MEP Digital Tools Guide Book: Revit Workflow & Engineering Design

MEP Digital Tools
Guide Book
Version 01
May 2018
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Introduction
This guide book has been produced to help guide users through how to access and use the
various modelling and engineering tools that have been developed by the MEP Digital
Transformation team.
All the tools are based around working in an Autodesk Revit environment and this guide
provides instruction on some of the basic software processes to enable non Revit users to
access the tools. However, this guide does not provide a comprehensive guide to the use
of Revit and users should refer to the learning modules on AECOM University for further
knowledge about using the software.
The first section of the guide provides instruction on some of the basic Revit model set up
requirements. After this the tools that have been developed have been separated into 3
different groups:
1. Model Management - these tools provide a fast and AECOM standard way of setting up
and using models for the non Revit user and significant operational efficiencies to certain
tasks for more advanced Revit users.
2. Engineering Design - these tools provide automated engineering processes to complete
design tasks in greatly reduced time lines while also increasing the quality of the information
produced.
3. Co-ordination - these tools assist in the co-ordination process of designing projects and
enable users to access and take advantage of the 3D information produced on a project
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Who to contact
This page provides you with a list of the primary contacts to speak to regarding the use of any of the
tools detailed in this document. We are building a list of office champions who will be a primary part of
the development and communication of tools with the different teams around the business. If you do
not see a representative for your office and would like to be a part of the digital team then please
contact Peter Brickell to put yourself forward as an office champion for your area.
MEP Digital Transformation Team
Peter Brickell
Ben Barfoot
Office Champions
London
Tyler Street
Piotr Deneka
St. Albans
Sam Townsend
Manchester, Liverpool & Leeds
Dan Cosgrove
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Basic Revit Guidance
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Basic Revit guidance
1. Opening an existing Revit model
2. Creating a new MEP Revit model from an architects model
3. Accessing and running a script / tool - basics
4. Printing
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Opening an existing Revit model
This page outlines the basic details for opening an existing Revit model already set up for your project
Step 1:
Go to the
windows
button on
your desktop
Select Revit
2018*
Navigate to Revit
2018* and click on it
Or
*Watch It Note:
Please check with the project model
manager which version of Revit the project
is in. Never upgrade a model yourself if
you are asked to during the opening of a
file
If it not shown in
your list select
"All Programs"
Step 2:
Revit will open to give you a
screen as shown here.
Select the open button
Never select your model from
this location even if it is shown
here
Step 3:
Navigate to your model as you would
normally in windows and select open
Ensure this option is ticked if available
Step 4:
If presented with this screen
select "Override existing file"
and your model will open in a
view like below
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Creating a new MEP Revit model - sheet 1 of 4
The following pages outline the basic details for creating a new MEP Revit model and linking in
architectural information to enable options or analysis to be tested and for Revit to be used as an early
stage design tool. This guide does not cover all the steps for setting up a central file for multiple
people to use through the design process. Please talk to your local BIM manager for support in setting
up project models.
Step 1:
The following window
will appear:
Open Revit
(refer to Step 1 of the "opening and existing
Revit model" guide if you need help with
this step)
Hit "New" on
the start screen
Select "Browse"
Navigate to the location below and select the 2018 template in
this location and hit "open" then "ok" on the next screen
Z:\_EMIA\Digital\_Resources\Autodesk\Revit\2018\Templates\
MEP
Step 2:
Select "Level 0" in the project browser
Delete everything in the view by clicking the mouse
in on corner of the view and dragging to the opposite
corner before letting go of the mouse. Then press
the "Delete" button on you keyboard
Press "Ok" when this
dialogue appears
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Creating a new MEP Revit model - sheet 2 of 4
Step 3:
In the tool bar at the top of the
screen go to the "Insert" tab and
click on the "Link Revit" button
Use the dialogue box to navigate to your architectural
file. Select it and press the "Open" button
The architectural model should now appear in your Revit view
Step 4:
Click on the architectural model to select
it. The architectural information should
now be highlighted blue as shown here
Click the "Edit Type" button
This dialogue box will be shown:
Mark the tick box to make the model
"Room Bounding"
Click "Ok"
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Creating a new MEP Revit model - sheet 3 of 4
Step 5:
In the tool bar at the top of the
screen go to the "View" tab and
click on the "Section" button
Click once in your model view
and then again the other side of
the view to draw a section
Right click on the new section line your have created and
this pop up will appear. Link "Go to view" in the pop up
A section view of your model will now appear on your screen but
no levels will be showing and these need to be copied to the MEP
model to complete the set up.
