July 26, 2016

Attention Bay Area Foodies – Five New Choices from Boor Bridges Architecture

We take great pride in our customers. While they’re planning, designing, building, and operating structures that enhance our communities, we’re providing BIM guidance, consulting, training, and support that help them complete their projects efficiently.

Today we celebrate our long-time customer Boor Bridges Architecture. Headquartered in San Francisco, Boor Bridges Architecture works on a diverse range of projects, including restaurants, community spaces, residences, and offices. They bring a sustainable perspective and proficiency in energy-efficient building systems to every project. Over the past several months, the company has completed five new eating establishments that foodies across the Bay Area will be excited to hear about:

Sightglass Café offers San Francisco Museum of Modern Art visitors a tranquil space to relax, reflect, and rejuvenate with coffee and light bites.



Mister Jiu’s is a destination restaurant serving high-end Chinese cuisine with a California accent in a restored historic space.

Waxman’s is located in historic Ghirardelli Square. Its chef, Bay Area native Jonathan Waxman, was recently named Best Chef in New York by the James Beard Foundation.


Little Gem is a casual destination that features a bar, shelves, and ledges made from a reclaimed American elm from Marin. The restaurant was added Michael Bauer’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants shortly after opening.


Flatiron Wines & Spirits serves an amazing, extensive, and superbly curated collection of wines and spirits in two beautiful tasting rooms.



When you are in San Francisco, be sure to take in the sights – and tastes – of these five new establishments.

July 25, 2016

e-Learning - Upcoming Revit, Civil 3D and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
7.26::Revit 201:
Working with Wall Types
7.27::Revit 201:
Leveraging Design Options
7.28::Ideate Software:
Audit Your Revit Projects with
Ideate Explorer
8.4::Ideate Software:
Streamline Revit MEP Workflows with
Ideate BIMLink
8.5::Revit 201:
Revit MEP and Low Voltage Systems
8.9::Infrastructure 201:
Civil 3D-Settings and Styles
8.11::Ideate Software:
Display Non-BIM Data with
Ideate Sticky
8.12::Revit 201:
Revit Server
8.25::Ideate Software:
Simplify Revit Model Management with
Ideate BIMLink
Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com.

Get It. Know It. Use It.

Classroom Training - Open Revit MEP, Civil 3D, Revit Architecture and AutoCAD Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.
8.2-8.3::Sacramento
Civil 3D for Surveyors
8.2-8.4::Seattle
AutoCAD Fundamentals
8.2-8.4::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
8.16-8.18::Sacramento
AutoCAD Fundamentals
8.16-8.18::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals
8.22-8.31*::Online
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
*Course is scheduled over 6 (4 hour) non-consecutive virtual sessions.
8.23-8.25::San Jose
Civil 3D Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com.

July 21, 2016

Creating Revit Starting Views Using Ideate Sticky & Titleblocks

Having worked with many customers on their BIM workflows and on my own BIM-related projects, one feature I see underused or not used at all, is the Revit Starting View. Especially when combined with a Titleblock and Ideate Sticky, Starting View can be an extremely powerful feature, ensuring team members office-wide have the latest project information.

Starting View allows you to assign a default view Revit will defer to as a starting point when a project file is opened. Even if you save on a completely different view before exiting your file, Revit will open to the Starting View you specifically assign. It is a great way to open directly to a view you are familiar with and want to work from. 

But, choosing your Starting View strategically, matters. 


Most of the Starting Views I have encountered along my way are project landing pages. These landing pages may contain information such as the client name and address, major milestone dates, notes to the team, and other important details related to the project. Unfortunately, most are also created as Drafting Views, which is a missed opportunity; project information is manually entered as a text note, and usually does not correlate to any of the information you see on a Titleblock. So, I say: why not use a customized Titleblock as your Starting View, instead? 

Using a Titleblock as a Starting View means you can add project based information and all edits will automatically propagate throughout your entire project! Additionally, you can add hyperlinks that direct users to project information, such as your BIM Execution Plan or even the Project Directory, itself.

Now throw in Ideate Sticky to get the absolute most out of your Starting View. 


BIM Managers can use Ideate Sticky with their Starting Views and incorporate their Stickies into Revit Templates. One huge advantage of this workflow is the ability to edit a master Sticky with company-wide information, such as current Revit Builds and any other need-to-know project details. When master information is edited, every project in the office will immediately receive an update. When the team opens their Revit projects, they will see the updated information in their Starting View.
To learn more about this workflow and to get some great Starting View tips, be sure to watch my video on the topic.

Thank you for reading. For more information on the software solutions, training and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate Inc. website.

