Locking Equal Dimensions

A mistake that many new Revit users make is to lock Equal dimensions.

Once you have created an Equal dimension, there is no need to also lock the padlock icon, this just over constrains the dimension string and can cause you errors. The Equal dimensions already constrain the lines; there is no need to tell Revit again.

If you lock the padlocks on the Equal dimensions then further down the line when you put an overall dimension and try and adjust it, this is when the problems start.

If you adjust the overall parametric dimension (Length) you will be greeted by this error dialog box, telling you that you have some conflicting constraints in your model.

So the moral of this story is once you have created Equal dimensions, don’t lock them.

Extra Wide Schedules

When you are working with schedules sometimes they can get very wide with the number fields being used. This can make it hard to track across the schedule to see the relevant information for an element.

Something that may help is if you have the identifying field, usually the ‘Mark’ at the start of the schedule and at the end. The only problem is that you can only use a field once in the schedule, they can’t be duplicated. This is where the ‘Calculated Value’ can come in handy.

• Select the Calculated Value button.

• Create a new Calculated Value called ‘Mark End’.

• Change it to the same Type of parameter (usually text for Mark values).

• Lastly in the Formula are, just select the button with the 3 dots on the right and pick the parameter you would like to replicate

Now you have the Mark replicated on the end of your schedule, so that it is easier to keep track of the parameter data.

If you don’t want this extra field to show in your final schedule just remove it or make it a hidden field.

Property Line Creation

When you are creating Property Lines for your site in your model, the default out of the box settings for the Property Line creation can be a little confusing, especially if you are creating them by entering distances and bearings.

The table you are greeted with will only let you enter bearing distances between 0° and 90°, as its forms the Property Lines using compass quadrant points and locates the lines in each quadrant….it is a little confusing, but there is an easier way to enter this information. (Even explaining it is a little confusing!)

If you select the little arrow besides the Model Site heading, you will be taken into the Site Settings dialog box. Change the Angle Display setting to Degrees.

This will alter the Property Lines dialog box, so that the method for entering the data will just use the distance and bearing, and not the quadrant method.

Propagate Extents

A very underutilised tool in Revit is the Propagate Extents tool for Levels and Grids (Datum Lines).

When you set up a views Levels and Grids just the way you would like, and would like this to reflect in other views, just select the Datum Lines (Levels or Grids) and then select the Propagate Extents tool in the Ribbon and then tick the views you would like to replicate the Level or Grid extents to.

The Datum extents will then be replicated into the views selected.

Another way of controlling Datum Extents is using Scope Boxes and then applying it to a view. Propagating Extents is a nice method without having Scope Boxes setup in your project.