Adding a Site within Revit

Let’s get cracking. To get started, open the model you’ve been working on. If you missed the previous chapter, go to the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/revit2012ner. From there, you can browse to Chapter 18 and find the file called NER-29.rvt.

The objective of the next procedure is to add a topographical surface by choosing datum points and elevations. Follow along:

1. 1. In the Project Browser, find the floor plan called Site, and open it.
   
2. 2. Type VG for Visibility Graphics.
   
3. 3. On the Annotation Categories tab, deselect Callouts, Elevations, Grids, Matchlines, and Sections, and click OK.
   
4. 4. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Toposurface button, as shown in Figure 18.1.

   

   
   
5. 5. On the Options bar, set the elevation to -2´–6˝ (-750mm) (that’s negative 2´–6˝ (-750mm)).
   
6. 6. Pick points in a pattern to the right half of the building, as shown in Figure 18.2.

   

   
   
7. 7. With the Place Point command still running, set Elevation on the Options bar to -1´–0˝ (-300mm).
   
8. 8. Pick five or six points in a line, similar to Figure 18.3.
   
9. 9. With the Place Point command still running, set Elevation on the Options bar to 2´ (600mm).
   
10. 10. Add a third contour line to the left of the second, as shown in Figure 18.4.
    
11. 11. Click Finish Surface (the green checkmark).
    
12. 12. Select the topographical surface; then, in the Properties dialog, click into the Material field, and click the […] button.
    
13. 13. Choose Site – Grass from the Materials list, and click OK.
    
14. 14. Go to a 3D view and check out your site, as shown in Figure 18.5.

Next, let’s see how you can modify a site after you create it. You’ll have to deal with the fact that the ramps at the west entry are buried in your site now.

Splitting the Surface

1. 1. In the Project Browser, go back to the Site plan.
   
2. 2. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Split Surface button, as shown in Figure 18.7.

   

   
   
3. 3. Select the toposurface.
   
4. 4. Zoom in on the corridor area that links the east and the west wings, as shown in Figure 18.8.

   

   
   
5. 5. On the Draw panel, click the Start – End – Radius Arc button.
   
6. 6. Sketch a perimeter similar to the one in Figure 18.8.
   
7. 7. Click Finish Edit Mode. You now have a new toposurface.

Now you can manipulate this surface without influencing the main topography. This is the ideal situation for creating bumps and berms.

The objective of the next procedure is to raise this toposurface to an elevation of 4´–0˝ (1200mm). You do this by using a point and placing the datum in the middle of the berm. Follow these steps:

1. 1. Select the newly formed toposurface, as shown in Figure 18.9.
   
2. 2. Click the Edit Surface button on the Modify | Topography tab.
   
3. 3. On the Tools panel, click the Place Point button.
   
4. 4. On the Options bar, enter a value of 4´–0˝ (1200mm) in the Elevation field.
   
5. 5. Pick four points near the center of the hill (see Figure 18.9).

   

   
   
6. 6. Click Finish Surface.
   
7. 7. Go to a 3D view, and orbit around so the hill is visible.
   
8. 8. If your hill isn’t brown, select the hill.
   
9. 9. In the Properties dialog, in the Material field, click the […] button.
   
10. 10. In the Materials dialog, select Site – Earth.
    
11. 11. Click OK.
    
12. 12. Deselect the topography. Your site should resemble Figure 18.10.

Well, I think you can see where this is going. When you work with sites, just good to have some kind of procedure. This takes us to our next perplexing situation. Suppose you want to keep the contours and the dips and hills intact, and you only want to specify a new material in a subregion of the main topography. Is this possible? Yes, it is!

Creating Subregions

1. 1. Go to the Site plan.
   
2. 2. Zoom in on the east entry.
   
3. 3. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Subregion button, as shown in Figure 18.11.

   

   
   
4. 4. Change the view to Wireframe again, and start sketching away.
   
5. 5. Draw a region similar to the one shown in Figure 18.12. (It doesn’t have to be exact.) This image shows a parking area with some pedestrian access. The inside of the parking area simply follows the building footprint.
   
6. 6. In the Material row in the Properties, change the material to Site – Asphalt.
   
7. 7. Change the view back to Shaded.
   
8. 8. Go to a 3D view, and compare yours with Figure 18.13.

