What are /r/Revit's favorite Products & Services?

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Gaming laptops offer the best performance per dollar IMO. The one you have speced is only a 14" monitor, that is going to be super tight with Revit, I would want at least 15.6" if not 17" (you also get a numpad with 17".

https://smile.amazon.com/MSI-GL63-8RC-068-Performance-i7-8750H/dp/B07CCPSBB9/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1536244515&sr=1-13&keywords=msi+gaming+laptop+16gb

Something like that is what I would go for. Do note that you will not get full performance on battery, you need to be plugged in.

https://www.notion.so/HOW-TO-Guides-dc20e0e227b74d9bbc775699904152cb

Also it is more of a tool to provide a python based platform for you to develop your own tools. That is the true power. That being said, otherwise, open a detached model some night and test, learn, practice. Most good and useful information in life will not be spoon fed to you. Work, effort and investigations will get you there.

I have the 2012 edition of this book sitting on my shelf. It's very direct and to-the-point. The chapter on duct/piping connectors really cleared up a lot of confusion. I still refer to it occasionally.

> You wind up head tracking rather than eye tracking, which I think slows you down.

Exactly. Bigger isn't always better.

I have two of these at home and prefer it a lot more than the setup I have at the office.

Well I did a basic search on Newegg with your budget, I'd have to say you can easily purchase a beast of a machine.

Here's the link, most of these will toy with revit like it was a notepad application:

Newegg

I created a video with windows' new built-in screen recorder, so I didn't have to install anything. Then I used some online mp4 to gif converter I found with Google. This was the first result

It's not a one click method, but it lasted only 5-10 minutes

You can use AutoHotkey for any buttons that windows can recognize - they will be registered as XButton1, XButton2, etc.... This doesn't always work depending on how the driver is set up, though, so I'd try the LGS software mentioned by u/AXEL312. I have quite a few buttons mapped - the most important for me are ESC, Tab, Shift, Ctrl, and Delete.

Then I go even further by using chords - i.e. Hold XButton1 and press LButton to do a separate command.

If you'd like some help with your script, let me know.

Paul Aubin's books or the Ascent manuals remain the go-to when people ask me.

Both walk you through creation of a "building" in different manners. The Ascent manuals come with datasets to check your work against, or jump between chapters. I don't recall Paul's books having that, but it's been about 10 years since I used one.

You can get both on Amazon.

Paul's Book:

Ascent Manual 2021

I have had good luck with using the Ascent books for training. I haven't used the architectural book but I am sure it is just as good as the others I have used (MEP, Structural, Navisworks, BIM Management).

https://www.amazon.com/Autodesk-Revit-Architecture-Fundamentals-ASCENT/dp/1585038865

I have the logitech G602 and I really like it. It's lagless wireless, with 8 additional buttons other than the most standard 3. It's all super customizable, like the Logitech interface someone else commented.

You can run it with one or two AA batteries depending on what your weight preference is. Also right inside the battery compartment to put the little USB reciever when it's not in your computer.

Best part is it's only 36 bucks on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4MQODC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_NyyQBb0JRK1MK

Amazon sells specialized programmable keyboards for this for like $200

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092SGI0C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ppJbCbTWZEEJD

Or for $60 you can take a sharpie to a blank key with one of these bad boys

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076LRJ528/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LqJbCbD9FREMH

Best to just use the tools you have though. A regular keyboard is perfect, you just need to change the settings to suit your needs.

Mnemonics help. VG for visual graphics. AL for align.

But AL is too far away on the keyboard for one handed operation. Switch it to AS for align shit. Switch move to MSPACEBAR and copy to CSPACEBAR.

DI for dimension is fine, but for frequent commands double letters are better. DD for dimension, LL for load family, BB for section box, CS for create similar, SS for split element, etc.

Out of production Logitech G600 MMO Mouse. I bought 5 of them so when they break I have a replacement.

12 buttons on the thumb with programmable macros that can be changed per application. Also a shift button that doubles the amount of thumb buttons available.

