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vector23

Joined: Sun, Apr 23, 2006
265 Posts

maybe you newbies don't realize what you are getting

into.. constructing something in three dimensions with

the computer doing billions of calculations for you could

be something beyond the mental ability of most people..

it's nearly beyond my ability that's for sure..

but what is really strange is that there ARE a few people

that seem to make it work natually.. it's like "what planet

are they from"? lol

five years ago the benefits of virtual construction was

very clear and nobody had any doubts about it taking

over architecture.. oh sure they all figured the learning

curve would be a bit steep- lol- what joke.. steep is not

the word for it- it's way beyond steep..

maybe books and tutorials can work for somebody- but

i never trusted them and i can't used them.. i have to

figure out how to live in a 3D world before i can use

the tools of a 3D world.. in other words- if you just

start out learning what the tools do- you will run into

all kinds of trouble trying to use them in a world you

don't understand.. for nearly my first whole year

with revit- almost all i did was keep asking what

3D really is.. and i still keep asking it five and a

half years later.. i don't think i'm actually suitable

for revit- but i will never give it up..

i'm just saying that people starting out with revit

better gear-up for moving a mountain..

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ArchiN00B

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Joined: Sat, Apr 3, 2010
144 Posts

On a more positive note, I began using Revit for a school project; building a detailed wall section.  I had to skip the correct way to do walls, floors, windows, etc. and jumped right into modeling this thing based on sketching and free-form masses.  I wouldn't recommend starting that way, but it at least opened my eyes to the power of Revit.  I knew there were WAYS to do what I wanted, but I didn't have the time to figure them out at that point.  

Rather than curse the program, I cursed my ignorance.

Two semesters later, I had finally had enough with creating and recreating floor plans in Rhinoceros (great free-form modeling tool, NOT a drafting tool).  I took ONE WEEK (goodbye spring break) and went through a 900+ manual on Revit by Eric Wing, and religiously followed every example, leaving out and skipping nothing since EVERYTHING was new and related to everything else I was learning.  

I then switched my project mid-semester to be in Revit and ended up with something that could still use some work-arounds, but was entirely done in Revit (site, floors, walls, imported families, in-place massing, schedules, colored block diagrams and renderings).  I was happy with it, but still had some burning questions (see my posts in the Newbies section!)  I'm going through another manual now on Mastering Revit 2010 and it is a whole new layer of things the other book didn't cover.  

My point is, I get that thinking in 3D is harder for some people, but stick with it.  If you are going to survive, let alone thrive in this industry, it seems to me like this will need to be a developed skill.  So why are you reading this!?  Go get a manual and go cover to cover.  If you still are unsure about Revit, it means you skipped some parts.

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nastyclown

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Joined: Mon, Jul 13, 2009
273 Posts

This book might help you archinoob , not right now, but later in real world scenario , when the big proyects happen. Also has some tips on good practices.

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rkitect

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Joined: Thu, Dec 16, 2004
792 Posts

3D isn't the hard part of Revit. The hard part of Revit is that people are using who haven't the slightest idea on how buildings go together. If you don't know how a detail is supposed to happen it, how can you model it in ANY program let alone Revit?

The 3D side can be learned through a variety of programs: sketchup, blender, rhino, 3ds, maya, revit, inventor... the 3D modeling concepts are all the same. The point of Revit is not 3D.. this is why people have such a hard time with it.

Revit is a BIM tool to be used to relay information. Sometimes that information is in 3D and IF you know how to detail it, how it's built in the real world, then you've already come to understand 99.9% of what is required to model it and can do so in any of the above mentioned 3D programs. The advantage, and difficulty, of Revit is how that model is documented and transported to the end-user: if you can't explain it in simple terms, then you don't understand it enough to be domcumenting it for someone else. This is when you need to ask someone who has been around longer than you for a little help in understanding what it is you're trying to model.

Case in point, I started learning Revit after having 3 years of experience in an architecture firm and several years of experience in design studio but little understanding in detailing and building construction. I also started learning Revit with experience in 3D modeling so I already knew how the tools worked without having to learn much of anything specific to Revit. However, without knowing how the building went together, I couldn't do squat in Revit. This is where my "you tell me how you want it to look and I'll model it for you" mentality came from that really bosted my experience na dability within Revit.

There is no mountain moving to be done with Revit. It's all about your personal knowledge in building construction and your ability to understand the tool beyond button clicking and what each tool is meant for.

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-//------------------------

Carl - rkitecsure[at]gmail.com

Need help? I'm probably in my chat room!

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is never get involved in a land war in asia, but only slightly less well known is this! Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

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vector25

Joined: Tue, Jun 14, 2011
101 Posts

rkitecture is certainly correct about construction knowledge.. and now that i am comfortable working in 3D it's all about construction knowledge for me- since i didn't know anything about construction before i started learning revit.. so the question remains- which is the bigger mountain to climb- construction know-how or working in 3D? there is someone in my family that worked for 20 years as a building contractor and then 15 years doing AutoCAD drafting.. in 2005 when i started learning revit- they didn't believe it was real- they denied BIM.. but about 3 years ago they decided they better learn revit after all.. i tried to help them as much as i could but they struggled and struggled and struggled with the idea of working in 3D instead of 2D..  so they just gave up- and went back to contracting.. to me- learning construction techniques was always easy- but i remember that first year myself struggling with the complexity of even understanding what 3D was about.. to me it was like trying to play a chess game in 3D with all the clear plastic boards stacked up and making moves up and down and sideways instead of on just one flat board.. so with construction it's like remembering that there must be 6 inches from the ground up to the bottom of the siding on a house- just stuff to remember- but no mental gymnastics like with 3D- that many people cannot do..

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coreed

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Joined: Fri, Feb 10, 2006
1874 Posts

in Michigan its 8" up to the bottom of the siding. we get more snow

-----------------------------------

best regards,

coreed,aia

bmpArchitects,Inc.

"Revit has to be implemented, Not installed." 

Long Live Revit

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vector25

Joined: Tue, Jun 14, 2011
101 Posts

on second thought i would have to say that rkitect's view is more realistic about construction knowledge being top priority with revit.. for most people- building anything does not come naturally- and revit is all about building something- a building.. for me- i can build anything and what i need to know about building houses i have right at my finger tips with a half dozen books on how a house is constructed including the UBC guide.. but for several years i've had this idea that since someone in my family will be retiring soon- and they have enough construction knowledge to choke a horse- why couldn't i have them sit at a second monitor looking at the same thing i'm looking at while building the model and telling me how things are supposed to be? seems like i could go from concept sketch to construction documents at blazing speeds with a setup like that..

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picapica

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Joined: Wed, Jul 20, 2011
1 Posts
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I've worked in the construction industry (tools to office) for 30 years, all the developments I've seen, drawing board to CAD to 3D (ADT) to BIM, I'm definetely putting more effort in learning Revit than any of the others, I'm crunching through tutorials, internet resources and attended a starter course by my local reseller also attending local Revit User Group. I see it as an investment, time now for productivity later. Lots more to discuss but work bekons!

nastyclown - thanks for the link.

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