Laboratory environments demand near-seamless collaboration across multiple disciplines to ensure optimal performance. This results in an architectural approach that highlights mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems—elements typically hidden in architectural documentation. Such extensive documentation necessitates a well-structured methodology within BIM, using a shared parameter workflow. This approach enables flexible assets that can be automatically scheduled, family types imported, and a data dashboard implemented to track key metrics such as utility connections, materiality, cost, linear footage, and unit counts. By using a template of assets, the design team can efficiently capture and coordinate the technical requirements while also streamlining the process. This efficiency frees up valuable time for creativity, allowing the design of laboratory spaces to inspire the next generation of discoveries.

Why struggle with your current outdated workflows to develop design documents? You can integrate fabrication level modeling into your current workflow and be more efficient—spending more time on engineering and less time on modeling! The current industry standard for engineering firms that use Revit software involves focusing on the out-of-the-box content. Firms struggle with the limitations around modeling advanced systems in Revit. If used correctly, Fabrication Parts for Revit can eliminate the amount of rework that is generated around using Revit design systems. Firms have adopted the approach to build better content and develop stronger templates. But still, modeling systems such as plumbing can be labor intensive. Modeling plumbing systems in AutoCAD Plant 3D software or AutoCAD MEP software can help better bridge the gap for those who struggle with plumbing in Revit.

A practicing consulting engineer will take a project from the schematic concept phase to the construction completion phase using HVAC Solution Software and Revit MEP software. See how the intelligent air, hydronic, steam, control, and plumbing system schematic models are used to convey and coordinate critical mechanical and electrical information with the design team. Both of these software systems used in concert enable your projects to be successful and profitable by providing precise and efficient mechanical designs and information to clients. HVAC Solution also accelerates project completion by automating mechanical system calculations and equipment selection through the phases of your projects. Because schedules and other reports are generated on the fly, the software enables firms to include information, diagrams, and reports on all phases of a project, thus providing clients with a high level of service.

HVAC Solution is a schematic simulation tool that you can use to determine and size many of the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning components that you will use in your Revit software projects. The tool can also serve as a guide to help you connect your Revit software objects in the right order. You can start off your project by choosing our windows-based drag-and-drop technology to lay out your project, or you can begin by using one of our numerous wizards. Answer your questions and build your air, hydronic hot and chilled water, steam, controls, and plumbing systems. Our intelligent systems enable you to run 'what if' scenarios and perform all the necessary HVAC system calculations. Once systems are created and calculated, you then automatically select equipment from many of the equipment manufacturers in the HVAC industry. Once you have determined all the equipment capacities, you can import the schedules and schematics into Revit software using the new Revit 2015 software add-in feature, or you can import data into the corresponding Revit software families.

It’s time to bring back a favorite session on managing Revit MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems. A key component of the Revit workflow, systems define the relationship between HVAC, piping, and electrical components, but they also provide alignment with critical data that helps progress design models toward true digital twins. In this session, we’ll begin by reviewing the analytical systems that help define the hierarchy of a system. Then we’ll cover the four-step process that creates the relationship between target and source devices, and helps with the creation of connecting geometry. We’ll also examine best practices for system families to prevent model issues, and we’ll wrap up with ways to collect and share data with external sources. This session will concurrently cover air/fluid/electrical systems in a way to help you understand how to make your systems work consistently and correctly. And you’ll get a free parting gift of a template and content to help you get started, so join us for the fast-paced and entertaining session!

Attendees will see how they can use out-of-the box Revit MEP categories, connectors, and plumbing families to provide “What Revit Wants” to “Let the Information Flow” through plumbing systems to schedules. This session will include a demonstration of improved plumbing Revit MEP design workflows that use software features to automate information flow. We’ll discuss lessons learned during content development, and we’ll review processes. And we’ll demonstrate strategies for addressing International Plumbing Code (IPC) and Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) to build a foundation for calculation and design of plumbing fixture demands.

