Chad Smith
Chad is a consultant to the AEC industry, a design technologist, VDC advocate, BIM Manager, early Revit adopter, and public speaker.
Reference points on a line
When creating a Mass or Adaptive Component family, Reference Points placed on a line stay proportionately along the line. No dims required!
Unassigned systems
Components marked as Unassigned in the System Browser will slow your model down. Always try to keep them assigned to a defined System.
Project preview thumbnail
In Saveas > Options, you can use the Thumbnail Preview > Source parameter to set the default view to save as the file's thumbnail preview.
Multiple views for different phases
When using Phasing, create different views with different phases to aid with modelling. e.g. 'Floor Plan - Existing' & 'Floor Plan - New'.
By doing...
Save as to compact project
Perform a Save As command on your project at the end of each day to compact the file size. It may not be much,...
More project workspace
When you need more project workspace quickly, try hiding and display the Project Browser and Properties palette quickly using keyboard shortcuts.
Mine are assigned to...
Formulas in fields
For values of numerical parameters, you can calculate basic arithmetic by starting with an = symbol. You can even use parentheses ( ) to...
Options bar toggles
While using tools such as Copy, Move, Mirror, Rotate, Offset, & Align, holding CTRL and/or Shift with toggle the options on the Options Bar.
Workshared project file management
When working on a Workset enabled project, it is good practice to create a new local file every few days to help reduce project...
Line style naming
Upgrading from AutoCAD?
Resist creating Line Style names that reflect the pen weights, e.g. 0.35
These become irrelevant due to the Line Weights deliberately changing thickness...
MEP systems selection
Hover over a duct, pipe or wire, then press TAB to cycle between part or an entire run of the system or circuit.
Rearrange tabs on ribbon UI
To rearrange the Tabs on the Ribbon UI, hold down CTRL and drag the Tab to a new location.
