Managing Highly Complex Revit Families: The Tunnel Prefabricated Ring Case

NICOLAS RAGEUL: Welcome to the session, Managing Highly Complex Revit Families, The Tunnel Prefabricated Ring Case. There will be three speakers-- me, Nicolas, but also my colleague Laurent, and also Sati from Autodesk. Here's the agenda. First, we will remind you of the objectives of this session. Then, as with any presentation, we will give a quick introduction, and we will get the head of the major development around Revit. Finally, we will look at a few perspectives.

Here are the learning objectives. Build a digitalization and automation process from user needs to its application. Create a complex geometric and parametric Revit family. Validate and implement, at scale, Revit families. Understand the design, and build challenges, and requirements for Tunnel Project using BIM technologies.

So Laurent and I work The Bouygues Group, presenting in a side group with a sale of 34 billion euros in 2022. And, of course, the workforce approaching 200,000 employees is a little bit tricky. The Bouygues Group has diversified into four activities-- the master-subsidiary reconstruction to which we are attached is in the building activity. Bouygues Travaux Public is a subsidiary of Bouyges Construction-- delivers transport infrastructures, and manage civil engineering projects in the energy and environment sector, which, as you recognize, that is in development and management of complex project.

For TP's success, [INAUDIBLE] on its team the expertise and mindset. It's also based on a culture of innovation and attractive research and development policy. Bouygues TP operates all over the world, as you can see from the portfolio of projects over the last few years.

Here are the eight major fields of expertise. The one we are talking about concerns tunnels and underground structure. Bouygues Travaux Public is fortunate to have a strong technical department aided by law partners. The technical department is made of more than 600 people around the world. The aim of the technical department is project management, from design to construction, for security planning, for maintaining of the highest possible quality standards, optimizing costs.

The technical department is a task force attending to project needs and specific requirements, designing key elements in-house, designing and constructing the required plant and equipment after validating their specification.

Who we are. I'm Nicolas Rageul, digital transformation leader and manager, technical department, with 20 years experience in digital development and implementation in companies ranging from Surveyor's Office to France's largest engineering firm, as well as retailer of IT solutions.

There is also Laurent. [INAUDIBLE] senior draftsman in charge of [INAUDIBLE] Design Office [INAUDIBLE] with 30 years of experience. And Safi Hage from Autodesk, 20 years of experience in AEC industry, and supporting strategic customers such as us, [INAUDIBLE] solve complex and technical challenges, as we will see in this class.

Let's start with the tunnel, and we'll see later how it's created. Today, we are using inventor to produce all the documents needed to build a ring. You can see an example of a ring in red. Inventor [INAUDIBLE] the lack of reinforcement during interaction with other Autodesk products, and even IS.

Digital Construction 2025 is an initiative to transform the management of [INAUDIBLE] started from technical department. From this initiative, a specification was drawn up to document the specification and production of a ring. This one, this work, was carried out by a tunnel design expert, Laurent.

From V6 specification, and with the help of Autodesk, and Safi, the universal ring was developed in Revit. We'll show you how to use it with feedback from his first project. Finally, we'll look together a number of possible improvement and interconnection with other Autodesk tools.

Let's talk for a few minutes about digital construction. Digital construction needs two things by the end of 2025-- one vision, and one ambition. The vision is to set up a digital environment by 2025, consistent, reliable, and organized. The ambitions are be more efficient and simpler, promote the sharing and pooling of exchange, be exemplary, effective, and differentiating. Let's take a look at a short video presenting the project.

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Laurent is part of the team, and our expert. We helped him express his [INAUDIBLE] and requirements in relation to the precast segment ring. Laurent, the floor is yours.

LAURENT BARBEAU: For more than 35 years, Bouygues TP has been a major player in the tunneling industry. Our business lines cover the design, construction, renovation and outfitting of tunnels, as well as the activation of caverns. Tunnels of varying diameters, ranging from 3.85 meters to 17.63 meters, with a world record achieved in Hong Kong in 2015.

Before talking about segments and rings, let's talk about tunnels and tunnel boring machine. For those of you who don't know it, there's a great video of how a TBM works. First, let's take a look at how the TBM progresses through the excavation stage. You can see this video on YouTube with [INAUDIBLE].

