Author Archives: nmcclure

Nesting Shared Elements

Posted on July 31, 2013 by nmcclure

Combining a bunch of stuff into a single family (nesting) makes modeling more efficient, and can be less of a processing hit than groups – but there are some things to consider – specifically, if the nested elements should be … Continue reading →

Posted in BIM/Revit | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Project Start Up – Site File

Posted on May 29, 2013 by nmcclure

Although a Revit file can be a complete site, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND teams model the SITE separately from the BUILDING. Here’s why: 1) Buildings are modeled in PROJECT NORTH by default. This makes for more accurate models/data, and supports the … Continue reading →

Posted in BIM/Revit | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Happy Easter!

Posted on April 1, 2013 by nmcclure

I like my holidays secular, but will still indulge in a tradition or two – this is my second year making Ukrainian style Pysanky Eggs. Raw eggs are drawn on with melted wax using a special funnel-tip pen, and then … Continue reading →

Posted in PublicArt | 2 Comments

Protected: Customizing Keynotes

Posted on March 21, 2013 by nmcclure

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T.I. Test Fit Guidelines

Posted on March 21, 2013 by nmcclure

Test fit requests often precede actual T.I. contracts, and are typically a very basic per-square-footage fee. As such, budgets rarely allow for 3D build-out of existing spaces, and the goal is primarily to get area summaries and office/workstation counts against … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, BIM/Revit | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Why/When to use Shared Parameters

Posted on March 14, 2013 by nmcclure

Revit is an Object Oriented Database, using numeric ‘handles’ to track data fields, and associate them to individual elements, via category definition. This invisible ‘handle’ is more important than the name of the parameter itself in correctly consolidating information. Whenever … Continue reading →

Posted in BIM/Revit | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Converting CAD Details

Posted on March 11, 2013 by nmcclure

Every firm needs to invest time in converting their detail library from legacy CAD format into smart, editable Revit details. This is NOT a ‘push the EASY button’ process, but there are different methods with different (in value and future … Continue reading →

Posted in BIM/Revit | Tagged , , , , , | 1,127 Comments

Points on Point Clouds

Posted on January 28, 2013 by nmcclure

Having had the past pleasure (uhem) of working with client-provided point clouds, I was excited to view the AU2012 session on ‘Scan to BIM: Point Clouds Reloaded” presented by Kelly Cone of Beck Group. While a handout will never be … Continue reading →

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Protected: Revit Resource Files

Posted on January 17, 2013 by nmcclure

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Guiding a model team

Posted on December 3, 2012 by nmcclure

I’m often doing ‘forensic analysis’ on project files – either for new clients, or in some cases, reviewing past project files before an upcoming new scope of work.  A primary aspect of reviewing models is not just finding issues, but … Continue reading →

Posted in BIM/Revit | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments