Thursday, September 12, 2019

Revit Design Options and Electrical Circuiting

Revit has a feature called design options, which facilitates different designs in different phases. This is mainly meant for preliminary concept development, but can also be used to manage bid alternates through construction documents (CDs). In the image below, we used design options to manage a bid alternate for pricing on two additional lanes in a new swimming pool.

Using this feature into CDs is not without its challenges and limitations. Today's post highlights electrical circuiting in the context of design options, and then closes with a mention of a related ArchSmarter course I created as well as some 2008-vintage renderings of this pool addition!


keep reading to lean more...

The image below shows that electrical circuits in the main model or any primary design option can connect to anything in the main model (or same primary design option). Additionally, elements in secondary options can only connect to elements in that same secondary option.


So, while this creates many limitations, there is still a lot that can be achieved...

If you want to learn more about design options, and phasing, for MEP you should check out this ArchSmarter course I created:


BTW, the project shown above was featured in the Revit installation splash screen several years ago... 


These Revit renderings are over 10 years old...






Finally, a photo of the project... a beautiful school. The project was to turn this high school into a middle school, which included a swimming pool addition.


Fun stuff!


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I also write blog posts for Enscape - a new paradigm in rendering, animation and VR for AEC.