Sash Kazeminejad
AEC Senior Application Specialist 
Sash is a registered Architect and LEED Accredited Professional who holds a Master of Architecture from Montana State University. Sash’s experience includes project management, BIM management, and design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon. As an Autodesk Certified Instructor, Sash provides Revit Architecture training and solutions for AECO firms. @sashpdx 

July 18, 2016

e-Learning - Upcoming Revit and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
7.15::Revit 201:
Revit Phasing A-Z
7.19::Revit 201:
Revit for Interior Designers
7.26::Revit 201:
Working with Wall Types
7.27::Revit 201:
Leveraging Design Options
7.28::Ideate Software:
Audit Your Revit Projects with
Ideate Explorer
8.4::Ideate Software:
Streamline Revit MEP Workflows with
Ideate BIMLink
8.11::Ideate Software:
Display Non-BIM Data with
Ideate Sticky
8.25::Ideate Software:
Simplify Revit Model Management with
Ideate BIMLink
Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com.

Get It. Know It. Use It.

Revit 2017: Simplify Models with Revit Parts

I am excited to share a new workflow with you Ideate developed when a valued customer asked the following:

"What is the best workflow if I am creating a shear wall with furring on each side and need to be able to demolish the furring portion, sometimes just on one side? In addition, I want to control the height of each furring wall separately from the core.

Is my only option to create three walls? This gives me what I want to see, 
graphically and I can adjust the height of each wall independently, but now I have to manage three walls, which can be tedious and time consuming."
After pondering what the customer was trying to achieve, the first thing that came to my mind was “Revit Parts!"

In my opinion, Parts is an underutilized tool that can provide you more flexibility with all of the different pieces of your system family assemblies.

To dive into this new workflow, checkout my short video on how to turn your wall assembly into Parts, allowing you to demolish portions of the wall and control the height of each furring wall individually.

Thank you for reading! For more information on Revit and other Autodesk products, and information on training and consulting for the various products Ideate services, please visit our website.


AEC Application Specialist
Emily Clark holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kansas State University, and has over 19 years of experience in the Architecture industry. Her experience includes working for a number of Architecture and Design/ Build firms in the Western United States. She has been a Project Designer, Intern Architect, BIM Manager and Design Technology Manager. She has contributed to the completion of projects ranging from high–end custom residential to Education and Healthcare design. She has worked with multiple platforms and her passion for BIM has enabled her to help transition firms and advance with technology. At Ideate, Emily provides training and support for Revit Architecture.

Classroom Training - Open Revit MEP, Civil 3D, Revit Architecture and AutoCAD Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.
7.26-7.27::Portland
Revit MEP - Electrical Fundamentals
7.26-7.27::San Jose
Civil 3D for Surveyors
7.26-7.27::San Francisco
AutoCAD Beyond the Basics
7.28-7.29::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
8.2-8.4::Seattle
AutoCAD Fundamentals
8.2-8.3::San Francisco
Civil 3D for Surveyors
Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com

July 14, 2016

Revit 2017: Reinforcement Connectors

Hi folks, IX here, one of the senior application specialists at Ideate, Inc. I'm back with more talk on reinforcement in Revit 2017.

Another one of my top five features in Revit 2017 is the ability to add 3D reinforcement connector modeling elements to my project. This new feature will improve the level of detail for reinforcement modeling and documentation.

The Reinforcement Connectors are family-based and fully customizable, enabling each team member the ability to use them according to his/her needs, whether it be in schematic design for the structural engineers or shop drawings for the detailers. Rebar Connectors interact with the rebar that they connect to and adapt to changes with the rebar. Additionally, you can add the connectors to groups, assemblies, and partitions with unique coupler numbering. Like other Revit elements will exported to various CAD formats.
To see this new feature in action, check out this short video, Revit Structure 2017: Reinforcement Connectors.

Cheers,
IX


Thank you for reading. For more information on the software solutions, training and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate Inc. website.

Eugene O'Day, IX
AEC Senior Application Specialist
Eugene A. O’Day, IX, with more than 25 years of architectural and mechanical experience, offers a trained focus on all things Revit and BIM. Teaching is a passion of his. Eugene has been an instructor in undergraduate degree programs, has traveled worldwide teaching Autodesk solutions to major corporations, has taught at accredited ATCs throughout the Northwestern region, and is a frequent and popular instructor, speaker, and presenter for AUGI® CAD Camps, Revit – and related product user groups. He has also been a trusted public school district advisor on new drafting instructor hires. At Ideate, Eugene provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and AutoCAD. Eugene is also a Revit Architecture Autodesk Certified Professional.

