revit topography

8/3/2019 Revit Topography

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Revit Topography

Tips and Tricks

GAUDREAU INC.Revit Implementation Group

InterfaceImporting DataModifying Toposurfaces Emre Ozkan


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Revit is a great tool to create and modify

Toposurfaces!

The Toposurface tool defines atopographical surface (a toposurface) usingpoints. You can create toposurfaces in 3D

views or site plans.

Toposurfaces in Revit are simply faces.Faces are infinitely thin. Faces are made upof THREE points


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Always Check Site and Topography

Visibility Graphics and View Range

Triangulation edges. Triangulation edges fortoposurfaces are turned off by default. Youcan turn them on by selecting them from the

Model Categories/Topography category inthe Visibility/Graphics dialog.


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Revit 2009 Interface


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2009 versus 2010


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Creating a Toposurface from Imported 3D Data

You can automatically generate a toposurface based on 3D contour dataimported in DWG, DXF, or DGN formats. Revit Architecture analyzes the3D contour data and places a series of elevation points along the contourlines.

Make sure that your imported data information is on correct layers

All the lines, polylines those define an area surface shall form a closedloop

When you import data with the Current View Only option selected, youcannot use the data to create a toposurface.


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Importing

Options

Current View Only Imports a CAD drawing into the active Revit Architecture view only.

For example, you might want an AutoCAD 2009 object to appear onlyin a Revit Architecture floor plan view and not in a 3D view. If you setthis option, any text in the imported file is visible and can be croppedby the crop region of the view. If you are using worksharing, the import

will belong to a view workset. If the option is not selected, only linesand geometry are imported, and the import behaves like modelgeometry: it can be cropped by the crop region of the view. This optionis not available in 3D views. If you are using worksharing, the importwill belong to a model workset.

Note: If you are importing data from a CAD file for use in creating atoposurface, do not select this option.


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Importing Options-Link

Links a CAD file instead of importing it. Linking is similar to having anxref in AutoCAD 2009. When the original linked file changes, thesechanges are reflected (if possible) in the file when you reload theproject. See Implications of Importing vs. Linking for Xrefs.


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Importing Options-Color Management

Colors: Invert inverts the colors of all line and text objects from theimported file to Revit Architecture-specific colors. Dark colors become

lighter, and light colors become darker. This can improve readabilitywhen the file is in Revit Architecture. This option is set by default Preserve: Preserves the colors defined in the imported document. Black and White: Imports the document in black and white.


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Importing Options-Layers

All: Imports or links all layers. Layers that are non-visible in the link

are turned off in the current view in Revit Architecture. Visible: Imports or links only visible layers Specify Allows you to select the layers and levels to import or link (on

the dialog that displays). Layers not selected are deleted. If you selectVisible or Specify and you are linking the file, when you later reload thelinked file, still only the selected or visible layers originally linked areloaded. Any layers not selected or visible are not linked. If you later

want omitted layers to be linked, you must delete the link and relink thefile.Tip: If you want to be able to see and hide layers as needed, you can link to all layers, andthen click View menu Visibility/Graphics to control the visibility of different categories in aview. (See Visibility and Graphic Display in Project Views.) Or you can link to all layers, andthen query the import and hide a selected layer in the active view. (See Querying Objectsin Layers.)


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Importing Options-Import Units

Import Units Explicitly sets the unit of measure for imported geometry. The values are Auto-Detect, feet,

inch, meter, decimeter, centimeter, millimeter, and Custom factor. If you specify Auto-Detect for an AutoCAD 2009 file created in Imperial (English), then the file imports with feetand inches as the units. If the AutoCAD 2009 file was created in metric, then the fileimports into Revit Architecture with millimeters as the units.

For MicroStation files, Revit Architecture reads the units from the file and uses them.Feet, inches, meters, centimeters, decimeters, millimeters are all supported. If the DGN filehas custom units, then the unit in Revit Architecture defaults to feet.Note: If you import a file into a project with opposing units (for example, a metric file into an Imperialproject), the units in the host project prevail. If the imported file has a custom unit, select Custom factor for

Import Units. This enables the text box adjacent to the selection list so that you can enter a scale value. For example, the file has a unit called widget where one widget equals 10 meters. When

importing the file, select Custom factor for Import Units and specify a value of 10 in theadjacent text box. Each unit from the source file is now equal to 10 meters in the RevitArchitecture file.

