San Francisco, CA, May 15, 2019 – Ideate Software, a veteran Autodesk Developer Network member, announced enhancements to its Revit software applications.

“Shortly after Autodesk released Revit version 2020 in April 2019, we launched updates to our applications that streamline Revit workflows,” said Glynnis Patterson, director of software development. “Those who subscribe to Ideate Software solutions have access to the current Revit-compatible version (2020) plus three earlier versions (2019-2017), as well as access to point release improvements we make during the subscription period.”

Revit users who design, build, operate, and maintain built environments can streamline workflows with Ideate Software applications. You can trust your building information model is accurate when using these products, now enhanced with new functionalities that will further improve your Revit data management.

The improvements apply to version 2020 as well as 2017-2019. Please see below the highlights of the updates and click on the links for more details: 

• Ideate BIMLink 
  • Greater control and management of View Template information
  • Enhanced access to more Revit properties plus increased access to more MEP Fabrication properties and data
  • Greater flexibility for team members working in the same project
• Ideate Explorer 
  • Ability to export all project warning details to Microsoft Excel
  • Ability to fix common warnings from the Ideate Explorer dialog
  • Keynotes now organized by Element, Material, or User
  • Added support for new Revit element types, like Path of Travel Lines
  • Access to more Revit information, including MEP fabrication parts  
• Ideate Sticky  
  • Performance improvement impacts those who use print regions and multi-worksheet Excel files; the way the print region data in those files is read has been modified, leading to a significantly faster open and update process
• IdeateApps  
  • Ideate ReNumber supports rules for MEP fabrication parts
  • Ideate QuickSelect expands keynote tags by subdividing the category into the three keynote types
  • Ideate QuickSelect supports structural connections and the new Path of Travel feature 
  • Ideate Clone has improved naming control in addition to the ability to clone multiple sheets in the same operation

“We are committed to helping customers get the most out of their investments in Revit software,” said Bob Palioca, president, Ideate Software. “One of the ways we do that is by consistently releasing our updates soon after Autodesk releases its new versions.” 
 

About Ideate Software

Ideate Software empowers Revit users to gain unprecedented control over their data. Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, and IdeateApps were all developed to solve persistent problems in architecture, engineering, construction, and owner (AECO) workflows. Ideate Software solutions enable Revit users to save time, increase accuracy, improve project deliverables, and elevate design.

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, ATC, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries.

Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

###

Ideate Software is pleased to be associated with Noll & Tam Architects, an interesting company with a mission to create “Uncommon Spaces for the Common Good.” It achieves this mission by having its atypical multidisciplinary group of architectural professionals leap into the unknown, take the known and make it strange again, work in unexpected ways, and stay devoted to sustainable design.

The architects at Noll & Tam use Autodesk Revit software to bring visions to life, and they use Ideate Software tools to streamline Revit processes. 

“Our team uses all four Ideate Software tools,” said Jason Barish, Senior Associate, Design Technology Director, Noll & Tam Architects.

“They are easy to learn and use, and they allow us to focus on creative designs instead of the technology that supports those designs.”

Here are some of the ways in which Noll & Tam Architects uses the Ideate Software tools:

• Ideate Sticky – Used to place tabular data like LEED data, code information, and equipment schedules in the Revit file
• Ideate BIMLink – Used to mass-edit room program data
• Ideate Explorer – Used to troubleshoot problem items
• IdeateApps:
  • Clone – Used to speed up the creation of sequences of drawings, especially detail sheets
  • ReNumber – Used to number doors and details

Photographs: 

1. Jason Barish, Senior Associate, Design Technology Director, Noll and Tam Architects. Source:Anthony Lindsey Photography
2. University of Stanford David Rumsey Map Center, where Jason Barish was the Project Manager. Source: David Wakely Photography

Interested in seeing how Ideate Software tools can help you achieve your goals? Visit our website for more information, explore the tools with a free trial version, or subscribe today.
 

Thank you to those who attended the recent 30-minute Ideate Software webinar with step-by-step instructions on how to use:

•    Ideate BIMLink to coordinate revisions across linked files and create an issuance list
•    Ideate Sticky to display revision summary information on a sheet in Revit

This webinar covered Revit Revision Basics plus detailed information on using Ideate BIMLink and Ideate Sticky to improve the process. If you missed the presentation, would like to see it again, or know someone else that may enjoy it, here’s a link to the recording. 

In addition to the more detailed webinar recording, we have a 13-minute video that outlines the process.

