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Integration

IntegrationofOrionandAutodeskRevit
Structure
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Disclaimer

Disclaimer

CSC(UK)Ltddoesnotacceptanyliabilitywhatsoeverforlossordamagearisingfromanyerrors
whichmightbecontainedinthedocumentation,textoroperationoftheprogramssupplied.
Itshallbetheresponsibilityofthecustomer(andnotCSC)
tocheckthedocumentation,textandoperationoftheprogramssupplied,
toensurethatthepersonoperatingtheprogramsorsupervisingtheiroperationissuitably
qualifiedandexperienced,
andtoensurethatprogramoperationiscarriedoutinaccordancewiththeusermanuals,
atalltimespayingdueregardtothespecificationandscopeoftheprogramsandtotheCSC
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Allrightsreserved.

Trademarks

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Allrightsreserved.

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Allothertrademarksacknowledged.

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TableofContents

TableofContents
Chapter1

OverviewofIntegration .

Chapter2

OrionintoRevitStructure

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2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4

Chapter3

CreationoftheOrionModel
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Deliverables
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InitialExportfromOrion .
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InitialImportintoRevitStructure

RevitStructureintoOrion

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ShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter .

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3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4

CreationoftheRevitStructureModel
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ExportingamodelfromRevittoOrion
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InitialImportintoOrion .
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ImportantNotesforStartingtheModelinRevitStructure

3.4.1 Somekeyrules/thingstonoteintheRevitmodel

Chapter4

SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevit
4.1 SynchronizingOriontoRevitStructure

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4.1.1 ExportfromOrion .
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4.1.2 SynchronizingamodelFromOrionToRevit

AppendixA

APIApplicationProgramInterface

A.1 APIApplicationProgramInterface .

AppendixB

InformationTransferred

B.1 FromRevitStructuretoOrion .
B.1.1 InformationTransferred .
B.1.2 Limitations .
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B.2 FromOriontoRevitStructure
B.2.1 InformationTransferred .
B.2.2 Limitations .
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AppendixC

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1:OverviewofIntegration

Chapter1

OverviewofIntegration
WhenconsideringtheintegrationofOrionandRevitStructureitisimportantto
understandthattheinformationtransferredisessentiallythephysicalinformation
associatedwiththestructuree.g.geometry,sectionsizes,gradeandslabthicknesses
etc.
OrionisacodebasedmodellingtooltoenableStructuralEngineerstoestablishacode
compliancedesignofthestructure(forexampleEC2,BS8110).RevitStructureis
principallyaphysicalmodellingtoolfortheproductionofdrawings,materiallistsandBIM
coordination.AsRevitdoesnothold'code'specificdataitisimportanttounderstandthat
allthedesign/codedataisheldwithinOrionatalltimes.
Inatypicaldesignoffice,theTechniciansareresponsiblefordrawingproductionwhilst
theEngineersresponsibilitiesincludecodecompliantdesign.Itisthereforecommonfor
theEngineertobethepredominantuserofOrionandtheTechniciantobethe
predominantuserofRevit.Thisofcoursevariesfromcompanytocompanywherethe
roleoftheTechnicianandtheEngineermerge,howevertheprinciplesremainthesame.

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2:OrionintoRevitStructure

Chapter2
2.1

OrionintoRevitStructure

CreationoftheOrionModel
TheEngineerhasanumberofoptionsavailabletohimwhencreatinganOrionmodel.
1. CreatemodelfromScratch.
Orionincludestypicalmodellingtoolstocreategrids,columns,beams,walls,floors
etc.Importantlyeachelementismodelledasaphysicalobjectwhichcanbe
positionedcorrectlyinspace.

WhensynchronisedwithRevitStructure,thetruespacialpositioniscommunicated
alongwithitemssuchassectionssizeandgrade.

ForfurtherinformationoncreatingOrionmodelspleaseseetheOrionusermanual
orvisitwww.cscworld.com.
2. Import2DDrawings.
Itiscommonearlyinaprojecttohaveanumberof2Darchitecturaldrawings
outliningthescheme.Orionhasthefacilitytoimport2DDXFdrawings.

