• To create an axis, you can use the Create GridLine tool. With this tool, you must specify a point in the cloud that should be used to fit a patch in the surrounding area, so it should be a point on a flat surface, this patch will represent the axis for your element. As you might imagine, this method does not exactly determine the position of the axis, because it uses the surface of the element to extract the patch, so the axis will be slightly offset from the center of the steel. This method can be used for some other applications as well, but in any case, it helps us to determine the direction of the axis. Once created, you can move the axis closer to the center manually.

The GridLine tool works very well when you have a clean point cloud with the required elements that can be used to extract patches. But in many cases, there are too many obstacles that prevent you from using it correctly. In this case, you must draw this axis manually, but before that, I recommend that you rotate your point cloud if the position of the main elements differs from the X and Y axes. To do this, draw two lines that will represent the current direction of the beams and the desired direction. Then click the Move Object / Auto Align command. In the pop-up window choose Rotate point cloud, next click on the center of rotation, the start point of rotation, and the end point of rotation. For all these points you could use previously created lines. After rotation, just create a section with one of the tools from the Clipping toolbar, I prefer to use the Z axis section for that. Next, draw the main axis manually. and copy them at the corresponding distance. 

Now you can use this axis to create steel columns in their intersection. Go to the relevant floor plan and first of all you should configure your viewing parameters, type "VR" on the keyboard, and you'll see the View Range window, specify unlimited parameters for Primary Range and for View Depth menus, also don't forget to switch the level of detail to medium or fine, to see all steel elements. After that go to Structure / Column, 

Select the appropriate column from the families and click the At Grid button. Select all axis to be used to place the steel elements and click OK. All columns will be placed at the intersection of the selected grid lines and extended to the specified level.

When you don't know the right dimensions of your steel or it has a lean position you could use the Fit Steel tool, which is located on the CloudWorx Fitters toolbar. Let's have a look at what exactly steel elements are supported and how this tool works. At the moment the CloudWorx supports the below types of steel:

• I-Beam (Wide Flange)

• Tee (T-shape)

• Tabular (Rectangular Tube)

• Channel (U-shape)

• Angle (L-shape)

To fit any of these elements into the point cloud you should click the Fit Steel button and define the settings of the fitting:

• A - Choose the type of steel that you would like to fit into the cloud

• B - Select the catalog the CloudWorx will be using to search relevant dimensions for your steel. If you don't want to use any catalog, you could skip this step

• C - Select the level to assign this element to it. You could select any level you want

• D - Define levels of extension for vertical beams, before doing that don't forget to set these levels with the Set level at point tool. You should do this step only for column-type elements

• E - Enable the Align steel mode if you want to create steels relevant to the major axis. If you'll disable this mode then your steel could have a little lean, cause the software in this way try to fit the steel to the cloud as accurately as it is possible. For most cases, I enable this function.

After all, settings are defined you could specify two points for fitting the steel:

1. The first / primary selection point is on a part of the structure that adequately represents the structure's cross-section, that is, as good and as clean as possible with respect to the overall structure. The area, about 20 centimeters along the primary axis, around the first / primary selection-point must be free of attachments, and adjacent structures must have a distance of at least half the target-structure's cross section-extent.

2. The second point is used to define the approximate trajectory for extrusion of the cross-section, so try to put it on another end of the steel

The Parts Table dialog appears if Use Steel Catalog is checked.

The steel shape that is selected from the Parts Table dialog may have a "star" symbol next to the tf column. This indicates that the fit is good. If a "plus sign" appears then this means that the fit is within the specified Filter Range specified at the top of the dialog.

If you think that any other element got more relevant dimensions, then you could just select it from the list and on the right preview window, you could see how the element will be fitted to the cloud.

After placement of the steel with enabled Align Steel mode, always check its Cross-Section Rotation angle. It could be slightly different from the basic angles so change it manually to 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees, or round the angle value to any nearest whole number.

Also, you could create your own catalog for the desired type of steel and use it in all your projects. It's very easy:

• Just go to the C:\ProgramData\Leica Geosystems\Catalogs folder and you'll find all files that CloudWorx uses for choosing the sizes. Let's try to create our own catalog for Wide Flanges as an example. 

• Go to the Steel - Wide Flange folder, choose any file, copy and rename it. 

• Double click on it and choose the notepad as software to open this file. 

• In the appeared window you'll see the list of all available dimensions for that type of steel and units in which these dimensions are specified. 

• Add your own element in this order: name of the element, height, web thickness, width, and flange thickness. Use a comma as a column separator and a dot as a decimal separator. Next save the file.

• Run the Fit Steel tool in CloudWrox for Revit and you'll see that's now is your catalog is available for modeling

When you define all your main steels you could just copy and paste them and align them to the point cloud manually. Sometimes it's faster than trying to fit each element into the cloud. Use different clipping tools for separate point clouds and use different views to align the steels.

• Floor and Ceiling plans use to align the horizontal position of the beams

• Elevations and Section views use to align the vertical position of the beams 

After all main steels will be created you could go to the next step and add connections to them. There are different ways how to create connections. One of the easiest tools for that is located on the native Revit Steels toolbar which calls Parametric Cuts. Basically, you could use Miter or Saw Cut Flange tools to extend automatically beams to each other. But there is one more interesting tool for beams connection, it's Connect Steels tool that you could find on the CloudWorx Fitters toolbar. Click this button and choose in the appeared window any relevant type of connection, next follow the recommendations for selection order which will appear in the left bottom corner of your screen. When the connection will be created, switch to the Fine level of details to see it on the screen. In the Edit setting of the connection, you could change sizes, the number of bolts, and other parameters.

You could use the Connection tool also for creating base plates. Just click on the Connection button, select your beam and you'll see the green Generic connection, select it and change its type. In addition, you could create your own connection plate and specify the location for the bolts. For that set the working plane in the right position with the Fit Work Plane tool. Click on it, select pick type, and specify the point in the cloud, which should be used for plane extraction. You'll see that the working plane will appear after you click the point on the flat surface of the plate in the point cloud. Now you could go to Steel toolbar and choose the Plate tool. You could draw the plate with any shape based on the point cloud. After it will be done you could change the thickness and add bolts.

As you could see the steels created with the CloudWorx plugin could be easily usable with the standard Revit tools, also you could add technical holes for engineering with the Countour Cut tool. Left on the screen section in the point cloud where you could clearly see all holes and just stroke them with this tool and it will create a hole in your steel or plate. 

And don't forget, that if you can't see something information in the point cloud clearly, you could open the TruSpase in an additional window and look closely at the details on the HDR panoramic image. For that click, the Open TruSpace and you'll see in the pop-up window the closest panoramic image to the specified point. In that window, you could change visible objects and switch between different types of navigation.