Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 No Experience Required - part 27 doc

Chapter 5 • Dimensioning and Annotating 234 11. Select the text. 12. On the Options Format panel, review the choices you have to add a leader to the text. FIGURE 5.48 To place leader-less text, you must pick a window. 13. Click the Add Left Side Straight Leader button, as shown in Figure 5.49. It adds a leader to the left end of the text. 14. By clicking the grips and moving the text around, configure the text and the leader to resemble Figure 5.49. FIGURE 5.49 Adding and stretching a leader Placing Text and Annotations 235 Adding Leader Text You can add text to a model by placing a leader first and then adding the text within the same command. Although in Revit you can add leaders to all text, you can choose to add text to a model with or without a leader. The objective of the following steps is to place text with a leader: 1. On the Basics Text panel of the Annotate tab, select the Text button. 2. On the Options bar, click the Two Segments button, as shown in Figure 5.50. 3. Pick a point near the radial wall, as shown in Figure 5.50. 4. Pick a second point similar to “2” shown in Figure 5.50. 5. Pick a third point just to the right of the second point. 6. Type FULL HEIGHT RADIAL WALL. 7. Click an area outside of the text. FIGURE 5.50 Adding a piece of leader text Now that you can add text to a model, it is time to investigate how to modify the text after you add it. We can start with that arrowhead on the end of the leader. Chapter 5 • Dimensioning and Annotating 236 Changing the Leader Type It almost seems as though Revit uses the ugliest leader as a default, forcing you to change it immediately. The large arrowhead you see in Figure 5.50 is not the only arrowhead Revit provides—had that been the case, Revit would never have even gotten off the ground! To change the arrowhead that Revit uses with a text item, follow this procedure: 1. On the Text panel of the Annotate tab, you will see a small arrow pointing down and to the right, as shown in Figure 5.51. Click it. 2. Change the Leader Arrowhead parameter to Arrow Filled 15 Degree, as shown in Figure 5.51. 3. Click OK. FIGURE 5.51 Changing the leader arrowhead TIP You will not always have to change your leader. You should set up leaders in your template before you begin. Refer to Chapter 23, “BIM Management,” for management issues regarding templates. Now that’s a handsome-looking arrowhead. The next item to address is how to modify the placement of text after you add it to the model. Placing Text and Annotations 237 Modifying the Text Placement With any text item in Revit, you can select the text in your model, and you will see grips for adjusting text: two grips on the text box, two on the leader, and a rotate icon. Your next objective is to modify the text placement and to make the necessary adjustments. 1. Select the text you just added to the model. 2. Pick the right blue grip. 3. Stretch the text window to the left until it forces the text to wrap, as shown in Figure 5.52. Observe the rotate icon. You don’t need to rotate the text here, but notice it is there for future reference. FIGURE 5.52 Wrapping the text using the right grip Modifying the placement of text is a straightforward process. Changing the actual font and size of the text in a model is another story, and involves further investigation. Text Properties Of course, you can change the font for text. You can also change the height and the width. Keep in mind, however, that the text height you specify is the actual text height you want to see on the sheet. You no longer have to multiply the desired text height to a line type scale. Revit understands that text is scaled based on the view’s scale. This process is eliminated for you. To modify the text appearance, run through the following procedure: 1. Pick the Text Types arrow in the corner of the Text panel as you did when you changed the leader type. Chapter 5 • Dimensioning and Annotating 238 2. Click Duplicate. 3. Call the new text 3/16 ″ Tahoma. 4. Click OK. 5. Change the Text Font setting to Tahoma. 6. Change the Text Size setting to 3/16 ″ (see Figure 5.53). 7. Change the Width Factor setting to .8. 8. Click OK twice. FIGURE 5.53 Changing the text values in the Type Properties dialog You have now successfully changed the text. Of course, this large, nonuniform text is not proper in this context. You can change that easily: 1. Select the text you just changed to Tahoma. 2. In the Type Properties dialog menu on the Options bar, select 3/32″ Arial. This will change the text back to the Arial text, keeping the new text type available for another time. Are You Experienced? 