Revit Conceptual Massing Environment - Index

Over the years I have struggled with the Conceptual Massing Environment (CME) in Revit.  It is not easy to use, and is not at all well integrated with the rest of Revit.  However, I have learnt a huge amount about how to get it to do what you want (or not!).  I have tried to document some of the tips and tricks on this blog and during various conference presentations that I have given at RTC & BILT .

Here is a summary / index of all the relevant posts on this blog:

Conceptual Massing Environment

Rival Revit Environments - Traditional vs Conceptual Massing Environment (CME)

 

Creating Traditional Forms using Conceptual Massing

Part 1 - Extrusion 
             Extrusion Offset Properties
Part 2 - Blend
Part 3 - Revolve
Part 4 - Sweep
Part 5 - Swept Blend
Part 6 - Loft

 

Part 7 - Hybrid Swept Blend / Loft

• Creating Tightly Curved Swept Blends
• Creating Sinuous Curve Swept Blends - Part 1
• Creating Sinuous Curve Swept Blends - Part 2

•  Unable to Create Form Element

• Swept Blend using Adaptive profile
• Hollow Section Sweep with Adaptive Profiles

• Divided Path & Node Visibility

Revit Nurby Forms at BILTANZ

Adaptive Components

Adaptive Components

Adaptive components are a subset of the Conceptual Massing Environment:

•     A Dozen Reasons Not to Use Adaptive Components
•     Reasons to Use Adaptive Components
• Swept Blend using Profile in Adaptive Component
• Egress Path using Adaptive Components (Life Safety Plan)
• Egress Path (Update) and Shape Handle Points
• Mona Lisa's Eyes Follow The Revit Camera
• Adaptive Component Origins
• Zero Length Lines are Possible in Adaptive Components

Repeaters

Repeaters are a kind of array, in the CME world . . .

Modelling Santiago Calatrava's Gare do Oriente (Lisbon) using Repeaters:

Step 2  Putting roof panels on top of the rig . . .
Step 3  Creating the structural elements and placing on the rig
Step 4  Adding Struts to the structure

Step 5  Assembling the Array of Structural Columns

Revit Ideas - Vote to Improve the Conceptual Massing Environment in Revit:

Some of the problems could be alleviated by the following capabilities - please vote for them on the Autodesk Revit Ideas wish-list if you agree:

• Control profile order during form creation

• Nominate Path during form creation

• Massing Tools - Give Them Some Love

Creating Blends in Revit Mass - CME Part 2

An earlier post introduced the idea of  comparing the five traditional form creation tools with equivalent techniques in the Revit Conceptual Massing Environment.  Previously we analysed the creation of extrusion forms in the CME.  Now it is the next of the 5 traditional forms:

Part 2:  Blends

In the traditional Revit environment, you have to decide on a blend before you start.  In the massing environment you can do that or decide to create a blend after you have made an extrusion.  The exact method depends on how the profile is created before using it to generate a form.

I have recorded a video description of this process, available on YouTube.

This one is pretty quiet, maybe suitable for an open plan office.  Crank up the volume if you are at home.

Read on if you don't like videos (or you are hard of hearing!).

There are several ways to create a blend form in the CME:

Method A (Unlock Extrusion)

This method assumes that you already have a form created as an extrusion.

• Select the form;
• ‘Unlock Profiles’ (if locked)

 

• This converts the form into a blend, which has a profile at each end (each the same to start with) – they can be edited separately.

If the original profile was model lines:

•  Each profile can be edited in sketch mode (Edit Profile command).

 

If the profile was reference lines:

• The start remains as reference lines, with limited edit capability (move the reference lines) 
• The end profile can be edited in sketch mode

If the original profile was a component:

• you can edit the end profile only, not the start profile
• If the profile family is parametric, you can adjust the form parametrically
• You can edit the profile family, and the form changes when you reload the family - within reason; if the changes are too drastic, it may fail when you try to reload.

Method B (Create Blend)

Create two parallel 2d profiles (model, reference lines or flat components) ;

• Select both profiles; 
• ‘Create Form’

• Revit will create a Blend form

If the profiles were model lines:

• You can edit the profiles of each end 

If they were reference lines:

• You have limited edit capability (move lines)

If the original profiles were components:

• You can change them (if parametric) 

 

• Or you can edit the profile family and reload 

The two starting profiles do not need to be parallel.

Related topics:

• Introduction: the five traditional form creation methods

• Part 1: Extrusion forms

Extrusion Offset properties in Revit CME

Following on from the description of creating extrusions in the Conceptual Massing Environment, here is another subtlety regarding properties of extrusions in the CME.

Offset Properties 

Locked extrusions have 'Positive & Negative Offset' properties, that drive the distance of the end facets from the original profile.  These behave in different ways depending on exactly how the extrusion was created and locked.

