February

13

2024

We are pleased to share this article written by our Australian consultant partner Modmation on how they benefit from using Ideate Automation, our scripting solution that runs time-consuming BIM tasks in the background. 
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In the dynamic field of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), maintaining the health of building information models is paramount. At Modmation, we leverage automated workflows and tools like Ideate Automation to enhance model maintenance, ensuring projects run smoothly and adhere to industry standards.

Modmation, an independent BIM and Digital Engineering consultancy based in Australia, stands at the forefront of BIM innovation. With more than 30 years of combined experience in digital project delivery worldwide, our team provides consulting services on BIM and Digital Engineering.

Model maintenance ensures that projects remain on track, fostering collaboration and aligning with industry standards and principles. At Modmation, we recognise the pivotal role of model health in the success of any project. Our vision is to develop innovative strategies and solutions, and implementing tools like Ideate Automation is part of our mission to increase the efficiency and productivity of our clients and their project teams.

Modmation and Ideate SoftwareIn leveraging Ideate Automation, Modmation has taken proactive steps to enhance model maintenance, addressing the critical issue of neglecting Revit model health, which can lead to productivity loss for the entire project team. Ideate Automation seamlessly integrates with Ideate Software's suite, including Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, IdeateApps, and Ideate StyleManager.
 
Whether it is automating data extraction with Ideate BIMLink or auditing with Ideate Explorer, our team utilises Ideate Automation in combination with our internal workflows to run Revit silently in the background, auditing, and compacting Revit files to ensure that they remain optimised and efficient.

In addition, project teams have access to the Ideate Automation Power BI dashboard. This dashboard offers valuable insights into their model health, making it easier for the teams to understand what needs to be reviewed and fixed.

Ideate Software and Modmation

These proactive measures contribute to the overall health of our clients' models, empowering project teams to make informed decisions for enhanced productivity. Ideate Automation not only helps our clients save time but also improves accuracy in data extraction and enhances their model quality, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity for their project teams.

In conclusion, Modmation's strategic use of Ideate Automation for model maintenance reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality BIM practices. By addressing the critical issue of neglecting Revit model health, we do not only help our clients to optimise their models but also empower project teams with valuable insights and tools for enhanced productivity.

Therefore, Ideate Software's suite has become an integral component of our workflows, contributing to the overall efficiency and success of our projects. As the AEC industry continues to evolve, Modmation remains dedicated to developing innovative strategies and implementing software solutions such as Ideate Automation that modernize how projects are designed, developed, delivered, operated, and sustained.

Are you ready to elevate your BIM practices and enhance your project efficiency? Modmation is here to help. Let us unlock the full potential of your models and drive success in your digital project delivery journey. Reach out to our team to discuss your specific needs and take the next step toward optimised BIM practices.

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Thank you, Modmation!

Ideate Automation is available for purchase as a stand-alone product or with the Ideate Software bundle, and it is included in the cost of an Enterprise subscription. Visit our website for more information.

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November

10

2023

We love hearing from customers. Recently, we got an email from David W. Koch, BIM Technical Expert at EwingCole.  

 

I had a project where we needed to remove a future phase and all associated items before sending the model to the construction manager.  Ideate Explorer to the rescue! Setting Display to Entire Project and Sort by to Phase made quick work of that task. I also had to delete all of the Sheets and all of the Drafting Views. Sheets were easy, once I discovered that I had to set all Revision Sequences to Unissued. Drafting Views posed a challenge, but I was able to use Ideate Query for that. 

Thank you, David!

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October

18

2023

We were pleased to welcome Nigel Davies from Evolve Consultancy to a webinar to share how Ideate Software products have revolutionized the way he and his team complete tasks by reducing weeks of work to hours. 

Watch the recording of this 30-minute webinar to see how Evolve Consultancy uses Ideate BIMLink to streamline workflows on a high-demand, new-build project called the Center for Arabic Calligraphy, where the client requires extensive, detailed, weekly reports on 19 KPIs. You’ll also learn how they use:

  • Ideate BIMLink to complete required reports on COBie 
  • Ideate Automation to perform a standard weekly reporting process overnight that used to take almost a full day 

 

About Evolve Consultancy

Founded in 2005, Evolve is an internationally renowned BIM consultancy providing services and support around the design, development, and implementation of technology-enabled data production processes to contractors, architects, and engineers in the UK, the US, Europe, Middle East, and Australia.

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October

3

2023

Looking for examples of how architects and designers use Ideate Software tools to streamline Revit processes? Watch the recording of this 45-minute webinar. You’ll hear from Goettsch Partners’ Senior Associate Nickolas Popoutsis who shares how their team uses Ideate Software tools to make the workflow easier and reduce time spent on repetitive tasks.

“The work that takes us away from our thought process of design is not time well spent,” said Nickolas. 

Watch the webinar to see some real-world applications on how to:

  1. Eliminate redundancies and the potential for missed updates by live-linking Excel files into a Revit file with Ideate Sticky 
  2. Get drawings set up and running in a clear and organized way by performing quick sheet setups with Ideate SheetManager and Ideate ViewCreator 
  3. Streamline the QA/QC process by coordinating sheet sets with Ideate Align
  4. Simplify the design iteration process by creating design alternatives with Ideate Clone
     

Browse our website to learn more about our Revit productivity-enhancing tools. Check out our Events page for more opportunities to connect with our team in person and online.

