I came across a Python-based IFC optimiser built on top of IfcOpenShell. It was solid, removing unused spaces, orphaned entities, and redundant metadata, but I saw room to push it further. The original script handled: Good start. But I was dealing with a 517mb Ifc file and wanted to see what else I could get out of it, see if…
Stepping away from the world of BIM and construction tech for a moment, I recently had the opportunity to visit Dubai for work, as part of two global standardisation initiatives. It was great to catch up with old colleagues from Dubai and Ireland, and meet new people from Poland, the UK and the US. One of the best parts of…
When you’ve got 200+ materials in your model and someone in the viz team asks for a preview, the last thing you want to do is manually place and assign materials one by one to a cube. But that’s exactly what we were staring down on a recent project — a clean export of every used material in the Revit…
In a recent Reddit thread, a Revit modeller shared their frustration after spending 9 years creating high-quality, parametric Revit families for big building services brands. Thousands of families, deep knowledge of lookup tables, nested content, type catalogues.. and yet, they now find themselves unemployed and wondering if those skills still hold value. It’s a question that resonates deeply within the…
In a previous post, we looked at how to set IFC material overrides for pipe fittings. But when it comes to cable tray and conduit, things get a bit trickier. Unlike pipe and duct, cable tray and conduit don’t belong to a system in Revit, so there’s no MEP System parameter to piggyback off. That’s why most teams colour them…
A recent post on the r/BIM subreddit sparked an interesting discussion: should you learn Dynamo or the Revit API for automating tasks in Revit? As a BIM professional, you’re likely no stranger to the quest for efficiency and automation in your workflows. But with multiple tools at your disposal, it can be daunting to decide which one to invest your…
Ever been in a meeting where everyone magically agrees with the boss? No debate. No pushback. Just a room full of nodding heads. That’s the HIPPO effect—when the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion wins by default. And it’s one of the fastest ways to kill good ideas. Why This Is a Problem The second the big boss shares their thoughts, most…
You’ve exported your model to IFC. Pipes look great. Fittings? Grey. Again. What’s going on? This one trips up a lot of teams, because pipe fittings in Revit don’t actually carry system data, even though they look like they do. So when you rely on system-assigned materials for your IFC exports, fittings get left behind. Revit’s built-in exporter just shrugs…
Disclaimer: This post isn’t about any one specific personality test but rather a critique of the broader trend of corporate personality assessments. These tests promise to improve teamwork and communication, but they also come with significant limitations. If you’ve ever been handed a color, an animal, or a vague descriptor and told, “this is who you are at work,” then…
There’s a certain kind of workplace that thrives on chaos. If you’ve ever been in an environment where meetings stack up, spreadsheets multiply, and priorities shift on a daily basis, you know exactly what I mean. It’s not just busy work—it’s the swirl. The swirl is that exhausting cycle of constant pivots, unnecessary check-ins, and never-ending documentation that creates the…