Theengineercanusethesedrawingsasghostlayoutsinthebackgroundtoaid
settingoutortoimportgrids,columnsandwalls.

Ifacommongridisusedontheproject,itislogicaltoimportthisgridintoOrionto
ensurethestructureissetoutinthecorrectposition.

Whenimportinggridsitisalsoadvisabletocheckthegeometryofthegrid
thoroughly.
3. PartModels.
Attheearlystagesofdesignitispossibletocreatepartmodelstoinvestigatea
structuralscheme.

ForexampletheengineercanmodeljustafloororabayinOriontoinvestigatethe
bestsolutiontosatisfycodecomplianceandeconomics.

Althoughonlyapartmodel,thiscanstillbesenttoRevitStructure.(Note,the
physicalpositionofthepartmodelwillbecommunicatedtoRevitStructure.)

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2:OrionintoRevitStructure

2.2

Deliverables
EvenattheseearlystagesofaprojectOrionprovidesasignificantnumberofthe
deliverablesrequired.
Forexample:
Comprehensivecodecompliantschemedesign,

2.3

Materialtakeoff,
2DengineeringDXFdrawings,
3Dmodelvisualisation,
FoundationLoads.

InitialExportfromOrion
OnceamodelhasbeencreatedinOrion,youneedtosavethemodelwitharecognisable
nameandthenrunthecommandFile>Model/FileExport>ExporttoRevitStructure.This
processcreatesa.cxlfilewithauserdefinedfilenameinachosendirectory.

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2:OrionintoRevitStructure

2.4

InitialImportintoRevitStructure
ThisexamplecoverstheimportofacorrectmodelintoRevitStructureusingtheCSC
Integrator.Thefilethatweareusingcontainsnomappingproblemsandreferenceshould
bemadetotherelevantsectionsshouldyoufindthatyourownfiledoeshaveany
problemsregardingmapping.
Firstly,activatetheCSCIntegratorprogrambyclickingontheiconheldontheAddIns
tab.

Thefollowingsplashscreenprovidessomeinformationaboutthetwobasedesign
productsusedwiththeCSCIntegratoralongwithhyperlinkstotherelevantwebsitepage.
ClickNexttomoveontothenextpage.

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2:OrionintoRevitStructure

ThenextdialogoftheCSCIntegratorallowsvariousimportandexportoptionstobeset
foreachofthetwodesignprograms.
Inthisexample,weareimportingafilecreatedfromOrionandwedonotcurrentlyholda
Revitmodeltosynchronizeinto.WethereforechoosetheoptionImportmodelfrom
OrionFirstTime.
ClickNexttocontinueaftermakingyourselection.

Havingchosenthesoftwareandthecorrectimport/exportoption,youwillbeprompted
toselectthefile(andlocation)thatyouwishtoimport.

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2:OrionintoRevitStructure

SelectthecorrectinformationandthenclickNexttomoveontothenextdialog.

TheSelectStructuralObjectstoImportdialogallowsyoutocontrolwhichitemswillbe
importedintoRevitStructure.Asadefault,allitemsareflaggedforinclusioninthe
importbutifyouhavearequirementtoomitcertainitems(sayallGridlines),thensimply
unticktheitemoption.

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2:OrionintoRevitStructure

TheSectionandMaterialMappingdialogindicatesthedifferentsectionfamiliesdetected
intheimportingfile.IfthereareanynumericalentriesintheNotRecognizedcolumnthen
thereissomemappingdiscrepanciesandtheseshouldbeinvestigatedbeforecontinuing
further.(Seeseparatesectiononmappingobjects).
Evenifthemappingiscorrectandnoproblemsexist(aspertheexampleshown),the
actualmappingcanbecheckedbyclickingtoselecttheReviewMappingoptionforall
Columns,FramingandMaterials.
ClickFinishtoexitfromtheintegratordialogandstarttheprocessingofthefile.

HavingcompletedtheuseoftheIntegratordialog,theimportingCXLfilewillnowstart
processing.Thisisastagethatisrunautomaticallybytheapplicationandcoversthe
actualbuildingofthemodel,loadingthecorrectfamiliesetc.