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July

19

2023

We at Ideate Software sincerely thank Paul F Aubin for writing the following article on how he used Ideate StyleManager when he and other experts developed the Snowdon Towers sample model in Revit 2024.
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The 2024 release of Revit includes a collection of seven Revit files that together comprise the new Revit 2024 sample model, called “Snowdon Towers.” This project is a mixed-use project containing commercial, retail, residential and outdoor space. It is located on a real site in the town of Brownsville, PA. The project was designed and built by a team of experts across multiple disciplines and includes models for Site, Architecture, Structure, and MEP. Each of these is linked to one another and also makes use of georeferenced coordinates from the Brownsville location. 

Snowden Towers
 
Autodesk Software Expert Paul F Aubin and Snowdon Towers

My name is Paul F Aubin. I am an independent architectural consultant helping firms be successful with their Autodesk software. I am the author of numerous books and LinkedIn Learning video courses on Revit and other AEC industry tools. (You can learn more at: paulaubin.com). My background is in the architectural profession and I worked in architectural practice for many years before embarking on a career in consulting. Recently I was given the opportunity by Autodesk to assemble a team and devise what would become the Snowdon Towers project. The project was the perfect marriage of my various skills and interests.

Snowdon Towers was chosen for the name to pay homage to the buildings that previously stood on the site and as a way of thanking the various entities in the Brownsville community who worked with us to help make the project a success.

Ideate StyleManager Used Throughout Design and Into Delivery

The mixed use building in total encompasses about 52,000 sf which makes it a good mid-sized project example. Given the multidisciplinary nature of project, the various files and its size and scope, there were many styles of all kinds in use in the various project files throughout its development. Ideate StyleManager was one of the tools used throughout the process of design and into delivery of the project. 

Design Phase

During the design phase, Ideate StyleManager was useful in consolidating items when various types and styles would accumulate and/or become unused. 

The Challenge

If you consider the standard workflow in a typical project, it is common to start with a collection of standards that come from the Revit template file used to start the project. As design progresses, styles are modified, and more styles are added. Some of these are added intentionally, others end up in the project because of importing and working with other outside content items. Also factor in multiple team members and periods of weeks and/or months and it is not hard to understand how many unintended and unused styles can accumulate.

Revit does include some tools to help manage items like types, fill patterns and line styles; but admittedly these tools are not always well suited to the job. Consider tasks like renaming elements and types or deleting unused items. These are much harder to track down with out of the box tools. And if you have items that are duplicates and need to be consolidated, the process is quite manual. 

Tackling The Challenges with Ideate StyleManager

To tackle these issues with Ideate StyleManger is simple! You open the tool, choose the kind of style item you want, select one or more styles in the list on the left, and then click the Analyze button. This will reveal the pertinent information about the items selected, including handy color coding to identify those that are duplicates. With this information in hand, you can decide what you want to do. Actions include: renaming, deleting and merging of styles.

Ideate StyleManager and Snowden Tower

Using Ideate StyleManager Throughout the Project

It is advisable to run Ideate StyleManager on a regular basis to help combat these issues. Monthly can be a good interval for most projects, but for larger and more complex projects, more frequently might be warranted. You do not necessarily need to go through every style type each time you use the tool. Items like Line Styles and Patterns, Fill Patterns, and View Templates might need more frequent attention, while Object Styles and Scope Boxes might be less frequent. But naturally each project’s needs will be somewhat unique. 

In the case of Snowdon Towers, View Templates, Filters, and Line Styles were addressed regularly while a one-time change was made to fonts early on in the project. At the start of the project, a decision was made to change the default font used by all annotations in the new sample (and the new Revit Template files). The change is not radical; Trebuchet has replaced Arial, but it is just enough to give the project a fresh look. Making this change without Style Manager would have been ill-advised. This is because each annotation item must be edited individually. However, to make the change with Ideate StyleManger was much simpler. 

Ideate StyleManager and Snowdon Towers

Step-by-Step Instructions

First, a new file was created. 

Next, all annotation items (tags, etc.) in the out-of-the-box library were imported into this file. 

Once this was done, Ideal StyleManager was run. The first step there is to choose Fonts. Select all fonts in the list, and then, next to the Analyze button are three checkboxes. Check all three. This allows Ideate StyleManger to analyze the families and schedules in the file as well. Click the Analyze button and let it process. Once the analysis is complete, you can select the font(s) you wish to replace, click the Merge button. A dialog will appear showing all fonts on your system. Pick the one you want and then click OK. Let it process. 

When it is done, you can use the Save As > Library > Family command from the file menu to save copies of all loaded families that have been updated with Ideate StyleManager. 

Ideate StyleManager and Snowdon Tower
 
Keep in mind that many annotation families and styles include the name of the font in their name. This means that you will also need to rename these items.

A few other things to note:

  • Ideate StyleManager looks at the actual settings of each style when performing its analysis. This means you might identify several styles with different names that are actually identical. The merge function is designed to help you consolidate such items. You will be prompted as to which name to keep when merging, the other(s) will be deleted.
  • Analysis can take some time, so plan accordingly and be patient. There are performance tips in the tool. But even though it can take time, the process is far faster than it would be to attempt it manually. 
  • Many style types have an edit icon near the top of the list. Use this to get to the standard Revit interface for that type of item. 
  • Many style types will show a nice preview on the right side of the selected item. This is helpful in identifying the correct style to keep or merge. 

    Ideate StyleManager and Snowdon Towers

 
Delivering a Higher Quality Product with Ideate StyleManager

Managing project files and adhering to office standards can be an ongoing headache for project teams. Ideate StyleManger is a fantastic tool to help alleviate some of this stress. While it would have been possible to deliver Snowdon Towers without its use, I am grateful to have had the tool at my disposal as it enabled me to deliver a higher quality product than would have been possible with it.

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