tutorials, tips+tricks
Chelsea | The Student Architect
Bad Habits to Avoid When Working in Revit

Did you just start using Revit, or have you been using it for a while? I’m willing to bet you’ve made some of these mistakes yourself at some point. These are some of the worst Revit mistakes I’ve seen in my years of teaching Revit and working with other designers. How many of these are you guilty of?

tips+tricks, archibabble
Chelsea | The Student Architect
How to Avoid All-Nighters

I’ve written and spoken about how to survive all-nighters, but it’s best if we can avoid them in the first place, right?
All-nighters are very unhealthy for you, especially if you find yourself doing them all the time. Working for hours on end, especially overnight, can cause you to make mistakes in your work, can make you sick, and can be seriously dangerous if you’re working on models with knives and machinery without sleep. Here are my tips on how to avoid all-nighters.

tips+tricks, archibabble
Chelsea | The Student Architect
15 Tips for Starting Your Own Design Business

Whether you’re looking to freelance, become a solopreneur, or start a small design business, these tips will help you start off your journey on the right foot. You may want to use this as a checklist or just a guide; either way, these are all tips…

tips+tricks
Chelsea | The Student Architect
Invoicing the Smart Way

Spend more time making money, doing what you love to do, rather than wasting time doing accounting! Here I’ll show you just how easy it is to track your hours and bill your clients using professional looking invoices.

tips+tricks
Chelsea | The Student Architect
Tips for Existing Conditions Surveys

These are my tips and tricks for doing existing conditions surveys so you can learn best practices for how to keep your drawings clean and organized and avoid forgetting to document important information.

how to survive studio

5 Resources Every Architect and Architectural Designer Needs at their Desk

There's so much more to being a great designer than drawing pretty pictures and building models.

Pretty pictures have to be accompanied by well designed spaces that not only comply with the code but also remain functional. The way to become a great designer is to gain as much experience as you can and know the right material to use as a guide. Having the right resources at your disposal is such an important element in your success as a designer, along with working under a seasoned and skilled professional.

What's a Drafting Brush?

by Chelsea Weibust

Updated 12/05/2018

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Who doesn't need a tool to wipe the crumbs off their desk?

When I first started hand drafting I always used my hand to wipe away eraser bits and pencil shavings. I would get so frustrated when the heat from my hand would attract the graphite on the page and spread it all across my drawings! I thought, there has to be a better way! 

Soon I came across this tool called a drafting brush. It would glide gently across my drawings, cleaning away all the eraser bits, excess graphite, and heck, even the crumbs scattered across my drawings from eating at my desk! A drafting brush is such a simple tool but an essential one to keep your drawings clean and crisp.

 

The drafting brush I use: Westcott/C-Thru*

What's a Kneaded Eraser

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Who knew there were so many different types of erasers!?

It's vital to know the purpose of different tools and how to use them in different way so you can be more productive. Using the right tool can be the difference between having a great project and potentially having to start a rendering over.

Watch to see what a kneaded eraser is and how to use it.

 

Kneaded eraser I use: Prismacolor*

What's a Lead Pointer

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If you haven't seen last weeks post/video about lead holders, go check that out first!

This week we're talking all about lead pointers - what they are and how to use them. Check out the video to see more!

 

Here is the lead pointer I use: Alvin Rotary*

What Are My Custom Computer Specifications?

What Are My Custom Computer Specifications?

A few years ago I had a friend build a custom computer for me, built to suit my needs. I was so frustrated with the performance and lifespan of the prebuilt computers I’d had before of all prices, brands, mac, pc, you name it. The prebuilt computers just couldn’t perform the way I needed them to so I decided to go the route of custom built computers. Since announcing this transition to the interwebs, I’ve been asked so many times what specification I have for my computer, so here they are!

What's a Lead Holder?

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When I was first starting out in architecture I knew close to nothing about what supplies I needed, how to use them, or where to get them. I want to save you the trouble and stress of not knowing these things. This is the first video of a new series called "What's This Thing?" where I will introduce different architecture studio supplies, and terminology and explain what they are and how to use them. In this video we look at a lead holder and lead refills.

 

Here are the lead holders I use: Kohinoor* and Prismacolor Turquoise*

Here are the lead refills that I use: Prismacolor Turquoise* 

The Best Computer for Architecture

The Best Computer for Architecture

Updated 01/01/2019

What is the best computer for architecture students? 

I have been getting A TON of questions about this! Typically, I advise people to review school requirements and do a little bit of research - I still stand by that philosophy for the most part. While I do think it's important to understand what your school requires you to have in terms of computer specifications, here I suggest a different path. Watch to find out!

 

Also see my computer specifications here to build your own custom computer!

 
📐 Hey Friends! If you recently switched over to #revit 2024 or 2025 like I did, you probably have a lot of questions about some of the latest changes. For one, Toposurfaces are now called Toposolids, and they work very differently. One of the questi