Step 6:
In the section view in front of you press "VV" on your keyboard and the visibility settings window will appear
Click on the "Filters" tab
Click on the tick box next
to "Levels/Grids" to
make them visible in
your view
Click "Ok"
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Creating a new MEP Revit model - sheet 4 of 4
Step 7:
Go to the "Collaborate" tab at the top
of your screen. Select "Copy/Monitor"
and select the "Select Link" option
Click on any part of the architectural model in your section view on your screen and the toolbar at the top of
your screen will change to look like this:
Press the "Copy" button
Now click on each of the level
lines within your section view
that you want to copy.
It is recommended that you just copy the
FFL's but you can copy any of the levels
within the architects model
When you have selected all the levels you want to copy
press "Finish" in the toolbar to complete the process
This has completed the process of setting up an MEP model with an architectural link and with all the 3D
information linked through in order to be used for design and analysis
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Accessing and running a script/tool
This page outlines the basic details for opening and running all MEP digital scripts/tools via Revit
Step 1:
Within your Revit session go to the "Manage" tab at the
top of the screen and click on the "Dynamo" button to
launch Dynamo
Step 2:
The Dynamo window will appear. Select open and navigate to
the tool you want to use. All tools are stored centrally here:
Z:\_EMIA\Digital\_Customisation\Dynamo\Revit
Step 3:
The tools will be opened in
Dynamo
Follow the instructions
Press "Run"
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Printing
This page outlines the basic details for printing views and sheets from Revit
Press "CTRL P" or go to the file tab at the
top of the screen and select print
Select the printer your want to use.
(It is recommended to print to PDF for record)
If printing to PDF the options in this
area will be available to enable you
to print each view separately or
combined into one document and
set the location for the PDF to be
saved
Press the "Setup" button to get this dialogue
box where you can enter standard print
settings such as paper size etc.
In the "Print Range" options you can
set what you want to print. If you
press "Select" you get this dialogue
box where you can select all the
views and sheets you want to print
When the options have been set press OK to print your information
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Model Management /
Efficiency Tools
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Model management / efficiency tools
1. Creating user views
2. Creating worksets
3. Creating spaces within the model
4. Automatically pinning elements
5. Management of view templates
6. Drawing production - initial set up
7. Renaming documents
8. Purging a model for issue
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Creating user views
This tools creates views in the model dedicated to the user running the tool. This enables the user to
create plans and 3D views in seconds labelled with the users name for the user to work inside the
model with. Views created in this way control the number of unwanted views in the model that slow
down the model for all users
Setup:
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" and " accessing and running a tool/script" guides open
the "Create-UserViews" tool from the model in which you want to create the views
Step 1:
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
Select whether you want
floor plans, ceiling plans
or a 3D view
Select "Run"
Result:
A set of views will have been created in the "project
browser" under your name for you to work in
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Creating worksets
Worksets in Revit are the equivalent of layers in AutoCAD or levels in Microstation. They define the
groupings within which different elements are drawn. This script creates the AECOM standard
worksets automatically in the model for the user giving consistency throughout our projects without
needing to manually create them.
Setup:
This tool should get used at the beginning of setting up a new model. It can also be used on an
existing model you are working on that doesn't have the worksets that you need.
Once you have followed the guidance in the "creating a new Revit model", "creating a central file" and
" accessing and running a tool/script" guides open the "Create-Worksets" tool from the model in which
you want to create the worksets.
Step 1:
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
For more advanced users the list of worksets that
will be created is listed here. This list can be
edited to create more or less worksets as required
or if there is a project specific requirement.
For normal use it is recommended that the script
is just run with the standards set worksets as they
are given.
Select "Run"
Result:
At the bottom of your
Revit window this icon
will now be coloured
The drop down list next
to the icon will now be
populated with all the
worksets
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Creating spaces within the model
Spaces within a Revit model are created from the architectural model information and are used in the
MEP model to store information that can be used within Revit to generate modelling and
documentation information. This tool automatically creates all the spaces within the model and is an
important modelling step for some of the engineering tools detailed later in this document.
Setup:
Once you have followed the guidance in the "creating a new Revit model" and " accessing and running
a tool/script" guides open the "Create-Spaces" tool from the model in which you want to create the
spaces.
Step 1:
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
Select "Run"
The tool needs to find the architectural
file linked to your model. To do this it
needs some text from the file name of
the architectural file typed in here.
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Automatically pinning elements
Pinning elements within Revit is the equivalent of freezing or locking a layer in AutoCAD. It is a
process for locking things within your model that you would not typically ever want to edit e.g. the
architectural model or the grids. This tool automatically sweeps through the model to pin all the
typical items and it is recommended the novice Revit users run the script every time they open a
model. It is also suggested that more experienced model managers run this script on a regular basis
depending on the number of users to ensure elements within the model are not accidentally moved.
