Analytical Modeling in Revit Tutorial#
Introduction and Data#
This guide demonstrates how to create an analytical model in Autodesk® Revit® from a structural model using SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator.
Transitioning to an analytical model in Autodesk® Revit® is essential for moving on to finite element models and structural analysis. The model files are attached in the download sidepanel.
For demonstration purposes, we will use a model of a real building and automatically generate its analytical model using SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator. The attached files include:
Building model in Autodesk® Revit® 2024.
Physical to Analytical Model#
🔑 Supported license: 3D FEM Professional, 3D FEM Premium, 3D FEM Ultimate
Note
An SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator license allows working with only one open Autodesk® Revit® session. If a license notice appears, close all open Autodesk® Revit® sessions and restart the software.
Selecting a View for Analytical Model Generation#
To generate an analytical model using SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator, first select a 3D view containing the structural elements you want to convert to analytical. For example, we will use the default view named {3D} for demonstration purposes.
Selecting a View for Analytical Model Creation#
Opening SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator Toolbar#
To open the SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator wizard, click the “Show” button in the “SOFiSTiK AMG” panel under the “Analyze” tab. Now, a toolbar named “SOFiSTiK: Analytical Model Generator” appears on the side of the screen, similar to the project navigation toolbar containing the list of available views.
Opening the SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator Toolbar#
Step 1: Prepare#
Opening the Prepare Step#
By clicking “Open” in the “Prepare” step, we can select the physical elements for which we want to create associated analytical elements. By default, all physical elements are disabled and marked in yellow accordingly.
Opening the Prepare Step#
Manual Selection/Filtering of Elements#
When selecting elements in the view, the toolbar named “SOFiSTiK: Analytical Model Generator” changes accordingly, allowing manual marking of elements for which we want to generate analytical elements by clicking “Enabled”. The “Enabled” elements will be marked in gray accordingly. In the next step, we’ll see how to streamline this marking process automatically.
Manual Selection/Filtering of Elements#
Note
You can choose whether the view displays element markings graphically by selecting the “Visualization” checkbox and controlling the display type as follows:
Highlight only disabled elements by selecting “Highlight Disabled Elements”.
Highlight disabled elements and hide enabled elements by selecting “Isolate Disabled Elements”.
Highlight enabled elements and hide disabled elements by selecting “Isolate Enabled Elements”.
Automatic Element Filtering Settings#
There are physical elements for which we might not want to create analytical elements,
such as excessively thin walls (non-structural). By clicking on the 
icon,
we can define automatic markings based on predefined threshold values under the “Physical Elements Filters” tab.
In our example, if we want to automatically filter out walls thinner than 10 cm, we would change the “Minimum Thickness” value under “Walls” to 10 (assuming length units are defined in centimeters).
Automatic Element Filtering Settings#
Note
Units of measurement for values in SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator settings are based on the project units set in Autodesk® Revit® settings and vary accordingly.
Confirmation of Settings and Saving as Template#
After finishing editing the SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator settings (you can choose to keep the default settings), click “OK” to confirm the changes and you will be prompted to name the new settings template.
Confirmation of Settings and Saving as Template#
Note
Additional information about the various options in the SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator settings can be read by hovering over them with the mouse. When hovering, a tooltip window with a brief explanation will open. For further and even more detailed explanations, click on the “Online Documentation” link at the bottom of the settings window or click “F1” button in your keyboard.
Running Automatic Filtering#
We can now perform automatic filtering of elements by clicking the “Run” button after selecting the appropriate settings template in the “Configuration” menu. For elements marked in yellow, no analytical elements will be created in the next step.
Running Automatic Filtering#
Note
To reset the filtering, click “Reset”. This button will mark all elements in the view as “Disabled”.
Step 2: Generate#
Opening the Analytical Model Generation Step#
In this step, we will create the analytical elements. Open this step by clicking “Open” in the “Generate” menu.
Opening the Analytical Model Generation Stage#
Note
Similar to the “Prepare” step, you can control the view mode by selecting “Visualization” and choosing the desired display type: Physical elements (“Physical Mode”) or Analytical elements (“Analytical Mode”).
Analytical Element Generation Settings#
There are various customization options available in this step to match engineering requirements and considerations.
