2. FAR Data Set

3. FAR Manager

The FAR Creator is not just one application. It is a set of API's that will be built for each Manufacturer based on their software and their industry. The FAR Creator takes the product data provided by the Manufacturer to create the FAR Data Set required for the FAR Process.

• Each Manufacturer will be able to use their own set of API's to create the FAR Data Set necessary for automating the creation of their own Revit families, from their own manufacturing data using the FAR Process for custom and future product developments.
• The FAR Creator allows the Manufacturer to have the ability for updating architect data automatically when changes are made to the engineering data.

The FAR Data Set is a text file that contains the product data and instructions for the FAR Manager.

The FAR Manager uses the FAR Data Set to create a Revit Family within Revit. The FAR Manager also includes a Content Manager interface which allows the user to manage their families within their own file system

We have 4 short video segments on YouTube demonstrating the capabilities of the FAR Manager; BIM Manager Utility Tool and the ability to create a Revit Family from an Inventor file.

Click on the following links to see the YouTube video clips:

1.) FAR Manager Search capabilities
2.) FAR Manager - Importing Types capabilities
3.) BIM Manager Utility Tool capabilities
4.) creating a Revit Family from an Inventor file

Contact us to discuss how you can begin automating Revit Families for your company with the FAR Process.

What is the proper way to market on the web

What is the proper way to market on the web?

The web is a powerful tool for getting the word out but also can be detrimental if one is not careful.

As we have been marketing the FAR Process on the web I have received comments that we are not explaining it in enough detail to potential customers.

Our approach from the beginning was to intentionally provide a ‘high level’ description of the FAR Process in order to intrigue people about how we developed a process to automate the creation of Revit Families. We did this so they would ask what it was and if they could see a demo. Frankly, this approach has worked beyond our wildest dreams. We have been providing demos for some of the largest architect firms in the US and across the globe.

However, we feel we are walking a fine line between providing enough detail for potential customers interested in the product while guarding the proprietary information from competitors. We do not want to ‘show all of our cards’ before we are ready to do so. If you have been following me via Twitter or my blogs you will notice we are providing more detailed information about the FAR Process with each blog. We plan to continue providing more details through these blogs until it is released, which will be occurring in the near future.

My question to you is, “What do you think about marketing on the web and the most effective approach that should be taken?

Do you think we have taken the right approach?

What would you recommend?

Any and all comments would be appreciated.

Here is an example of the new approach we are taking.

We have a video on Searching for a Revit Family
New blog on the BIM Manager Utility



Thank you.



Patrick Johnson

President - CAD Enhancement, Inc

BIM Manager Utility

Within the FAR Manager there is a utility exclusive for BIM Managers allowing specific capabilities that general FAR Manager users can not utilize. The login will allow only the BIM Manager to gain access into this utility.



Some of the exclusive capabilities within this utility allow the BIM Manager the ability to:

· Set the path(s) of where the users will be able to read and/or save families from within the FAR Manager.

· Add parameters and values in a batch mode. The general user will have the ability to add parameters one at a time; following a similar process as is found inside Revit. (We felt this ability was better suited for BIM Managers to handle than giving that kind of control to the general user.)

· Set up the search functions for all users allowing the ability to search not only items such as family name but also reaching inside the families and searching data inside the family quickly.



Attached is the BIM Manager Utility video file which demostrates these capabilities in greater detail.



Patrick

Inventor ilogic and Far

As we continue moving forward with our development of the FAR Process we have been digging deeper into automating the creation of Revit families from Inventor. Inventor iLogic (a free product add-in for Autodesk subscription users) will play a huge role in the ability to make this happen. I look at iLogic as a ‘rules based’ logic that is attached to the models within Inventor. To me, this is one of the best moves Autodesk has made in a while. I look at iLogic as a tool that is very simple to use but very powerful - oh yeh, there is even a help document with it.

The ability to return and pass data to outside applications and databases is one of the true powers of iLogic. The way we intend to use iLogic for the FAR Process is only one method for using this ‘rules based’ tool. Once you understand how this tool works, its use will be limited only by your imagination.