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2:OrionintoRevitStructure

Oncetheprocessingofthe'CXL'filehasbeencompleted,alogfilewillbeshown.Thelog
fileissimpleatextfileandarecordoftheobjectsimported,deletedoralteredalongwith
anywarnings.
Pleasenotethatthelogfileisautomaticallysavedinthesamedirectorylocationusedfor
theCXLfilelocation(althoughthiscanbemanuallymovedatalaterdate).

WhenexportingmodelsfromOrionforRevitintegrationpleaseensurethatthepart
marksassignedtostructuralobjectsonlycontainalphanumericcharacters.If
nonalphanumericcharactersareusedwithintheOrionpartmarkreferencesthena
softwarecrashmaybeencounteredonimportintoRevit.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Chapter3
3.1

RevitStructureintoOrion

CreationoftheRevitStructureModel
WhenthedesignprocessisstartedinRevit,thereareanumberofconsiderationstobe
made.

FromRevitStructure
ARevitStructuremodelcanbeexportedtoOrioninpartorinfull.
Toexportapartmodel,firstselectthemembersyouwishtoexport,priortocreating
theexportfile.

Onlythemainstructuralelementstobedesignedshouldbeexported.
TheanalyticalwiremodelcreatedwithinRevitStructuremustbefullyconnected
beforeexportingtoOrion.

StructuralAnalysisSettingsWithinRevit
Theoptiontoenableamembersanalyticalwireisheldinthestructuralproperties
dialogoftheindividualmember('EnableAnalyticalModel'tickboxoption).

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Otheranalyticalpropertiescanbecheckedandmodifiedbyaccessinganotherpage
ofthemembersproperties.

WithintheAnalyticalpropertiesofagivenmemberistheoptiontoamendthe
AnalyticalAlignment,givingtheuservariousoptionstocontroltheanalysiswire
location.Althoughitispossibletoadjustthewirepositiondifferentlyateachendof
themember,thiswillnotbereflectedintheresultingFastrakorOrionmodel.

Westronglyrecommendthatstructuralcolumnsshouldbemodelledwiththe
analysiswirepositionedcentrallyaboutthecolumnitself(centreofgravityposition).
Howeverforcolumnswhichareoffsetfromagivensetofgridlines,thenthewirecan
alsobepositionedonthegridintersectionbyalteringthexDirectionandyDirection
Projectionsettings.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Pleasenotethatthesamesettingsappliedontothebaseprojectionsshouldbealso
setonthetopprojections,andviceversa.

Forbeammemberswheretheanalysiswireshouldbelocatedonanedgeofthe
member,werecommendthatthe'LateralJustification'setting('Structural'page)is
manipulatedtosuiteitherside1orside2asnecessary.

WhenworkingwithaRevitArchitecturemodel
OrionwillonlycommunicatewithRevitStructure.
IfaRevitArchitecturemodelisavailableallstructuralcomponentsmodelledinRevit
Architecturemusthaveanalyticalpropertiesenabled(orberedrawn)before
integrationwithOrioncantakeplace.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

3.2

ExportingamodelfromRevittoOrion
ThisexamplecoverstheexportofacompletedRevitmodelintoCXLformatusingtheCSC
Integrator.TheCXLfilewouldthenbeimportedintoOrionasaStandardImport.
Thefilethatweareusingcontainsnomappingproblemsandreferenceshouldbemade
totherelevantsectionsshouldyoufindthatyourownfiledoeshaveanyproblems
regardingmapping.
ToexportthemodeltoOrion,activatetheCSCIntegratorprogrambyclickingontheicon
heldontheAddInstab.

Thefollowingsplashscreenprovidessomeinformationaboutthetwobasedesign
productsusedwiththeCSCIntegratoralongwithhyperlinkstotherelevantwebsitepage.
ClickNexttomoveontothenextpage.

ThenextdialogoftheCSCIntegratorallowsvariousimportandexportoptionstobeset
foreachofthetwodesignprograms.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Inthisexample,weareexportingamodelforusewithOrion.Themodelwillbeimported
sothatananalysismodelissetupfromscratch.WethereforechoosetheoptionExport
modeltoOrionFirstTime.ClickNexttocontinueaftermakingyourselection.