COBie is becoming a standard deliverable requirement on many projects. Adding the COBie process to your project should not require extra work, however. With some standard quality-assurance efforts, the COBie spreadsheets should essentially fill themselves in. COBie is used to ensure that essential content is accounted for by loading a series of parameters into a Revit project. These parameters are filled in automatically as you progress with your work. COBie pulls in information such as room names, floor levels, MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) system names, and equipment designations. At any point, the parameters can be exported to schedules or other spreadsheets and reviewed to ensure that all content is accounted for.

Design, fabrication, and manufacturing for construction is continuing to advance in the piping industry at a rapid pace. As such, workforce training for using the latest available technologies with the latest advances in design continues to be an essential element in the delivery of successful construction projects. In this class, we’ll build upon the design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) workflows and methods discussed in previous sessions and demonstrate recent efforts within United Association training to improve the DfMA and modular assembly fabrication and installation skills of installers of mechanical piping and plumbing systems. We’ll be exploring generative design, modular assembly techniques, and automated tools, including their integration with Revit software, BIM 360 software, Navisworks software, and STRATUS, to develop modular fabrication training processes and methods

In this class, we will consider how mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems can be designed from end to end as graph data. We'll see how the graph can connect all parts of the system, including spaces and walls, as well as conventional MEP elements. We'll also go through how the graph can expand to encompass complexity at each stage of the design—from initial conception to design development and, finally, to use. We'll go through an example application of MEP graph data using Revit software, Azure, and the Forge platform. With this application, we’ll see how other algorithms can use graph data for rapid simulation and analysis.

Design, fabrication, and manufacturing for construction is advancing in the piping industry at a rapid pace. As such, workforce training for using the latest available technologies with the latest advances in design is essential. In this class, we’ll explore design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) workflows and methods and the application to United Association training for improving the DfMA and modular assembly fabrication and installation skills of installers of mechanical piping and plumbing systems. We’ll be exploring generative design, modular assembly techniques, and automated tools, including their integration with Revit software, BIM 360 software, Navisworks software, and STRATUS, to develop modular fabrication training processes and methods.

You know how to use Revit software—but are you using every tool at your disposal? Are there still more ways in which you can make the software do the routine tasks, enabling you to focus on your design? In this session, Tony and Brian will show how much you can do with Revit software if you never stop looking for ways to engage the software and pull out every stop. Starting with a kickin' template helps too. Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows are changing the way we design and construct buildings. In just 90 minutes, we will demonstrate that you can go from a blank file to a set of drawings—complete with schedules, details, analysis, systems, sheets, and more. Brian will create an architectural model, and then Tony will add the MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems to a model created live within this session. This session features Revit, Revit MEP, and Revit Structure. AIA Approved

When designing MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems, why do we duplicate work? Why do we do things we don't have to do? We're not talking about cutting corners. We're talking about not repeating steps and taking advantage of information that's already available. In terms of MEP design, it seems like a lot of information is duplicated. For example, the loads in the building determine the size and capacity of the mechanical systems. After that, the equipment is sized, then some type of distribution system is sized, and then all of this must be documented. How would design change if we started to tie some of this information together? Revit software has the ability to do some of this, and Dynamo software can be used to fill in the gaps. When we use Revit to its full potential, and then add Dynamo to the workflow, MEP designs become more and more parametric. This in turn increases productivity and reduces time, which is what we're really after.

The process of building detailed energy models with results that attain the levels of accuracy required by utility incentive and green certification programs is typically tedious and convoluted. In response, Autodesk has implemented new energy analysis features for Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2013 and Autodesk® Green Building Studio® software that alleviate some of the difficult and time-consuming aspects of energy modeling for both existing buildings and new construction projects. Using an energy model created to simulate the energy performance of the Autodesk San Rafael, California, headquarters, this class will walk you through the detailed energy modeling process and show you how to use these new features to save time and increase your productivity.

