Se210 2

Managing a project with the Revit Platform and Robot Structural Analysis
Paul-Emmanuel Boireau BIM Solutions Centre
SE210-2
Managing a Project with the Revit Platform and ROBOT Millennium
About the Speaker: Paul is a BIM Business development consultant and owner of BIM Solutions Centre in Stuttgart, Germany. He earned a Masters degree in structural engineering from the ESTP in Paris (France) and a Master of Science from Newcastle University (UK). Paul worked as a structural engineer in New Zealand before moving to Australia and work on large-scale BIM projects in the ANZ region. He has now specialized in BIM technology for the last six years and provided consulting services for a great range of industry professionals (architect, engineers and contractors). paul.boireau@bimsolutionscentre.com
Managing a project with the Revit platform and Robot Structural Analysis
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 3 1. COLLABORATION BETWEEN ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS .................................................. 4 1.1. PREPARATION OF THE MODEL ...................................................................................................... 4 1.1.1. Recommendations for architects ....................................................................................... 4 1.1.2. Worksets .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.3. Coordination views ........................................................................................................... 5 1.1.4. Sharing of models ............................................................................................................. 5 1.2. VISIBILITY/SETTINGS .................................................................................................................. 6 1.3. ELEMENTS MODELING ................................................................................................................. 6 1.3.1. Floors ............................................................................................................................... 6 1.3.2. Walls ................................................................................................................................ 6 1.3.3. Columns ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.3.4. Beams .............................................................................................................................. 7 1.3.5. Openings .......................................................................................................................... 7 1.4. COPY/MONITOR ......................................................................................................................... 7 1.4.1. Levels and grids ............................................................................................................... 7 1.4.2. Columns ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.4.3. Walls/Floors...................................................................................................................... 8 1.4.4. Material error .................................................................................................................... 9 2. LINK BETWEEN REVIT STRUCTURE AND ROBOT STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS ......................... 10 2.1. EXPORTED ELEMENTS AND ATTRIBUTES ..................................................................................... 10 2.2. MEMBER SUPPORT CHECK ........................................................................................................ 11 2.3. ANALYTICAL/PHYSICAL MODEL CONSISTENCY CHECK .................................................................. 11 2.4. ROBOT STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS PRESENTATION .......................................................................... 11 2.5. LINK INTERFACE ...................................................................................................................... 12 2.5.1. Selection possibilities ...................................................................................................... 12 2.5.2. Materials in both packages ............................................................................................. 12 2.5.3. Bar end releases choice ................................................................................................. 12 2.6. UPDATES................................................................................................................................. 13 2.6.1. Grids and levels .............................................................................................................. 13 2.6.2. Updates in the Revit Models ........................................................................................... 13 2.6.3. Hidden updates .............................................................................................................. 14 2.7. PROJECT MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................... 14 3. EXTENSIONS TO REVIT STRUCTURE AND ROBOT STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS ....................... 15 3.1. 3.2. GENERIC EXTENSIONS .............................................................................................................. 15 LINK WITH AUTOCAD STRUCTURAL DETAILING .......................................................................... 15
Introduction
Classic linear workflow:
Integrated BIM process:
1. Collaboration between Architects and Engineers