TheSelectStructuralObjectstoImportdialogallowsyoutocontrolwhichitemswillbe
importedintoFastrak/exportedfromRevitStructure.Asadefault,allitemsareflagged
forinclusionintheimportbutifyouhavearequirementtoomitcertainitems,then
simplyunticktheincludeoptionforthatitem.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

TheSectionandMaterialMappingdialogindicatesthedifferentsectionfamiliesdetected
intheimportingfile.IfthereareanynumericalentriesintheNotRecognizedcolumnthen
thereissomemappingdiscrepanciesandtheseshouldbeinvestigatedbeforecontinuing
further.(Seeseparatesectiononmappingobjects).
Evenifthemappingiscorrectandnoproblemsexist(aspertheexampleshown),the
actualmappingcanbecheckedbyclickingtoselectthe'ReviewMapping'optionforall
Columns,Framing,MaterialsandSteelDecks.
ClickNexttomoveontothenextpage.

Havingchosenthesoftwareandthecorrectimport/exportoption,youwillbeprompted
toselectthefile(andlocation)thatyouwishtoexportto.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

SelectthecorrectinformationandthenclickFinishtoexitfromtheintegratordialogand
starttheprocessingofthefile.

OncetheprocessingoftheCXLfilehasbeencompleted,alogfilewillbeshown.Thelog
fileissimpleatextfileandarecordoftheobjectsexported,deletedoralteredalongwith
anywarnings.
Pleasenotethatthelogfileisautomaticallysavedinthesamedirectorylocationusedfor
theCXLfilelocation(althoughthiscanbemanuallymovedatalaterdate).

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

3.3

InitialImportintoOrion
InOrion,withnomodelopen,usingthecommandFile>Model/FileImport>Importfrom
RevitStructure,locateandopenthe.cxlfilecreatedinRevitStructure.

Thefinalpartoftheimportprocessconsolidatesthemembersandaxesafterwhicha
messageboxwillbedisplayed,followedbyalistofwarnings/errorsthathavebeen
detectedbytheimportprocess.
Thereareanumberofrecommendedactionsthatyoushouldconsiderbeforeproceeding
withanalysisanddesign.
Addslabstothemodel
Whileadraftsmanisliabletothinkofaslabasasingleextensivearea,anengineer
seesaslabasnumerousdiscretepanelseachofwhichrequiresseparatedesign.In
addition,inOrionloadsaregenerallyaddedalongwiththeslabpanels.Bytaking
controlofthepanelcreationandloadingtheengineeristakingcontroland
responsibilityforthedesign.

Reviewandeditprojectparameters,defaultmaterialsandotherdatathatthe
draftsmanwouldgenerallynotberesponsiblefor.

Usetherelabelmemberscommand.
UsetheBuildingModelValidityCheck.
DuplicatelevelsarenotsupportedbyRevit.Wheretherearelotsofduplicatefloorsit
wouldsaveyoutimeifyouestablishanyduplicates.

Columnscanbecomediscontinuouswheredifferentinsertionsareusedondifferent
storeys.Warningswillbegivenduringanalysis.Thissituationcanbeavoidedby
havingsufficientgridsintheinitialRevitmodelsothatfewifanygridsneedtobe
createdbyOrion.

WallsinRevitautomaticallyjointootherwallsandare"cleanedup"graphically.
However,whenimportedintoOrion,therearenoextensionsandsothecornerswill
lookincomplete.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

3.4

ImportantNotesforStartingtheModelinRevitStructure

3.4.1

Somekeyrules/thingstonoteintheRevitmodel
AutodeskprovideanApplicationProgrammingInterface,(API),toenableCSCtoquery
andmodifytheRevitmodel,butthismeansthatthelinksareconstrainedbyany
limitationsofthatinterface.
GoodPracticeThebestinformationthattheAPImakesavailablewhenextracting
modelinformationistheunderlyinganalysisdata.Whenimporting,Orionwillusethe
Revitanalysismodeltobuilditsownanalysismodelbutdifficulties/inconsistenciesmay
arise,whichcanbereducedbygoodpracticeinconstructingtheRevitmodel.

AddlevelstotheRevitmodelforeachstoreytobedesignedandusespecialnames
forthebottomofthefirststoreyandoptionaltoindicatethedepthoffoundations.