Basically, it allows you to carry over functionality between applications on the same button without having to learn a lick of programming.

You want to measure the distance of something in Revit, Navisworks, or Autocad? Assign those commands to the same button and turn on the application switch feature and you now have a single button to measure everything.

It's also pretty durable and ergonomic.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Gaming-Backlit-Programmable-Buttons/dp/B0086UK7IQ/ref=asc_df_B0086UK7IQ/?

https://www.amazon.nl/NUC-11-processor-NUC11PHKi7C-DDR4-120/dp/B09JP1ZZDG/ref=asc_df_B09JP1ZZDG/?tag=nlshogostdde-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598200375043&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3544657187961061184&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9064814&hvtargid=pla-1640201713899&psc=1

Id go for something like this. Itsstill portable yet it has more room/ventilation you'll definitly need. Ive been drawing revit on Laptops since collage and ive hated it ever since. Now i use a desktop specialized for CAD programs and my life hasnt been the same.

The suggestion i made isnt to that level but it will be x times better than any laptop in the same price range. Heat will be you're worst enemy and having a case that gives more ventilation will improve preformance a lot more than an GPU upgrade will do.

MSI Stealth 15M Gaming Laptop: 15.6" 144Hz FHD 1080p Display, Intel Core i7-11375H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Thunderbolt 4, WiFi 6, Win10, Carbon Gray (A11UEK-009) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091GGZT1S/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_Q26SPXJ3PDC6A89RWQR7

This one is good. Although I'd say go for 1 terrabyte of ssd drive

Check this book out: The Revit Formula

Understanding the difference between Type and Instance parameters and when each are appropriate. This is the hardest thing for people at my office to grasp.

If you're budget conscious you can go with an AMD laptop.

Whatever you end up with, make sure it's at least 4-core. Go here: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/ and make sure that the the single-thread rating is at least somewhere around 1500, and not much lower than 1300.

Ideally you want something with a minimum overall score of at least 6000.

Be sure you have at least 8GB of RAM on that thing.

How Buildings Work: Natural Order of Architecture by Edward Allen

This is a good building science book with illustration and explanation. This is not a comprehensive detail guides but gear more towards discussing the whats and the whys.

here is an article that might help. the bigger issue is you will probably have to change your companies whole work flow to support a new type of software if it is not as robust as revit/microstation/archicad... here is a (slightly biased) site that has some of the major comparisons and some reviews of each.

https://www.g2.com/products/revit/competitors/alternatives

I think it's the Autodesk Genuine Service that's giving you a hard time. You cannot uninstall it like a regular program... but you can corrupt it so it does not run. This is complete and utter bullshit, an impossible to uninstall program on your computer, so find it's folders and just delete them:

Directories found on disk:

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Genuine Autodesk Service

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Programs\Autodesk\Genuine Service

Check and follow this Guide to delete this intrusive piece of software.

As others said you can direct import to Twinmotion or Unreal Engine itself.

Both give you access to https://quixel.com/ for textures and materials for free. This seems to be unknown by most folks I've seen.

We use a wiki at our office (small, +/- 15 people). We allow anyone on the team to add/edit/delete any article. Sometimes knowledge and learning moves so fast that we can't wait for it to pass thru a gate keeper for approval... plus we are all busy... so whoever is the gatekeeper will fall behind.

We just have 1 rule: If you are teaching it to someone in the office, please make sure it's up to date on the Wiki as well.

EDIT: We use MediaWiki (https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki) it's free, but you have to have someone who is able to get it up and running... which could take 2 to 8 hours depending on their expertise.

NoMachine is free, easy to setup and use. As long as your work router supports the necessary configuration protocols it nearly sets itself up automatically.

There are probably a dozen similar remote-access products and services. I'm sure there is one that meets IT Guy's requirements.

Just be sure to set it up and test before the surgery. As I recall some systems don't support middle-mouse-button clicks or drags, which would of course be a problem in Revit and AutoCAD.