I know we are only scratching the surface when it comes to utilizing the capabilities of iLogic for our use with the FAR Process. iLogic is worth looking at for the capability to put rules on any or all parts and assemblies, as it will only make your model that much smarter.

View the video showing an Inventor model to a Revit Family automatically.

Contact us if you are interested in scheduling a demonstration of the FAR Process using Inventor iLogic.

Patrick K. Johnson

Far Creator

The FAR Process is built from 3 main components; the FAR Manager, the FAR Data and the FAR Creator. The FAR Creator is the piece of the puzzle for the Manufacturers that will take their product data whether it originates in Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Pro E, etc. in order to create the FAR Data set required to automate the creation of a Revit Family.


The FAR Creator really is not one application but a set of API's that will be built for each Manufacturers, based on their software and their industry. The ultimate goal is to get the FAR Creator set up for the Manufacturer so they will not be dependent upon an outside provider for creating and maintaining their Revit families. Each Manufacturer will be able to use their own set of API's to create the FAR Data necessary for automating the creation of their own Revit families using the FAR Process for custom and future product developments.


Another cost advantage with the FAR Process is that the FAR Creator allows the Manufacturer to have the ability for updating architect data automatically when changes are made to the engineering data - thus eliminating the need to manage multiple sets of data.


In addition, we feel one of the greatest advantages of the FAR Process for Manufacturers and Architects is found when working with customized product data. The FAR Creator allows the ability to create the FAR Data set for customized products for Architects automatically, thus eliminating the cost and reducing the amount of time for both the Manufacturer and the Architect to create this data.


The FAR Creator creates the data and automates the creation of the Revit Family to appear as if it were done manually. The FAR Process has the ability to automatically create an efficient, effective and high quality Revit family consistently, each and every time.

Feel free to watch the video of going from Inventor to a Revit family Automatically.


Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in seeing a demonstration of the FAR Process.


Patrick Johnson

Far Process and Manufacturing

As we started putting together the plan for the FAR project one objective we were trying to accomplish was to automate a process where Manufacturers could create Revit families without the investment of purchasing Revit software, training, and the staff to manage Revit. Our original plan was to create a way for the product data from the Manufacturer to be passed to the Architect who has the FAR Manager and Revit software so Architects could create the Revit family on their side automatically, since Manufacturers were focused on producing products instead of creating data.


For the past 6 weeks we have been presenting demos of the FAR process. Those initial demos were designed to get feedback from both Architects and Manufacturers. One item that we were hearing from the Manufacturers is the desire to create the Revit families themselves. The reason behind this was coming from the marketing side as they want the ability to decide where the Revit families reside in order to get the most exposure for their families and ultimately, their products. As a result of that feedback we are now offering the option for Manufacturers to implement the entire FAR process which includes both the FAR Manager and the FAR Creator to enable the capability for automating the creation of their own Revit families.


I think this was the beauty of these demos, not only did we obtain feedback regarding the concept of the FAR process but we also learned how companies plan on managing their architect data moving forward.


Again, I would like to thank everyone who participated in our initial demos of the FAR process and welcome other Architects and Manufacturers to contact us if interested in scheduling a FAR demo.



Patrick Johnson

FAR Demo Summary

Throughout the past 5 weeks CAD Enhancement Inc. has been presenting demos of the FAR (Family Automation Revit) Process which is a tool that automates the creation of Revit families. One of our intentions with the initial FAR demos was to obtain feedback from manufacturers and architects to improve this application to best meet your needs.

The concept of the FAR Process was well received resulting in outstanding feedback that is definitely having a positive influence in the outcome of the FAR Manager and the FAR Creator.

We wanted to share the following feedback and updates with you as a way to keep you informed of the progress we are making with FAR.

