Construction Documents and Details

Overview This lesson provides an overview of the powerful documentation features in Autodesk® Revit® Structure software. The lesson covers some of the different types of deliverables that are typical for structural engineering projects. It also highlights the components that are normally found in a set of construction documents, such as general notes, plans, elevations, sections, details, and schedules.

Define the different types of project deliverables Objectives Define the different types of project deliverables Know the different parts of a set of construction documents Understand the relationship between plans, sections, and elevations Know what schedules are typically used for

Exercise 6.1 Overview Construction Documents Student Exercises Exercise 6.1 Overview Construction Documents Exercise 6.2 Plans, Foundation, and Framing Exercise 6.3 Schedules Exercise 6.4 Elevations, Sections, Details Exercise 6.5 Putting It All together, Publishing the CDs Exercise 6.6 Challenge Exercise 6.7 Printing Exercise 6.8 Sharing Documents

Plans The plan view can be thought of as a map of a particular level of the structure with the orientation of the view downward from above. However, unlike a conventional map, a plan is understood to be drawn at a particular vertical position that is typically 4 feet above the level shown, as it relates to the view an average person would see if they looked down at the floor. Objects below this level are seen, objects at this level are shown “cut” in plan-section with hatch marks, and objects above this vertical position within the structure are not shown. Technically, a plan view is defined as a vertical orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane. In such views, the portion of the object in front of the plane is omitted to reveal what lies beyond. In the case of a floor plan, the roof and upper portion of the walls may be omitted. In practical terms, for structural engineering this results in a few common types of plans: foundation plans, framing plans, and roof plans. The foundation plan is typically the first plan that is shown in the set of plans, and it shows building geometry, grade beams, piers, footings, and relationship of these items to the building grids. The framing plans show the horizontal structural elements at a given floor level along with their relationship to the building grids. Finally, the roof plan shows the upper structure of the building, and typically will indicate roof access openings and mechanical HVAC equipment on the roof.

Elevations In technical terms, an elevation is an orthographic projection of a 3D structure from the position of a horizontal plane beside an object. This view is a common method of depicting the external configuration and detailing of a 3D object in two dimensions. A practical way of thinking of an elevation is a side-view as viewed from the north, east, south, or west for example. Structural elevations are commonly shown in building plans to allow for the coordination of items such as structural braces with window openings, for example, that are in the building façades of architectural elevations.

Sections In geometry, a cross section is the intersection of a body in 2D space with a line or of a body in 3D space with a plane, and so on. More plainly, when cutting an object into slices, one gets many parallel cross sections. A cross section or section is also an orthographic projection of a 3D object from the position of a plane through the object. A cross section is a common method of depicting the internal arrangement of a 3D object in two dimensions. The style of crosshatching indicates the type of material the section passes through. In structural drawings, sections depict what the structure would look like if it were cut perfectly along cutting plane lines defined in a particular view, and rotated 90 degrees to directly view the resulting surface(s), which are indicated with section lines. Sections like this show features not externally visible, or not clearly visible.

Showing Dimensions The required sizes of structural features are conveyed through use of dimensions. Distances may be indicated with either of two standardized forms of dimension: linear and angular. With linear dimensions, two parallel lines, called extension lines, spaced at the distance between two features, are shown at each of the features. A line perpendicular to the extension lines, called a dimension line, with arrows at its endpoints, is shown between, and terminating at, the extension lines. The distance is indicated numerically at the midpoint of the dimension line, either adjacent to it, or in a gap provided for it. Note the dimensions shown in the image. With angular dimensions, the extension lines establish an angular relationship between a feature and a reference line or another feature. Note the angle shown at 22 degrees in the top-left of the image. Sizes of circular structural features are indicated using either diametrical or radial dimensions. Radial dimensions use an R followed by the value for the radius; diametrical dimensions use a circle with forward-leaning diagonal line through it, called the diameter symbol or D, followed by the value for the diameter. A radially aligned line with arrowhead pointing to the circular feature, called a leader, is used in conjunction with both diametrical and radial dimensions.

Exercise 6.1: Overview Construction Documents Start Revit Structure and open the dataset file 05-1_start.rvt. Watch the movie that introduces construction documents as you follow along in Revit. Questions 1) What are general notes and why are they important? 2) How are general notes coordinated with the building objects that are modeled?

Exercise 6.2: Plans, Foundation, and Framing Start Revit Structure and open the dataset file 05-2_start.rvt. Watch the movie that introduces creating plan sheets as well as importing general notes and typical detail as you follow along in Revit. Questions 1) How to you set the scale of the sheets on the drawings? 2) What is the significance of plan notes?

Exercise 6.3: Schedules Stat Revit Structure and open the dataset file 05-3_start_title_page_&_schedules.rvt. Watch the movie that introduces creating plan sheets as well as importing general notes and typical detail as you follow along in Revit. Questions 1) What is the benefit of schedules in Revit verses schedules in CAD software? 2) What information can you show in a Drawing List from the field that Revit provides out of the box?

Exercise 6.4: Elevations, Sections, Details Start Revit Structure and open the dataset file 05-4_start_Elevations_Sections_Details.rvt. Watch the movie that introduces creating elevations, sections and details as you follow along in Revit. Questions 1) What does “presenting design in context” mean? 2) What are the benefits of showing the same building elements in different views on the same sheet?

Exercise 6.5: Putting It All Together, Publishing the CDs Start Revit Structure and open the dataset file 05-5_start_putting_it_together.rvt. Watch the movie that introduces creating a completed set of drawings and publishing them to PDF and DWF to send out to others. After watching the movie, you can follow along in Revit. Questions 1) If you are familiar with CAD software, how long would it have taken to put together this set of construction documents compared to producing them in Revit? 2) How long would it have taken to put together this set of construction documents if you drew them by hand compared to producing them in Revit? 3) List the benefits you have notices in working in Revit to make construction documents.

Exercise 6.6: Sharing

Exercise 6.7: Challenge Read the Help menu topic on material quantity schedules in Revit. Using the knowledge gained in this lesson, create a schedule that shows the volume of concrete on the project. Describe in class how this could be used.

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