Setup:
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" and " accessing and running a tool/script" guides open
the "PinElements" tool from the model in which you want to pin all the elements
Step 1:
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
Select what you want to pin.
It is recommended to use the default setting
and pin everything in the list.
Select "Run"
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Management of view templates - sheet 1 of 2
View templates within Revit control how every drawing and view look on screen and when printed.
There are hundreds of different setting options for each template within a model and it can be
laborious task to edit these to get documents ready for issue and a difficult task to manage across
projects with more than one Revit file. This tool exports all the template information to an excel
document where multiple templates can all be edited quickly at the same time and then re-imported
back to change the setting inside the Revit model.
Setup:
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" and " accessing and running a tool/script" guides open the
"ViewTemplates" tool from the model in which you want to edit the view templates in.
Go to the location of the tool (given below) and copy the excel file a local location you can access. Either in
the project area on the server or a folder on you computer.
Z:\_EMIA\Digital\_Customisation\Dynamo\Revit\01-Model-Management\ZZ-UKI-Manage-ViewTemplates
Step 1:
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
Select the excel file that you
saved in this box
Set the options in this box to
"false" to export the view
template information from
this model
Select "Run"
Model management suggestion:
Once you have a Revit model set up with all the correct view template settings, use step 1 to export all these settings to the excel file. Save a copy of this
file within the project folder so that later in the design process, when it is time to issue drawings but a number of designers have been using the model and
have edited the templates, you can quickly and easily re-set all the settings in time to issue the documentation.
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Management of view templates - sheet 2 of 2
Step 2:
Open the excel and use the tabulated information to
change any setting you require in any or all of the
view templates in the model. Re-save the excel once
complete.
View templates are listed across the top of
each page
If you want an element to show in a
template then mark the box with an "x". If
you don't want it to show then leave it blank
The tabs at the bottom correspond to the
different tabs you would normally edit in
Revit
Step 3:
Go back to the script in Revit, set it to import data and re-run it to bring your excel changes back into
the model:
Instructions
Select the excel file that you
saved in this box
Set the options in this box to
"true" to export the view
template information to this
model
Select "Run"
Note:
The same excel file can be imported into multiple models to make everything on a project with more than one model look the same without having to
manually change all of them. To do this, once you have an excel file you have filled out, skip steps 1 & 2 and run the import on each model.
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Drawing production - initial set up
The current process for creating drawings is for someone to put together a drawing list manually, trying
to think of all the drawings required across the project and trying to make sure they all sit within the
complex drawing numbering system. Then a Revit user has to manually create and populate all the
views and sheets within the model. This tool removes this whole process. In this tool you select the
packages of information you require and the tool will create and populate all the drawing information for
the user into the model.
Setup:
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" and " accessing and running a tool/script" guides open
the "CreateDrawings" tool from the model in which you want to make all the drawings
Step 1:
Instructions
Select "Run"
Step 2:
Fill in the top boxes selecting
the sheet size and drawing
scale
Select the levels from the
model you want to create
drawings for my checking the
tick boxes
Mark the scope boxes your
require. If it is a large project
where more than one sheet
per floor is need you need to
tick multiple boxes and
number them
Select the different packages
that you want to create
drawings for e.g. pipework or
containment etc. by checking
the tick boxes
Fill in these boxes with how
you want them to appear in
the drawing numbers and
titles.
Select "Accept" to create all
the sheets in your model
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Renaming documents
Pinning elements within Revit is the equivalent of freezing or locking a layer in AutoCAD. It is a
process for locking things within your model that you would not typically ever want to edit e.g. the
architectural model or the grids. This tool automatically sweeps through the model to pin all the
typical items and it is recommended the novice Revit users run the script every time they open a
model. It is also suggested that more experienced model managers run this script on a regular basis
depending on the number of users to ensure elements within the model are not accidentally moved.
Setup:
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" and " accessing and running a tool/script" guides open
the "PinElements" tool from the model in which you want to pin all the elements
Step 1:
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
Select what you want to pin.
It is recommended to use the default setting
and pin everything in the list.
Select "Run"
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Purging a model for issue
Increasingly our 3D model information has to be issued on a weekly basis during the detailed design
phase of a project. Each time this task is done the model has to be copied and manually purged of
data such as linked files, views and sheets etc. This script completes this task automatically.