Feedback / Suggestions to create:

• Searching capabilities for existing Families (to be included in the 2nd Release of the FAR Manager)
• Shared Parameters (to be included in the 3rd Release of the FAR Manager)
• Ability to add Parameters (to be included in the 1st Release of the FAR Manager)
• Alphabetize Groupings and Parameters (to be included in the 1st Release of the FAR Manager)
• Ability to save Families or save Types (to be included in the 1st Release of the FAR Manager)
• Ability to add Types (to be included in the 1st Release of the FAR Manager)
• BIM Manager Tool Set (to be included in the 2nd Release of the FAR Manager).

Will Include ability to set the file directories
· Will include the ability to set-up the search tool
· Will include the ability to batch process the adding of Parameters

• Turn-key ability for manufacturers to create Revit families to market their Revit families where they see fit (available with the development of the FAR Creator and set-up of the FAR Manager)
• Available standard naming conventions (will be an ongoing process as we add content and receive additional feedback)
• Ability to state comments on a family from within the FAR Manager instead of only going to RevitCatalog website (to be included in the 1st Release of the FAR Manager)

Updates:

• The FAR Process has a Patent Pending status
• 1st Release of the FAR Manager is scheduled for the week of August 17th – 21st
• 2nd Release of the FAR Manager is scheduled for mid-September
• 3rd Release of the FAR Manager TBD (Fall 2009)

Thanks to all that have participated

Patrick K Johnson

Bridging the communication Gap between Architects and Manufacturers

In my development of the FAR process which includes a tool that allows the ability to create a Revit family automatically I have been taking a long look at the manufacturing modeling technique and comparing it to the architect modeling technique. It has become apparent to me there is a great need for the manufacturer to understand the method being used in Revit when considering a more seamless process to automating the creation of Revit families.

Obviously, the manufacturers first and foremost interest is to create and sell their product(s). Architects have stated “When a manufacturer provides their product data in a quality BIM format they can trust, and is user friendly as well as easily accessible, that product will be spec’ed more and in turn the manufacturer will sell more. “

This is a simple concept; however, the communication between the two industries and the passing of data between the manufacturers and architects is breaking down at a time in our economy when efficiencies should be at the utmost of importance. We need to work together to bridge this communication gap so everyone can benefit.

Sometimes having an understanding of the other industry is all that is required. For instance, reading the data compared to creating more rules would be more efficient. To emphasize this point I will share a personal example of how I changed my ideas about work planes when looking at them from another perspective. I was never a big fan of using work planes all over the model as I always preferred using faces to work from instead of creating work planes. However, I have discovered with proper modeling standards in place and a true understanding of the product, using work planes creates a cleaner and more workable model. It has become apparent to me when considering from the architect’s perspective, that the use of work planes in the correct position with correct labeling is extremely helpful in the extraction of data without the need for too many rules.

Share your comments.

Patrick K. Johnson

Interesting

One of my last FAR demos was quite interesting. The gentleman suggested I should just create the content and sell it to Autodesk Seek so he could download it for free. It goes without saying, he was missing the point of what we are trying to do with the development of the FAR Process.

However, his comment got me thinking and recalling Autodesk’s last try at providing data in the ‘90's. Does anyone remember PartSpec? I remember getting that CD and saying, ‘Right, like I am going to use this junk?’ and it was a complete utter failure. It is my opinion they began heading down the same path with the way they have started Autodesk Seek and how they are spending incredible amounts of money to clean it up. My hat is off to them for trying.

I’ve also been thinking, ‘Why is Autodesk spending so much money on this endeavor?’ I truly believe they are trying to monopolize the market in order to gain the market share, which in the end, they will be able to raise the price of their software - what do you think?

Patrick Johnson

FAR Data - what is it

At this time we have a Patent Pending on the FAR (Family Automation Revit) Process including the FAR Data Set so I really cannot go into too much detail but will give you an overview of the intention for this data set.

To begin with, the FAR Data Set is at the core of our whole FAR Process.From the manufacturer’s perspective the FAR Data Set can be created whether the manufacturer is using Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Pro E, etc..... A manufacturer using software other than an Autodesk product really doesn’t have to purchase an Inventor or Revit seat to get their data out to the architect industry. Actually, a manufacturer using Inventor should not even have to purchase Revit.

