Navisworks 2014: Point Cloud Support - ReCap

Ideate, Inc. is pleased to show additional support for large point clouds within Navisworks 2014, which provides new opportunities for documentation of a site’s context or for comparisons between the proposed building model (BIM) and a scanned “as built.”
 
ReCap has two file formats (RCS and RCP). The file reader does not convert data to objects that reside in the model but instead makes a link to the RCS/RCP file. If you intend to share the data then the linked files have to be provided external to the scene, ideally in a folder or location that maintains the same relative position as the original files. 
ReCap files can be managed to support fast updating of the point cloud. Under the Navisworks Application menu and the Options button, there are choices that let you control the display speed for the point cloud as you navigate through the scene. You can check for clashes and include points.

Navisworks ReCap Options

ReCap files can be appended direct to Navisworks and they can be linked to Revit 2014.  

Don’t forget to look through the great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2014

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Jim Cowan
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Jim Cowan’s extensive AEC design industry experience and Autodesk design solutions expertise have made him a sought after university curriculum developer, instructor and presenter. Jim’s areas of expertise include interoperability between solutions and overcoming barriers to the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Educated in Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art/Heriot-Watt University and in Landscape Architecture at University of Manitoba, Jim has special focus on sustainability issues: daylight analysis, sun studies, lighting analysis, modeling buildings and conceptual energy modeling (models with shading devices). YouTube Channel: MrJimCowan

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eLearning – Upcoming Revit Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 

Upcoming classes include:

5.28.13::Revit 201:
Making Titleblocks

6.3.13::Revit 201:
Getting Started with Presentations

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

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New in 2014: Autodesk ReCap Part 2 – Key Features

In Part 1 of our ReCap posts, we discussed how this new application processes and combines laser scan files into a ReCap Project. Now we’re looking at some of the Key Features available once the projects are launched. 
 
Along with standard navigational tools like pan, zoom, orbit, look, and fly-through, ReCap also has the capability of editing point cloud data; something that has not been a part of Autodesk software in the past.

Selection Tools

Annotation Tools

The bottom-center of the screen includes annotation tools for notes, distances, angles and faces, as well as selection tools for editing. Window and Fence tools can be used to easily crop or delete selected sections of the point cloud, quickly removing unwanted data and reducing file size.

Display Tools

The upper-left of the screen includes display options to control how the point cloud data appears in the application. The Project Navigator, Limit Box and Display Settings allow users to control which files from the dataset are displayed, how much of the data is displayed, point color, point size, background data, and lighting and shading effects.
 
With functionality similar to point cloud review and processing tools from Trimble and Leica, Autodesk customers now have access to a program that can process and edit point cloud data prior to being used in Autodesk design software like AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, Navisworks and Autodesk InfraWorks. Best of all, it’s included in the 2014 Autodesk Design Suites and available now on Subscription Center.

For a video of Autodesk ReCap in action and other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new Autodesk 2014 releases, visit: ideateinc.com/2014  
Ideate Note: If you are experiencing a Fatal Error issue when trying to launch a ReCap project this is most likely based on system hardware rather than an issue with the application. For more information about this issue and Ideate’s solution, read our recent blog post titled: Help! Autodesk ReCap is Crashing.

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Matt Miyamoto, P.E.
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of Hawaii. Matt obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and has 7 years of private sector design experience which he applies in his role as an application specialist with Ideate, Inc. His project experience includes residential and commercial site development, private and public sewer, water and drainage systems, harbors improvements, and roadway improvements. While in Hawaii, Matt was involved in multidisciplinary projects for City and County agencies, State Departments, the Army COE and private developers. @MattM_PE

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New Room Calculation Point Functionality in Revit 2014

In coordination with the Ideate, Inc. YouTube video on Autodesk Revit 2014 - Room Calculation Point, this post describes how the Revit 2014 “room aware” families now include the capability of recognizing rooms and spaces they reside in.
 
One of the long standing requests for Revit was the ability of families recognizing a room or a space that they belong to. A new setting within “Room Aware” families allows you to turn on a parameter known as a Room Calculation Point. Room aware families include families such as furniture, doors, casework, generic models, specialty equipment, and windows. Turning on the Room Calculation point within one of these family type enables the Room Calculation Point arrow. Figure 1.

Figure 1

The Room Calculation Point includes a string with two arrows pointing the direction in which the family recognizes the room or space it resides in. Upon loading the family into a project. room aware elements report the room they are in through the To Room: and From Room: parameters. Previous versions of Revit initially recognized the To Room: and From Room: parameters, but would not update if the families were moved or flipped to a different room. With the Room Calculation Point enabled in a room aware family the To Room: and From Room: parameters become dynamic reporting the room that these types of families live in. Figure 2.

Figure 2

Don’t forget to look through other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, Navisworks and more: ideateinc.com/2014

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Ron Palma
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Ron has over 24 years of experience in the architectural industry as a drafter, designer, lead project designer, trainer, and a CAD manager implementing Autodesk Architectural Solutions for a residential design firm. His instructional background includes being an Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland and Clackamas Community Colleges, as well as a U.S. Army certified instructor where he was a senior instructor at Ft Lewis Washington. Ron is a member of the Oregon Army National Guard and platoon sergeant, training and mentoring soldiers in their careers. Ron is a published writer and continues to author professional technical training manuals and shorts for AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit. As an Autodesk Certified Instructor, Ron provides Revit Architecture training and support for AEC firms. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.

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