Step one, the TBM machine events into the ground, resting on the ring already laid to make way for future rings. Two, the ring erector picks up the segment via the ripping cone's position on the previous ring, and connects it via the Insert located on the face between the ring's connector and the cone.

The skids of the tunnel boring machine [INAUDIBLE] pushing on the ring in place, resting on the blister located on the advancing faces. Step three, two on three rings [INAUDIBLE]. Here you can see that the joints can not overline. There is always an offset in the installation of the ring, and the [INAUDIBLE] even if the layout is straight. The TBM rests on the rings already laid, and leaves by leaning on the ring already laid, and leaving room for the future rings.

A 5 kilometers long wind tunnel, the Mun-Chek Lap Kok tunnel, will eventually linked the new Northern territories to the artificial island of Hong Kong-Zuhai-Macau Bridge, Hong Kong [INAUDIBLE] providing faster access to the international [INAUDIBLE]

The world's largest tunnel boring machine, 17.63 meters in diameter, was used to complete an initial 600-meter section before being resized to accompany the change over from the three-lane to a two-lane tunnel. With [INAUDIBLE] reaching up to 50 meters below sea level, maintenance operations were carried out in a hyperbaric environment by teams of people living on the surface in pressurized habitats.

The TBM tunnel is made up of a series of rings known as universal rings. Thanks to the rings' electric [INAUDIBLE] surface [INAUDIBLE] taper. And the position of its [INAUDIBLE] segment, the universal ring can be positioned as close as possible to the curved alignment of the project. The ring is a fiber-reinforced, or reinforced bridge element, made up of several segments that receive inserts on the front and radial faces.

Today, the most widespread principle within companies is a universal-type ring. We can see our desired ring, and its geometric information in cross-section and 3D. Each universe ring is made up of a variable number of segments. Here [INAUDIBLE] a number which varies according to the geometry of the channel, mainly the diameter, and the layout [INAUDIBLE] and elevation.

Each ring has a single [INAUDIBLE] segment in red. The segment which closes the ring will be studded less in the ring. Two [INAUDIBLE] three segment in blue, and the rest of the segments are recurring segment, in green. Seen in profile, the ring has its own taper. All segments have insert, blister, and erector ending for a perfect connection between them, for waterproofing, and for safe relation.

The company's desire through this development is to produce more quickly and safely preliminary design document for rings in the [INAUDIBLE] detailed 2D documents for segments in the execution phases, as well as documents for more, and segment reinforcements.

The objective is to use the basic function of the tool to generate these tunnel rings for use by all designer [INAUDIBLE] without any [INAUDIBLE] of others on Revit. Revit is a software used by all designers. A large part of the projects proceeds in the [INAUDIBLE] or cross-consern phases use Revit and the model to extract the formwork. And Revit models are also used to output quantities [INAUDIBLE], and kinematics phasing methods are produced also from Revit.

The specification [INAUDIBLE] for staging. In order, the simplified ring, the detailed ring, the 3D barometric reinforcement, and the drawing prediction. These four steps make it possible to respond all the stages of production deliverables for a tunnel in the construction phase. The first step of the specification, then, the detailed ring.

It's the ring cut into segments with taper, and without inserts or blister. The desired result is represented on the 3D view on the left. The information [INAUDIBLE] in Revit for this step with the number of segments, the length of the ring, the interior and exterior geometries, and the angles of the pitching, and sector for the keys and contoured keys for all the segments.

The second step of the specification concerns the detailed ring. The detailed ring is a simplified ring plus [INAUDIBLE] inserts and blister are added on the [INAUDIBLE] face, on the face between rings, and on the faces between segments, as well as engraving for drawings. The desired rendering is represented on the 3D view. The parameters to be entered in Revit are the number, positions, and geometry of the different [INAUDIBLE] The detailed ring will be a digital model of the ring installed in the tunnel.

The third page of the specification concernns 3D parametric reinforcements. Here, see an image made with a competing software. The parametric reinforcement for each segment is reinforced reinforcement adapted to the geometry of each segment with a definite positioning of the different reinforcement layers, and taking into account the inserts to prevent conflicts between reinforcement and inserts. [INAUDIBLE] schedule per segment must be generated for this reinforcement.

In the parameters, will we enter the cover, and the geometers of the different reinforcement of each layer. The fourth and final step of this specification concerns the drawing production. Two things.

