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2/15/2011 11:29:12 AM
 
Chad
36 Posts
Joined 02/15/2011
Entry Type:
Best Practice
Category:
General
Subcategory:
General
Pilot project - Best practices for a Hotel?  

We have a potential pilot project coming up soon for a hotel.  Usually the hotel brands provide CAD drawings of their standard rooms, finishes, prototype layouts etc and we just incorporate (copy) their drawings into our set for the building.  If we switch to Revit for this project I'm not compeltely clear on what would be the best way to incorporate all of the provided drawings into Revit while still maintaining some semblence of order.  I know we can add drafting views for details but I don't know if that would be remotely efficient with the brand provided information.  The turnaround on the project if it actually goes would be pretty quick - less than 2 months, so the more we can reuse without having to redraw / model the better (I think?)

The building is completely custom (i.e. not a typical brand layout) but a lot of the standard information would still apply - room layouts / elevations, reception desk details, restroom details / elevations.

The big push for this project over something a little simpler is based on the owner selected contractor & structural engineer using Revit.

Thanks
2/15/2011 12:09:27 PM
 
superJMuser
433 Posts
Joined 08/19/2009
Re: Pilot project - Best practices for a Hotel?
In Response To:  Chad

Hmm...interesting.  You are in a tough spot possibly.  How many of your project team is well trained (actual project experience with Revit)?

If the answer is none, I would say this is going to be very challenging (not to scare you).  Usually, you want your first pilot project to be an opportunity to have some schedule flexibility.  That being said, this can be done.

The main thing you need to remember is that the benefit of Revit IS the 3D model.  If you take a lot of short cuts, it will end up costing you time in the long run, in most cases.  I would anticipate needing to model out all of the floor plan items that they hotel client sends you (i.e. room layouts, lobby layouts, etc.)  You won't be importing in the CAD file for this.

However, if I understand you correctly, there may even be some standard details etc. that they will send or that you already have on other projects.  It is not the end of the world to "Link" a CAD file into Revit and just use it that way for your detail in a drafting view.  You can then create tags that would reference that drafting view so all your view number/naming would be coordinated.  AVOID a hybrid approach at all cost.  What I mean is, don't issue some sheets using AutoCAD and some with Revit.  It should all be Revit, and you can Link CAD details into Revit as needed.

That being said, I would suggest trying to convert the details to revit, even if it's just all lines to start with.  There are a few benefits to this:

1)  Your drawings will look more consistent

2)  Dimensions and text almost always look and do screwy things when you link a CAD file (at least in Revit 2010).

3)  Having to go back and forth between CAD and Revit to modify a detail is a pain in the rear end.  Again, it sort of defeats the purpose of using Revit, having everything in the same file, but I have done this and it's not out of the question.

If you do decide you want to recreate the details in Revit, here is the basic process:

1)  Do NOT import the CAD file into the actual project.  Create a dummy project, with a drafting view in it, and import there.

2)  Once you import the CAD file, do a partial explode to it.  This should convert all the lines within the CAD file to Revit lines, hatches to filled regions, etc.

3)  This is the important part.  Revit will create new line types, line styles, filled regions, etc. with names based on the layer names within the detail.  So, what you can now do, is do a "select all instances" of a particular line type, and change it to something that you actually use within Revit.  We have all of our lines set up as LW01, LW02, etc...

4)  Usually text (particularly the leaders) and dimensions need to be deleted and redone, which takes the majority of the time.

5)  Once all your lines are of types that are "regular", copy the detail into your actual project.  This will help keep the project from having a bunch on unecessary import line types, etc. and keep things much more clean in the project environment.

Remember that this process does take a little more time, but if you can do this, it will save you headaches down the road.  The only other benefit to having the details in CAD and LINKED into Revit is that your project team can be more diverse (some Revit people, some CAD people).

Hope this helps.

_______________
superJMuser
4/7/2011 11:46:35 AM
 
Chad
36 Posts
Joined 02/15/2011
Re: Pilot project - Best practices for a Hotel?
In Response To:  Chad

Focus shifted slightly to a smaller project - a 1-level Assisted Living facility, but I'd guess that a lot of the same problems will pop up as in a hotel.  I'll appologize in advance for the incoming avalanche of questions ;)


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