What
Convert your MEP design model to a fabrication model.
Who
MEP fabricators, MEP designers.
How
There are only a few steps you need to take to convert your design intent model to a fabrication model.
1. Make fabrication features available.
You need to have Revit 2017 or later installed to use fabrication features. To check, go to your Systems tab and look for a Fabrication icon.
2. Load services
Activating the icon displays a fabrication parts browser. There you can access the loaded services or go to SETTINGS to load new services:
Depending on what is installed on your machine, you can select different fabrication configurations. The configurations with Revit MEP in their name are included with the Revit installation. The other configurations are available when you install one of the fabrication products (CADMEP, ESTMEP, or CAMDUCT).
This example uses the configuration Metric Content v7.05. After selecting the configuration, you can add the services included in this configuration to your Revit project.
After adding the services, you will have the loaded services, including their groups, available in the MEP Fabrication Parts browser. The groups usually contain certain subsets of the service, such as Rectangular, Round, Hangers, or Equipment.
The icon in the lower-left corner lets you toggle Exclude From Autofill to avoid certain parts when converting your design model.
3. Convert from design to fabrication
Now that you have your service loaded, you can start to convert your design model to a fabrication model. First, select the part of the model you want to convert. You can select a whole system, but to keep track of what is being created, make sure you can see all the parts that have been created.
When you select a certain run of ducts (or pipes, cable trays, and so on), you will get the Design to Fabrication option in the Modify tab of your ribbon.
By clicking this button, you are almost done with the conversion:
You now have fabrication elements that you can work with. For example, you can place hangers, optimize length, edit layout, add fabrication runs, and so on.
Why
An MEP design intent model carries everything that is needed to do calculation and coordinate your BIM model with other disciplines. You need more detail to understand how parts are mounted together, attached to the building, cut out of sheet metal, or shipped by the manufacturer.
That’s exactly what MEP Fabrication Parts in Revit can handle, and you don’t have to re-create your fabrication model from scratch.
What next?
Watch for further AKN articles on MEP fabrication that will dive more deeply into these topics:
• Configuring services
• Editing fabrication models in Revit
You need to have Revit 2017 or later installed to use fabrication features. To check, go to your Systems tab and look for a Fabrication icon.
This example uses the configuration Metric Content v7.05. After selecting the configuration, you can add the services included in this configuration to your Revit project.
