Empowering Designers: Harnessing BIM, Grasshopper, and Dynamo for Creative Freedom.
Importing Rhino Models into Revit as Native Content.
Building BIM model directly in Grasshopper.
Building a BIM model directly within Grasshopper was the focal point of this exercise. The objective was to create an automated import process for "SAT" geometry from Rhinoceros into Revit using the Dynamo visual programming tool. This approach expands the capabilities of designers working with BIM, allowing them to update BIM elements in accordance with the latest design changes while retaining all parameter values.
Covering the interoperability workflows that enable teams to use the tools appropriate to each phase of design, each team member’s expertise and skillsets, enabling their imagination to be the limit of their designs rather than the required toolsets. Covering a method for importing geometry into Revit software as native content to produce drawings. How to apply a premade, easy-to-use Dynamo script that will enable importing Rhino software-generated geometry into Revit native content.
Use the right tool for the right task…
This technique has undergone development and testing across a range of project scales, resulting in overwhelming success and quantifiable increases in team productivity and efficiency. The tools featured in this exercise include Revit Architecture, Dynamo Studio, Rhino, Grasshopper, and the BIM Autodesk Construction Cloud.
Exporting geometry from Rhino to Revit, and how to tell Revit how to behave.
Key observations include recognizing that while Revit excels in documentation coordination and management, it falls short in quick and agile design iteration. To address this, we explore a technique that leverages Native Revit content due to its enhanced graphic controls, particularly for object cutting.
Additional recommendations entail breaking down complex geometries into simpler components, which aligns better with Revit's preferences. If surface accuracy is an issue, adding more control points is advised. When starting with an existing Revit model and needing to import something new, exporting a portion of the Revit model to the software designed for the imported geometry is a prudent step.
Complex forms tend to have reduced file sizes upon import due to the absence of construction geometry in family components. This results in a significant contrast between a 700 MB linked project file and a compact 5-10 MB family within the main project file. Above all, it's important to remember that Revit favors solid geometry.
Most of all, remember Revit likes solids…
This technique allows to :
Increased efficiency during early design stages.
Rapid creation of preliminary design drawings using Revit.
The flexibility to choose the most suitable tools for early design phases.
The ability for team members unfamiliar with advanced Revit modeling to contribute to complex aspects of the model.
The integration of rapid design iterations into the drawing set before full modeling is undertaken.
Reduction in remodeling requirements during early design phases for drawing set production.
The capacity to import fabrication-level models back into Revit. In the realm of architectural design, this methodology serves as a beacon of innovation, facilitating a harmonious fusion of tools, techniques, and knowledge, ultimately empowering designers to transcend conventional boundaries.