239 i W a n t t o C h a n g e a b u n C h o F t e x t a t o n C e ! Now you can. New to Revit 2011, you can use the new Find/Replace feature, shown here: Are You Experienced? Now you can… add a multitude of different types of dimensions to your model by  simply altering the options associated with the dimension command equally constrain items in a model by adding a string of dimensions  and clicking the EQ button use your dimensions as a layout tool, keeping the items constrained  even after the dimension is deleted add text to a model by starting either with a leader or just a para- graph of text change the text type and arrowhead type for leader text Revit does not use an SHX font. As a mat- ter of fact, SHX can- not be used at all in Revit. It was invented by Autodesk, but only works with AutoCAD. Keep this in mind when you are setting up your company’s templates. If you are using an SHX font, you will need to find an alternate font, or allow Revit to convert it to Arial. If not, this will cause issues in text formatting. O CHAPTER 6 Floors It is going to be hard to convince you that floors are easy when an entire chapter is dedicated to this lone aspect of Revit Architecture. Well, floors are easy. The reason I’m dedicating an entire chapter to the subject is because we need to address a lot of aspects about floors. Placing a floor slab  Building a floor by layers  Splitting the floor materials  Pitching a floor to a floor drain  Creating shaft openings  Chapter 6 • Floors 242 Placing a Floor Slab Adding a floor to a model is quite simple indeed, but in Revit Architecture, we are truly modeling this floor. That means that you can include the structure and the finish when you create your floor. When you cut a section through this floor, you get an almost perfect representation of your floor system and how it relates to adjacent geometry, such as walls. Floors, of course, are more than large slabs of concrete; therefore, you’ll also be introduced to creating materials, and you’ll learn how to pitch these materi- als to floor drains. Further, you will examine how to create sloped slabs as well. The first area we will explore is how to place a slab into your model. It is as simple as it sounds, but you must follow certain steps, which I’ll outline next. As you’ve learned up to this point, in Revit Architecture you do need to add items the way Revit wants you to add them, or you will probably generate errors or, worse, inaccuracies in your model. To begin, open the file you have been following along with. If you did not complete the previous chapter, go to the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/ revit2011ner. From there you can browse to Chapter 6 and find the file called NER-19.rvt. The objective of the following procedure is to create a floor slab to be placed into the model: 1. In your Project Browser, go to the Level 1 floor plan. 2. In the Level 1 floor plan, zoom in to the west wing. 3. On the Home tab, select the Floor button, as shown in Figure 6.1. 4. In the Properties dialog, switch from Floor Plan: Level 1 to Floors, as shown in Figure 6.2. 5. At the top-right of the dialog, you will see an Edit Type button. Click it (see Figure 6.3). You are now accessing the Type Properties. This means that any change you make here will affect every slab of this type in the entire model. TIP At this point, you always want to either create a new floor system or rename the current one. This will avert much confusion down the line when you have a floor called Generic - 12″ and it is actually a 6″ concrete slab on grade. Placing a Floor Slab 243 6. Click the Rename button, as shown in Figure 6.4. 7. Call it 6 ″ Slab on Grade. 8. Click OK. 9. Change Function to Exterior, as shown in Figure 6.5. 10. In the Structure row, there is a long Edit button, as shown in Figure 6.5. Click it. FIGURE 6.1 The Floor button on the Home tab FIGURE 6.2 Changing the focus of the properties . or just a para- graph of text change the text type and arrowhead type for leader text Revit does not use an SHX font. As a mat- ter of fact, SHX can- not be used at all in Revit. It was. the new text type available for another time. Are You Experienced? 239 i W a n t t o C h a n g e a b u n C h o F t e x t a t o n C e ! Now you can. New to Revit 2011, you can use the new Find/Replace. you see in Figure 5.50 is not the only arrowhead Revit provides—had that been the case, Revit would never have even gotten off the ground! To change the arrowhead that Revit uses with a text item,