You can open the settings by clicking on the icon. The relevant tabs for the “Generate” step are “Analytical Elements Alignment”
and “Analytical Elements Geometry”.
Generate Step Configurations#
Example:
You can ignore small openings in floors by changing the value of “Remove Openings smaller than”, and you can define a threshold value for the section ratio of columns to create analytical surfaces (“Panels”) instead of analytical lines (“Members”) in the case of wide columns.
Running the Analytical Model Generation#
To generate the analytical model according to the customized settings, select the appropriate template in the “Configuration” menu and click “Run”. After completion a global analytical model will be created.
Running the Analytical Model Generation#
Note
You can save the SOFiSTiK view as a new view in the project by clicking “Save View”.
Step 3: Check#
Opening the Analytical Model Checking Step#
At the end of the “Generate” step, it is recommended to check the quality of the analytical model before proceeding to FEM analysis. Additionally, this stage allows tracking changes made in the physical model that have not been updated in the analytical model. To perform this check, open the step by clicking “Open” in the “Check” menu.
There are two types of checks:
Coordination Checks - Checking for discrepancies in geometry and other parameters between analytical and physical elements.
Analytical Quality Checks - Checking for geometric discrepancies in the connection between various analytical elements.
Opening the Analytical Model Checking Step#
Analytical Model Checking Settings#
By clicking on the icon, we can modify the default settings for the checks of the analytical model under the “Checks” tab.
For example, we can decide which “Coordination Checks” to perform and set threshold values for alerting in the report when connection issues occur
(“Connection Tolerance”) and edge proximity issues occur (“Edge Proximity Tolerance”) with analytical elements.
Analytical Model Checking Settings#
Coordination Check for the Physical Model#
To perform a coordination check between the analytical model and the physical model, select the settings template we have configured and choose the option “Coordination Checks”. Then, click “Run” to initiate the check. To display coordination issues, you can use the visualization tools and mark elements with issues in red by selecting “Highlight Coordination Issues” or isolate all problematic elements by selecting “Isolate Coordination Issues”.
Coordination Check for the Physical Model#
Note
For detailed information on the issues and for precise isolation, it is recommended to open a check report by clicking “Show Report” and viewing the corresponding tab named “Coordination”.
Quality Check for the Analytical Model#
To perform a quality check for the analytical model, select the settings template we have configured and choose the option “Analytical Quality Checks”. Then, click “Run” to initiate the check. To display quality issues, you can use the visualization tools and mark elements with issues in red by selecting “Highlight Analytical Quality Issues” or isolate all problematic elements by selecting “Isolate Analytical Quality Issues”.
Quality Check for the Analytical Model#
Note
For detailed information on the issues and for precise isolation, it is recommended to open a check report by clicking “Show Report” and viewing the corresponding tab named “Analytical Quality”.
Check Report Display#
Here’s an explanation of the information displayed in the report and options for controlling the display according to the active Autodesk® Revit® view:
#. In the table, a list of potential issues arising from the checks is displayed. The information includes the Autodesk® Revit® element’s serial number (“Id”), a description of the issue (“Description”), and in the case of coordination checks, also the physical element category and the type of issue (“Association/Parameters/Geometry”).
#. Information - This section provides general and quantitative information about the latest check performed. It includes the check runtime, the number of elements displayed in the view, the number of elements checked, and the number of issues categorized by type.
Utilities - This section allows actions while viewing the reports, divided into two parts:
Immediate View Refresh: When one or more options for selection (“Select”), marking (“Show”), or isolation (“Isolate”) are marked, each click on a row in the table will perform the action immediately. This tool is useful for quickly navigating through a large number of issues.
Buttons: There is an option to mark (“Show”) and isolate (“Isolate”) similar to the immediate actions, but these update the view only upon clicking the button. Additionally, there are two extra buttons: one to reset the view isolation (“Reset Isolate”) and the other to update the information in the report based on the quantity of elements displayed in the active view (“Update”).
It is recommended to review the reported issues found and manually fix them if necessary. After the fixes, rerun the check to ensure that the issues have been resolved and continue with the analysis and the design using SOFiSTiK.
Check Report Display#
Note
Upon completing the generation of the analytical model, it is recommended to close the open steps in the SOFiSTiK Analytical Model Generator wizard by clicking on the “Close” button to exit the SOFiSTiK view and return to the user-defined view settings.