The value you enter here displays in the Scale Factor type property of the import symbol. If the units are known, you can select Custom factor and enter a scale factor. This can

increase or decrease the size of the imported elements in Revit Architecture.


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Importing Options- Positioning

Auto - Center to Center: Revit Architecture places the center of the import at the center ofthe Revit Architecture model. The center of a Revit Architecture model is calculated byfinding the center of a bounding box around the Revit Architecture model.If most of the Revit Architecture model is not visible, this center point may not be visible in

the current view. To make the point visible in the current view, set the zoom to Zoom Viewto Fit. This centers the view on the Revit Architecture model. Auto - Origin to Origin Revit Architecture places the imports world origin at the Revit

Architecture projects internal origin. If the import object has been drawn at a large distancefrom its origin, it may display at a large distance from the Revit Architecture model. To testthis, set the zoom to Zoom View to Fit.

Auto - By Shared Coordinates Revit Architecture places the imported geometry accordingto its location with respect to the shared coordinates between the 2 files. If there is nocurrent shared coordinate system between the files, Revit Architecture notifies you, and

uses Auto - Center to Center positioning. See Shared Positioning. NoteThis option is for Revit files only. Manual - Origin The imported document's origin is centered on the cursor. Manual - Base Point The imported document's base point is centered on the cursor. Use

this option only for AutoCAD 2009 files that have a defined base point. Manual - CenterSets the cursor at the center of the imported geometry. You can drag the

imported geometry to its location. Place at Select the level to place the origin/base point.

Orient to View Revit Architecture places the import at the same orientation as the currentview. This option is available only for nonview-specific imports.


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Revit 2010 Import Rule

Check the DWG. There is something, could be a tiny line or a point orsomething, out beyond the 2 mile limit. 2010 added this check to helpreduce problems associated with DWG imports which are very large.

The problem existed earlier, but Revit did not prevent you from importing it. Thattended to create problems in the Revit file, so now they block it.

Make sure the items in the Autocad file are drawn near the origin point (0,0,0).There may be a stray object way off in the x, y or z direction, look from all

directions with all layers on/thawed. It could even be an empty line of text. Tryflattening if it is a 3d Autocad file (after saving a copy!). I have had success alsoby copying only the objects I wanted out of one Autocad file and pasting into aclean one. And finally, in the worst case I've run into the problem was actually in ablock inside of the dwg. Once that block was deleted, the import worked fine.


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Creating a Toposurface from a Points File

You can automatically generate a toposurface based on a points file. Apoints file is typically generated by a civil engineering softwareapplication. The file provides contour data using a regularized grid of

elevation points. The points file must contain x, y, and z coordinate numbers as the first

numeric values in the file. The file must also be in a comma-delimitedfile format (a CSV or TXT file). Additional information in the file (suchas a point name) is ignored. Any additional numeric information for apoint must occur after the x, y, and z coordinate values. If the file

contains 2 points with the same x and y coordinates, Revit Architectureuses the point with the largest z value.


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Simplifying a Toposurface

Simplifying a surface can improve system performance, particularlyon surfaces with a large number of points.

Open the site plan view and select the toposurface.

On the Options Bar, click Edit.

On the Toposurface tab of the Design Bar, click Simplify Surface.

Enter a value for surface accuracy, and click OK.

On the Design Bar, click Finish Surface.


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Subregions

Toposurface subregions are areas that you sketch inside existingtoposurfaces. For example, you can use subregions to draw parkinglots on a graded surface, roads, or islands. Creating a subregion doesnot result in separate surfaces. It merely defines an area of the surfacewhere you can apply a different set of properties, such as material.


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Splitting a Toposurface

You can split a toposurface into 2 distinct surfaces and then edit thosesurfaces independently. After splitting a surface, you can assigndifferent materials to these surfaces to depict roads, lakes, plazas, orhills. You can also delete entire portions of the toposurface.


