Detailing Structural Models - Concrete

The objective of this module is to understand how we set up rules to host reinforcing in a concrete element. When you think about a concrete element, we think about a few things. We think about what that element's job is (a column, floor, or a structural foundation). Knowing what the element contributes to a structure, we then think about the actual concrete (cast in place, precast, PSI, and tensioning). With all of this we can start to think about how this element is going to host reinforcing. And, how much concrete do we need between the steel rebar and the outside face of the concrete. In other words, the concrete cover.

The focus of this module is to see how we can add reinforcing to a concrete element, and have those elements adjust to the elements as they modified. What I’m saying is this: If we add reinforcing to a concrete element the right way, when we change the size of the concrete element, the reinforcing will change size automatically. Awesome. That means we can now focus on the actual rebar.

The focus of this module is to study rebar shapes, to learn how to set up a view to add a rebar cage, and how to set up the view settings to show rebar as a solid and unobscured. Different elements obviously require different rebar configurations. You learned that either in college or on the job. Revit is set up to accommodate this difference. In the first module of this course, we learned how to make a concrete column host rebar a specific way by setting up the cover settings. In the second module, we learned how to configure rebar bends. Now it's time to look at the view settings.

There is an awful lot of documentation that goes into designing anything right? Especially rebar. People spend their entire careers detailing and documenting rebar. Therefore, it makes sense that, in Revit, if we make our documentation as intelligent as possible we have a good chance of not having to go back and keep re...well documenting stuff. In addition, if we want to keep our jobs, it would be great to have Revit update all of our annotations, sections and callouts wouldn't it?

These topics are always my favorite because we get to get out of the weeds a little. What I mean by that is, we can start to see the positive results of the work we put in modeling all of our elements properly, using tags instead of text, and resisting the urge to just draw lines and hatches. I have said it before, Revit is a database. It is now time to start querying that information.