Use"FOUNDATION","FOOTING",or"FTG"toindicatethedepthoffoundations.
Use"TOF","BASE","BASEMENT","TOB","GRO","GROU","GROUND","ENTER",or
"ENTRANCE"forthebottomofthefirststorey.
Intheexamplebelow,thefirststoreywillbefrom0to3000mmwithafoundationdepth
ofzero,(becausenosuitablelevelisdefined).

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Inthesecondexample,thefirststoreywillstillbefrom0to3000mmbutthefoundation
depthwillbesetto600mm.

Themodeltransferprocedurecanbesignificantlyimprovedbytheadditionofgrid
linesinRevit.Asaminimumitissuggestedthatmaingridsalongcolumnandwall
linesshouldbecreated.

Wherepossible,usethestandardRevitfamiliesforbeamsandcolumns.
Wherepossible,allowRevittoautomaticallycleanupthejoinsbetweenbeams,
columns,wallsandslabs.

Modelcolumnsfromleveltolevel.Whereslabsarerequiredatslightlydifferent
heightsindifferentwingsofabuilding,itmaysimplifythemodeltousefewerlevels
inRevitanduseverticaloffsetstoobtainthecorrectphysicallocationsofthe
columns.However,ifthephysicallengthofthecolumnislongerthantheanalytical
length,thenthedesignmaybeunconservative.Itisalsopossibletocreatecolumns
wheretheanalysiswiresoverlapifthewrongsettingsareusedinRevit.

Standard Column - Level to Level.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Vertically Offset Column - conservative lengths

Vertically Offset Column - unconservative length

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Vertically Offset Column - Overlapping Analysis Wires

Modelbeamsfromreferencepointtoreferencepoint,notphysicalfacetophysical
faceandusethelevelsintheelementproperties.Eachbeamneedstobedefinedas
thefulldepthoftherectangularsection,notdepthbelowtheslab.Flangewidthsfor
designaredeterminedautomaticallyinOrion.

Correct and Incorrect Beam Definition Points

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Correct and Incorrect Beam Deph

Do not model beam flange

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Similarlymodelwallsfromreferencepointtoreferencepoint,notphysicalfaceto
physicalfaceandusethelevelsintheelementproperties.AlsomakesureStructural
Usagepropertyissetto"Shear"or"Structuralcombined".
Note:InsomeexampleRevitmodels,wehaveseencorruptanalysiswiresforwalls,
especiallywheremultipleopeningshavebeenappliedorRevit'sautodetectionhas
failed.

Definition Points for walls

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Wherebeamsandcolumnsareoffsethorizontallyfromtheircentrelines,caremust
betakenwiththeRevitpropertiestoensurethattheAnalysismodelisexportedto
Orioneffectively.

MovecolumnsintopositioninplanviewsRevitcolumnshavenopropertiesto
achievethisanyway.Ensurethat"RigidLinks"arecheckedforcolumns.

AlsomovebeamsintopositioninplanviewsRevitbeamsdohavepropertiesfor
this,butensuretheyaresettoCenterandturnofftheAutodetectionofthe
horizontalprojection.
SimilarlymovewallsintopositioninplanviewsandsettheLocationLineandHorizontal
ProjectionpropertiestoCenter.

AnyframingmemberlocatedonthelevelwhichwillbesetasgroundlevelwithinOrion
willbealteredonimport.
Theverticaljustificationforallbeammembersonthegroundfloormustbesetwithin
OriontobeBottomofSection.Thisstipulationmaycausebeamstobeamendedon
import.
TherequirementforBottomofSectionjustificationwillbecommunicatedonreturning
themodeltoRevitandmayresultinframingmembersbeingmodifiedduringthemerge
process.

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3:RevitStructureintoOrion

Usersmayfindthatanalysiswirelocationsareamendedafterthetransferofthemodel
fromRevitintoOrion.Thisamendmentshouldnotcauseanyproblemsduringthe
analysisanddesignstagesandmaybeignored.
Theupdatestotheanalysiswirelocationsforallexistingmemberswillbeignoredon
returntoRevitandthepositionswillbeunaffectedduringthemergeprocess.