How did you do? If you aren’t happy with your parking lot layout, go back and redo it.

Not too shabby! There is definitely something missing from this parking lot, though. Perhaps some actual parking spaces would be nice. And a parking island or two would make the parking lot stand out.

Adding Site Components

1. 1. On the Insert tab, click the Load Family button.
   
2. 2. Scroll to the Parking directory. It’s inside the Site folder.
   
3. 3. Load every file in the directory. If you get a Family Already Exists message about Parking Space, click Overwrite The Existing Version.
   
4. 4. In the Project Browser, go to the Site plan.
   
5. 5. In the View Control toolbar, set Visual Style to Shaded.
   
6. 6. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Site Component button, as shown in Figure 18.14.

   

   
   
7. 7. In the Type Selector, select Parking Island – Double Sided 15 Spaces per row.
   
8. 8. In the Properties dialog, change the Parking Width to 51´–6˝ (15,450mm).
   
9. 9. Place the parking island in a location similar to that shown in Figure 18.15. Note that you’ll have to press the spacebar to orientate the component correctly.
   
10. 10. Select the parking component.
    
11. 11. Click the Edit Family button on the Modify | Site tab.
    
12. 12. Select both the curb and the grass.
    
13. 13. In the Properties dialog, click the Edit button in the Visibility/Graphics Overrides row.
    
14. 14. In the Display In 3D Views menu, select all four items.
    
15. 15. Click OK.
    
16. 16. Click the Load Into Project button. Click Overwrite The Existing Version if prompted to do so. Your model should resemble Figure 18.15.

Now that the island is in place, it’s time to add the parking spots. You’ll need an ADA space, and some general parking spaces. Follow along:

1. 1. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Parking Component button.
   
2. 2. Select Parking Space – ADA 9´× 18´ (5´ Aisle).
   
3. 3. Place it as shown in Figure 18.16. You’ll have to press the spacebar three times to rotate it into the correct orientation.

   

   

   
   
4. 4. Click the Parking Component button again.
   
5. 5. Place a Parking Space 9´× 18´ – 90 degrees above the ADA space.
   
6. 6. Copy that space up three times.
   
7. 7. Click the Site Component button.
   
8. 8. Select Parking Symbol – ADA, and place it as shown in Figure 18.17.
   
9. 9. Mirror all the spaces about the midpoint of the island.
   
10. 10. Mirror the entire island and the parking spaces about the building’s center reference plane. Your parking lot is now a parking lot and should resemble Figure 18.17.

Now that the parking lot is to some level of completion, you can add some trees and shrubs to the site. This is going to be a lot easier! Follow these steps:

1. 1. On the Insert tab, click the Load Family button.
   
2. 2. Browse to the Planting folder.
   
3. 3. Select everything available, and load it into the model. Overwrite any existing versions.
   
4. 4. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Site Component button.
   
5. 5. Place trees and shrubs on the parking island and on the berm you created. Notice that the plantings always follow the grade of your site. Be creative.
   
6. 6. Go to a 3D view, and check it out as shown in Figure 18.18.

With all the contours and plantings in place, you need to knock out a small maintenance issue. There is a function that will allow you to automatically add contour labels to the site; this is a great feature in Revit Architecture.

Adding Contour Properties and Labels

Because nothing in Revit Architecture is dumb, and you can take advantage of a topographic surface having some smarts as well. Even the contour lines of a site are smart.

The objective of this procedure is to examine some site settings and throw some labels into the contours. It’s a quick set of steps, but important nonetheless.

To examine the Site Settings, run through the following procedure:

1. 1. Click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the Model Site panel, as shown in Figure 18.19.
   
2. 2. In the Site Settings dialog that opens is a field that contains additional contours. In the Increment panel, change the value 1´ –0˝ (300mm) to 6˝ (150mm) (see Figure 18.19).
   
3. 3. Click OK. Notice that the contours are tighter.

Now that the contours are in place, it’s time to label them. Luckily, a function in Revit allows you to do this in one shot. All you need to do is draw a line specifying the alignment of the contours, and Revit will add the labels automatically.

Follow these steps to add contour labels to the site:

1. 1. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Label Contours button, as shown in Figure 18.20.
   
2. 2. Pick a point to the outside of the toposurface, labeled 1 in Figure 18.20.
   
