Coordinates in Revit

Zsolt Varga
Technical Support Specialist l Autodesk GmbH

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Overview

Why is this topic crucial and scarry to customers?

▪ Because the position of our BIM model is important

▪ …the functionalities to define it in Revit are rather complex
(more flexibility = more chance for confusions)
▪ …users don´t get to practice this feature very often

This presentation clarifies the logic, how the model position is defined in
Autodesk Revit; it highlights correlations between the most important tools and
terms and it helps to prevent misunderstandings, so that the users can enjoy the
complexity and the flexibility of the features offered by Revit for working with the
coordinates.

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Aim of the presentation

▪ Understanding the concept

▪ Explaining/refreshing terms and definitions
▪ Project Base Point & Survey Point: Powerful Tools in Revit
▪ Showing an optimal Workflow with Shared Coordinates
▪ Clarifying misunderstandings / Dos & Don´ts

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 1. Challenges
Abstraction – Illustrating Reality in a virtual Space

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Challenge No.1

The universe is BIG The Model Space is SMALL

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 Challenge No.2

Plan coordinates Survey coordinates

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Challenge No.3
Different Reference Systems in Surveying & Mapping

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 2. Basics & Terms
How does Revit deal with these challenges

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Answer no.1. – Size of the Model Space
20 Miles Rule in Revit

Model elements need to reside inside of a 20 Miles

(33 km) Cube of Model Space

If not > Revit give a Warning

If ignored > Issues:

Performance
Graphics Display
Object snap
View diesplay (empty views)
Errors with Energy analysis

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Answer no. 2- 3 – Different Reference Systems

Reference System for the own virtual Internal Base Point

Space of Revit + X-Y-Z Achsen

Project Base Point

Reference System for Designers + Project North

Geographic Reference System for Survey Point

Surveyors + Geographic North

Project Location:
Position of the Project Site on the Map Manage > Project Location > Location

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 Fundamental Terms

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Project Location
Define Location by:
"Get Location from Survey
Point" function available in
the latest Revit releases, but
not the other way around… >
You CANNOT get shared
coordinates by manually
defining Project Location!

Not to mistake it for Project

coordinates or Shared
Coordinates!

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Tagging: Point Coordinates

To tag Project
Coordinates

To tag Survey
Coordinates

The values will get

updated automatically

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Flexibility

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 What is that all
good for?

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Free Time

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 3. Praxis – Project Position
Using the Project Base Point & Survey Point as powerful tools

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Adjusting Project-Base Point location

Moving the Project Base Point UNCLIPPED

We move the Project Coordinate System in relation to the
Model Geometry and the Survey Coordinate System im
virtuellem Raum

Project Coordinates of the model elements are changing

Survey coordinates of the same elements stay the same

The project keeps ist position in Revit´s virtual space

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Redefining the Survey Point location

Moving the Survey Point UNCLIPPED

A new Point in the same Survey Coordinate System will get
marked

Project coordinates of the model elements stay the same

Survey Coordinates of the model elmeents stay the same

The Project keeps its position in the Virtual Model Space

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Moving the project – I.

Moving the Project Base Point CLIPPED

Our Project will be moved in relation to the geographic
coordinate system

Project-Coordinates of the model elements stay the same

Survey-Coordinates of the model elements change

The Project keeps its position in the Virtual Model Space

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Moving the Project – II.

Moving the Survey Point CLIPPED

The Survey Coordinate System gets moved in relation to the
Project Coordinate System

Project coordinates of the model elements stay the same

Survey coordinates of the model elements change

The project keeps its position in the Virtual Model Space

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Moving the Project – III.

AVOID IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Changing the project position by selecting and
moving model elements

Model elements may accidentally get left hidden in a wrong

position

Losing model element references and connections

Labor intensive, error-prone process

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 4. Shared Coordinates

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 The Concept of Shared Coordinates

Host Model / Masterplan Linked Models

Coordinates

Coordinates

Coordinates

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Sample Workflow - Aim

Survey
Building
DWG with real 3D Layout Plan
Revit Projekt
coordinate values

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Creating the Layout Plan
https://autode.sk/2ULWNpA

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 Defining Building Position
https://autode.sk/2EwzVFk

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 Working in Subproject files
https://autode.sk/2zVrCPt

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 5. General Advise

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Common Misunderstandings

Project location affects shared coordinates It doesn´t take care of the Shared Coordinates

Not necessarily – It is always the Internal Base

After DWG Export, the Project Base Point
Point (original origin) of Revit, which becomes
becomes the 0,0,0 point in AutoCAD
the 0,0,0 point in the exported drawing

The Survey Point (SP) should never be further The 20 Miles (33 km) Rule applies ONLY to
than 20 miles (33 km ) from the Project Base GEOMETRY – only to drawing or model
Point elements

Reload linked DWGs only after setting back the

Linked DWGs know the difference between
view orientation to the state where the DWG was
Project North and True North
first loaded

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

 Dos & Don´ts
Dos Don´ts Why
Change the project position using the Don´t try to change the project position by It can lead to errors or losing element
Project Base Point or the Survey Point moving model elements manually references and connections

Having a rectangular system of model Don´t draw or load model elements You can easily end up in creating geometry
geometry try to best draw it oriented to the oriented to True North, while keeping the with elements „slightly off axis“ – creating
Project North view orientation set to Project North an inaccurate building model

Use the view orientation set to Project Drawing elements in a view oriented to You can easily end up in creating geometry
North when drawing True North with elements „slightly off axis“ – creating
an inaccurate building model

When using Shared coordinates – export Don´t export views with Shared Revit sheets can have multiple views >
drawings directly from the model space Coordinates from a Revit Sheet DWG Export > The views will be spread in
the AutoCAD model space > The
coordinates get lost
Respect and consider the warnings of Don´t ignore the warnings, when Revit is Patience pays off…
Revit – Take your time to understand the trying to help
correlation between the warnings and your
steps

AU Germany 2016 Presentation material

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