The following exercises will walk you through several different project and field management workflows, including Submittals, RFIs, Assets, and Forms, through the lens of a single building component. The Variable Air Volume (VAV) box is an element within the building HVAC / Mechanical system. In this part, you will explore the properties and manufacturer’s documentation for a VAV box element. Then, you’ll submit RFIs to your teacher and receive feedback as you work through the exercises in Part 1. Note that if you are not using this material in an instructor-led environment, you can invite a member into your project to act as your project manager. It is assumed that all dataset files have been uploaded properly to Autodesk Construction Cloud.
View data attributes listed for the VAV box element.
Create an RFI.
Close and distribute the RFI.
Exercises
Review the VAV box element and documentation
After signing in to the Autodesk Construction Cloud, open Autodesk Build from the product picker in the top-left corner of the screen (Figure 14, mark 1) and select Files (Figure 14, mark 2).
Figure 14
Navigate to the folder named _Instructor Handouts and open the file named 23 3600 – AIR TERMINAL UNITS.pdf. (This file is also available in the Module Downloads if you are not in an instructor-led classroom environment.) Download the file to your desktop and review the specification, paying particular attention to the following sections which will be the focus of the exercise:
1.3 Action Submittals: A. Product Data (for 1. Air Terminal Units & 2. Liners)
1.5 Closeout Submittals: A. Operation & Maintenance Data
From the menu on the left side of the screen, select the Sheets tool (2D only), or select Files and then open the Revit 2025_Small Bldg_All disciplines.rvt file in the Build Files folder (2D & 3D views).
Note: While use of the Autodesk Construction Cloud mobile app is not required, you are encouraged to open and explore the project on a mobile device in parallel with these exercises.
Find and select a Parallel Fan Powered VAV box element from either a 2D view, sheet M102 highlighted (Figure 15, mark 1) or a 3D view, level 2 with a top orientation (Figure 16, mark 1). When the VAV box is selected, the outline of the VAV box should turn blue.
Figure 15
Figure 16
Hint: To locate VAV boxes in the 3D model, use Levels, Section Analysis, Hide Elements, or use the Model Browser. See the Autodesk Docs exercise for more practice with the Model Browser.
Use the Properties tool to view the data attributes listed for the VAV box element you selected, paying particular attention to the following property values listed under the Identity Data section, Type Name, Mark, Model, and Manufacturer. Take a screenshot or jot them down, as you will use them later in the exercise.
With the Properties window still open, find and click the URL hyperlink associated with the VAV box to access and review the different types of documentation provided by the recommended manufacturer. For purposes of this exercise, focus on the files within the Submittals and Installation tabs.
Paying attention to the VAV box properties from Step 5, locate and download three different PDF documents, one for each of the following subsections from specification section 23 3600 – AIR TERMINAL UNITS which you reviewed in Step 2:
1.3-A.1 | Dimensional Submittal – see the Submittals tab and assume the unit uses Hot Water Reheat.
1.3-A.2 | Liner Submittal – see the Submittals tab and assume a liner type and thickness. Submit an RFI to your teacher in the next section of the exercise to confirm your selection.
1.5-A | Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual – see the Installation tab.
Hint: The data attributes in the Model and Type Name properties for the VAV box will narrow down the Submittal documents; the induction filter components provide clues on the liner type and thickness.
Remember where you saved the documents in the previous step, as they will be used for additional steps in the exercise.
Create an RFI
From the menu on the left side of the screen, select RFIs.
Click Create RFI to generate a new RFI (per Step 7, second bullet point in the previous section). Then populate the fields in the form according to the notes below:
*Status | Open For reviewer (this can be left in Draft to start, but must be changed to Open for Reviewer for submission to your teacher).
*RFI Number | Use default (update to next suggested number).
*Title | Last Name, First Name – VAV Box Liner Insulation.
Type | Default RFI workflow.
*Ball in court | Teacher’s name (field will be dimmed if Status is Draft).
Question | Varies – clearly state the information you are seeking, e.g. “what is the correct liner insulation type and thickness for the VAV box?”.
Suggested answer | Varies – provide a suggested answer based upon your review of the information, e.g. “the liner insulation for the VAV box is __ inch thick dual density fiberglass per the attached document”.
References | Click Add references and select Upload Files to upload the Liner Submittal document you downloaded from the manufacturer’s site.
*Indicates required field
Click Create to complete the creation of the RFI and trigger an email notification to your teacher to review. The RFI status will now be listed as Open – In Review until your teacher submits their official response.
Stop: Wait for your teacher’s response before moving on to the next step.
Close and distribute the RFI
Once your teacher has responded to your RFI, you will receive an email notification of the status change.
Open the RFI by either clicking View RFI in the email notification or by logging into the project and selecting RFIs from Autodesk Build and selecting your RFI from the listing.
If your RFI is Rejected, reopen the RFI and edit or update the information to address any guidance provided by your teacher. Select Return to Reviewer to submit the revised RFI to your teacher and wait for the response.
If your RFI is approved by your teacher, the RFI status will be changed to Open – Answered. Read any guidance provided by your teacher in the notes and proceed to the next step.
With the RFI open, click Close and Distribute (Figure 17, mark 1) in the top-right portion of the screen. Then click Close RFI (Figure 18, mark 1). Once closed, all members of the project will be able to view the RFI.