Visit our website for more information on our applications. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Richard W. Taylor, Associate AIA – Technical Evangelist 
Richard has more than 30 years of experience working for companies that develop architectural and engineering software solutions, such as Intergraph, Bentley, and Autodesk. He has over 18 years of Revit experience, and he was part of the original development of Revit while at Revit Technology Corporation. He worked for 12 years at Autodesk, where he presented, taught, and worked to improve features in Revit. Richard holds both a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. As Technical Evangelist, Richard works with AECO clients worldwide, developing and consulting on BIM solutions. Find Richard on Twitter.

We love it when customers ask questions about using our applications for Revit software. 

Recently, I heard from a customer that wanted to manage both the text leader location and text alignment in Ideate BIMLink in order to comply with a company standard where all text has a left alignment and leaders at the left are at the top and leaders to the right are at the bottom. She explained that the challenge is when the text is moved to the other side of an element, it’s imperative that the leader placement moves as well. She wanted to select all the text in a project and set a default location for the leader that would stick even if someone moved the text. 

    
This workflow is currently possible in Ideate BIMLink via the use of these Text fields: Horizontal Alignment, Left Attachment, and Right Attachment as shown below. Note: The two Attachment fields are only referenced when a leader line is used with the text.

As we reviewed the workflow, we noticed that the values for the Left and Right Attachment were numbers, not the expected values of “Top, Middle, Bottom.” Agreeing that this would be a nice improvement, I filed a change order, which will be available in our next release. The improved values are shown below for reference.

Existing Ideate BIMLink customers can download a sample link today to try this out.

Have a question about how to use our software to achieve a specific goal? Let us know. If the solution exists, we’ll walk you through it. If it doesn’t, we’ll help you with a work-around and consider adding it in a future release. 

Visit our website for more information on Ideate Explorer and our other applications. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Glynnis Patterson, NCARB – Director of Software Development
Glynnis is a registered architect and has worked within the building information modeling (BIM) industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is the Director of Software Development Services and continues to work with AECO clients worldwide, developing, and consulting on solutions to BIM challenges. In her spare time, Glynnis volunteers for the local high school and with growitgreenmorristown.org. Find Glynnis on LinkedIn.

We have had an Ideate BIMLink revision workflow for Revit for quite some time.  A recent blog post by my colleague Sash Kazeminejad explains the process quite well.

We even have an in-depth topic in our online Help that explains the process quite thoroughly. As a bonus to Ideate BIMLink customers, they can request an Excel macro template and dataset that supports the automation of a Document Issuance Record. The resultant Excel file is organized as a matrix with the Sheets as Rows with the Revision dates and per Sheet numbering as the Columns.

We recently had an excellent question from one of our customers, KEO International Consultants, regarding that specific Excel macro template. He was trying to add custom columns to the Excel template immediately to the left of the Ideate BIMLink generated sequence data. We have instructions and setup within the Excel document to explain that the number of columns needs to be set to the left of the sequence data. This number will be set based on the added columns or properties, but we failed to mention that the columns also need to be added to the DIR tab within the Excel spreadsheet. With that little tidbit of information, KEO International Consultants was in Revit Revision heaven, if there is such a place!

“I added the additional columns to the DIR sheet and now it is working as expected. Thank you for the great support and the fantastic software.”
~Robert L. Fernandez, BIM Manager – Design, KEO International Consultants

Thank you Robert for bringing this question to us! We have now added this important step to our process. 

Here’s the process:

On the setup tab of the Excel Macro, the columns left of Sequence Data will calculate the proper number based on the columns to the left of the sequence data.

In my example, I’ve added 4 properties before the sequence data, so the Columns Left of Sequence Data will automatically be set to 4.  (A quick way to think about this is that EACH property is a column within Excel.)

Now here is the critical part. For my example, the Sheet Number, Sheet Name, Checked By, and Current Owner MUST be added to the DIR Excel tab as columns in order for the Excel file to work properly.

For more in-depth information about managing Revit Sheet-based revisions with Ideate BIMLink, please sign up for my webinar on the topic on February 21st.

Visit our website for more information on our applications. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Richard W. Taylor, Associate AIA – Technical Evangelist 
Richard has more than 30 years of experience working for companies that develop architectural and engineering software solutions, such as Intergraph, Bentley, and Autodesk. He has over 18 years of Revit experience, and he was part of the original development of Revit while at Revit Technology Corporation. He worked for 12 years at Autodesk, where he presented, taught, and worked to improve features in Revit. Richard holds both a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. As Technical Evangelist, Richard works with AECO clients worldwide, developing and consulting on BIM solutions. Find Richard on Twitter.