1.1. Preparation of the model
1.1.1. Recommendations for architects They generally are the ones centralizing the information and coordinating between all disciplines. It is therefore good practice for them to actually separate their modeling elements into different Revit models that are linked into a master file. When they start developing the first draft of their model, architects are imagining parts of the structure and of the building services to notify their initial needs. They then need to send this information to the relevant parties (structural, mechanical, plumbing and electricity services) for them to develop the design and come up with a feasible solution. Architects can therefore model each discipline of their own work as separate models that they will send to collaborators and eventually update. Example of collaboration diagram between all parties:
1.1.2. Worksets When worksharing is enabled, it is often useful to set up a workset for the linked files. The project manager can remain the owner of this workset and be the only one to manage the location of the linked files to avoid unwanted modifications by others project users. In that case it can be effective to untick the Visible by defaults in all views option when setting up this workset. It will save processing time since the linked files will only be visible in the views where the visibility/graphics option is allowing their display. 1.1.3. Coordination views Once the projects are linked together (preferentially with shared coordinates), the browser can be sorted by discipline to reflect the organization of the views.
Coordinated views can be created to enable fast review of the newly received models. For that purpose, the Revit template can be modified to display some elements or alternatively some view templates can be created for the coordinated views. 1.1.4. Sharing of models When comes the time to send a model to a third party, several options are available. The use of a VPN has a lot of advantages since it saves time and is easy to use.
1.2.
Visibility/Settings
By default, some settings are preset in Revit Structure and Revit Architecture to display modeled elements. We need to create a new Revit template or add view templates to be able to see all required elements and avoid mistakes occurring by misinterpreting the information. For example, it is not because the visibility/graphics is set to display all categories that we will be able to see all elements in the views. To ensure a full display of the linked model, we need to set the view discipline to Coordination.
Once this step is completed, we also need to make sure that the element categories used in all the models are displayed. Revit differentiates architectural columns from structural ones so we need to make sure that both are displayed if we are linking an architectural model into a structural one.
1.3.
Elements modeling
1.3.1. Floors When the floor is modeled as slab or as an architectural floor, an option is available in the element properties that gives us the possibility to make the element structural. Once the option is activated the slab displays an analytical model that can then be used in the exportation to a third party calculation package. Architects should therefore not be concerned about how they create the floor or slab, but engineers should remember to change the properties of all the structural slabs to make sure they appear in their exported analytical model. 1.3.2. Walls When modeled, the walls need to have their structural usage set to Bearing if they are supposed to be structural walls.
This property would be set to Non-Bearing only if they are architectural walls (like partitions). 1.3.3. Columns This category of elements requires more care than others. As soon as they are modeled, the columns characteristics cannot be changed from architectural to structural. So it is better to model them as structural columns directly. It is also important to split them by levels. However, the engineer can split them afterwards with the copy/monitor tool. 1.3.4. Beams Beams are modeled directly as structural (not included by the copy/monitor option though). 1.3.5. Openings The openings need to be created as regular doors and windows. If they are created as generic model families there will be problems when copying them from one model to the other.
1.4.
Copy/Monitor
Some elements cannot be used by the copy/monitor command. They need manual copy and paste (through the clipboard) and visual checks. Stairs, ramps, roofs, beams are among those. Prior to the elements copy, it is useful to publish a list of element families and materials included in the model prior to the copy/monitor process to match them in the structural model. This will avoid a necessary purge of unused elements and will increase the speed of the coordination process. On the same topic, purging the model from unused types of structural elements prior to sending it will save time. 1.4.1. Levels and grids The default settings are good enough. We just need to change the type of grid or level heads to match the company standards.
1.4.2. Columns Architects tend to model columns from the bottom level to the top level. If that is the case the structural engineer needs to enable the split by levels option.
1.4.3. Walls/Floors We need to match all the types with the structural ones. To save time and have better control we need to previously create those by checking the linked model first. The copy opening/inserts option needs to be activated to make sure all openings are converted as well.
Sometimes the copy/monitor is not copying some floors without apparent reason. We need to copy them one by one when it happens. 1.4.4. Material error When copying the structural elements from one model to another, an error of material can come up.
We need to find a way to hit the enter key automatically. It is also preferable to copy each category of element independently to isolate coordination mistakes.
2. Link between Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis

