The Best New Feature Of Autodesk Revit 2023 (Maybe!)

The 2023 release of Autodesk Revit have been out for a few months now and in this blog, we will go through the new features and work out which ones are the most useful to us, including:

• Being able to taper walls
• The improvements to linking CAD models
• The improvements for rebar
• The ability to swap views on sheets
• The ability to add parameters, tag and schedule groups and links

These are just a few of the many new features to the 2023 release of Autodesk Revit.

A feature that can significantly affect workflow and save time is in the shape of a checkbox that, when selected, enables the "Filter by Sheet" function for schedules.

Building Information Modelling has completely revolutionised the construction industry thanks to its capacity to incorporate data via parameters into objects in the model, as well as its own object-based modelling.

When switching from traditional CAD processes, the ability to establish a schedule for every object in the model and have any parameters—built-in or custom defined—listed in the schedule has been a truly game-changing feature.

Comparing the time it takes to generate a schedule in a Revit model to the hours it used to take to create schedules based on 2D CAD drawings, it's almost inconceivable nowadays.

However, we still need to take the time to enter accurate data into the objects, and it's likely that someone will still need to verify that all the data is accurate. Automation can verify that certain parameters are present and filled out, but it cannot verify that the information is accurate. That needs to be done by someone with relevant experience and project understanding.

Returning to schedules in Revit, it is true that they may be made quickly, even on large projects with a significant number of objects to schedule. It's simple to imagine the list extending into thousands of objects when considering the number of doors and windows that could make up even a project of average size, as well as the amount of furniture, equipment, lighting, smoke detectors, etc. that are used in most projects.

That entails managing a very lengthy timetable that, if left as one schedule, would require splitting across multiple sheets to be readable. That has also been simplified thanks to the Split and Place feature in the 2022 release.

However, it’s common to want a schedule for a specific set of objects. For instance, perhaps only a specific zone or floor level of the project. It’s possible that a view on a sheet depicts a particular location, such as a plant room, classroom or individual dwelling, and a schedule showing details about the objects in that area is required for the sheet too.

Up until 2023 the only way to do that would be to create a schedule specific to that sheet and use a common parameter value on the objects to filter the schedule to only list the required objects. This often meant creating a parameter for the sole purpose of filtering the schedule.

It is likely that this would need to be done for each apartment or classroom, therefore the schedule would need to be copied and the filter value updated accordingly.

Filter by levels

This may not be too difficult to do, for instance, if we wanted to schedule doors by level and we have three or four levels, then a door schedule per level is not too difficult or time consuming to set up and manage. However, if we had 20 or 30 levels then that's quite a few door schedules that need setting up and managing.

A different schedule would need to be created for each individual area if we were to create a type of room or space data sheet that included a plan, elevations, and a schedule detailing the equipment in that space. It's simple to picture it on a healthcare or educational project because there may be hundreds or even thousands of places.

When we have hundreds of schedules to make in this situation, the idea that we can develop a schedule in a short amount of time isn't particularly consoling. If it takes 2 minutes to duplicate, rename and edit the filter value of a schedule, it will take a whole day’s worth of time to create 200 schedules. If the schedule needs to be changed, such as by adding a new column or changing the way it shows, then this must be done for every single schedule, which will probably take more time than creating them in the first place.

One of the new features in Autodesk Revit 2023 includes the shape of a checkbox that allows a schedule to be filtered by the visible objects on a sheet.

Filter by sheet

This is a completely new concept for filtering schedules in Revit. Previously, a filter had to be based on the object’s parameter values, hence creating custom parameters to use for filtering is common practice. Currently, in Autodesk Revit 2023, a schedule will dynamically filter itself to show just the objects that are visible on the sheet upon which the schedule is placed.

The way the schedule appears on that page will change if the crop region, scope box, or even views' objects are edited or hidden. Multiple sheets can contain a schedule, and each time it does so, a dynamic filter will be applied to match the items on the sheet.

Now, even if there are several hundred rooms, only one room schedule is required, it just needs to be placed on each sheet. It could be placed on one sheet to set its position and adjust column widths, etc. Then it can be copied to the clipboard from that sheet and, using the “Paste Aligned to Selected Views” option, pasted into the exact same location on multiple sheets and obviously filtered to the objects on each individual sheet.

Schedule dynamically filtering to match the view

If the schedule needs to be changed, for instance, to add an extra column or modify the formatting, we only need to edit the one schedule, and all the sheets will be updated.

The Filter by Sheet function in 2023 could appear to be relatively unimportant at first, but it has the potential to save a lot of time on projects and might even make it possible to show information in a different way than was previously possible.

