Curved Ramps in Revit

How to create a curved ramp in Revit

This question was asked today during my hectic hours in our office by a co-worker. It seems this might be difficult as one may think. After regrouping my memory during my way back home, a light goes on in my mind. Forget about my colleague suggestion, keep an open mind as you do in the past and do not use the sub element point tool in floors as he was planning to do so.

For this case, you do not have to think of creating a mass nor using the sub element point to reflect the level it was to go up. Very simple, you just create the curved ramps with Revit Ramp tool itself. It is there, just look at the Revit Help if you do not know how to use it. Take a good look at the options, because to create curved ramps are there. The easiest way to add a ramp is to sketch a run. However, the Run tool limits the design of your ramp to straight runs, straight runs with landings, and spiral ramps. You need some guide lines to do the job.

Tip: The default settings for the Top Level and Top Offset properties may make the ramp too long. Try setting the Top Level to the current level, and the Top Offset to a lower value.

Rotate a single plan view in Revit

Rotate a single plan view in Revit

Presentation of a rotated plan on a sheet can sometimes be a headache for a novice user who does not know how to handle this situation. In Revit you can either choose your project orientation as “True North” or “Project North”. In the example below, we want to present the South West Wing of the plan horizontally on a sheet. This can be a dangerous procedure if you do not know what you are doing because rotating a view will have an impact on the entire orientation of the structure which I suppose you do not intend to do so.

To accomplish this rotated single plan view, do the following:

1. Duplicate the view with detailing.
2. Go to the view just duplicated.
3. Open the Element Properties and change the Orientation to “Project North”.
4. Turn all the Crop Regions.
5. Choose MODIFY and select the crop region.
6. Use the ROTATE command to turn the crop region, which will turn the view in the opposite direction.
7. Place the rotated plan view on your sheet.

Slanted Walls – Leaning Walls

Slanted Walls – Leaning Walls

Revit cannot lean out a wall. You can hear and read many discussions about it, but still it has not been fully explained. You can use a curtain wall surface or formed from using mass. But in my opinion it is cryptic, difficult and cumbersome. I would rather advise Revit users to use a structural beam family. It is easy to model it from one floor level to another level using a reference plane. You can use cut geometry to remove the unwanted areas.

Hopefully that someday, Autodesk will listen to us to add this leaning wall tool, with an opening tool in it, 'cause adding windows or doors to it is such a pain.

I have suggested this item to AUGI Revit Structure Wish List and I am just keeping my fingers crossed that it will take an attention in the next voting round.

http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=124871

Revit Structure Wish List Ballot Results, August 2010

Glad to see that my wish list for Revit Structure landed as third place during the August 2010 voting.

To see the results follow this link: http://www.augi.com/revit/results3.asp