My belief is that manufacturers are in business to produce quality products and should not have to worry about purchasing software and training personnel in Revit. On the flip side, manufacturers do need to worry about getting their product data out to architects, designers and engineers in the BIM world and we believe we have an effective solution to accomplish this with the FAR Process.

The following example shows the true power of what we are trying to accomplish using the FAR Data Set with manufacturers while providing quality data using the FAR Process. During one of our recent FAR demos we had a manufacturer ask if they were to set up a database of their product data, could they have ‘real time’ updates of their BIM data when an architect requests their product. Our response was obviously ‘Yes’ since automating the process to create the highest quality Revit families is one of the main intentions of the FAR process.

Architects or others using Revit families for BIM projects need to own the Revit software and will be using the FAR Manager within the FAR Process to automate the creation of Revit families from the FAR Data Set. Another advantage when using the FAR Process is the option to choose (before creating the family) the amount of detail from the FAR Data Set to be included in the family. Future enhancements we intend to develop after getting the Revit version of the FAR Process up to speed will be to use the FAR Data Set for Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, MicroStation, etc....

Contact us if you are interested in scheduling a demo of the FAR Process or if you have questions / comments to share.

Patrick Johnson

FAR Manager - what is it

With the FAR process we needed a method for architects to be able to download and use the FAR files as well as the Revit families stored on the RevitCatalog website which is the designated website created for the FAR process. To be able to accomplish this we decided to create a content manager interface as one of the features within the FAR Manager allowing the user to manage their families within their own file system.

The content manager feature has also added more value for the architects. Not only will the user be able to see the typical tree of their families but within that tree they will be able to pick the type that they want to be able to load and make adjustments to the parameters of that family within the type, instance and element properties - thus eliminating the need to do all of the required steps within Revit itself and loading unnecessary data.

We also gave the same look and feel to the property tabs as you find in Revit. The only difference is that we alphabetized the structure, both in parameter groupings and parameter names, making it a bit easier to find and locate the parameter in question. The option for the parameters to be shown with or without the grouping is another enhancement we’ve added.

Some additional functionalities you will be able to use within the FAR Manager include:

- Copy types (Add)

- Remove Types

- Add parameters

- Search for families both locally and from the web site

- Adjust parameters prior to loading and placing in project

- We are working on the viewing capability to display the 3D image of the selected family or type

We are currently providing webcast demonstrations of the FAR Manager. A typical FAR demo will take about an hour of your time. If you are interested in scheduling a demo or learning more about the FAR process please contact us.

View the video on the Far Manager showing importing Revit Family type into a project.

Patrick K Johnson

FAR Quality Control

One of the issues I see with all of the websites offering Revit families is the lack of Quality Control (QC). I have been told that some of those websites have QC, however, when I asked and never received a response, it lead me to believe there wasn’t any QC to talk about. I welcome a response comment from anyone reading this blog who has information regarding the QC standards from any of the websites offering Revit families.

As we start providing the FAR program we will be implementing a QC program that I want every end user to know about and be aware of. An important part of the FAR program QC will be the testing procedure that is in the midst of being developed at this time. This testing procedure will be used for all Revit families that will be created and accessible thru the FAR program whether it is a Revit family or FAR data.

The FAR testing procedure will not be public knowledge (meaning it will not be posted on our website) but will be available only to our customers. We will also provide, upon request, the actual testing document of any family to show that we are adhering to the QC standard we have set for the FAR program. If someone has issues or suggestions regarding the FAR testing procedure and/or testing results, we will be happy to talk about those concerns.

One of the long term goals we are trying to achieve with the FAR program is not to just create the families and walk away, but to promote the continuous improvement in the quality of creating automated Revit families while improving the communication between the manufacturer and AEC industry.

I encourage you to respond with your comments regarding Quality Controls and Revit families. You can also contact me if you would like to schedule a demo of the FAR program.

