Mid-Project Quick Reference

The ElectroBIM tutorial shows all of the recommended actions to take and behaviors to expect when introducing ElectroBIM in a project that is already in progress. This section provides a summary of some key actions and behaviors so you can easily reference them when you start using ElectroBIM in your in-progress Revit projects.

Editing Distribution Equipment

Start by going to the Panel Edit command. All of the distribution equipment in your project will be listed here. You will need to:

• Review the feeder settings for each piece of equipment and confirm they are correct.
• Set the kVA for each transformer.
• Set the starting fault at the equipment connected to the utility.

Review Feeder Settings

Go to the Feeder section for each piece of distribution equipment. The feeder size is based upon the Conductor ▾ setting. By default, the feeder size will be based upon the OCP Trip ▾ setting in the Upstream Connection section.

For panels, the default value of OCP Trip ▾ is Same as main disconnect or bus size. The feeder will be sized based upon the Bus Size / Mains ▾ value in the Definition section.

For transformers, the default value of OCP Trip ▾ is Size to match kVA. The feeder will be sized based upon the Size ▾ value in the Definition section.

To override the feeder size, use the Conductor ▾, Neutral ▾, and Ground ▾ fields.

The feeder length is calculated automatically and displayed in the dialog box. You can override the length if needed. You do not have to use the calculated length.

Set Transformer kVA

For transformers, you need to specify the Size ▾ in the Definition section. Using a standard Revit model, there is no standard transformer kVA field.

Set Starting Fault

Go to the transformer connected to the utility or the topmost piece of distribution equipment in your model. In the Fault Calculations section, set the Utility Fault at Device ▾ to Fixed and enter the appropriate value.

If you do not set the fault at the top of your distribution tree, an infinite fault from the utility is assumed. The fault schedule will display UTILITY for the fault value.

tip

Modeling the utility transformer in your projects is highly recommended, as that will provide the most accurate calculations and representation of your distribution.

Calculating Circuits in Current Projects

On projects for which devices have already been inserted and circuited, the first time you run the Calculate Whole Project or Calculate Part of Project command, breakers for branch circuits and feeders will be sized as though they were set to Size automatically unless otherwise configured using ElectroBIM commands. Any breaker sizes that had been manually changed in Revit without using ElectroBIM may change, which can impact wire sizing, voltage drop calculations, and other parts of the design.

After the calculation finishes, ElectroBIM will create and display the ELECTROBIM CIRCUIT VALUE COMPARISON schedule. This schedule shows any circuit for which the Revit Rating parameter changed during the calculation. Additional information is provided to help you find each circuit.

The schedule will continue to be displayed each time you run the Calculate Whole Project or Calculate Part of Project command. If you no longer need the schedule, you can delete it to stop having it displayed.

Customizing Project Settings

Review the customization settings below when you start using ElectroBIM on your in-progress projects. After configuring these settings, use the methods outlined in the Set Default Customization & Use Customization in Other Projects section of the tutorial to transfer that configuration to other projects.

Feeder Sizing

Use the Wire Sizes command to add or remove wire sizes and create new wire materials.

Use the Conduit Sizes command to add or remove conduit sizes and create new conduit materials. A common request is to not use 1/2" conduit for feeders; one way to do that is by using this command and disabling or deleting the 1/2" conduit size.

The Wire Ampacities command is used to specify the wire sizes used for a specific feeder ampacity. This command also sets the impedance for the feeders. The default impedances are based upon NEC Table 9, but can be changed.

Other Customization Settings

The Project Options command has several options you can set, from changing the appearance of wire callouts to modifying how wire lengths and voltage drop are calculated.

The Single-Line Diagram Device Graphics and Single-Line Diagram Feeder Graphics commands allow you to customize the graphic families used to create your single-line diagram, and how they are listed and categorized in dialog boxes. You can also set which Revit model families are always available for selection, even if they are not loaded into the current project.

Configuring Families

The Family Edit command allows you to set default values in your families. You can use this command to set information once per family and type instead of setting it for every instance using the Panel Edit or Instance Edit commands.