2.1. Exported elements and attributes
Not all elements are exported to Robot Structural Analysis. The link supports the following: Exported elements: Walls, Columns, Foundations, Beams and Slabs. Exported attributes: Materials, Loads, Grids and Levels By default in Revit Structure, the artificial intelligence links the elements together. It is possible to see this information by displaying the analytical representation in the Visibility/Graphics of any project view. The following table explains how structural elements are connected by default:
Connection Beam to Column Beam to Beam Wall to Column Beam to Wall Slab to Wall Analytical models of each are not joined (manual override necessary). You may also change the level of the analytical projection plane of the slab analytical model in order to place it at the level of top of wall. This would make the analytical model of the slab coplanar with the top horizontal line of the wall analytical model
Top of beam to center of column Default relationship
Top of beam to top of beam
Analytical models of each are not joined (manual override necessary)
The concrete beam and wall are shown in plan
Illustration
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2.2.
Member support check
In Revit we can obtain many warnings and errors if we run a member support check. The software will indeed check every model element and make sure that it is connected to and supported by another one. It does not mean that the element needs to look connected, but it will check the analytical model itself and report all the errors found.
What the user needs to understand is that not all elements will be exported to Robot, but only the ones that matter for the structural analysis. Consequently, the member support check available by Revit should not be important for the exportation to Robot and could be misleading the user. 2.3. Analytical/Physical model consistency check
It is possible to check if the representations of the analytical and physical models are matching and if all the elements are connected to each other. If the automatic adjustment of each element is ticked in the Revit model (horizontal or/and vertical projection), the physical model might look right but the analytical one might be inaccurate simply because Revit is guessing the position of each element instead of having the user specify how the elements are connected to each other.
Some problems might then occur during the transfer to Robot and it would be better if the user was checking how every component is analytically connected. The best way to work is to make sure that the analytical projection of each element is manually set during the creation process. Then the analytical/physical model consistency check is unnecessary. 2.4. Robot Structural Analysis presentation
Robot Structural Analysis is a powerful calculation and design package that can cover simple frame analysis to complex finite elements analysis (2D and 3D truss and frame design, RC elements design). It also supports different kinds of materials like concrete, steel and timber analysis (mixed materials).
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The modeling of structures is easier than other software packages and the generation of calculations and results is integrated by default. One of its best features is the innovative Automeshing available for the finite element analysis. 2.5. Link Interface
2.5.1. Selection possibilities The possibility to export either the whole project or only some pre-selected elements is available. This is useful when we want to study a particular part of a project without having to recreate another smaller project adapted to that case. It is also useful for quality assurance purposes. We can indeed check that the model is exported correctly and if not where the issues are located. For example, an export by levels can show which ones are hosting inadequacies. 2.5.2. Materials in both packages In case some materials do not match both software packages, the link gives us the option to either create new materials in Robot after the export, to use Robot default materials or even to select the best matching one. In general, we have to select the materials in Robot to make sure that the physical qualities are adequately set. 2.5.3. Bar end releases choice By default the link allows us to choose if the bar end releases must be the ones used in Revit or if we should specify those after the exportation process. The advantage of using the Revit end releases is that we can make sure they are adequately represented in Robot after the export. Thus, the operator has to understand how to modify those manually to make sure they are correct. 12
2.6.
Updates
2.6.1. Grids and levels The Revit link to Robot will export the grids and levels created in both packages and recreate them in the exported model. This saves time and ensures that all team members are using the same system coordinates all the time.
2.6.2. Updates in the Revit Models After the model has been exported, we can perform different kinds of analysis in Robot - like static, modal or spectrum analysis. The results obtained are then used to design every element and to get a model that satisfies the structural codes specific to every country. One advantage of the link is that it enables us to import this updated model back to Revit without having to manually change all the modified elements. This saves a lot of time and ensures better quality assurance during the duration of the project. Furthermore, we can choose to update only parts of the model if necessary. Thanks to that feature, several engineers can work on different parts of the Robot model simultaneously.
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2.6.3. Hidden updates The link will automatically update the loads applied on the model from Revit to Robot and vice versa. It is possible to import our loads from Revit but it can be done directly in Robot after the exportation. This has no influence on the results and depends entirely on the preference of the user. 2.7. Project Management
On a real project, it is critical to define responsibilities between every member of the modeling and designing teams. A few guidelines can be useful to save conflicting issues that could result in long hours of remodeling and documenting. Having separate models for engineering and drafting purposes can represent a viable option if the drafters are not trained to model with an engineering knowledge. In this case, the engineer can create the model in Revit and the drafter will copy this model with the copy/monitor tool and monitor the changes afterwards. His role would be to pull out documentation for issue. The coordination between the engineer and the drafter has to be enhanced to make sure that all team members are aware of how the elements are modeled. Creating a set of in-house guidelines can prove to be very efficient. To avoid an unlikely critical error when exporting to Robot, frequent exports of the model can ensure quality assurance.
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3. Extensions to Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis

3.1. Generic extensions
There are different types of extensions for Revit, all available for subscription customers for free. They are organized in 4 categories: - Import/Export for steel models - Modeling tools - Rebar generation - Structural analysis
For more information, refer to http://www.extensions4revit.com/n/e4r
The automatic rebar generation can be interesting for checking that reinforcement shapes are not interfering with each other. We can reinforce concrete columns, beams, walls a lot of other structural elements.
3.2.
Link with AutoCAD Structural Detailing
We can generate reinforcement in Revit and export it directly to AutoCAD Structural Detailing for modification and generation of shop drawings. - Export to Autocad Structural Detailing - Add/Modify drawings for documentation
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Conclusion
Working on a project with the Revit platform and Robot Structural Analysis represents a fully integrated solution that will prove to be more and more used in the future. The industry has been shifting to Revit and is very likely to adopt solutions that give maximum flexibility and save time and resources. The exportation processes between Revit disciplines and external calculation packages can only get better and will certainly get increasingly used especially for large-scale projects that are almost impossible to be completed with the current tools that we have. What do we wait for in the future? A total integration of all software packages is certainly wished, one that would see no loss of relevant information.
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Managing a project with the Revit Platform and Robot Structural Analysis

Paul-Emmanuel Boireau BIM Solutions Centre

Managing a Project with the Revit Platform and ROBOT Millennium

Integrated BIM process:

1. Collaboration between Architects and Engineers

2. Link between Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis

Top of beam to center of column Default relationship

Top of beam to top of beam

Analytical models of each are not joined (manual override necessary)

The concrete beam and wall are shown in plan

Member support check

3. Extensions to Revit Structure and Robot Structural Analysis

For more information, refer to http://www.extensions4revit.com/n/e4r

Link with AutoCAD Structural Detailing

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