Thank you to all those who joined me in my webcast introducing ASCENT's new courseware, Autodesk Revit 2021 Fundamentals for Residential Design. For those who couldn't attend, we have posted the recording of the webcast here.
During the webcast I covered the following:
- Why we created the Autodesk Revit: Fundamentals for Residential Design guide
- A high-level overview of what is covered in the guide
- A look at specific residential content and which chapter it is in
- Software demonstration of Practice 4d: Adding Finish Carpentry
- Software demonstration of Practice 9b: Adding Fascias and Soffits
The learning guide is divided into lecture material and practices, and intuitive figures, screen captures of the software interface and dialog boxes, and step-by-step instructions. The dataset has multiple versions of the model used for the practices at various stages of completion.
Here are the questions asked during the Q & A:
Q: Why do you need a vertical offset?
A: The roof is made of up 1/4" Shingles and 3/4" Decking so offsetting it down -1" gets it below the decking and aligns the bottom of the fascia with the bottom of the roof.
Q: I believe you can also create custom profiles to use for the baseboard design, correct?
A: That is correct. This Fundamentals guide does not cover creating custom profiles but our BIM Management: Template and Family Creation does.
Q: Does the book get into foundations, footers, and structural columns for a basement?
A: The project does not include a basement, but the material does show you how to place structural and architectural columns, how to draw slab-on-grade, slab edges, and footings.
Q: Can you import AutoCAD detail and copy over the lines in Revit?
A: Yes, in the webcast I mentioned that you can import the .dwg and then partially explode it so you can remove items you don't need or that you need to replace to match your Revit styles. One other thing to mention is that exploding the CAD detail in your Revit project dirties the Revit file with AutoCAD line styles/linetypes, text styles, and filled regions.
Q: Can you use the fillet command to clean up the trim?
A: With the fascia, you cannot use this command to clean out the trim; instead, you need to use the fascia or trim's grips to drag it back to snap to an adjacent fascia or trim.
Q: Can you use the fascia command for the roofs at once?
A: You need to select the roof edges to add the fascia; it will not automatically find the entire roof or roofs in the model and place the fascia. But you can use your <Tab> key to highlight a continuous roof edge and then click to place the fascia, which speeds things up.
Q: How does one change or select a different baseboard style?
A: If another baseboard style is loaded into your Revit project, you can specify it from the Properties Palette's Type Selector pulldown list.
Q: Do you provide instructions for creating topography in your book?
A: This book doesn't cover topography, but our Site Planning and Design guide covers it.
Q: Do you show how to use a call out to create the detail?
A: Yes, the book covers how to create callouts, elevations, and sections that can be used for detailing.
Q: In making the birdbox, could you mirror the elements before they are joined, then join the two boxes separately?
A: After you create a birdbox and before you join them together, you cannot mirror them to the other side of the gable end. This is just how the fascia behaves. If you try to mirror the birdbox after it's joined, you will get an error, and if you try to mirror the birdbox before it's joined, it places the copy on top of your birdbox that you are trying to mirror. This is because the fascia pieces are hosted to the roof and/or soffit edges.
Q: This looks great. Would this courseware be appropriate for Interior Design students, or does it concentrate on architecture?
A: This courseware is focused on the needs of architects and architectural drafters/designers; however, we are working on creating a Revit Fundamentals guide that is specific to Interior Designers' needs.
Q: Is the house that was being shown in the examples the house that is created through the book?
A: Yes, the house that you see throughout the webcast is the house that is created from start to finish.
Q: How do you clean up to roof sheathing edge at the intersection of the fascia?
A: To achieve this, you would want to model the sheathing separately. This is not covered in this Fundamentals guide.
Q: Could there be some information about electrical plans still to come?
A: Unfortunately, we do not have anything in the works for residential electrical, HVAC, piping, or plumbing.
Q: Can you use fascia or wall sweeps to create decorative window headers?
A: No, I wouldn't use these tools for windows. I would create a window family with a decorative header or trim. This way if the window size changes your window trim adjusts with it. Our BIM Management: Template and Family Creation guide covers family creation.
Thanks again for attending the webcast. Here at ASCENT, we are always looking for feedback from both users and instructors of our guides. After a careful analysis of the feedback, we incorporate changes to the guides to make them more accurate and keep them up to date with the latest industry trends. More information about the guide can be found at our website ascented.com.
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