I used PdfCreator and cutePdf before, now I use clawPdf

• clawPdf is open source: no ads, no malware. It was forked from an old version of pdfCreator, so the core is basically the same. (pdfCreator was open source for some time in the past): https://github.com/clawsoftware/clawPDF/releases
• PdfCreator comes with annoying ads during install and update and if you update it it will install pdf architect and other unwanted trials/malwares, so I got enough.
• With cutepdf you cannot save pdf/a. Here where I live, it's a requirement for submitted documents.

I teach a Revit class at a local college & use Dan Stine’s books. Here’s one link. He has several variants, so follow the “also”s

Residential Design Using Autodesk Revit 2022 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1630574392/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_C62PQETWE6WG7234VG1T

My company bought this book and I have used them to help train new employees. It mostly goes over generic mep rather than using a database of fab parts.

I would recommend a ~1000$ laptop every 3 years or so rather then spending $2000 and try to make it last 5 or 6 years. here is a beast that will be able to run your files in vr - https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-10750H-Dual-Channel-PH315-53-72XD/dp/B08842D7JS/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=gaming+laptop&qid=1611881316&sr=8-3

Lynda.com is, again, a wonderful resource. Pick any of the "AutoCAD 20XX Essentials" courses for the version you'll be working with and you should be good for the basics.

I've been using AutoCAD on and off again for ~10 years and first started learning it back in high school and learned most of what I know now either on the job or taking taught classes. However, my boss had to learn AutoCAD by herself and used these and has told me they're very helpful to learn, she refers to Shrock's little reference guide book from time to time still. That Shrock is pretty much the standard when it comes to AutoCAD teaching material, or so I'm told. I've looked at the book and it seemed easy to follow and informative and should give you a good grasp of the basics.

Same thing goes for AutoCAD though: use the tutorials to learn the basics but the real learning and knowledge comes from either doing real projects for a job or trying to emulate one. Real life is the best teacher, always. You'll run into all sorts of weird edge cases that really make you get under the hood and learn.

AutoCAD is easier to use, believe it or not, imo, because it tries a lot less to "help" you do things. It really is a blank canvas and allows you to do whatever you want. That's also what makes it challenging to use though for people who are used to Revit and all of the "hand holding" it tries to do for you. Revit is very good at what it does but outside of that it's rough. AutoCAD is OK for a lot more things but you have to do a lot more of the work yourself (for example, the differences between how Revit and AutoCAD do dimensions and scaling, layouts vs views, that sort of thign). Anyways, enough of my ramblings, good luck!

ASUS ROG STRIX Gaming Laptop, GTX 1050 4GB, Intel Core i7, 15.6” IPS-Type FHD Display, 16GB DDR4, 1TB FireCuda SSHD, RGB Keyboard, GL503VD https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0753MSN75/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_etVvAb7AMZ137

If you can strecth the budget a little bit or justify it as really good customer service and 3 year warrant, big fan of CUK

Hi, you meant this right? I wanted to get this but hesitated many times.

BTW, I use a SP4 i5 majorly for tether shooting and some office work (remotely) and been looking for a good surface case, can you recommend any? Looking at this UAG CASE

Thanks

i found a book on amazon that was recommended on reddit that is awesome - HERE

...

but have not found anything revit related yet -

Revit City takes a lot of filtering to find anything good... as always

Non-mobile: Revit Family Standards and Best Practices

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

I'll check up on the specs when you post it. I ended up scrapping the idea of a build after a lot of research (went with a laptop) with similar specs.

It cost 1500 USD on the nose when I bought it. Added in a 256 SSD and its got slots to fit up to 64 GB ram.

Definitely not as powerful as yours, I wanted the 980 or at least the 4gb but I compromised on price and time saved for the build.

Plus building a laptop would be hellish.

I went to drafting school, and we used this textbook as a jumping off point. We already had a year of Autocad and so it was just "lets take a week with this book then do projects", but my time with the book I thought was really good. It has a clean and easy to read layout, and all the steps are listed out for you.