Ideate Software developer Michael Coffey is one of the primary team members behind the 2024 IdeateApps release, namely Ideate Annotate, Ideate Xray, and Ideate ReNumber. With a background in programming and training at one of the world’s leading architecture firms, his customer-side experience adds invaluable perspective to the latest Ideate Software versions. Here he tells us about his transition to the technology side of architecture and highlights some of his favorite new IdeateApps features.
Favorite Features in Annotate, Xray and ReNumber from IdeateApps Software Developer Michael Coffey
You recently transitioned from the design side of architecture to the technology side. What inspired you to take the leap?
Before joining Ideate Software in 2020, I worked as an architect for a global architecture firm managing and documenting Revit workflows, leading BIM management trainings, and using C# to program a company-wide toolbar inside Revit. I had discovered my passion for the technology side of the business, and joining Ideate Software was a natural next step. At Ideate Software, my first role was the challenging task of improving common UI and Revit interface components that are shared across all Ideate Software products. Later, I began working in IdeateApps and other Ideate Software plugins for Revit, including the 2024 release.
Tagging has been a popular tool in Ideate Annotate. What is exciting about the 2024 Ideate Software release?
Tagging is a feature inside Revit, but we wanted to push beyond it to deliver more efficiency for our customers. Instead of opening each view and individually tagging them, Ideate Software has added the capability to tag in multiple views all at once. It’s a huge time-saver. We also added the option to specify the location of the tag, allowing users to create rules, and consequentially, standardize all project documents.
Tip #1:
- Use filtering to select specific families for tagging.
- Access the rules that ship with Ideate Software or write your own.
- For example, in a renovation, set the filter to tag only new doors.
Tip #2:
- Tag elements in linked models, in addition to local elements.
Use the filtering component to dial in which elements are tagged.
Ideate Xray has become a valuable training tool to help users master visibility issues in Revit. How does it work?
Revit exposes users to a wide breadth of modeling and documentation scenarios. Invisible elements can be a time-consuming problem that can bog people down while they uncover why a particular element is not showing in a particular view. Xray eliminates that pressure by providing a documentation-rich tool that quickly gets users to solutions.
Tip #3:
· Use Xray to find invisible elements and read the popup snapshot to learn why the element is invisible.
· From the snapshot, users can click though to more in-depth documentation and learn how to fix the invisibility issue.
Ideate ReNumber experienced a major update this year. What can users look forward to?
Similar to filtering in Ideate Annotate, in Ideate ReNumber, we added the ability to renumber certain items instead of having to rework all elements. This has a particular value in parking. Instead of renumbering everything when parking configurations change, users can renumber targeted parking spaces or sections.
Tip #4:
- Renumber a selection of parking spaces or sections using the filters in ReNumber.
- Alternately, draw a line across specified parking spaces to set a numbering direction, then easily change it by moving the line.
Download IdeateApps and the entire Ideate Software suite today to discover the power and efficiency of Ideate Annotate, Ideate Xray, Ideate ReNumber. Then search our
Resource Library for additional tips from Ideate Software developers.
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