Autodesk Structural Engineering Curriculum 2013 Student Workbook Unit 4: Extending BIM for Structural Analysis and Design

Contents
Unit Overview ................................................................................................................... 2 Overview....................................................................................................................... 2 Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 2 Lesson 1: Theory of Physical and Analytical Objects................................................... 3 Lesson Overview .......................................................................................................... 3 Revit Extensions & Robot ............................................................................................. 4

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Unit Overview
Overview
This unit provides an overview of the analytical model in Autodesk Revit Structure software. It highlights the differences between the physical and analytical model, and then introduces powerful structural extensions you can add to Revit Structure. The unit includes a brief review of modeling in Revit Structure followed by an introduction to the concept of linking to third-party analysis programs. In addition, the unit introduces structural loads, load cases, and load combinations. Estimated Duration: 3:00 hours

Objectives
After completing this unit, you will be able to: Define the Revit Structure analytical model. Know the differences between physical and analytical models. Understand the basic concept of structural loads, load cases, and load combinations. Understand how the basic tools work in Revit Structure related to using Building Information Modeling for structural analysis. Understand the relationship between analysis software, such as Autodesk Robot software, and BIM applications such as Revit Structure.

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Autodesk Structural Engineering Curriculum 2013 Instructor Guide Unit 4: Extending BIM for Structural Analysis and Design Lesson 1: Theory of Physical and Analytical Objects

Lesson 1: Theory of Physical and Analytical Objects

Lesson Overview
Autodesk Revit Structure is a Building Information Modeling (BIM) application. All elements of the structural model are controlled by one unifying, underlying database that controls the entire physical and analytical model. Bidirectional associativity of the two structural models means a change to a physical object in one view changes the associated analytical object. With BIM, we endeavor to capture, preserve, and reuse information for downstream applications. The benefit of this approach is higher-quality output and greater productivity with less effort (less cost). Revit Structure elements are controlled through parametric relationships between the physical and analytical members. For example, the analytical column is typically centered in the physical column geometric center. When you move the physical column, the analytical column moves as well, keeping its relationship to the physical columns geometric center. In Revit Structure, an analytical model is a simplified 3D representation of the full engineering description of a structural physical model. The analytical model consists of those structural components, geometry, material properties, and loads that together form an engineering system. Revit creates the analytical model automatically while you create the physical model, and you can export to analysis and design applications. In the following illustrations, the left view represents the physical model, and the right view represents the analytical model.

Figure4.1:Thephysicalmodelisontheleftandtheanalyticalmodelisontheright.

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AUTODESK CURRICULUM From the Structural Settings dialog box, choose the Analytical Model Settings tab to adjust how Revit Structure performs certain tasks on the analytical model.

Figure4.2:TheStructuralSettingsdialogbox.

Automatic Checks: When enabled, automatic support checking provides a warning when a member is not supported. This setting is useful when most of the structure has been modeled, and you want to know if changes made to the model cause elements to become unsupported. Note: Enabling this setting during the early stages of a project will show a significant number of elements unsupported during model creation and can be misleading and unhelpful. Tolerances: Set tolerance limits for horizontal and vertical analytical model automatic adjustment. For more information, see Revit Structure Help for Automatic Adjustment of the Analytical Model (Auto-Detect).

Revit Extensions & Robot

Autodesk Revit Extensions for Autodesk Revit Structure 2013 software provide a full range of benefits to enhance the software. Users of these extensions can benefit from their ease of use, helping them be more productive and agile while working on projects. This unit will specifically address the Autodesk Robot Extensions used in Revit Structure.
Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional software (Robot) is a feature-rich structural analysis and design software application capable of modeling and analyzing virtually any type of structure, no matter how advanced the geometry conditions. Robot is an ideal analysis companion for BIM software, and it links with Revit Structure. Using Robot enables Revit Structure users to directly analyze their models without oversimplifying or interfering with the 3D building model to satisfy the restrictions of their chosen analysis solution.

Historically, the workflow for design engineers involved interpreting architectural drawings and making their analytical model from these drawings, constantly checking and rechecking the correlating models. The finite element model from the engineer typically runs on its own platforms and does not interface with any BIM www.autodesk.com/edcommunity 4

AUTODESK CURRICULUM software. Autodesk revolutionized this process by introducing Robot and continues to improve on the robust link between Robot and Revit. These extensions provide a vehicle to perform less complicated calculations in Revit, as well as producing professional reports for documenting the work. Not only does Robot interface with Revit but it links with many other software applications using a technique known as Interoperability. This enables models, or fragments of models, to be seamlessly moved on a common platform, ensuring the finite element model is the exact same as the physical model. The robust link creates a platform where you can model elements and conditions in whatever software is easiest to use and provides enough options for more complicated tasks. The following exercises highlight only a few of the many extensions available to Autodesk Subscription customers.

Exercises Overview
To complete the following exercises, you will need online access to the Autodesk BIM Workshop (www.autodesk.com/bimworkshop). Click on the Structural Engineering tab and select Unit 3. You will also need headphones if they are in a lab setting among other computers.