July 12, 2016

Revit 2017: New Text Editor Features

By now you've likely already started to play with the exciting new features in Revit 2017's Edit Text contextual ribbon, but I wanted to take this opportunity to provide a quick reference guide for you to use as you continue to familiarize yourself with these helpful additions. In this spirit, I will walk you through the new features, giving you a bird's-eye view of what helpful text editing tools have been added to Revit 2017. 

The New Edit Text Contextual Ribbon
Undo Panel
The Undo Panel allows the undo or redo of a change made to the text without canceling out of the text editing command.
Clipboard Panel
The Clipboard Panel allows the cutting, copying and pasting of text. In previous versions of Revit, the clipboard panel was located in the Modify/Text Notes ribbon and used for cutting, copying and pasting the entire note, as well as cutting, copying and pasting text within a note. Revit 2017 has simplified this by adding a clipboard panel within the Edit Text ribbon, dedicated specifically to editing text within a note.
Font Panel
The Font Panel contains tools for changing text to subscript, superscript, and toggling text from all caps to lower case and vice versa. The new Font Panel also contains some tools from previous versions such the Bold, Italic and Underline, which have been relocated for more efficient editing.
Paragraph Panel
The Paragraph Panel contains tools for creating multilevel lists. Some of the tools are from previous versions - such as the bulleting tools used for removing and adding bullet symbols, numbers, capital and lower case letters. But there are also new tools for creating indentations within text notes, and adjusting already created bullets.
Edit Text Panel
And lastly, there is an Edit Text Panel, which gives users an option to close out of the text editing command. This panel also contains the option to show a border and make the text background opaque when editing.


For a more in depth look at these features, please check out my video, Revit 2017: New Text Editor Features. 

Next, dive into Revit 2017 Text Size Changes with Ideate's Ben Bishoff. 

Thank you for reading. For more information on the software solutions, training and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate Inc. website.

Katrina Rodriguez
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Katrina is an AEC application specialist at the Ideate, Inc. San Francisco office. She is a California–licensed architect with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of the Philippines. Katrina has over 18 years of experience in the AEC industry with a focus on both commercial and hospitality projects. She is also a Revit Certified Professional with over 8 years of experience utilizing the software on both small and large scale projects, from programming to project close out.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

July 11, 2016

e-Learning - Upcoming Revit and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
7.12::Revit 201:
Shared Parameters and Schedules in Revit MEP
7.14::Ideate Software:
Simplify Revit Model Management with
Ideate BIMLink
7.15::Revit 201:
Revit Phasing A-Z
7.19::Revit 201:
Revit for Interior Designers
7.26::Revit 201:
Working with Wall Types
7.27::Revit 201:
Leveraging Design Options
7.28::Ideate Software:
Audit Your Revit Projects with
Ideate Explorer
8.4::Ideate Software:
Streamline Revit MEP Workflows with
Ideate BIMLink
Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com.

Get It. Know It. Use It.

Classroom Training - Open Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, AutoCAD and AutoCAD Civil3D Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.
7.18-7.20::San Francisco
Civil 3D Fundamentals
7.19-7.21::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
7.19-7.21::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
7.26-7.27::Portland
Revit MEP - Electrical Fundamentals
7.26-7.27::San Jose
Civil 3D for Surveyors
7.26-7.27::San Francisco
AutoCAD Beyond the Basics
Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com

July 6, 2016

e-Learning - Upcoming Revit, Revit MEP, and Ideate Software Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.
7.7::Ideate Software:
Introduction to
Ideate Sticky
7.12::Revit 201:
Shared Parameters and Schedules in Revit MEP
7.14::Ideate Software:
Simplify Revit Model Management with
Ideate BIMLink
7.15::Revit 201:
Revit Phasing A-Z
7.19::Revit 201:
Revit for Interior Designers
7.28::Ideate Software:
Audit Your Revit Projects with
Ideate Explorer
8.4::Ideate Software:
Streamline Revit MEP Workflows with
Ideate BIMLink
Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com.

Get It. Know It. Use It.

Classroom Training - Open Revit Architecture, AutoCAD, Revit MEP, and Civil3D Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.
7.12-7.14::San Jose
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
7.18-7.20::San Francisco
Civil 3D Fundamentals
7.19-7.21::Sacramento
AutoCAD Fundamentals
7.19-7.21::San Francisco
Revit Architecture
Fundamentals
7.26-7.27::Portland
Revit MEP - Electrical Fundamentals
7.28-7.29::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
Know your software. Sign up now! 

Contact the Ideate Training Department at 888.662.7238 x1012 or education@ideateinc.com