© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Lesson OverviewSummary

• In this lesson, students explore techniques for creating and adapting components to model fixtures, fittings, and furniture

• They will learn how to:

– Create in-place components to model project-specific elements and geometries

– Adapt existing component families to meet their needs by adding and removing forms as well as assigning materials

– Create new component families and add parameters that enable them to dynamically resize the components and change their materials

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Learning ObjectivesAfter completing this lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand when to create unique components when suitable component families do not exist

• Explore the various techniques for creating custom geometry, including extrusions, blends, revolves, sweeps, and swept blends

• Appreciate the value of adapting existing components into custom components

• Understand the techniques for creating new parametric families from scratch and loading them into projects

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Exercise 1.5.1: Modeling In-Place ComponentsIn this exercise, students will learn how to:

• Use the Model In-Place tool to create project specific custom forms

• Create simple extruded shapes and set the extrusion’s thickness and material properties

• Combine and resize extruded shapes to model common building elements, such as furniture objects

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Creating Custom GeometriesIf you’ve got a hammer, everything looks like a nail…

• What do you when you need a screwdriver?

• Strategies for creating custom geometry

– Model in-place– Create objects as reusable

component families– Create objects in other

tools– Import DWG objects

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Creating Custom GeometriesModeling elements in place

• Use when

– Objects will be used exclusively in this project

• Advantages

– Quick to create– Perfect fit

• Limitations

– Not reusable– Not resizable

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Creating Custom GeometriesSteps for modeling elements in place

• Open Component: Model-In Place tool

• Choose family category

• Create each form

– Solid or void– Extrusion, blend, revolve,

sweep, or swept blend• Set properties for each form –

extents, material, subcategory

• Finish family

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Modeling In-Place ElementsChoosing the family category

• Select model category for in-place element

• Determines how visibility/graphics overrides affect it

• Can show more categories from all disciplines

– Mechanical/Plumbing– Electrical– Structural

• Give a unique name

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Modeling In-Place ElementsCreating solid or void forms — extrusions

• Trace or pick boundary lines

– Form a continuous loop– Use Offset for parallel

edges– Use Trim tool to clean up

• Interior loops create holes

• Set extrusion properties

– Start and end– Material– Subcategory

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Modeling In-Place ElementsCreating solid or void forms — blends

• Sketch blend base

• Sketch blend top

• Set blend properties

– First and second end– Material– Subcategory

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Modeling In-Place ElementsCreating solid or void forms — revolves

• Set up surface for easy drawing

– Create reference plane and set work plane

– Open perpendicular view• Sketch or pick boundary lines

• Sketch or pick axis line

• Set revolve properties

– Start and end angle– Material– Subcategory

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Modeling In-Place ElementsCreating solid or void forms — sweeps

• Sketch or pick path

– Profile preview appears on first segment picked

• Sketch or pick profile

– Load additional profiles– Modify flip, offset, or angle

• Set sweep properties

– Material– Subcategory

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Modeling In-Place ElementsCreating solid or void forms — swept blends

• Sketch or pick path

– Limited to one segment• Sketch or pick profile 1 and

profile 2

– Load additional– Modify flip, offset, or angle

• Set sweep properties

– Material– Subcategory

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Modeling In-Place ElementsCompleting and editing in-place elements

• Click Finish Model to complete element after forms defined

• Select element and click Edit In-Place to open for editing

• Select form then

– Edit Extrusion– Edit Blend– Edit Revolve– Edit Sweep or Swept Blend

• Click Finish Model

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Exercise 1.5.1: Modeling In-Place ComponentsStudent Exercise

• Create a in-place component to model a dining room table that fits the unique triangular geometry of the walls

• Model a custom-shaped bed as an in-place component for the non-rectangular master bedroom

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Exercise 1.5.2: Modifying a Family DefinitionIn this exercise, students will learn how to:

• Leverage existing component families by adapting them

• Add new forms to the families and change the instance parameters

• Assign new materials and dimension properties

• Define new component family types and load them into a project

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Exercise 1.5.2: Modifying a Family DefinitionStudent Exercise

• Edit the family of the floor lamp in the living room of the residence to create a new one with a mid-century modern look

• Edit the lamp shade, base, and leg forms

• Modify the light source definition

• Assign materials

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Exercise 1.5.3: Creating New FamiliesIn this exercise, students will learn how to:

• Use the family editor to add reference planes, dimensions and parameters

• Test parameters and define family types

• Create forms, set constraints, and assign materials to forms

• Save, load and place instances of a custom component family

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Exercise 1.5.3: Creating New FamiliesStudent Exercise

• Modify the console table component created in the tutorial by editing the family to add additional parametric features

• Change the tabletop from a 4” slab of a single material to two pieces—a table surface and a table frame whose thickness and height can be resized parametrically

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

AssessmentModeling In-Place Components

• What types of objects do you typically need to model as in-place components?

• Can you copy/paste to duplicate in-place components? Can you re-use your in-place component in another project?

• What factors determine whether a component should be modeled in-place or using the family editor?

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

AssessmentAdapting Components to Fit Your Needs

• Which forms in the lamp component could be modeled in other ways (for example, as extrusions rather than revolves)?

• For which characteristics of the modern lamp would it be useful to vary parametrically by defining new types? By changing instance properties?

• Are materials assigned in the component definition automatically loaded into a host project? Where do they appear?

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

AssessmentCreating New Families

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of creating single components with many parameters to create variations versus creating many independent component families?

• When would it be useful to define a relationship between parameters with formulas?

• What types of constraints can be added to a component definition to prevent users from creating impossible geometries?

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk BIM Curriculum 2011Unit 1: BIM Modeling BasicsLesson 5: Fixtures, Fittings, and Furniture

Key TermsThe following key terms were used in this lesson:

Key Term Definition

Parameter A detail that can be changed or adjusted–includes dimensions, materials, and off-sets.

Parametric component A component–such as a piece of furniture, a door, or a window–that is comprised of adjustable parameters uysed to create variation within our model.

Family A group of components with different settings for the same parameters. Each type is based on the same initial model but usually has different dimensions.

© 2010 Autodesk

© 2010 Autodesk

Autodesk, AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, Revit, Robot, and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.