Like mentioned before, do not let the name of something critically impact what properties are assumed with that item. A Model Element named a Transformer doesn't mean it is actually representing electrical equipment designed to transfer power. Properties of that Model Element could be developed to represent something entirely different, such as robotics. The key is to not let the possibilities be bound by assumptions. We are modeling design in an environment where the designer is creating the environment, so why limit what can be accomplished?
Schedule. What comes to mind when you hear that term? Most people probably think of the calendar in their phone. Some people may even think of the thickness of pipe. Those same people may even visualize equipment selections at the end of Construction Documents. When it comes to Revit and Building Information Modeling, do not let these traditional definitions of a Schedule determine what they are to be used for or what they can show.
In The Matrix[1], Morpheus begins his teaching for Neo in a construct program designed to teach Neo that his fighting abilities are originally bound by the same basic rules as we experience in reality, such as gravity. He explains that these rules can be bent, or even broken. As Neo fights Morpheus, he begins to realize that his limitations are bound by the rules he has unknowingly set on himself. Only after he begins to believe in himself and push beyond his own limitations does he truly see the extent of what is capable in the simulations. After the Agent Program he asks Morpheus if he could dodge bullets. Morpheus brilliantly answers that when he is ready, he won’t have to.
There is a lot more to The Matrix, but for today the only point is to Free Your Mind of what is capable with Schedules in Revit for Building Information Modeling. Schedules can be used to document equipment selections in a project, but don’t let that define what they are. Schedules, Note Blocks, Sheet Lists & View Lists cannot create content, but all can edit and delete information. What that model information contains is entirely up to the user. Try to think of a Schedule as more like a Database Spreadsheet. Think of all the spreadsheets created to monitor and manipulate data. Think of those spreadsheets infused in a model to control that same data, but in a live environment. What calculations could be accomplished while populating a model? What content can be created to provide warnings when design goes outside the intended ranges of performance? Build upon the Master Library of Shared
Parameters and imagine seeing those calculations and schedules come alive as equipment selections are placed in a model and react to the environment created for them. Push what you may think is impossible in a Revit Model and you just might stop bullets in mid-air!
-Craig
www.ModelingDynamics.net
[1] The Matrix, The Wachowski Brothers, Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, 1999
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