Patrick K. Johnson

FAR - The Revit Family Solution for Manufactureres

In the manufacturing world today we are seeing a great demand to produce more than just ‘off the shelf’ products as the customer is "demanding to have it their way" and in a timely manner.Manufacturers design product lines including static parts/products (what they may have in their catalog); configurable products; as well as total customized products that have been tailored to meet the customer’s specific needs. The following is how I see these product types and their relevance to providing data for architects working in a BIM format, specifically Revit.

• Static parts - These are products that may be singular in size or manufactured in multiple sizes. If they offer multiple sizes the data for these products would be great in a look-up table allowing the end user to select and load what they need, not to download all of the types at once which we feel would be unnecessary data for the architect.
  
• Configurable - These are products that allow the end user to select their needs based on criteria provided by the manufacturer. When providing data in Revit families for configurable products we caution that you have to be careful in not over doing it. This is where CAD Enhancement can help. We would build these Revit families based on our theory of constraints and not all of the design rules that it takes to produce the products, thus reducing the size of the Revit family.
  
• Custom - This is the made to order product designed to meet the specific needs of the customer. More and more manufacturers are requested to create their custom products in a Revit family on a daily basis. CAD Enhancement has the solution for this increasing need by automating the process to provide these Revit families and also allow the end user the opportunity to select the right amount of detail to load into their project.

With the BIM world encroaching the manufacturing world for this BIM data the question is “How to best do this?” It appears websites such as Autodesk Seek, Reed Construction Data and TurboSquid do not have the answer or possibly cannot handle this in their current format. It is also possible they just do not understand how to work with manufacturers’ product data to create efficient and effective Revit families.

CAD Enhancement has the solution in the FAR program to remedy all of the above mentioned product scenarios. The FAR program will not only address these issues but will also allow an architect the ability to select the amount of detail that best represents a product within their Revit project file.Demos of CAD Enhancement’s FAR application will be kicking off the week of June 22, with the anticipated release of the FAR Manager to be around the first week in August. If you are interested in a demo with the opportunity to ask questions about the FAR application, please contact us to schedule a time. We are keeping the attendance for these demos to individuals or a small group in order to allow for constructive interaction between CAD Enhancement and the attendees.



thanks



Patrick K. Johnson

Automating Revit Families with FAR

We are developing a unique software tool which automates the creation of Revit families and calling it FAR (Family Automation Revit). I am recommending that manufacturers take this into consideration to ensure they are maintaining the integrity of their products while providing the most accurate product data to architects who are using their products in their building designs.
FAR is being developed with the intention of benefiting both Manufacturers and Architects.

These are the benefits I see for Manufacturers to use FAR:

• The Manufacturer will maintain control of the Revit families with assurance their product specifications are accurate.
• The same file will be able to create an automated Revit family in either inches (US Standard) or metric.
• There will be no need to maintain Revit Families as it can be an automated process.
• No staff will be required on Revit – if individual families need to be created – see CAD Enhancement ‘CAD on demand’ service.
• Using FAR will ease the process of making adjustments for product changes.
• Using FAR will create a simple customization solution for easy, quick and accurate Revit families to Architects for configurable products.
• This tool can be developed for accessibility to customers and prospects via the Manufacturer’s website.

These are the benefits I see for Architects who have access to use FAR:

• Manufacturers using FAR will provide approved Revit families assuring product data accuracy compared to what is found on various websites on the Internet.
• Architects can receive clean Revit files – no importing / exporting overhead in their project files.
• Architects will finally have control to select the level of detail of a Revit family.
• Creating Revit families using FAR will be more efficient and will improve productivity as there is no need to re-create an inaccurate Revit family.
• There should be no need to manage Revit files created by companies using FAR.
• Architects will have accessibility to accurate data which is crucial to designing a better building.
• FAR will allow Architects to use the efficiencies of the BIM (Building Information Modeling) platform as it was intended to be used.
  
  Let me know your thoughts about FAR.