The first one is a drawing in a [INAUDIBLE] Formwork notebook for the Formwork deliverables. This Formwork book includes the developed, internal and external views, the view of the face between segments, and the view of the face between rings.

The second one is a [INAUDIBLE] book for the reinforcements. It includes a developed show of the internal and external section, and section of the segment in both directions, as well as the bending schedule, detailing the steel [INAUDIBLE]. In the section, Safi will present you with the ring component by using parametric Revit families.

SAFI HAGE: So, thank you, everyone. So based on the specification presented by Laurent just before, I will present you how we at Autodesk implement this Revit ring. Hello. First of all, this is the global overview of families involved to model the tunnel ring. So the tunnel-- the ring family on the left is an assembly of parametric segment.

And these segments, depending on the level of development needed, may host parametric insert families, such as beacon connectors, or guide bars. The geometry of all inserts are independent, which allows us to manage them independently, depending on the project requirements.

So, as you know, we have access to many Revit family templates. And among them, we chose the generic adaptive component family template for two main reasons. So the first one is that it gives us the ability into the Revit Family Editor to create points, and place them by intersection, or to place them according to a cylindrical coordinate system, which is quite helpful when we deal with rings. Adaptive families are also a good fit when we have to manage complex shape, and solid boolean operations.

So the core component of the ring is the segment family. It can be simplified or detailed, with inserts, or other additional components. In this example, we have a ring composed of seven parametric segments. And, as you can see on the video, we have only one family segment to handle the different configuration, such as the key segment, the two contoured key segments, or the regular segment.

The segment family is a parametric family, where segments' arc length and cutting plane orientation can be controlled by an angle. This is possible as adaptive family allows us to host reference points on an arc or a circle curve, and set its position by an angle. Other parameters displayed on the front elevation picture are also parametric. For instance, media length, external diameter, internal diameter, or taper.

The type of segment is also a parameter. As I said, here we have seven different types, and these types have a unique geometry. By combining all of them in one place, the ring will be created.

So now, let's talk about the family creation. On the left, you can see the main step to model the segment family. Parametric arcs and line references are created for the family skeleton. There are also reference plans between the key and contoured keys to manage their connection, and reference plans to define the taper. Reference curves are used to create the main form solid by lofting to section, and, regarding the reference plan, they are used to create voids element, to cut the key and contoured key segments, and to take into account taper.

Rules and formulas have been defined to control when and which void, especially for the key and contoured key, must cut or not the solid form, depending on the type of element. The key segment is always on the top, but the cutting plan's angles are parametric. As we have no segment family, we can start to create the ring family.

First, the previous segment family is loaded into an empty family. The number of possible segment is from 5 to 12. So 12 instances of the segment are created at the same position. Each of them has the same parameter values, except for the type, which defines its angular position along the ring.

If we need seven segments, then the last five types are hidden using formulas to control visibility settings. Finally, parameter association between these 12 segment parameters and the ring family parameters are made. It will allow us to control the geometry of all segments from the ring family, and then from the project.

As shown on the picture, which is the property dialog box of the ring, only the needed parameter are exposed to the user. The intermediate ones are not available or visible. As well as inside the segment family, here we can edit external and internal diameter, length, taper, cutting plant angle, and so on.

The simplified ring is now finished. However, its level of detail can be increased by adding insert components inside the segment family. This component will be propagated to the ring family as we are working with embedded families. Here, you can see different types of insert components, such as bicone connectors, erector cone, or guide bars. All of them are adaptive, family-based, and may be parametric. Each of these three groups have a different positioning rule, axial, or radial, for example.

So let's start with the first group, which is the inserts for the bicone and connector. It's a solid inside an adaptive family component by one point. Each instance is hosted a reference line-- in purple on the video. End points of these reference lines are controlled by a parameter angle, so we can change the radial distribution through it. The component is then hosted on it.

The insertion point is defined by intersecting the host reference line and an existing face of the segment. This is possible into an adaptive component family. The component can also be flipped, if needed. Once it's done, we cut the segment by this component, which will be hidden inside the ring family, and so, into the project. We can preview the result directly into the Family Editor, and using the same step, the 10 other components are created.

The second group is the erector cones family, which is placed along the segment axis. So this axis is the red reference line, as shown in the video Erector cones are also an adaptive family based on one point, and two erector cones are defined inside this family. Once hosted by the reference, line they are flipped, if needed, and the rotation of the placement point along the axis is associated to a segment parameter. As in some configuration, it may vary.

