August 10, 2010

Mastering Revit Architecture 2011: Teresa Martin on Shared Coordinates


We really like the newly released Autodesk Official Training Guide Mastering Revit Architecture 2011 by Eddy Krygiel, Phil Read and James Vandezande.

And, we're especially pleased to see that our own Ideate Tech Expert Teresa Martin is quoted in the Shared Positioning description:


In the collaborative process of sharing information via linked models, the coordinated positioning of each model is of paramount importance. Agreement on a common coordinate system and origin must be included in every project's BIM execution plan to ensure accuracy. This section will help you develop a fundamental understanding of the coordinate systems within Revit so you can configure and manage them in your projects. For a more complete history of coordinate systems and various examples of using them within Revit, we recommend the following class material from Autodesk University 2009, available at http://au.autodesk.com/:
AB118-3 Finding Your Way Around Shared Coordinates, By Teresa Martin, Ideate Inc.

• AB9114-1 Autodesk Revit Collaboration: Shared Coordinates for Projects Big and Small, By Steve Stafford, AEC Advantage, Inc.There are two coordinate systems in a Revit project:project internal and shared. Each system has essential features and limitations.

Project Internal Every Revit project has an internal coordinate system referred to in several places as Project. You can find this reference in the type properties of datum measuring objects such as levels and spot coordinates as well as in the settings for exporting CAD files. The project coordinate system cannot be changed and your model should be constructed within a one mile radius of the project origin. The true origin in Revit is referred to as the Project Start Up Point and the Project Base Point can be reset to this point by setting it to unclipped, rightclicking on the icon and selecting Move To Start Up Location.

A complementary component of the project internal coordinate system is the view orientation of Project North. This setting is the default and can be found in the View Properties of any plan. We strongly recommend that your model is created in an orthogonal relationship to project north or as you expect the plans to be oriented on a typical sheet. Your project's actual relation to True North will be established via shared coordinates.

Shared Coordinates According to Ideate's Teresa Martin, "shared coordinates are simply a way for the project team to utilize the same definitive work point." In other words, the shared coordinate system consists of a single origin and true north orientation which can be synchronized between models and even AutoCAD drawings.


- Excerpted with kind permission from author James Vandezande

For the ultimate real-world reference for Revit Architecture, pick up your copy of Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011.

To learn more about Revit from the Ideate Tech Experts, join Ideate Training.

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