Every year, we the BIM nerds wait in anticipation of the new release of Revit, hoping and anticipating that their long lost wish list item that has been voted #1 in the Autodesk forums is finally made possible with a new release of Revit. This year is no different. Autodesk has finally released Revit 2019, and you are now able to get your grubby little paws all over it. So what is included in this new box of goodies.
Multiple Monitor Setup
A lot of the new features in Revit 2019 are a direct representation of what you all have requested. One such feature is now the support of multiple monitors! For as long as I remember, you could always drag your properties or project browser to a second monitor, but never views. Now with the ability to bring independent views to separate monitors, you are only limited by the number of monitors you have. Good reason to request from boss man for a few more monitors. 😉
3D Uncropped Perspective Views
A common theme in this release is the complete overhaul of views and your interaction with them. This feature is no exception. Un-crop your 3D view, drag it your secondary monitor, Blow it up, and enjoy the glorious uncropped 3D perspective view. Want to take it to the next level? Right click on the cube and swap it from perspective to Isometric, and back. Awesome sauce.
Views
With this huge addition of supporting multiple monitors, Autodesk also overhauled the view organization. I'm not going to lie. It takes a little getting used. I found myself consistently double clicking the new tabs trying to get them to "Expand". This doesn't work. You'll have to drag the top of the window underneath the ribbon. Additionally, there is a new option to tab the windows. It will only "Tab Views" of windows that are already docked.
This new view organization now looks like this when views are "Tabbed".
Levels in 3D, Say what?
Many people don’t know, but Revit levels are actually a three-dimensional object. We’ve always been able to set the constraints of a level as it relates to 3D space, however we could never see them in 3D. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could see your building’s levels in 3D views? There are multiple reasons I see this as beneficial, mainly that you can see your building in 3D stories. It’s pretty sweet for presentations as well!
Background Fill Patterns
FINALLY!!!! The ability to overlay multiple patterns for a singular material. You can create a "background" for any material by going to the graphics tab of that material and update the background pattern. Looking to create a custom Revit pattern? Check out PyRevit's free custom pattern maker.
New library of physically-based appearance assets
Another big update to Revit's materials are their new "physically-based" appearance. I was blown away when I saw the difference. Below is an example rendering I did before with the original physical asset, and the new physical asset. Your mom would be proud.
To access the new physical asset library, click the asset button in the materials dialog., and add asset to your project.
Split Railings Outside of Sketch Mode
This Feature is exactly what it sounds like. Now easily split Revit railings outside of sketch model giving you more custom editing. I personally don't see the benefit in the new feature, but hey someone let me know what you think, and if you think it adds value to your life.
"Or" function added to filters!
Oh Snap! We can now add "Or" rules to our filters. This is awesome. No longer do you have to create a separate filter for every little item you want filtered. You can now set the top tab to "OR (Any rule may be true)", and continue adding rules! Keep in mind that they are still constrained by their category. In this example I said the Manufacturer equals GE Appliances "OR" Dacor.
Set the filter override to Red, and viola! You now have multiple rules within the same filter!
Past releases have sometimes been pretty underwhelming. All in all this year is a pretty good release in my opinion. This concludes the Revit 2019 new feature review. Check back on the blog next week when we highlight some of the MEP and Structure 2019 features, as well as a Dynamo 2.0 Update!
If you are looking to learn more about Revit or are interested in a BIM advancement/implementation, reach out to me directly at bill.allen@evolvelab-inc.com.