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Merging Toposurfaces

You can merge 2 separate toposurfaces into one surface. Thiscommand is useful after previously splitting the surface.

The surfaces to be merged must share a common edge oroverlap.


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Graded Regions

To create a graded region, you select a toposurface to modify. Thesurface should be an existing surface in the current phase. RevitArchitecture marks the original surface as demolished and makes a

copy with a matching boundary. Revit Architecture marks the copy asnew in the current phase If you drag the new graded region, notice that the original remains.

Select the original and click (Element Properties). Notice that thePhase Demolished property has the value of the current phase.


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Site (Building) Pads

You can add a building pad to a toposurface and then modify the pad'sstructure and depth. You add a building pad by sketching a closed loopon a toposurface. After sketching the pad, you can specify a value tocontrol the height offset from the level and other properties. You candefine openings in the pad by sketching closed loops inside the perimeterof the building pad, and you can define a slope for the building pad.

If you add a building pad to a graded surface, you will see cut and fill

reported separately for the pad and the toposurface in a topographyschedule. This is because the pad divides the graded surface into 2surfaces: one is the surface under the pad (the graded surface), and oneis the surface that is not under the pad (the pad surface).

You should name both the graded surface and the pad surface in order todistinguish them in your schedule.


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Parking Components

Parking components are parking spaces that you can add to atoposurface. After placing a parking component, you need todefine the toposurface as its host.

When you use the Pick Host command, you are deliberatelysetting the parking component on top of the toposurface. If youmove the parking component around on the toposurface, itremains attached to the toposurface.


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Site Components

Use the Site Component command to place site-specific components (such as trees) into a site plan.The Type Selector lists site-specific components to

choose from. If no site components are loaded intoyour project, an error message indicates that noappropriate families are loaded


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Creating Property Lines

with Survey Data

Open a site plan view. Click Site menu Property Line, or on the Site tab of the Design Bar, click Property Line. In the Property Lines Creation dialog, select Create Property Lines by Table of Distances and Bearings, and click OK. In the Property Lines dialog, click Insert and add the distances and bearings from your survey data. To describe a property line as an arc, do the following: For Distance and Bearing, enter values that describe a line segment between 2 points on the arc. For Type, select Arc. For Radius, enter a value. The radius value must be greater than half the length of the line segment. The larger the radius, the larger the circle becomes, resulting

in a flatter arc. For L/R, select L if the arc appears to the left of the line segment. Select R if the arc appears to the right of the line segment. Insert additional lines as needed. Click Up and Down to modify the order of the property lines. If the From Last to First Point value is not Closed, you can insert a new line or click Add Line to Close. Click OK. Note: If you sketch an open loop and click OK, Revit Architecture issues a warning that it will not calculate the area. You can ignore the

warning to continue. In the drawing area, move the property lines to their exact placement and click to place. If the property line boundary does not have the desired look, select the boundary and click Edit Table from the Options Bar. Note: You can snap the property line to a benchmark using the Move command


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Adding Contour Labels

Create a topographic surface with different elevations. Open a site plan view. Click Site menu Label Contours, or on the Site tab of the

Design Bar, click Label Contours. In the Type Selector, select the appropriate contour label

line. Tip: You may want to select a line type that places labels

only on primary contour lines. The labels will be easier toread. To set the interval at which primary contour linesoccur, use the Site Settings command. On the Options Bar,click (Line).

Sketch a line that intersects one or more contour lines.

If the line does not intersect a contour line, RevitArchitecture issues an error. Labels display on the contour lines. (You may need to

zoom in to see the labels.) The label line itself is not visibleunless you select a label.


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Thank you!

Resources:

www.revitcity.com

www.revitzone.com

www.therevitkid.com

www.dgcad.com

Revit Architecture 2009 Help Menu
http://www.revitcity.com/http://www.revitzone.com/http://www.therevitkid.com/http://www.dgcad.com/http://www.dgcad.com/http://www.therevitkid.com/http://www.revitzone.com/http://www.revitcity.com/

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