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4:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevit

Chapter4

SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevit
AfteraninitialimporthastakenplaceitistypicalforboththeOrionandRevitStructure
modelstobedevelopedindependently.
Howeverastheprojectanddesignofthestructuralframeisrefined,itisappropriateto
synchronizethemodelstogethertocommunicateanychangesingeometry,sectionsize,
anddesignparameters.Thisiseasilyachievedbyrepeatingtheimportprocedures.

4.1

SynchronizingOriontoRevitStructure

4.1.1

ExportfromOrion
TosendthechangesmadeintheOrionmodeltoRevitStructuretheexportprocedureis
repeatedFile>Model/FileExport>ExporttoRevitStructure.Asalways,beforethe
export,itisadvisabletosavethemodeltoaclearlynamedfilesoitcanbereturnedto,
shouldtheneedarise.

4.1.2

SynchronizingamodelFromOrionToRevit
Thisexamplecoverstheimportofasecond(updated)CXLfileintoRevitStructureusing
theCSCIntegrator.Thefilethatweareusingcontainsnomappingproblemsand
referenceshouldbemadetotherelevantsectionsshouldyoufindthatyourownfiledoes
haveanyproblemsregardingmapping.
Firstly,withthecurrentRevitmodelopeninthebackground,activatetheCSCIntegrator
programbyclickingontheiconheldontheAddInstab.

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4:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevit

Thefollowingsplashscreenprovidessomeinformationaboutthetwobasedesign
productsusedwiththeCSCIntegratoralongwithhyperlinkstotherelevantwebsitepage.
ClickNexttomoveontothenextpage.

ThenextdialogoftheCSCIntegratorallowsvariousimportandexportoptionstobeset
foreachofthetwodesignprograms.
Inthisexample,weareupdatinganexistingmodelwithanewCXLfilecreatedfrom
Orion.WethereforechoosetheoptionImportmodelfromOrionUpdateExisting.Click
Nexttocontinueaftermakingyourselection.

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4:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevit

Havingchosenthesoftwareandthecorrectimport/exportoption,youwillbeprompted
toselectthefile(andlocation)thatyouwishtoimport.

SelectthecorrectinformationandthenclickNexttomoveontothenextdialog.

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TheSelectStructuralObjectstoImportdialogallowsyoutocontrolwhichitemswillbe
importedintoRevitStructure.Asadefault,allitemsareflaggedforinclusioninthe
importbutifyouhavearequirementtoomitcertainitems(sayallGridlines),thensimply
unticktheitemoption.

TheSectionandMaterialMappingdialogindicatesthedifferentsectionfamiliesdetected
intheimportingfile.Ifthereareanynumericalentriesinthe'NotRecognized'column
thenthereissomemappingdiscrepanciesandtheseshouldbeinvestigatedbefore
continuingfurther.(Seeseparatesectiononmappingobjects).
Evenifthemappingiscorrectandnoproblemsexist(aspertheexampleshown),the
actualmappingcanbecheckedbyclickingtoselecttheReviewMappingoptionforall
Columns,Framing,MaterialsandSteelDecks.
ClickFinishtoexitfromtheintegratordialogandstarttheprocessingofthefile.

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4:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevit

OncetheprocessingoftheCXLfilehasbeencompleted,alogfilewillbeshown.Thelog
fileissimpleatextfileandarecordoftheobjectsimported,deletedoralteredalongwith
anywarnings.
Pleasenotethatthelogfileisautomaticallysavedinthesamedirectorylocationusedfor
theCXLfilelocation(althoughthiscanbemanuallymovedatalaterdate).

MovesWithGrid
WhenperforminganupdatetoanexistingRevitModelpleaseensurethattheMoves
withGridoptionisdisabledforallcolumns.

Havingtheoptionenabledcanresultincolumnitemsbeingmovedduringtheintegration
processduetoexistingRevitlimitations.
Analternativetotheaboveistoexcludegridsduringtheupdateprocess.