In my opinion, this is typical of the way Autodesk Revit is evolving. It may not be revolutionary, but it does have a meaningful impact on the everyday tasks carried out in Revit.

If you would like to learn more about Autodesk Revit 2023, please contact us at SYMETRI on 0345 370 1444 or email us on info@symetri.co.uk.

Design in Manufacturing Autodesk Fusion 360 Training Fast Track Your Process; Enrich Your Value

All software solutions go deep. They offer features that many users don’t explore. Fusion 360 has a lot to offer. Investigate the extensive range of capabilities, and you’ll find the hidden potential in your task, project, and skills.

Knowing where to look

Autodesk Fusion 360 comes with a ‘how to’ guide. You can also go to the Autodesk product documentation portal to discover more functions, tips and use cases. It’s an approach that adheres to the motto – ‘Read the Manual’. Manuals are great. They get you in the zone, introduce the tools, and give you all you need to know about how to start.

Part of my role is acting as a guide for those learning about Fusion 360. Symetri’s Advanced Manufacturing Team comprises Autodesk Certified, experienced design software professionals undertaking Fusion 360 training. Collectively, our role is not just to help you get the best out of Fusion 360 but also to get the most out of it. Symetri is an Autodesk Authorised Training Centre, so you’ll know you’re in safe hands.  

The problem with ‘Fit-for-Purpose’

Using any tool—from the humble chisel and hammer through to software of any description in any business—can take you in one of two directions. The first is that it gets the job done. The second is that it acts as a catalyst for your talent, experience, skills, and vision.  

Michelangelo’s David was a block of marble to start with. It became one of the most famous works of art because Michelangelo took a hammer and chisel to the block. Using Fusion 360 because it’s ‘fit for purpose’ is okay. It will enable you to work faster and achieve more, collaborate more, avoid errors, and anticipate outcomes.

From enablement to empowerment: The value of Fusion 360 Training

Using Fusion 360 as a ‘basic’ tool will preclude potential you may never even be aware of unless you explore. That’s what Symetri Fusion 360 Training does, built around the requirements of roles such as product designer, engineers, manufacturing or mechanical specialist and machinists. Other roles benefit, too, wherever Fusion 360 comes into play.

The spread of roles, and hence the breadth of the relevance of the course, is important to note. A variety of professionals correlates precisely to the headline benefit of Fusion 360— that it does not recognise silos or, instead, it does in its very purpose, but it brings them together, merges them. It enables each specialist to collaborate with all the others. It allows everybody to help each other as the project progresses, rather than waiting until one contributor has performed their function and then passes the drawing or model on to the next. In doing away with siloes, Fusion 360 does away with wasted time, duplication, false starts or re-thinks.

Here’s an overview of areas of training you may want to consider, starting with the essentials and then moving in the direction that most appropriately addresses enhancements to your specific workspaces… 

 Fusion 360 Essentials

Symetri’s introductory two-day course focuses on equipping you with skills to get the most out of Fusion 360. This is the core of the Fusion 360 Training portfolio, to which, once completed, you can add your own flair. You can add a day to the core course for bespoke training. This is to explore your workflow/s, processes, parts, drawings etc.

In Fusion 360 Essentials, we guide you through basic parametric design and other key features across the workflows that may prevail in your business, such as animation, motion study and assembly techniques.

The course is like ‘reading the manual’ on steroids. It goes from a fit-for-purpose approach to looking closely at what the purpose may be—what you want to achieve, what your aspirations are for bringing further efficiencies, and a touch of magic, into your practices.

Any course can be classroom-based or virtual; for groups no larger than six individuals to make it possible for everyone to engage with the trainer and with other delegates.

Explore the full agenda here of Fusion 360

Beyond essentials

Depending on what you want to achieve in your business, our Fusion 360 advanced manufacturing courses include (but are certainly not limited to):

• CAD for CAM users
• Milling
• Multi Axis Machining
• Turning
• Rendering
• Sheet Metal
• Simulation
• Generative Design

These advanced courses are not just ‘beyond essentials’; they deliver skills you won’t find much (if any) guidance on in standard online product training or any Fusion 360 forums. Our Advanced Manufacturing Team have experience in each specialist area of functionality within Fusion 360. They adopt a pragmatic approach in ensuring you’ll get greater skills value from Fusion 360, which is truly aligned with how your processes work today and how you want to make them work better, more productively, and more relevantly for you in the future. A complete run-through of the portfolio can be found here.

If you want to find out more about how much more you can do with Fusion 360, please contact Symetri. 

Contact us

By via email info@symetri.co.uk or telephone 0345 370 1444.