I would like to point you to a good and FREE piece of software that I did come across in my adventures today. SteelVis from National Institute of Standards and Technology. You can find it here. The file will compile and display CIS/2 file. The model is actually displayed in a web browser. Just follow the directions given and you'll get to see and get a list of all your components and various info.
Maybe it's me, but Im finding the realities of BIM fall far short of the promises. Don't get me wrong as the Auburn family says, Im "ALL IN" on Revit and BIM, but Im just finding it difficult to implement the full advantages. Im sure it will get better with time, but as Capt Bob says there is a line between cutting edge and bleeding edge, unfortunately, we some of these issues are a knife to the juggular. Oh, if you want to see where my building went on it's way from Revit to CIS/2, just check the vid, from Event Horizon. You've been warned.
After the frustration, honestly, it's probably not this extreme. It seems that stepped columns, Joist Girders and Joist give Revit the most difficulty. The joist girders jumping up 20' on one end gave it a rather distorted view, thus my horror show correlation. The data file is still somewhat correct and can be used as another broad quantity check. Most of the elements positions and types seem to be correct. I have also sent a file, minus all the bar joists on the job. I'll keep updating, as I sent a CIS/2 file, an IFC file, a SDNF file, and a DXF file to the detailer. Im hoping something worked okay. I will say this is my first attempt at this and I did not monitor my analytical model very closely. I did work with it early on, so I should get somewhat correct results. Any effort more than occasional tweaking is too much to be a time saver, plus the models seem disconnected. Many of my analytical members have two lines, are crossed, etc. Very difficult to understand and comprehend. It needs to look like a stick model representation of your building, color coded or tagged to look as you want. That's what Im working toward right now.