Setup:
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" guide, open the model you want to purge and do a "save
as" to the location that you are going to issue the model from. Then, using the "accessing and running
a tool/script" guides open the "ReadyForIssue" tool from the model in which you want to purge all the
elements
Step 1:
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
Select what you want to purge
Make sure this is set to false
Select "Run"
Step 2:
Review the text
inside the "Debug"
window to confirm
you are happy with
what is being
removed
Change this to
"true" and run the
script again to
apply the changes
to the model
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Engineering Design
Tools
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Engineering design tools
1. Space calculation and strategy documentation
2. Automatic plantroom generation
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Space calculation and strategy documentation - sheet 1 of 5
The following pages guide you through the process of extracting geometrically information from a
model that can be used with a spreadsheet to automatically calculate heating, cooling and ventilation
loads for the spaces in the building*. This information can then be brought back into the model to
generate coloured strategy drawings for communication with clients and architects.
* The spreadsheet calculations are currently only created for an office building but the strategy documentation can be created for any building type
Setup:
Go to the following location and everything in this folder to a local location you can access. Either in
the project area on the server or a folder on you computer.
Z:\_EMIA\Digital\_Customisation\Dynamo\Revit\02-Engineering-Tools\BS-UKI-SpaceCalculation
Where you save this information to will be referred to as the "saved location" through the rest of this
guide.
To run this tool you need to install some additional
add-ins to your Dynamo installation. These are
called "Packages". In the information you have
copied to your saved location there is a
"Packages.zip" file. You need to unzip this file to
your saved location.
Open Dynamo (via your Revit sessions as
normal) and go to the "Settings" tab at the
top of the screen
Select the "Manage Node and Package Paths..." option
This dialogue box will appear:
Select the "+" sign and use the file option
dialogue to navigate to the unzipped
"Packages" folder in your saved location
Press "Accept Changes"
Note:
This step of adding in "packages" to your
Dynamo only needs to be done once and
does not need to be repeated again
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Space calculation and strategy documentation - sheet 2 of 5
Step 1:
Open the Revit file that you want to do the calculations or strategy drawings for and make sure that it
has spaces created in it. If required create the spaces in the model - use the "creating spaces within
the model" guide to help with this.
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" and " accessing and running a tool/script" guides open
the "SpaceCalculationDataExport" tool from the model in which you want to do your calculations.
Instructions
Press "Browse" here to navigate to
your excel file in your saved location
Press "Run"
Step 2:
Open the excel file from your saved
location
The "Export Data" tab should now
be populated with all the space data
from you model similar to what is
shown here
Select the "Import Data" tab
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Space calculation and strategy documentation - sheet 3 of 5
Step 3:
In this tab, fill out all the drop down options for each space in the building
Select the space type to match
the space from the model
Select the lighting level for each space
Select the ventilation, heating and cooling strategy for each space
Step 4:
Select the "Calculation Inputs" tab
Edit any of the defaults in the green cells to suit
the basis for design for your project
Go back to the "Import Data" tab and you will
see that there is a heating, cooling and
ventilation load given for each space in the
building based on all the inputs you have now
completed
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Space calculation and strategy documentation - sheet 4 of 5
Step 5:
The following steps will import the
completed information from your
spreadsheet back into the model if you
wish to create strategy drawings
Instructions
Press "Browse" here to navigate to
your excel file in your saved location
that you completed in the steps above
Press "Run"
Step 6:
Select a view that you want to make
into a strategy drawing
Select the view template button to
bring up the view template dialogue
Scroll through the view template options and select the
strategy you want to display in your view
Press "Ok"
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Space calculation and strategy documentation - sheet 5 of 5
Step 7:
Select the "Analyse" tab at the
top of the screen
Select the "Legend" button in the
"Color Fill" area
Click where ever in the view you
want the legend to be placed
Repeat steps 6 & 7 on different sheets to create all the strategy drawings you require.
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Automatic plantroom generation - sheet 1 of 5
The following pages guide you through the process to automatically generate and document 3D
plantroom design information. Unlike the other MEP digital tools, this one does not require any
existing Revit or model information and can be used as a completely standalone tool right from the
earliest stages of the project.
Setting Up:
Go to the following location and copy everything in this folder to a local location you can access. Either in the
project area on the server or a folder on you computer.
Z:\_EMIA\Digital\_Customisation\Dynamo\Revit\02-Engineering-Tools\BS-UKI-SpaceAllowance
Where you save this information to will be referred to as the "saved location" through the rest of this guide.
Make sure that you have the latest versions of the Space Allowances software and the Space Allowances
Add-in to Revit installed on your computer. Both are available from the software centre on your computer.
