5 Architectural Elements
SITE MODELING
The Massing & Site tools will allow modeling site context for situating a project.
This section covers basic techniques for modeling site topography, creating a building pad, and creating landscape site objects using Revit (Figure 5.2).
creatinga tOPOgraPhy
There are two main ways to create site topography within Revit: by manually placing points or by importing a computer-aided design (CAD) file with topographical data.
Before starting, select and make active the Site view from the Project Browser under the Floor Plans category.
Placing POintS
The simplest way to model topography is to place points that will define and interpolate a surface based on their elevation. It is advisable to create some reference geometry beforehand to snap to using detail lines that will help you create an accu-rate outline. Found under the Annotate tab Detail panel Detail Line, this type of two-dimensional (2D) line will only be visible in the active view. After sketching the topography outline, invoke the Massing & Site tab Model Site panel Toposurface command, which will enter Modify | Edit Surface mode (Figure 5.3).
Using the Place Points tool, insert points while snapping to the outer corners of your topography boundary. Please note the Elevation value in the Options Bar that you can enter as you place the points; alternatively, one can place all points first FIGURE 5.2 Massing and Site tab.
FIGURE 5.1 Architecture tab.
FIGURE 5.3 Modify | Edit Surface mode.
and change the Elevation parameter for each point individually in the Properties panel. If you need more detail, you can insert more points where needed; when you complete the command, Revit will create a surface that fits through all your placed points, as well as generate the contour lines.
iMPOrtingthe cad File
The second approach involves importing existing CAD data with contour lines that are correct in elevation, then using those data to generate the topography. To do this, you must import the CAD file first using the Insert tab Import panel Import CAD command with the Site view active. This will bring up the Import CAD Formats dialog box (Figure 5.4), which will allow you to browse to your saved CAD file. Please note the available import options regarding the color, units, and positioning of the imported geometry.
Invoke the Massing & Site tab Model Site panel Toposurface command to enter Modify | Edit Surface mode. This time, use the Create from Import drop-down Select Import Instance (see Figure 5.5) tool and select your imported
FIGURE 5.4 Import CAD Formats dialog box.
FIGURE 5.5 Generating a toposurface from imported CAD file.
contour instance. Check the layers that you want to import data from and Revit will insert points based on the data provided. Compete the command and the topography will be generated; you may select the imported contour instance and delete it at this point. Note that you may assign a Material parameter to the topography in the Properties panel.
If for some reason you wish to take your initial toposurface and separate it into smaller entities for editing purposes, you may use the Split Surface tool to do so.
You may also use the Merge Surfaces tool to combine them back together but be aware that, depending on how you edited the surfaces, it may be difficult to merge them cleanly. Invoke the Massing & Site tab Modify Site panel Split Surface command to enter Modify | Split Surface mode. As always, you may use the sketch-ing tool box to draw an open curve to specify a division line or a closed loop if it is an area within the larger toposurface you wish to split. To merge two surfaces, simply invoke the Massing & Site tab Modify Site panel Merge Surface command and pick the two surfaces you wish to merge.
creatinga Building Pad
A building pad is a unique object in Revit that is defined similarly to a floor, except that it is used to cut into (or fill) topography to provide a flat surface for the bottom floors of the building to sit on. It is generally associated with the level 1 reference plane (unless you change it), and you specify an offset distance. Please note that you may have multiple building pads at different levels in the same site topogra-phy, but they cannot overlap. They can, however, share the same edge. You may also specify an overall slope for the pad while you are editing the boundary. Invoke the Massing & Site tab Model Site panel Building Pad command to enter Modify | Create Pad Boundary mode (Figure 5.6). Here, you may use the sketching tool box to create the outline for the building pad, as well as use the Slope Arrow tool to specify a slope if necessary. Use the Constraints in the Properties panel to change the Thickness of the pad, the Height Offset for the whole pad, or the Height Offset for the Tail/Head of the Slope Arrow.
landScaPeand Site OBjectS
Adding site components is identical to adding furniture, doors, or any other hosted objects. Because these generally are trees, shrubbery, or landscape elements such as lampposts, they are generally inserted onto the site topography.
To place Site objects, invoke the Massing & Site tab Model Site panel Site Component command. Revit will automatically prompt the placement of the last active component family (Figure 5.7). Choose the Modify | Site Component Load Family tool to bring up the Load Family dialog box, where you can browse to any saved RFA family files (default location for greenery is in the Program Files/
RVT 2014/Libraries/Planting folder). These families can then be accessed through the Family Type drop-down in the Properties panel. Note that you can specify its hosted level as well as offset distance, rotate it after placement, or go into the Edit Type properties to change the height parameters for the tree.
FIGURE 5.6 Sketching a building pad outline/finished building pad. (Continued)
FIGURE 5.6 (Continued) Sketching a building pad outline/finished building pad.
FIGURE 5.7 Placing Site objects.
SuBregiOnS
Subregions are used when you simply wish to change the surface material type of a specific region that lays on a toposurface. Good examples for this are roads, walkways, swimming pools, and ponds, where the surface material changes but will follow the topography. To create a subregion, activate the Site plan and invoke the Massing & Site tab Modify Site panel Subregion command to start the Modify | Create Subregion Boundary mode. Use the sketching tool box to create the desired subregion boundary; please note that the sketch for the boundary must be a closed loop.
After finishing the command, you will be able to select the subregion (use Tab to cycle through selections) and apply a separate material parameter to it in the Properties panel. Note that the subregion is still considered part of the toposurface, and editing the toposurface will also affect the subregion as well.