Reference Line Extrusions

• Create Form using reference lines as the profile
• Creates an extrusion, which is automatically locked
• The form has Positive and Negative Offsets, relative to the reference lines

• Select the base facet, drag down

• Negative offset value
• Reference lines remain in original position

• Unlock the extrusion - no offset properties

Model Line Extrusion

• Create Form using model lines as the profile
• Extrusion is not locked  automatically
• Does not have offsets

• Select the top facet
• Lock the form to an extrusion

 

• Padlock does not appear (unless you reselect the form)
• It now has Offsets, relative to top facet (not the base, which was the original profile)

• Drag the top facet up and it shows a positive offset
• The Negative Offset is the position of the bottom facet relative to the original position of the top when it was locked - there is no visible record of that location.

• Undo

• Edit profile
• It does not ask you which profile to edit (as it is locked)
• Revit goes into Sketch edit of the top facet (not the base, which was the original profile)

• Cancel
• If you were to 'Dissolve' the form at this stage, you would end up with only the top facet, which is in a different location to the original profile.
• Do not proceed with 'Dissolve'; or Undo, if you did.

•  Unlock the extrusion form (the Offset properties disappear)

• This time, select the bottom facet (or a line/edge on it)

• Lock Form
• Offsets now relate to bottom facet - more logical in this situation

• Edit Profile
• Sketch edit is now the bottom facet (original model line profile)

The moral of this tale is that you need to plan very carefully when creating extrusions - first choose whether to use model or reference lines;  If you chose model lines (which allow easy editing of the profile to add/remove segments) then choose a line/edge carefully before locking the profiles.

Conclusion

A real life example of when this would be important is the creation of a 'context' model for your site:
You want to model adjacent buildings as simple extrusions, and you want to control their height by typing in known RLs, without having to calculate heights.

• As you probably want to work in context in a project, you might create an in-place mass family;
• However, it could also be done in an external family, as a generic Adaptive Component (with no adaptive points), changed to a site category;
• Draw the profiles on a Datum level (or reference plane) at RL zero (or round number, say 100 or 1000 metres)
• Choose model lines for easy profile editing (or reference lines for stability);
• Create Form
• Deselect the top facet
• Select a line on the base
• Lock Profiles
• Select the top facet
• Type in the RL (in mm) for the building height

• You could also adjust the base facet height using a minus value in the negative Offset property to represent the RL of the base of the building

Creating Extrusions in Revit Mass - CME Part 1

The previous post introduced the idea of comparing the five traditional form creation tools with equivalent techniques in the Revit Conceptual Massing Environment.  Here we analyse the subtleties of creating forms in the CME.

Part 1:  Extrusions

It might seem to be pretty straight forward creating an extrusion in the massing environment, but it is surprising how many tricks there are to it.  These depend largely on how the profile is created before using it to generate a form.

I have recorded a video description of this process, available on YouTube.

This one is pretty quiet, maybe suitable for an open plan office.

For those who prefer a more old fashioned UX, read on . . .

Workflow

• Create a 2d profile (model lines, reference lines, loaded component or select edges of an existing form). NB. The profile cannot contain a loop within a loop

• Select the profile lines
• Click on Create Form

• It will create a solid if the profile was closed, or just some surfaces if it was open 

 

Model Line Profile

• If the profile was made from model lines, you need to click on ‘Lock Profile’ – this will ensure that the form remains as an extrusion.

• You will not be able to add a profile (icon greyed out) 

• You will be able to add an edge to the sides of the form (perpendicular to the original profile), but not to the ends (parallel to the profile)
• If you add an edge it changes the shape of the whole extrusion

• The ‘Edit Profile’ icon will become available – this takes you into a sketch mode for editing the profile like the traditional method; you can add/remove segments from the profile

• NB. The sketch will be top or bottom depending on which part of the form was selected when it was locked - watch out for this when locking the extrusion.

Reference Lines Profile 

• If the profile was made from Reference lines, you get an option to create a flat surface or a solid extrusion (unlike a model line profile which only allows solid forms)

• The profile will already be locked after creating the extrusion;
• You will not be able to add edges to the form even though the icon is available;
• You will not be able to add profiles to the form (icon greyed out); 
• The ‘Edit Profile’ icon will be greyed out so you cannot edit by sketch;
• You can manipulate the profile by moving the reference lines (limited edit); 

• If you delete a reference line, the form loses that side face and ends – leaving it as a series of surfaces

 

• You cannot add reference lines;  if you try to add a radius to a corner for example, it just breaks the form;

Component Profile

•  If the profile was made from a loaded component, the profile will already be locked after creating the extrusion;
• You can manipulate the form by changing the profile parameters;
• You can sometimes modify the form by reloading an edited version of the profile - it depends on how radical the changes are as to whether it works.

Extrusion Properties

Locked extrusions have 'Offset Properties'.  These behave in different ways depending on exactly how the extrusion was created.  More details in another blog post. . . .

Unlock an Extrusion

Extrusions created from any kind of profile can be unlocked.  Once you do this they have the potential to become some other kind of form, as soon as you make any further changes. 
Refer to the Blend form creation methods for more detail . . . . To be continued