How to Use the Site Context Models and Link to Global AEC Shared Resources

The teaching team has created Revit site models that you link into your project models to provide the context that surrounds your site:

terrain / topography
terrain images
adjacent building masses
roads and paths
water elements

These models are available to link to as Cloud Revit models in your team’s Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) project folder. From within the Revit application use the Insert > Link Revit command, then navigate to this folder:

Project Files > Cloud Revit Models > Site Context

You can use these models as-is (using the Hidden Line display option), but they will be much more informative if you complete the following steps to provide you with access to the map images. After you’ve completed these steps, turn on the Realistic display option to see the images draped on the topography.

You can also explore the sites and the surrounding context in Google Earth, by searching for these approximate project site addresses:

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Atlantic

650 Babcock Dr, Madison, WI 53706

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Central

750 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA

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Island

54 Av. Universidad, San Juan, PR 00925

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Pacific

634 Winston Dr, San Francisco, CA 94132

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River

Platz der Demokratie 4, Weimar, TH 99423

Google Earth

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earth.google.com

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Step 1: Download & Install the Autodesk Desktop Connector

The Autodesk Desktop Connector will enable you to access files stored on the Autodesk Construction Cloud directly from Windows File Explorer.

To use the files in the Global AEC Shared Resources folder, download the Autodesk Desktop Connector and install it on your computer.

Autodesk_Desktop_Connector_15_2_0_1634_Win_64bit.sfx.exe

drive.google.com

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Step 2: Create a Symbolic Link to the Shared Resources on ACC

Open the Windows Command Console as an Admin
Enter this command (swapping in your Windows user ID for “glenn”)

C:\WINDOWS\system32>mklink /d "C:\Win22GlobalAECShared" "C:\Users\glenn\ACCDocs\STANFORD BIM360 EDU-CEE\Win 22 - Global AEC Shared Resources\Project Files"

The system will respond with a message similar to this:

symbolic link created for C:\Win22GlobalAECShared <<===>> C:\Users\glenn\ACCDocs\STANFORD BIM360 EDU-CEE\Win 22 - Global AEC Shared Resources\Project Files

And if you open C:\Win22GlobalAECShared in File Explorer, you’ll see this:

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Step 3: Link to the Cloud Revit site model

The site context models are available to link to as Cloud Revit models in your team’s ACC project folder.

From within the Revit application use the Insert > Link Revit command
Navigate to this folder:

Project Files > Cloud Revit Models > Site Context