Then the linear position of this point along the axis is also associated to a calculate parameter, which allows the user to control the depth into the segment directly from the project environment. Into the Family Editor, we control that rotation parameter is working. And finally, the segment is cut by this family, which will be hidden in the ring family, and inside the project.

So the last group is the guide bar. They are adaptive family by one point, and placed in the median of each segment radial face. Their host is a reference line. Dimensions of these bars are parametric, so user can control length and diameter, as well as offset from the segment face, even if the segment dimensions change.

Depending on the type segment, the configuration varies from one bar to two bar. At each segment connection, we have alternating bars-- for instance, in the video between the key and the contoured keys. These configuration are managed by formula which handle bar length and visibility.

Once the 3D model is achieved, the next step is to produce drawings from it, and place reinforcements. However, Revit does not handle unfolded surfaces, which are needed to produce required drawing. Furthermore, reinforcing such components in 3D might be difficult. With that being said, the idea is to create an unfolded solid representation linked to the 3D segment model, which will be used to create 2D plans, and model rebar in 2D. This will be achieved using Dynamo scripts.

To create these unfolded elements, the first step is to extract the corner points' coordinates of extrados face and intrados face for each segment. Then we convert these coordinate to cylindrical coordinate. This operation will give us coordinates of unfolded faces' corners, as described on the left chamber. This value will update a dedicated family, which is a solid made of unfolded phases.

As Dynamo is working on the background, if the ring dimension are updated in the project, these unfolded representation will be updated accordingly. At the first step, it will allow us to produce the unfolded extrados and intrados representation of the ring segments in 2D, as you can see on the left part of the video.

So launching the script into the project creates, from the ring, two new element by segment. So the first one is exactly the same one into the ring, but without rotation, to facilitate section creation and annotation. The second one, on the right, is the unfolded one. As you can see on the video, and thanks for-- to Dynamo, these elements are updated every time the ring global geometry changed.

Furthermore, some inserts are also created into the unfolded elements by processing their reference host geometry from cylindrical coordinates to Cartesian coordinates. This will be very helpful, especially during the reinforcement process. So regarding the reinforcement process, the idea is to place rebar component directly in the unfolded element, and replicate them in the associated 3D element.

On the video, and on the left side, we'll reinforce the unfolded element in a 2D view where it is easier to place rebar. And on the right side, the linked 3D segment. Depending on the rebar distribution along x or y-axis in 2D, lines will be converted to line, or to arcs. Dynamo manage the link by processing the appropriate position of each rebar in 2D, and replicate the parameters, such as bar diameter, number of rebar in a set, and so on, in 3D.

Rebar creation is done using the Structural Design Dynamo package developed by Tomasz Fudala. It allows us, by simply entering the bar position as curves, the rebar type, and the host, to create rebar elements directly into the model. Once a layer is created, we can use adaptive propagation feature to reinforce the second layer. As you can see, the two bars layer are connected automatically by U bars. User can also adjust rebar constraints in the 2D views, which will update the wall reinforcement.

So every time we change the rebar layout, then all rebar are updated into the segment components. The same operation can also be made in the other direction. Finally, once the elements are reinforced, shop drawings views using the 3D rebars are created. We have different types of views, section, plan, and unfolded views.

These view can be annotated by using multi-rebar annotation to quickly set-- to quickly annotate a set of rebar, and adding a tag at one time, as shown in the video. Thickness of the segment dimension, as well as tagging rebar elements, are also possible in the section view. We are using core annotation feature of Revit to achieve that.

Into the segment elevation view, arc length, dimension have been added, as you can see on the video, for the main radial rebar, and for U bars. We can also add rebar bending detail, which are updated automatically with any change of the rebar. This detail can be shown in rebar schedule, or, like here, placed in any 2D views.

So the last step will be to place all of this view into sheet. I will give now the floor to Laurent, who will present you the implementation. So, Laurent, the floor is back to you.

LAURENT BARBEAU: The development with Revit concerns only the simplified ring, and the detailed ring corresponding to stages one and two of the specification. This slide details the geometric parameters we set in Revit to obtain the simplified ring. All these parameters are accessible in Revit's properties.

This slide details the geometric parameters to be entered in Revit to obtain the detailed ring. Around 30 parameters are required to define and obtain the final detailed ring. All these entered are parametrics in terms of position and geometry.