Step 1:
Open the excel
file in your
saved location
Fill in the duty
details in line
with the notes
provided
Select the type
of plantroom
you want in the
drop down
Fill out a line for each plantroom
Type in the additional details
(the tool can do up to 25 plantrooms in one go*)
Save your completed spreadsheet back to your saved location
*Watch It Note:
Do not add unnecessary plantrooms as
the more you have the longer the tool will
take to run.
Step 2:
The following window will appear:
Open Revit
(refer to Step 1 of the "opening and existing
Revit model" guide if you need help with
this step)
Hit "New" on
the start screen
Select "Browse"
Navigate to your
saved folder location
and select the only
Revit file in this
location and hit
"open" then "ok" on
the next screen
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Automatic plantroom generation - sheet 2 of 5
Step 3:
(refer to the "accessing and running a script/tool" guide if you
need further help with this step)
Open Dynamo and navigate to the saved
location and open the "CreateFile" script.
Follow the instructions and run the script
Instructions
Press "browse" here to navigate to your
excel file in your saved location to load
Press "Run"
Step 4:
Running the script above will open
the software Space Allowances and
generate all the plantrooms from
your excel file in the software.
Take the time now to review each
plantroom and make any project
specific adjustments required.
When finished save the file to your
saved location.
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Automatic plantroom generation - sheet 3 of 5
Step 5:
(refer to the "accessing and running a script/tool" guide if you
need further help with this step)
Open Dynamo again and navigate to the
saved location and open the other script in
the folder
Follow the first part of the instructions and
run the script
Instructions
Press "browse" here to navigate to your space
allowance file in your saved location to load
Make sure this is set to false
Press "Run"
Step 6:
Select the plantroom
you want to import
Go back to Revit and in the
Add-Ins tab at the top of the
screen select Space
Allowances and navigate to
your file in your saved location
Select the equivalent
plantroom here
*Watch It Note:
If you have modified the wall
positions of the plantrooms in
space allowances then they will
not always align automatically with
the spaces in Revit. This will be
shown in the import image and
can be easily adjusted by
manually editing the x and y
figures.
These two screens will pop
up. Just hit "Yes" to both
Once the import is complete this screen
will appear. If you have more
plantrooms to import then repeat this
step for each one. Otherwise press
"No".
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Automatic plantroom generation - sheet 4 of 5
Step 7:
(refer to the "accessing and running a script/tool" guide if you further need help with this step)
Go back to Dynamo and the last script you had open (it should still be open unless you closed
Dynamo). Follow the last part of the instructions and run the script
Instructions
Press "browse" here to navigate to your space
allowance file in your saved location to load
Make sure this is set to true
Press "Run"
Step 8:
Back in your Revit file enter the project
number into the front screen
Double click on the
"Front Sheet" tab
Using the project browser in
the corner of your screen
Note:
If you want to view your
plantroom information in
Revit double click on the
individual tabs
Enter the project information by clicking
on each piece of text and typing the
details
At this point you should save you
Revit file to your saved location
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Automatic plantroom generation - sheet 5 of 5
Printing:
(refer to the "printing" guide if you need further help with this
step)
Press "CTRL P" or go to the file tab at the
top of the screen and select print
Select the printer your want to use.
(It is recommended to print to PDF for record)
If printing to PDF, select combine
into a single file and browse to your
saved location - this is where the
PDF will be created
Press the "setup" button and select "A1" in the
drop down. Then press OK in this window
Click the Selected views/sheets
option. You will see the "Space
Allowance - Print Set" text appear.
Everything else has already been
set up as part of the tool
When the options have been set press OK to print your information
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Co-ordination Tools
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Co-ordination tools
1. Navisworks view creation
MEP Digital Tools Guide Book
Navisworks view creation
This tool creates views for every individual space inside model that can be loaded into the exported
Naviswork file of the model. These views can then be used to navigate quickly and easily around the
model in Navisworks. The views can then also be used to create model comparisons and other
analysis within Navisworks
Setup:
Using the "opening and existing Revit model" guide you need to open the Revit model that your
Navisworks file was exported from*. Then use the " accessing and running a tool/script" guide open
the "Create-NavisworkViewsPerSpace" tool from the model in which you want to pin all the elements
Step 1:
The script is going to generate an xml file from the Revit model that can be loaded into Navisworks
to give the views of each room
The open script should look like this:
Instructions
Click "Browse" to select where you
want the xml file to be saved and
what you want it to be called
If the model has shared
co-ordinates set this to "True"
Type in the folder name that you
want the views to appear in
Navisworks
Select "Run"
Step 2:
Right click in the "Saved Viewports"
window in your Navisworks file and
select the "Import Viewports" option
Navigate to your saved xml file and
select option. You should now have
the viewports to use in your
Navisworks file