3. 3. Pick a second point near the building, labeled 2 in Figure 18.20. After you pick the second point, the contours are labeled.

Next, you need to address a situation that has arisen unbeknownst to you. You see, you never defined any areas that you may not want earth to spill into, such as the basement. This will affect every section you have. You can place a pad to displace the earth in the basement.

Adding Building Pads to Displace Earth

1. 1. In the Project Browser, go to the T.O. Footing plan. It’s located in the Structural category.
   
2. 2. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Building Pad button, as shown in Figure 18.21.

   

   
   
3. 3. In the Properties dialog, make sure Pads is current, and click Edit Type.
   
4. 4. Click Duplicate.
   
5. 5. Call the pad Footprint, and click OK.
   
6. 6. For the Structure, click the Edit button.
   
7. 7. Change Thickness to 6˝ (150mm).
   
8. 8. Click OK twice.
   
9. 9. Change Height Offset from Level to 6˝ (150mm).
   
10. 10. Pick walls to place the pad against the outside of the foundation wall underneath the entire model, as shown in Figure 18.22. Trim the sketch lines as necessary.

    

    
    
11. 11. Click Finish Edit Mode.
    
12. 12. In the Project Browser, open the West Corridor Section. You may have to adjust the crop region to see the footings.
    
13. 13. You can see the pad sitting on top of the footing extending past the wall, as shown in Figure 18.23. Select it.
    
14. 14. When the pad is selected, right-click, and select Hide In View Elements (see Figure 18.23).

    

    
    
15. 15. Go to the Model Site panel, and click the Site Settings arrow.
    
16. 16. In the Section Graphics area, change the Elevation Of Poche Base value to -15´ –0˝ (-4500).
    
17. 17. Click OK. The earth hatch is now beneath the slab area.

With the pad in place, you can rest assured that your sections are showing the earth where it’s supposed to be.

The next item we’ll cover is creating a property line. In most conventional drafting applications, this involves nothing more than adding a polyline around the site. In Revit, that approach is the same, but the property line can tell you much more about the boundary it’s incasing.

Adding a Property Line

1. 1. In the Project Browser, go to the Site floor plan.
   
2. 2. In the Massing & Site tab, click the Property Line button, as shown in Figure 18.24.
   
3. 3. In the Create Property Line dialog that appears, click the Create By Sketching choice.
   
4. 4. Draw a series of lines around the perimeter (see Figure 18.24).

   

   
   
5. 5. Click Finish Edit Mode.
   
6. 6. Select the property line.
   
7. 7. On the Modify | Property Lines panel, click the Edit Table button.
   
8. 8. Click Yes if you get a “Do you want to continue?” dialog.
   
9. 9. Close the Property Lines dialog, and save the model.

You now have a table of deed data that can be modified as you see fit.

The next item on the agenda is a powerful tool when it comes to creating a site in Revit. As nice as it would be to never depend on CAD, most of your topographical information will be coming from the CAD world. Revit has a By Instance function that can facilitate this procedure.

Creating a Toposurface by Instance

To get started, you can either choose a site that was created in CAD that you want to experiment with, or you can go to the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/revit2012ner. From there, you can browse to Chapter 18 and find the file called contours.dwg.

The first thing you need to do is think about coordinates. That’s right: coordinates. You’re bringing in a file from AutoCAD, right? How do you know where this site will be placed? You must consider two things: where the project base point is in AutoCAD, and where the survey point is. When you know these two things, you can more logically work between AutoCAD and Revit. The next set of procedures will show you how to coordinate your Revit site with an AutoCAD site. Let’s get cracking!

1. 1. Start a new Revit model.
   
2. 2. Go to the Site plan.
   
3. 3. Notice the two blue icons in the model. Pick a window around them, and click the Filter button.
   
4. 4. Deselect Project Base Point, as shown in Figure 18.25.
   
5. 5. Click OK.
   
6. 6. Deselect the blue paperclip, as shown in Figure 18.26.
   
7. 7. Change N/S to 200´ (60000mm).
   
8. 8. Change E/W to 200´ (60000mm).

   

   

   
   
9. 9. Click the Survey Point – Internal link, as shown in Figure 18.27.
   
10. 10. In the Location Weather And Site dialog that opens, click the Duplicate button.
    
11. 11. Call the new location Site Datum.
    