Here's a project on which we applied the universal ring. This is the Tolouse Metro line project. There is a video from the owner on YouTube with translate in English. [INAUDIBLE] is responsible for work on [INAUDIBLE] on the project. Let's have a look on this video.

Here's our feedback on using this development. Many advantages, as you can see-- Revit ring used by many users, reliability of Revit geometry, easy to switch between simplified and detailed drawing, quick access to a three-ring model, fully customizable insert. In term of improvements, it wasn't possible to automate layouts. An Excel approach would have been a plus for managing the inserts.

Finally, the most interesting thing is the return on investment. As you can see, we divide the time by 4 for the simplified ring, and by 2.5 for the detailed ring.

NICOLAS RAGEUL: What if we can now do more with the ring? Here are two exercises implemented by a colleague, Mikhail. Correctly linking rings automatically is not necessarily helpful at the beginning of the project. The first very important step just defines a number of rings and ring [INAUDIBLE] position, regardless of orientation, and therefore not taking into account the key position, and the taper. Yes, I know it may seem surprising, but the reality [INAUDIBLE] do this very easily with Mikhail [INAUDIBLE]

First, convert to [INAUDIBLE] AutoCAD. You use also [INAUDIBLE] element files, and an Excel file positioning the change of the ring type, because you have two types. Above all, with Dynamo [INAUDIBLE] you quickly arrive at the model's [INAUDIBLE]

Step two, become more active [INAUDIBLE] because it is setting up the model as a built model, no longer using this [INAUDIBLE] but directly the coordinates of points of the ring as positioned in the channel. As a little bonus, the latest version of Navisworks allows you to use the linear references to navigate easily through the tunnel. Safi?

SAFI HAGE: Thank you, Nicolas. So now I will present you a workflow between Revit and InfraWorks. So it's future plans, as of the 4th of October, 2023. And in the video, I will show you-- so, a workflow between Revit and InfraWorks.

So here we are in InfraWorks. So we have the existing condition into InfraWorks. So it has been created by a model builder. And here, we have some components. So-- imported from Inventor. So we have this workflow with bridges, but it has been extended to tunnels, and in two ways.

So first, with four tunnels. So we can import a ring from Inventor, and-- as well as the ring from Revit. So we can import directly a Revit family inside InfraWorks, and we can apply it to a tunnel. So all the parameters of the Revit-- or some parameters of the Revit family will be mapped to tunnel parameter. And here, we can create. Based on the alignments.

Here it's a rail. We can create a tunnel. So we specify the start and the end of this tunnel, then a generic tunnel will be applied directly into InfraWorks. And then, when we select it, we can have access now to the rings previously imported-- so from Inventor, or from Revit. So let's have a look at that.

So here we go. So we have this generic tunnel. So it's just a rectangular section. So we select it, and then we can change into the type we have access to the ring. So the ring coming from Revit-- so the one we just designed just before. And Inventor will apply it, and find the right rotation of it. So the right key position to minimize the distance between the tunnel axis and the alignment inside InfraWorks.

So you can see, on the left-- on the right, sorry-- all the parameters of this ring. So once it has been designed-- so it can be used in tunnel design to just know quickly the number of ring we need, and then it can be exported to Revit for construction, for instance. So we export, as usual, to Revit from InfraWorks. And in Revit, it will not be a dead geometry. It will be-- InfarWorks will remap-- or the link will remap all the ring to Revit families.

So inside Revit, we have Revit families directly. So you can edit them. You can add some cuts. You can rebar. You have access to all the components. So it's like if you did it directly from it, but we used InfraWorks to make it.

So then, into the next slide, we have this ring created from InfraWorks, and then you have it's tunnel created by InfraWorks. And now we can add some openings. So, for instance, we have a connection between this tunnel with another tunnel, for instance, or a shaft, or an emergency exit, so we need to do something onto the existing geometry.

So here, we can do it. We can cut all of these elements, all of these rings, all of these segments by another solid because it's family-based. It's a generic family-based, so-- with native Revit solid. So now, I will leave the floor to Nicolas.

NICOLAS RAGEUL: So finally, provide you with the ring's user manual specification and Revit's universal ring. It's [INAUDIBLE]. It's a gift Thanks for your time. We hope you find it as useful as we do. Thank you for watching.