Revit export for SimScale platform

Hello,

I’m in the business of designing ventilation and smoke extraction systems for underground parking facilities.

The biggest issue I’m seeing right now is that the 3D Revit models are not put together with the level of accuracy necessary by the structural designers to export the model to a supported file type and import into the CFD software platform. Therefore, it’s my responsibility to copy the 3D Revit models and clean-up/prepare them to the level necessary for my use.

The SimScale training team I’m working with provided me with a high level overview of the work needed to our 3D Revit model before it’s ready to be exported for use. A quick summary of items are:

File size is too large with all levels present. Each level to be analyzed should be its own separate file.
The surrounding structure, which makes up the volume of air inside the parking deck to be analyzed, must be drawn “watertight”:
-Eliminate all small gaps:
-on the side walls
-between the floor panels
-between the floor and walls
-Merge individual solids into larger solids:
-each individual floor panel

To help visualize this a bit more, I like to imagine the following:

  1. block off all entrances, exits, ramps, and any other openings to the exterior or parking levels located above or below completely submerge the parking level of interest with water from floor to ceiling
  2. any surface that is wetted by the water is the geometry I need to retain

Going back in my career some time ago, I would correlate this to an AutoCAD operation that cross-hatches an area using the “flood” option. Except, I need to be looking at this from a 3D point-of-view rather than 2D.

I am a novice Revit-user, with my only experience so far being ‘Autodesk Revit MEP Fundamentals Online training’. Therefore, I need to call on any Revit experts out there for determining the best approach for getting where I need to go in the most efficient manner.

Is there a way to do what I’m asking or to essentially make a mold of the internal volume of the parking level, while ignoring all of the “small gaps” that exist?

Thanks for your time and I look forward to seeing a response!

Thanks,
Justin

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Hi Justin (@jstirling) and thanks for reaching out to us!

The steps you mentioned for a watertight model are correct and I would go the same way. However I have never used Autodesk Revit but maybe one of our @power_users have done so and might give you some tips on how to work with it. Would love to see the outcome of this project! :slight_smile:

I could find a link that shows how to fill gaps (at least for exterior walls): Screencast Title

Cheers and happy weekend!

Jousef

Hi there @jousefm, I am sorry if it’s a bit late. But in order to make it work you need to have room/spaces modeled in revit. Once you are done this, you need to go to a 3D view, an then File>Export>gbXML, there select the correct phase of the project and it will export water tight enclosed spaces for the project you are working with, that can now be seamlessly imported into simscale.

The rooms are created by the architect/designer in revit. The spaces are meant for mechanical engineers and HVAC analysis. That means that once you receive the architectural model you need to create the spaces for your model, and then sort them by zones. Revit offer a quick way to convert the rooms to spaces. The correct workflow is to link the architectural model into a new mechanical file, and from there use Analyze>Space> Place spaces automatically. Then, space naming>options>Names and numbers will copy the space names and numbers if desired. Make sure the imported architectural model has the option “Room bounding” in its type propertis (Clic model>edit type>room bounding)

Rooms and spaces are watertight in revit, since they offer volume an area calculation. Unless an area is not properly enclosed a space or room won’t be create.

You can see the how to video here: Exporting to gbXML - YouTube

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