revit to max

[mskin]

whats the procedure here? i read the white paper on converting revit to fbx and then importing into max, but the file is so unmanageable. has anyone figured out this workflow?

 

thanks

[aaronrumple]

whats the procedure here? i read the white paper on converting revit to fbx and then importing into max, but the file is so unmanageable. has anyone figured out this workflow?

 

thanks

 

Unmanageable? How so?

 

I use a combination of FBX, and DWG import. Most of the time I'm exporting acis solids from Revit and then importing that into 3DS Max. This preserves layering, which is very handy when working through applying materials. I do that in 3DS rather than Revit since I use Vray as my rendering engine. Acis allows me control over the mesh detail, where FBX doesn't. I may import the file in several parts. Walls and large elements I may import with a high surface deviation setting. Then I may import furniture with a lower setting for more detail.

 

I'll use FBX for elements that don't import well from Acis. For instance, an elliptical ceiling with can lights inserted will tessellate poorly going through Acis. FBX is much better at resolving some issues. You just don't get a choice on how detailed the model is.

 

Also with Acis you have the choice of maying lines, splines render-able. I use simple lines in my Revit light fixtures for hanging cables. Then just set these to render-able. I've even done a large space frame system that was nothing more than a line drawing in Revit this way.

 

FBX imports everything on one layer. I'm not a fan of that. Also unless they have changed it for 2011, you end up with a lot of edges visible that should be invisible. I've got a script someone assembled to clean up the visible lines, but this really should be taken care of in the Revit export.

 

With 2011 now out, and supporting FBX linking, I'll have to see how that works into the flow. However since were doing materials in 3DS, I still envision a hybrid approach.

 

Also I think the real keys is having Revit so you can slice and dice the model the way you want. Views export only what is turned on in that view. So you can control different element groups by exporting different views. We do this with the slot machines and gaming furniture in our casinos. This layout doesn't chenge as much as the building, so it can be exported as a separate model and xref'ed into the main scene.

 

Another advantage for vray users with FBX is that the object's origin remains the pivot point in 3DS. This makes it easy to swap out all those slot machines with a vray proxy. Going through Acis screws up the pivot point location.

[mskin]

thanks for the reply.

 

unmanageable in that the file size is 60 megs (125,000 sf school) even after shutting all sorts of things off in revit - i cant even navigate in the max file. i'm finding that revit to dwg to max is giving me much smaller file sizes - and i can at least move around in the scene.

 

i will keep exploring with this.

[aaronrumple]

thanks for the reply.

 

unmanageable in that the file size is 60 megs (125,000 sf school) even after shutting all sorts of things off in revit - i cant even navigate in the max file. i'm finding that revit to dwg to max is giving me much smaller file sizes - and i can at least move around in the scene.

 

i will keep exploring with this.

 

Xref'ing different parts together should help. We've got casinos that run 123 mb. But we also have systems with lots of zoom-zoom.

[Bruce Hart]

I've recently tried the 2011 FBX file link into Max , and it is a whole lot better. The model comes in autoedged, and you can combine objects by material, Revit Family or Category type, and those block headers are gone. Unfortunately there still does not seem to be a way of controlling mesh tesselation for curved objects with FBX.