Revit & Classical Architecture: A Manual

• The book focuses on classical architecture and demonstrates using Revit as a vehicle to explore a design genre
• The author has written 27 volumes on Autodesk building design software
• This volume is different, focusing on tutorials with classical forms
• Readers can see beyond the specific examples to broader techniques for Revit
• The book will approach common Revit challenges:
  • Planning and building reusable family content
  • Reliably controlling scale and proportion
  • Parametrically controlling curves like arcs, ellipses, and compound curves
  • Working with appropriate levels of detail
  • Effectively managing repetitive elements
  • Building rules, relationships, and design intent into content
  • Using two-dimensional geometry instead of 3D

Objectives

• A look at the book's goals
• Overview of Revit tools to explore
• Discussion of strategies and approach

Understanding the Orders

• Classical "orders" are defined
• Classical architecture uses a "language of forms" with vocabulary, grammar, and style
• Classical architecture involves static forms scaling proportionally to the column base
• More than that, the classical language defines a methodology of form with implied rules and proportions
• Two components in classical vocabulary are column and entablature
• Classical language is the form, it is not simply wall covering and paint
• Orders should generate the form, not simply be added on
• Michelangelo explored and redefined the classical language, like in Piazza del Campidoglio

Resources

• Michelangelo took liberties with the forms, such as on the Piazza del Campidoglio
• In this text the focus will be on the Roman and Renaissance traditions of classical orders
• How to create four of the five orders will be shown: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian
• Each order will have a base, shaft, and capital, with pedestals for some
• Discussion of entablature and intercolumniation
• Arches, moldings, and other accoutrements will be shown
• Proportions will be based on the column diameter
• Formulas, linked parameters, and other techniques ensure proper flexing

Traditional vs. Massing Families

• Revit families are built in the Family Editor
• Family Editor saves files with an RFA extension
• The "traditional family editor" is where doors, windows, columns, furniture, and equipment are created
• It has a project browser similar to the project environment
• All forms are sketch-based and sketched on a 2D work plane
• Reference planes are the primary element used to establish work planes
• The traditional environment has five forms: Extrusion, Blend, Revolve, Sweep and Swept Blend
• Combining the two creates complex 3D forms
• The "massing family environment" was introduced to Revit later
• It is similar to the traditional environment, also saving RFA files, but has more differences
• The massing environment is a three-dimensional work environment, allowing one to work directly in 3D
• Reference lines play a role in establishing work planes and creating 3D form
• “Create Form” button is used
• It creates lines and allows use as the "sketch" of the form
• Lofted forms and freeform shapes can be made
• Mastering the massing environment takes time and effort but has advantages
• Massing has downsides, two being different categories and file size/performance

Which Environment to Use?

• Families are created in the massing environment default to the Mass category
• To use other categories, must start the family correctly
• Mass category assists you to shape the form of walls, and other project geometry eventually hidden or removed
• Do not use Mass.rft template for exercises
• To use the massing environment to create families of other "component" categories, start with one of these templates:
  • Curtain Panel Pattern Based.rft
  • Generic Model Adaptive.rft
  • Generic Model Pattern Based.rft
• Subject of adaptive components could fill a book of its own, they create flexible components to adjust to the locations of a series of placement points
• There are ways to control performance like formulas, parameter usage, levels of nesting, but do have in the back ground that file size is a problem
• Corinthian Column for example

So Which Environment Are We Using?

• Covered will be the traditional family editor at first
• Component families more preferred, to crate them wherever posible, in the traditonal family editor
• Will approach book this way: Orders like Tuscan and Doric are very easy to create using traditional form making in the traditional family editor
• Those components will be simpler, more lightweight and easier to nest into other families and or projects
• However, the Corinthian order will be created as adaptive components because of form complexity
• Gives nicer results but costs higher file size and limitations
• Not to be confused with development: Level of detail in Revit is the three display options if Course, Medium and Fine
• Useful because a family can be built that displays elements only in one or two of these Levels of Detail
• Families built with all three levels of detail
• Primarily this management is used for drawing quality and drawing performance
• Also a strategy to draw a different representation in plan vews than elvation or 3D

Resources

• Several sources used for reference when figuring out the proportions and forms
• Most "go to" source is: The Classical Orders of Architecture, by Robert Chitham
• Chitham details construction of many traditional Forms incliding the five architectural orders like tuscan, doric, ionic, corinthian and composite
• Recommends the book, considered an invaluable resource to developing writing and ideas in book. Published on cusp of the computer age and therefore focuses on traditional techniques to construct the orders by hand drafting methods

Synergy

• Author is is simply awestruck when contemplating the monuments that dot the landscape and trys to imagine the build of the people who built them
• Passion for making things, and love history and architecture
• When Combine theses loves with technology it flows naturally for him

Summary

• The book will cover family editor environment
• Will cover Basic strategy, references, parameters and form making
• Each order includes a separate based shaft and capital
• Orders will contain a course level of detail schematic version
• Each order is fully parametic , scaling based on base diameter (column measurement just above base)
• Tuscan, Doric and Ionic will be build in the traditional family editor
• Corinthian will be build in the massing family editor

Explore why the author uses the first person and learn about Revit's role for architects. Discover successful techniques for building classical forms and reusable content within Revit, even with no prior knowledge of classical forms.