Revit MEP software is a powerful design tool in the Building Information Modeling (BIM) world. While we can’t automate the entire design of plumbing systems in Revit software, there are various workflows that we can automate for a quicker, more efficient way of design. Utilizing Revit software, this class will show how we can use Revit software’s piping systems, families with more useful information, and manipulation of some parameters to automate various workflows in our plumbing designs. These workflows include: automating the flow of roof areas in square footage or gallons per minute (GPM) in roof drainage piping, required cubic feet per hour (CFH) in gas piping, and GPM in hot-water return piping. The information in the families used will also enable us to create schedules for our drawings or calculation sheets. Attendees of this class should have a basic understanding of Revit software, but be looking to expand their knowledge of Revit software Piping Systems and BIM. This session features Revit MEP. AIA Approved

This session will present the new DeWalt Corporation Hanger Design plug-in for Revit software, which automates the placement and design of hangers and trapeze assemblies for common MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems, such as pipe, duct, conduit, and cable trays. The placement of these assemblies has historically been based on “rule of thumb” sizing and spacing and/or prescriptive rules from various trade-specific handbooks that do not necessarily comply with current building-code requirements or structural point-load limitations. Modeling MEP systems in Revit software offers many advantages for coordination, prefabrication, consolidation of parallel runs, and placement of cast-in-place hanger inserts. This new tool analyzes these systems, and automatically places hanger/trapeze assemblies, anchors, and seismic bracing per building-code requirements with engineering calculation reports automatically generated. Product-specific content is placed in the model with exporting schedules for field layout, prefabrication, and procurement. This session features Revit and BIM 360 Layout. AIA Approved

This course will cover effective practices for project managers, architects, engineers, and designers working on Building Information Modeling (BIM) projects for all areas of architecture, structure, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems. Learn how AutoCAD software and Revit software have altered the traditional design workflows and processes, and discover how to manage the disruptive changes. The course will cover pre-project planning, as well as deal with project content and understanding what tools can really help a project's bottom line. We'll also review key CAD and BIM standards, and explore where Revit software alters typical project tasks for higher levels of development. The course is well suited for the first-time manager and experienced user. If you're ready for an energetic, fast-paced class that packs in a lot of information, then sign up early and often.

Shaun Bryant (a.k.a “Mickey Gervais”) and David Butts (a.k.a “The Redneck Tech”) have decades of combined experience with AutoCAD software and Revit software in both the architecture and MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) disciplines. Come and join them for “The Showdown,” where they host an industry talk about industry best practices for multidisciplinary, multiplatform projects that will help keep the face-offs between architects and engineers to a minimum. Enjoy the wisdom that will bring peace to the project workplace. Sharing the stage with them will be several well-known, world-class experts whose unrivalled expertise will delight you and educate you at the same time! Come on down and see if you need to “keep the peace” in your project team, and enjoy the banter as they discuss their pet peeves and how they solve them.

Many MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) engineering calculations (heating/cooling loads, pipe and duct sizing, lighting calculations, and so on) are currently carried out in separate tools, with a separate model in each tool. Integrating engineering calculations in Revit software requires creating only one model, which greatly increases efficiency. Other benefits include increased quality and consistency of calculations, improved customer satisfaction, and the possibility to keep responding to the many design changes that can occur in the design of a project. This class will show how we have integrated engineering calculations in Revit. We aim to inspire you to start integrating your own calculations in Revit, and to reap the associated benefits.

The late 1990s and early 2000s was a great time for the MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) construction industry with the transition from 2D to 3D and software that seemed to last forever. These days, it seems like software and the founding companies of software for our industry only last for a few years. Construction technologist Brett Stacks will present on the history of software for the MEP construction industry, drawing from his experience as a director and strategist for companies such as Trimble, Autodesk, and eVolve MEP as examples. Together, we’ll review the options you have today and what to expect in the near future.