12. 12. Click the Location tab.
    
13. 13. Using the Internet Mapping Service, set the location for Syracuse, NY.
    
14. 14. Set the view to Hybrid. See Figure 18.27.
    
15. 15. Click OK.
    
16. 16. Press Esc.

OK, great. Now it’s time to set the project orientation. In Revit, you can rotate the site plan to true north while leaving the other views orientated to project north. Let’s do it:

1. 1. In the Properties dialog, change Orientation to True North, as shown in Figure 18.28.

   

   
   
2. 2. On the Manage tab, click Position Rotate True North, as shown in Figure 18.29.

   

   
   
3. 3. Pick the node on the Survey point, as shown in Figure 18.30.
   
4. 4. Pick a second point at 45 degrees left (which lands you straight up—see Figure 18.30). Your site view is now facing true north, while all of your other views are project north.

Next, you’ll import a site from CAD. To use an imported instance to create a toposurface, follow these steps:

1. 1. Save your model as Imported Site.rvt.
   
2. 2. In the Project Browser, go to the Site plan if you aren’t there already.
   
3. 3. On the Insert tab, click the Link CAD button.
   
4. 4. Browse to the contours.dwg file you downloaded. (If you have your own site .dwg, that’s fine too.)
   
5. 5. Before you click Open, change Colors to Black And White, Layers to All, and Import Units to Feet. Also, change Positioning to Auto – By Shared Coordinates.
   
6. 6. Make sure Orient To View is selected. (See Figure 18.31.)
   
7. 7. Click Open.
   
8. 8. The Differing Coordinate Systems For Project And File dialog opens. Click Close.

   

   
   
9. 9. Click the existing coordinate choice, and click OK.
   
10. 10. Your site should be positioned as shown in Figure 18.32.

Because you didn’t know the actual survey point of your site, AutoCAD gave you one anyway. It’s obviously off the grid. You can move the site to a specific point and create an actual survey point in the native AutoCAD file. Follow along:

1. 1. Select the imported site.
   
2. 2. Click the Move button.
   
3. 3. Move the site similar to the position shown in Figure 18.33.
   
4. 4. Save the file. You get a dialog asking about your shared position.
   
5. 5. Click the Save choice. Doing so adds a new position in the site .dwg file. You’re now coordinated with your site people. (See Figure 18.33.)

It’s time to add a Revit surface to the contours. This is pretty easy, so follow these steps:

1. 1. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Toposurface button.
   
2. 2. On the Tools panel, click Create From Import Select Import Instance, as shown in Figure 18.34.
   
3. 3. Select the imported CAD file.
   
4. 4. Deselect Layer 0 and Defpoints in the Add Points From Selected Layers dialog.

   

   
   
5. 5. Click OK.
   
6. 6. In the Properties dialog, change Material to Site – Grass.
   
7. 7. Click OK to get back to the model.
   
8. 8. Click Finish Surface.
   
9. 9. Go to a 3D view. Your topography should look like Figure 18.35.

That would be a difficult toposurface to create entirely within Revit! The next item we need to explore is how to grade a surface, yielding areas of cuts and fills. The process itself is straightforward; but as you’re about to learn, you need to first deal with project phasing.

Creating a Graded Region

1. 1. Go to your Site plan, and type VG.
   
2. 2. In the Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog, click the Imported Categories tab.
   
3. 3. Deselect contours.dwg.
   
4. 4. Click OK.
   
5. 5. Select the toposurface.
   
6. 6. In the Properties dialog, change Phase Created to Existing.
   
7. 7. On the Massing & Site tab, click the Graded Region button, as shown in Figure 18.36.
   
8. 8. In the next dialog, click Create A New Toposurface Exactly Like The Existing One.
   
9. 9. Select the toposurface.

   

   
   
10. 10. Draw a selection window around the center of the site (doing so selects a bunch of points), as shown in Figure 18.37.

    

    
    
11. 11. In the Properties dialog, enter a value of 0 for the elevation.
    
12. 12. Click Finish Surface.
    
13. 13. Verify that your site appears similar to Figure 18.38.
    
14. 14. Save the model and close it.

That’s quite a bit of information regarding sites. It’s nice that Revit allows some level of site manipulation, but it would be nice if there was a Revit Site application. I, for one, could see the value in that.

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