Structure Generator for Revit Now Available

Project Structure Generator for Autodesk Revit Structure and Autodesk Revit Architecture is our newest technology preview on Autodesk Labs. (And when I say newest, I mean as of 5 minutes ago, because I also posted Simulation Mechanical/Multiphysics yesterday and wrote about it this morning). This technology preview provides a connection between massing models and objects created during conceptual design and structural elements such as beams, column, walls, plates. With Project Structure Generator, structural engineers and architects, from the earliest stages, can very quickly create and visualize a physical and analytical model of a structure based on the massing model.

// Learn more about Structure Generator for Revit on Autodesk Labs

Senior Industry Marketing Manager, Sarah Hodges, shared some typical use cases with me so you can see exactly what this technology preview can do.

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Architects when designing buildings, frequently start with simply a massing form which, to begin with, is not associated with a physical model. Once the mass is created, the next step is to create the physical model, which consists of elements such as beams, columns, walls, plates and so on.

The value that Project Structure Generator brings is that once the massing form is created, the mass objects can be used to create different variants of the building to help define the physical model. This helps bring early massing forms into conception quickly and easily. Project Structure Generator makes this step very easy, by giving the tools for automatic creation and visualization of different variants of the physical and analytical model, and enables structural engineers and architects to quickly analyze and compare different concepts of the structure at the very early stage of design.

For structural engineers, being able to analyze a building structures behavior from the earliest stages brings great insight to the design process. In a typical workflow today, the structural engineer will provide the architect with their insight regarding dimensions of main structural elements. This information can help architects to better inform the final design decision and can dramatically reduce further costs. Project Structure Generator significantly facilitates this task by allowing for automatic creation of different structural systems (like walls, columns, beams, beams with columns, diagrids etc). To inform designs further, Project Structure Generator allows models to be extended to Project Storm and Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional software for static and comprehensive structural analysis.

A typical use case would be:

1. The structural engineer or designer:
   • Designs the structural model with sections, materials, loads and boundary conditions based on the intent established by the architectural model.
   • Then the engineer or designer prepares an analytical model based on the physical model of the building structure
   • A series of necessary analyses can be then performed on the model
2. Once analysis results are obtained, the structural engineer or designer may consult with the architect and necessary design iterations are made to the building.
   • The architect will iterate the architectural model based on design and analytical information from the structural engineer or designer.
   • Once the design changes are made, the structural engineer or designer will then analyze the updated physical model.

Here is another example use case to help demonstrate the value accessing Project Structure Generator can bring to a structural engineer’s workflow. A structural engineer’s or designer’s workflow could be optimized with Project Structure Generator for Autodesk Revit Structure by enhancing collaboration with the architect and performing analysis early on in the design process:

1. A structural engineer by the name of Eric is working on a new commercial office building project. He works with Sandra, an architect in the same company. Eric uses Autodesk Revit Structure for the project while Sandra uses Autodesk Revit Architecture.
2. At the beginning, Sandra created a form of the building, using mass objects option. Then she used Structure Generator to create a physical model, consisted of plates, walls, beams and columns (analytical model is also automatically created).
3. At the lowest story there is a garage. As far as physical model of this story is concerned, Sandra’s intent is to have plate supported by order of columns. However, she has some doubts concerning number of columns, their dimensions and the necessity to add supporting beam. She asks Eric to help her in determining the most optimized design.
4. Using Revit Structure, Eric takes Sandra’s mass objects model, imports it to Structure Generator tool, load Sandra’s file describing structure parameterization and automatically creates analytical model of the structure.
5. Afterwards, Eric exports this model into Robot Structural Analysis program, where he adds standard loads, makes analysis and performs dimensioning of required elements. Also, he can update the physical and analytical model in Revit Structure and send it to the clouds for calculations, using Project Storm. When the analysis is complete, Eric receives a notification. Then, he can visualize the results of the static analysis within Revit Structure and decide about required elements dimensions.
6. Then he comes back to Structure Generator tool, generates easily other variants of mentioned substructure, changing, without manual operations on the model, the number of columns in desired places, or marking beam existence, where necessary. Then performs previous steps and finally finds the optimum solution.
7. Eric exchanges the design information with Sandra, who can now include the proper solution in her design. This approach dramatically reduces the probability of big changes in the subsequent phases of the project. Additionally, at this stage both Sandra and Eric don't need to work with the final physical model with many details, where each change is time-consuming.

For example, the typical role for an architect in a building design project is as follows:

1. At the conceptual phase, creates the model of the structure as a form (which has nothing in common with physical model). It allows to make some early visualizations and estimate the impact on other, neighboring buildings, f.ex. shadow analysis.
2. Basing on this form, creates a physical model, consisting of plates, walls, columns, beams and so on.
3. Once a model is ready, structural engineer builds an analytical model based on the physical model of the building structure.
4. A series of necessary analyses can be then performed on the model.
5. Once analysis results are obtained, the structural engineer or designer may consult with the architect and necessary design iterations are made to the building.
6. The architect will iterate the physical model based on design and analytical information from the structural engineer or designer.

In contrast, here is a use case to help demonstrate the value accessing Project Structure Generator can bring to an architect’s workflow. An architect’s workflow could be optimized with Project Structure Generator for Autodesk Revit Architecture by enhancing physical model creation and enhancing collaboration with the structural engineer.

1. An architect by the name of Sandra is working on a new building project, which should be a part of existing infrastructure. The form of this building is a bit innovative and may consist of some curved solids
2. At the beginning, Sandra creates a form of the building, using mass objects option. She creates a few solids and joins them into final form.
3. She uses this form for preliminary visualization and verification of an impact for neighboring buildings.
4. Then she uses Structure Generator to automatically create a physical model, consisted of plates, walls, beams and columns. For each solid, basing on the number of storeys, the structure is created, automatically fitting into solid form, including curved ones. After generation, the physical model of the structure is visualized in 3D. It is a huge added value, as creation of physical model for any shaped structures using standard tools can be time consuming.
5. Sandra makes changes to the model, f.ex. exchanging walls into columns and beams or marking diagrids, independently for each solid and structural line. Afterwards Sandra saves this parametrisation in a file.
6. Sandra prepares a few variants of the structure, playing with the options like straight or sloped columns, walls with different windows system, single or double diagrids and so on. Sandra saves all these variants in different files.
7. Finally she generates physical models back in Revit Architecture, basing on saved files with structure variants.
8. During the meeting with project members, she presents all visualized variants of the building, discusses them and finally chooses the best concept.
9. Sandra sends chosen variant to Eric, structural engineer and asks him for preliminary analysis. Due to expected big dimensions of footings, Eric suggests to make changes. Sandra changes the physical model, exchanging spread footing info raft foundation and aligning number of columns, profiting from Structure Generator tools.
10. After a few iterations final design is validated and passes to the next phase of detailed design.

With Project Structure Generator for Autodesk Revit Structure and Revit Architecture the workflow can be improved by allowing design decisions to be made earlier in the process. A few variants of the structure can be easily created, allowing the best option to be selected. Analytical model is automatically created, in most of the cases without necessity of manual modeling, what saves time and ensures greater accuracy.

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Thanks Sarah. Please put this technology preview through its paces and let us know how it works for you at labs.revit.generator@autodesk,.com or the discussion forum. Your experience shapes the future of our technology.

Revit DNA is alive in the lab.