Revit Family Import

Unless I'm missing something, its interesting to see that Bentley is completely silent on this issue, while serious operational concerns are being addressed in this thread. Perhaps we should be attaching extracts of this thread when the next Select subscription invoice arrives!

Everyone, 

I have been informed by Bentley there is an avenue to request manufacturer data. I was unaware of it prior to posting. If you go to http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Corporate/Bentley+Partner+Program/Content+Partners/Infrastructure+Partners.htm , there is a form which allows you to request Bentley contact manufacturers about producing content.

It is very good to see that Bentley is being proactive in this regard. 

Thanks,

Jordan

Andreas,

I think the answer is a qualified yes. I think the constraints in Revit are not as complete and not as 'pure' as the constraints tool set in ACAD 2010. Here is a link to a list of limitations. Bear in mind this list is based on an older version of Revit. I think Revit has just published a families API and apparently ACAD going to put out a constraints API soon. The way way family components work is heavily dependent on slaving elements or sub-elements (faces, edges etc) to reference planes and driving those planes with dimensions. There is some basic constraint solving in the background judging by the error message dumps. Revit 2010 updated the massing family to allow a lot more constraint modeling-like behaviour but I think a lot of it is lost once the component is inserted into the project. 

Common constraints modeling framework or solver at Autodesk? Dunno, but I suspect that this must be underway. It was reported that the constraints in ACAD 2010 were based on Inventor's. Also, Revit can already import / link to Inventor files. Constraints modeling is a pretty specialised field. I know of only a handful of commerical developers D-Cubed, LEDAS, Spatial, Solvespace. Solvers are also available from Frontier, Sketchsolve (open source) and math / simulation software like Mathworks, Mathematica, MathCAD, which are probably lots slower. There are also lots of interesting research / academic implementations like RELCAD, Nemo+ and CoDraw that seemed to have died. There was also an interesting Smartgeometry presentation that used a springs solver via an excel spreadsheet to drive an array that could be seen as a kind of constraints modeling.

Constraints modeling is a big math field that extends way beyond CAD. It also has a big part in solid modeling kernels wrt maintaining valid topology. It would make sense to have a common solver / interface for AD but as you point out it will be a big deal to rewrite Revit, but hey nothing last forever. Revit has a huge scalability problem that it will need to address anyway in the long term. 

Quite interesting, though I do not understand everything you write about. The link is also very illustrative.

Anyway - having worked with Autocad many years, I know very much about the problems of this package. If Bentley is open to good ideas from other developers, the better for us as their customer.

This has been a great discussion.  I am bumping this because I am really starting to wonder why Bentley is not commenting at all.

Well, I know I'm not the right person to respond!  If there actually is a "right" person...  But if there were, where would they start?  Here's a sampling of questions & topics mentioned in this thread:

 

- How can I open Revit family files in Microstation or a Bentley Building Product? If I can't open these files now, will I be able to in the future? Is this in Bentley's Plans?

- Is Bentley responsible to make conversions between Bentley and Revit "Just Work"? Is there a combination or middle ground?

- What we need is manufacturer's content delivered in a CAD format that can be used by any platform.

- How many years will we wait again for roof, floor, compound wall, a really usable curtain wall ... an so on?

- Right now, the only way I can see to import in a Family is to do use the Revit Plugin, one family at a time, once it's placed in a RVT file...but it would be a static object. With current technology, I would rather see an RFA -> PAZ workflow, where Revit Family information can be imported into PCStudio (not that I'm a big fan of PCStudio, but it's the closest thing to a Family Editor.)

- I would like to know what Bentley's plan is with BBMS Manufacturer libraries, because if something doesn't change this year- my drafting software will be. Although, it's somewhat telling seeing that Bentley hasn't had any input on this thread as of yet.

- Ideally, BA, BBMS etc should be able to import Revit files / families as components so that Bentley users can 'ride the market'. Not sure if Bentley's recent agreement with AutoDesk gives Bentley access to Revits' libraries as well as DWG.

- Bentley needs to come up with a computational design platform that supersets Revit's methods. Maybe like what they are starting to do with OpenPlant's use of ISO 15926.

- Though I don't know anything about plant, and ISO 15926 - for me it seems that there is the big difference between plant and building. Why don't we have an ISO-standard for parametric design in the building industry? The IFC format may be a beginning, but it's far from enough. Maybe Bentley could open source the PCS format?

- I think a lot of this must have already been done with structures, if they can offer up ISM. Maybe, the building services can piggy back on the work done in plant market. The problem will be the architectural stuff, which is more diverse and tends to be more ambiguous.

- And finally, lots of stuff about constraints modeling, features, comparisons between Revit and MicroStation, and so on...

 

Well, you get the idea...     :)

 

Hi Steve,

Seems like these questions are reasonable and should be addressed by whoever the 'right' person is at Bentley.

We are seeing such an uptake of Revit by our competitors and it is getting to the point where applicants for employment are now coming with Revit on their cv's not BA. It will soon become and economic decision for those remaining (possibly delusional), BA stalwarts, who continue to wait for BA to go somewhere.

Guy

Hi Steve,

Seems like these questions are reasonable and should be addressed by whoever the 'right' person is at Bentley.

We are seeing such an uptake of Revit by our competitors and it is getting to the point where applicants for employment are now coming with Revit on their cv's not BA. It will soon become and economic decision for those remaining (possibly delusional), BA stalwarts, who continue to wait for BA to go somewhere.

Guy