Exercise 4.1: Composite Beam Design

This extension is for the Composite Steel Beam design. The slab and all beams must be associated with the same level. The basic functionalities of the extension: Interactive design of the composite beams: This option enables users to design selected members according to their own configurations. In this case, a dialog box is displayed and users can set their configurations, check results of their design, or accept the design. Automatic design of the composite beams: This option enables users to design members according to selection and their own configurations. The design is done automatically according user settings.

This exercise uses the model SE_Unit4_Excercise1_Start.rvt.

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Figure4.3:Compositebeamdesignmodel.

Figure4.4:Interiorcompositebeammodel.

In this example, we look at designing an interior composite beam to span 30' with a beam spacing of 8' using the minimum number of 3/4" diameter x 3" stud shear connectors. The slab is 5" thick with f'c = 3 ksi (n=9) concrete. The beam is to be constructed without shores. The beam must support a ceiling of 7 psf,

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AUTODESK CURRICULUM partitions and other dead load of 25 psf, and a live load of 150 psf. The steel beam uses A992 Steel with 50 ksi yield strength. This example uses AISC Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD). The beam in question is outlined in the figure above. The initial beam is a W21x62. Questions for Exercise 4.1 Using the composite beam extension, what is the most economical beam design by weight of steel beam?

What is the most economical beam in terms of minimum amount of studs and stud welding labor that is 16" deep?

What is the lightest 18"-deep beam that satisfies the design?

What is the lightest non-composite beam that satisfies the design?

Overall, which of the above designs is best and why?

Why does the module have -0.256 for the dead load? (Reference the image below.)

Figure4.5:Referencepicturedeadload. Why does the module have -0.600 for the live load? (Reference the image below.)

Figure4.6:Referencepictureliveload.

Exercise 4.2: Load Takedown

Using the Load Takedown extension, you can perform a simulation of load takedown for vertical forces and stresses caused by these forces in vertical elements of a structure defined in Revit Structure. You can load necessary information from Revit Structure: Geometry Material parameters Supports Loads Load cases Load combinations

All results are presented in appropriate tables and on diagrams. Assumptions: Visualization of vertical forces includes: o For columns: vertical force Fx o For walls: a sum of vertical forces on the top edge of an element

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AUTODESK CURRICULUM Stresses are calculated using the following formula: vertical force/cross-sectional area.

This exercise uses the model SE_Unit4_Exercise2_Start.rvt. Questions for Exercise 4.2 When is the Load Takedown tool useful?

Are there times when the Load Takedown tool should not be used?

Figure4.7:Structuralbeamsystem.

Figure4.8:Tributaryareas.

Exercise 4.3: Static Analysis of Slabs

The static analysis of slabs extension enables performing static analysis of a slab defined in a Revit Structure model. You can load necessary information from Revit Structure, including slab geometry, constraints/supports, load cases, load combinations, and loads. Results obtained for a defined slab model are displayed in the graphical (maps of a selected quantity) and tabular form.

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AUTODESK CURRICULUM In addition, obtained results with data concerning the analyzed slab may be presented in the form of a report (in the HTML format); a report for a slab can be printed, saved to a file, or sent to a Microsoft Excel or Word document. This exercise uses the model SE_Unit4_Exercise3_Start.rvt. Questions for Exercise 4.3 When is the Slab tool useful?

Why are the individual column reactions different for each column when you compare the results from the Load Takedown tool to those of the Slab Analysis tool?

Is the total load on the structure the same when you compare the sum of the reactions of the Load Takedown tool and the sum of the reactions on the Slab Analysis tool?

Figure4.9:Slabdesign.

Exercise 4.4: Static Analysis of Beams

This extension enables you to perform static analysis of a single or multispan beam defined in a Revit Structure model. It utilizes information directly from Revit Structure such as: beam geometry, constraints/supports, load cases, load combinations, and loads. Results are displayed in both graphical (diagrams) and tabular form. In addition, results may be presented in the form of a report (in the HTML format). The report for a beam can be printed, saved to a file, or sent to an Excel or Word document. This exercise uses the model SE_Unit4_.Exercise4_Start.rvt Questions for Exercise 4.4 Use the beam in the model of exercise 4.1 with the Static Analysis Beam tool to create a report.

Calculate by hand and then draw the beam load, shear, moment, and deflection diagrams, and then compare them to the report you made in step a above.

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Figure4.10:StaticBeamtool.

Exercise 4.5: Revit to Robot Link

Using the latest links available from many of the available analysis programs, you can create new models in Revit Structure or your analysis software using the information available in the other program. In many cases, all geometric and design information, including materials, family instances, walls, slabs, openings, grid lines, boundary conditions, footings, loads, and load combinations can be created, updated, or deleted in either of the two programs using the information available in the other program. In this exercise, you will export a model to Robot and perform several calculations using both the robust analysis capabilities of Robot and hand calculations. This exercise uses the SE_Unit4_.Exercise5_Start.rvt. Using the Revit to Robot Link, export the model to Robot. Explore the loads, materials, and structural elements created in Robot from the link. Read further about how to use Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional in the Help files and Getting Started documentation.

Figure4.11:Robotdesignexample.

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