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4A:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitAPIApplicationProgramInterface

AppendixA
A.1

APIApplicationProgramInterface

APIApplicationProgramInterface
ThetransferbetweenOrionandRevitStructureiscontrolledbyanAPI(Application
ProgramInterface).TheAPIisaseparateprogramwhichsitsinsidetheOrionRevit
applicationandisprovidedbyAutodeskforCSC'sprogrammerstouse.
TheAPIisthegoverningfactorbetweenthetwoitemsofsoftwareandcontrolswhich
objectcanbepassedtoandfromthesoftwarepackages.Asa"PremierStructural
Partner",CSCcontinuestoworkcloselywithAutodesktogrowthefunctionalityofthe
APIandtoincreasetheintegrationfunctionality.

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4B:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitInformationTransferred

AppendixB

InformationTransferred

B.1

FromRevitStructuretoOrion

B.1.1

InformationTransferred
ThefollowinginformationistransferredfromRevitStructuretoOrionBuildingDesign
System:

AllgridlinesinRevitStructureareimported
AlevelinRevitStructurewheredataexists,isimportedasastorey
ThereisnosuitablemappingbetweenBoundaryConditionsinRevitStructureand
SupportsinOrion,sobydefaultsupportsarecreatedatthebottomofeverycolumn.

AllselectedRevitStructurebeams,columnsandwallsareimportedprovidedtheyare
withinthescopeofgeometriclimitationsthatapplywithinOrion(i.e.onlyvertical
columnsandwalls,onlyhorizontalbeams).Theirorientation,sectionsizeand
memberreleaseswillbemaintained.
Pleasenotethatmembersflaggedas"notforanalysis"arenotconsideredintheExport
fromRevitStructure.
PleasealsonotethatduetothecurrentlimitationsofRevitStructurecertainitems,
includingcurvedbeamsandnonverticalcolumns,mayhavetobemodelledas"Inplace
families".Unfortunately,theseitemsmaybeflaggedasnonstructuralinwhichcasethe
exportprocesswillnotconsiderthem,orsomerequireddatawillbemissinginwhich
casetheywillbeexportedbutwithawarning.

B.1.2

Limitations
Thefollowinglimitationsexistinthecurrentrelease:

Noloads
NoSlabs
NoFoundationobjects
NoRebarobjects
NoopeningsinwallsthesemustbemanuallymodelledinOrion
Onlyrectangularwallsarehandledboundingrectangleswillbeappliedwhere
necessary.

Nocurvedmembersorwalls
Noprecastconcretebeamsorcolumns
IfRevitMaterialissetto"ByCategory"thereisaRevitAPIlimitationmeaningthatwe
cannotdeterminethematerial.Toavoidthisissue,pleaseensurematerialsaresetfor
StructuralColumn,StructuralFraming,WallandFloorcategories(ObjectStyles
dialog).

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4B:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitInformationTransferred

B.2

FromOriontoRevitStructure

B.2.1

InformationTransferred

ThefollowinginformationistransferredfromOriontoRevitStructure:

AllgridlinesinOrionareexportedExportedgridsallappearinRevitwiththedefault
style(i.e.thesettingsforbubblesareignored)

B.2.2

AllstoreysareexportedincludingalevelfortheBaseandFoundations.
AllColumnsareexported;allrotationsareexported.
AllBeamsareexported;allrotationsandendreleasesareexported.
AllSlabsareexported
AllShearWallsareexported

Limitations
Thefollowinglimitationsexistinthecurrentrelease:

Loadsarenotexported
DuetocurrentlimitationsintheRevitAPI,itisnotpossibletocreatethecorrect
profileforsomepolylinecolumnsorcolumnswithskewedoutlines.Insuchcasesa
rectangularsectionwiththesameboundingrectanglesizeiscreated.Revitmodel
linesshowingtheprofileareaddedtothebaseofthecolumnforillustrationpurposes
only.

