The insidious function of Revit is a didactic one, à la Buckminster Fuller. It chides us to answer questions that no other design tool, professor, or client ever has. If you want to drop a toilet in a floor plan, what kind of toilet is it? What is the flushing mechanism? How many drainage fixture units? What the hell is a fixture unit??? It antagonizes me to Google "flush types" whence I discover that Kohler offers 8 different mechanisms for flushing:
Would you be a better architect if every time Revit asked you a question, you answered it?
archanonymous
Jun 22, 16 4:56 pm
no.
David Cole, AIA
Jun 22, 16 5:00 pm
.
chigurh
Jun 22, 16 5:01 pm
no.
Is being an expert on a toilet going to make your design better?
Let the plumber worry about the shitter mechanics - just figure out if it is going on the wall or floor what color it is and if the size fits where it needs to go. Know a little bit about the waste line and supply required. Generalist on everything is key.
tduds
Jun 22, 16 5:09 pm
..
archanonymous
Jun 22, 16 5:12 pm
if you wish to make a shit, you must first eat an apple pie.
archanonymous
Jun 22, 16 5:14 pm
Although Tim, maybe we are just all inferior to you.
You just need to know where to be vague and where to be specific. It's not really that hard.
midlander
Jun 22, 16 9:22 pm
somewhere along the line someone actually does have to select what toilets get ordered and installed. if you don't want to be that guy, be good at something more valuable.
revit has many baffling flaws, but not this. the surreal distinction between curtain walls and curtain systems is more challenging...
awaiting_deletion
Jun 22, 16 9:25 pm
you would be a better architect if knew the answer to what Revit was asking you. The question should be - why does Revit know more about how buildings are put together than you do?
"To be fair to the slats, it's not just fences. There's a whole flipper design element starter set: a fresh gray paint job, san serif minimalist address numbers, or a Nightmare on Elm Street blood-red door. You can pick and choose or get the combo. Either way, if you see any of these telltale symbols, odds are the house has recently changed hands or will be soon. And there's a high chance that if you go inside, you'll see subway tile, exposed bulb fixtures, or a farmhouse sink in the kitchen. And in the backyard, there's at pretty good chance you'll find a gas fire pit."
Tim Stuart
Jun 23, 16 1:07 am
...so like tonight for example, I was working on an as-built of a 1933 masonry building with a flat roof supported by a truss system and I was confronted with this:
It seems that for a flat roof, there are 3 basic types of truss : Pratt, Howe & Warren.
What is Revit asking you?
Jun 23, 16 2:25 am
Tim,
I would second from looking at the Architect's and Builder's Handbook by Frank E. Kidder & Harry Parker 1931 edition which is about the closest edition at the time that would be out in the hands when the building was designed. If the building was built in 1933, it was probably designed 1931/1932 which mean this would be the newest edition of this book at the time.
You'd have various configurations of Howe, Pratt, and Warren truss types.
archanonymous
Jun 23, 16 11:03 am
I think this is a real red-herring, especially in this case. Do you really think whatever truss is in the building will be identical to the one in Revit? Of course not. The only way to know for sure is to get up there and precisely measure it. But we're not going to do that because it is impossible... even if you could, you would need to measure every truss individually and account for differences...
It is infinitely easier to design and plan for uncertainty and tolerance in the assemblies. Anytime you go into a perfectly detailed space with amazing fit and finish, it isn't because they designed and modeled everything obsessively, it is because they planned for tolerance and adjustment in the assembly and had competent and careful craftspeople putting it together.
The insidious function of Revit is a didactic one, à la Buckminster Fuller. It chides us to answer questions that no other design tool, professor, or client ever has. If you want to drop a toilet in a floor plan, what kind of toilet is it? What is the flushing mechanism? How many drainage fixture units? What the hell is a fixture unit??? It antagonizes me to Google "flush types" whence I discover that Kohler offers 8 different mechanisms for flushing:
http://www.us.kohler.com/us/How-to-Shop-Bathroom-Products-How-to-Shop-for-Toilets/content/CNT800391.htm?locale=en_US&subSecId=CNT110400089#GRAVITY_LEARNMORE
Would you be a better architect if every time Revit asked you a question, you answered it?
no.
no.
Is being an expert on a toilet going to make your design better?
Let the plumber worry about the shitter mechanics - just figure out if it is going on the wall or floor what color it is and if the size fits where it needs to go. Know a little bit about the waste line and supply required. Generalist on everything is key.
..
if you wish to make a shit, you must first eat an apple pie.
Although Tim, maybe we are just all inferior to you.
"Simply put, I have been blessed/cursed with a standard of perfection for your project that is much higher than your own."
That green door is the wrong shade of green.
You just need to know where to be vague and where to be specific. It's not really that hard.
somewhere along the line someone actually does have to select what toilets get ordered and installed. if you don't want to be that guy, be good at something more valuable.
revit has many baffling flaws, but not this. the surreal distinction between curtain walls and curtain systems is more challenging...
you would be a better architect if knew the answer to what Revit was asking you. The question should be - why does Revit know more about how buildings are put together than you do?
Why do you always have to shit after apple pie?
josh, you might enjoy this: http://laist.com/2016/05/04/wooden_slat_fences.php
"To be fair to the slats, it's not just fences. There's a whole flipper design element starter set: a fresh gray paint job, san serif minimalist address numbers, or a Nightmare on Elm Street blood-red door. You can pick and choose or get the combo. Either way, if you see any of these telltale symbols, odds are the house has recently changed hands or will be soon. And there's a high chance that if you go inside, you'll see subway tile, exposed bulb fixtures, or a farmhouse sink in the kitchen. And in the backyard, there's at pretty good chance you'll find a gas fire pit."
...so like tonight for example, I was working on an as-built of a 1933 masonry building with a flat roof supported by a truss system and I was confronted with this:
It seems that for a flat roof, there are 3 basic types of truss : Pratt, Howe & Warren.
What is Revit asking you?
Tim,
I would second from looking at the Architect's and Builder's Handbook by Frank E. Kidder & Harry Parker 1931 edition which is about the closest edition at the time that would be out in the hands when the building was designed. If the building was built in 1933, it was probably designed 1931/1932 which mean this would be the newest edition of this book at the time.
You'd have various configurations of Howe, Pratt, and Warren truss types.
I think this is a real red-herring, especially in this case. Do you really think whatever truss is in the building will be identical to the one in Revit? Of course not. The only way to know for sure is to get up there and precisely measure it. But we're not going to do that because it is impossible... even if you could, you would need to measure every truss individually and account for differences...
It is infinitely easier to design and plan for uncertainty and tolerance in the assemblies. Anytime you go into a perfectly detailed space with amazing fit and finish, it isn't because they designed and modeled everything obsessively, it is because they planned for tolerance and adjustment in the assembly and had competent and careful craftspeople putting it together.