Up to the Roof

Straight back to the questions and answers. I've stayed away from these as the first posted... mostly because they were my questions. I will admit to having a limited understanding of the tools available to me at the time I asked these questions. A little education later - and we've moved past the largest hurdles with these questions.

Q. How has anyone else handled the roof? I've watched the video tutorials about building dormers and that sort of thing, but I've been unable to learn on my own how to separate the structural deck from the rest of the roofing. IF the structure folks aren't in the same office and they design the roof deck/slop - how do I get the Dens deck, insulation, and other roof components to match that slope in the model?

The answer to this question is in part the details of the program, and in part how you've worked out your project with your team. The general consensus was that there was a space left in the architectural model that would be where the structure would be placed. When the two models are linked, everything should line up. The roof slope and the structure slope should match, along with the elevation. If they don't, that's exactly the sort of thing this program was meant to find!

Q. How has anyone handled tapered insulation when modeling a roof? What if you have perimeter drains and need to model the tapered insulation at the entire perimeter? What do you do at the corners?

This was one of those tools I needed to know more about. Model In Place. I was attempting to use an extrusion, and a sweep would have handled the majority of the issue for me. Simple, clean and still allows the piece just made to be catagorized with other roof elements.

Q. How has anyone handled fascias at the tops of wall? The fascia tool is designed for an overhanging roof, but what if you've got a parapet?

The fascia tool in Revit is limited. This question actually brought out two different answers. One answer was to use the same tool and technique as the previous question. The other answer was to create the fascia as part of a wall sweep. The only drawback to the wall sweep answer was the parametric information being categorized with walls rather than roofing.

There are more answers than the few I've covered here. The most important part of the process is you! Sign up for next week's meeting. Send a question in and then come see how many answers you get.

Back to the Answers

Returning to what had been started previously, I'm going to post up some more of the answers to questions from the last meeting. Some of the answers will be a little shorter than the actual discussions now that they've been thought through. Some of the questions will also get my own views tacked onto the end of the answer!

Is the BIM consultant just an opportunist?

This question was the top of the list at the last meeting. The discussion we had centered around your outlook. Is being opportunistic a bad thing? As with many ventures, this depends on the quality \ qualifications of the person doing the consulting. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to learn something about the consultant, the tools and the process so you can tell what the "opportunist in question" is talking about.

My personal take on this question is that it's a limited, or at least constantly shifting endeavor. BIM consulting won't last in its current form. If you can model your own door, do you really need to pay another company for their version? If you're concerned with the parametric information, wouldn't that be best handled in house or with the product rep. for that line? This is the detail level, and the level I'm most familiar with. If the scope of the question is brought up past the detail level, you still encounter the same concepts. Once everyone gets a feel for what's involved in a contract that has specific BIM requirements, will you still be interested in paying somebody to help with that?

I am snatching a term I heard someplace else and applying it to myself. I am an Eduvangalist. The computer is not a pencil. You cannot just go and pick up a new sharp one and expect it to be exactly the same as the previous two. The software (the new pencil) evolves and changes on an annual basis if not faster. IF the tool changes every year, why aren't you willing to continue to learn about how to use it? It's not the tool's fault the project doesn't look right - pencil or printer. It is paramount that modern architecture and engineering offices reinvest in educating their staff. The most successful consultant for BIM in the future will be one that helps you apply the tools correctly to get the job result you want.

That's it for this post - but there is more on the way. Don't forget to register for the meeting next week!

RUG Meeting

While I suspect this is a bit like preaching to the choir, I'm going to post this anyway:

The next meeting is Tuesday April 10, 2012. The meeting will be held at the Kinsley Education Center 350 Hill Street, York PA 17403.

I am looking forward to this meeting! This is another open forum style meeting where (hopefully) your questions will be answered.

Over the next few days I hope to put some more of the answers from the last meeting up here. I've been quite busy attempting to employ a number of the things I learned at the last meeting, hopefully you have too.