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

AppendixC

ShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter
Thissectionwilldescribehowtocreateafilterwhichcanbeappliedontoa3DIsometric
view(butpotentiallyontoanyRevitview)tosetcolorcodingontothestructuralitems.
ThecolorcodingappliedshouldthenmatchthesamecapabilitiesoftheFastrakBuilding
DesignercommandShow/AlterState>IntegrationStatus.
Thefilterworksonthesettingsappliedontomembers,panelsandwallswiththe
'Orion_Integration_Status'parameter.Usingthevarioussettingsofthisparameter,we
cansetupthefilteraccordingly.
Firstly,createanew3DviewfortheintegrationstatussettingsbyclickingontheViewtab
andusingthecommand3DView>Default3DView.Thisshouldcreateanewviewtitled
'{3D}'.Pleasenotethatifthisviewnamealreadyexistswithinyourproject,please
renametheexistingview(seebelow)inordertobeabletocreateanew3DIsometric
view.

Renametheviewbyrightclickingoverthenameheldintheprojectbrowserand
choosingtheoption'Rename'.Renametheviewtobe'FastrakIntegrationStatus'.

Oncetheviewhasbeencreatedandrenamed,accesstheVisibility/GraphicsOverrides
dialogbyeitherclickingontherelevantEditbuttonwithintheviewpropertiesdialogor

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

byusingthe'VG'or'VV'shortcuts.

WithintheVisibility/GraphicsOverridesdialog,clickontheFiltertabandthenontheAdd
buttontocreateanewfilter.

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

WhenaccessingtheAddFiltersdialog,clickonEdit/Newtocreateanewfilter.

YoushouldnowbeaccessingtheFiltersdialog,clickonNewtocreateanewfilterand
enterthenameasbeing'Unchanged'withthefilteroptionasbeing'DefineCriteria'.Click
OKwhenthisinformationhasbeenentered.

Oncethefilterhasbeencreated,thecategoriesandfilterrulesfieldsshouldhavebecome
activeallowingcertainobjectsandparameterstobefiltered.

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

Withinthecategorieswindow,tickthefollowingentries:
Floors

StructuralColumns
StructuralFraming
Walls.

Afterthe'Unchanged'filterhasbeencorrectlycreated,highlightthefilternameandthen
usetheDuplicateoptiontocreatetwocopies.PleasenotethatsometimesRevitdoesnot
initiallyduplicatethecategoryandFilterRulessettingsforduplicatedfilters.Ifyoufind
thisisthecase,clicktoselectthe'Unchanged'filteraftercreatingoneduplicate(this
reselectsthecorrectcategoryandfilterrulesoptions)andusethesameduplicate
commandagain.
Thistimethedatashouldbecopiedcorrectlyandthefirstincorrectduplicatefiltercanbe
deleted.

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

Aftercreatingthetwoduplicates,youshouldhave3xfilters.Renameoneofthefilter
duplicatestobe'Updated'(usetherelevanticonbelowthefilterlist)andchangethedata
entryforthe'FilterRules'from'Unchanged'tobe'Updated'.Renamethesecond
duplicatedfiltertobe'New'.Similarlyalterthedataentryforthe'FilterRules'from
'Unchanged'tobe'New'.

Oncethedataforallthreefiltershasbeencorrectlycreated,clickontheOKbuttonto
returntotheAddFiltersdialog.Withinhere,youcanchoosethisfiltertoapplydirectly
ontothedrawingview.SelectallthreefilternamestoincludethemandclickOK.

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

YoushouldnowhavebeenreturnedtothemainVisibility/GraphicsOverridesdialogand
shouldbeabletoseethethreefilterswhichhavebeencreated.Clicktohighlightthe
entryfor'Unchanged'andthenchoosetooverridethePatternsappliedonthesurfaceof
anobject.

Wheneditingthepatternoverrides,setthecolortobeRGB176000000andthepattern
tobe'SolidFill'.ClickOKwhendone.

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

Performthesameoverridetaskonthe'Updated'and'New'filtersalthoughpleasenote
thatthecolorsusedwillalter.'Updated'shoulduseacolorofRGB000000255whilst
'New'shoulduse000160000.Whenoverridesforallthreefiltershavebeenset,clickOK
toleavethedialog.

Thecolorcodingoverridesshouldnowbeappliedontothemodelandwillallowyouas
theusertoeasilytellwhichmembersarenew,updatedorunchangedinasimilarfashion
totheShow/AlterStatecommandwithinFastrakBuildingDesigner.

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4C:SynchronizingModelsfromOrionintoRevitShowingTheIntegrationStatusWithAFilter

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