If you want to quickly check an opening height and also show the opening width, you can do this with a simple check box in the Dimension Type Properties.

These dimensions work with Door and Window Families. The resulting dimension will display the opening height underneath the opening width dimension.

Now you can display the opening height throughout a plan view on all openings.

You shouldn’t use this in our final dimensions on the documentation as it isn’t a standard way of representing an opening dimension.

Copy Monitor Changing Level Names

If you are using the Copy Monitor tool with your Levels, and you need to rename the Levels in your Host file. This is usually to keep a consistent naming convention across the entire project.

As soon as you try and rename you host level you will get this error message dialogue box.

Revit doesn’t realise that you are just trying to update your Level name in the host file to match the linked file and now adds a warning to the list. So you don’t get a warning just stop the monitoring of your Level line prior to renaming and then re-monitor the levels after the renaming process.

Working in the Central

If you are accidentally working in the Central File, you will probably have somebody in your project yell out….’Hey, you are working in the Central File’, plus if you have the Worksharing Monitor running you will see you are RED.

A lot of the time this is purely by accident, so to rectify your central situation all you have to do is just use ‘Save As’ and manually create a local file in your Local File directory. Ensure that you suffix the file name with your user name. Once you have saved your local file, just Synchronise with Central and you will be back in the Black.

Differences in Cropping Symbols and Detail Components

Just something to keep in mind when using Symbols and Detail Components.

When you are cropping views there is a subtle difference between Symbols and Detail Components. A Symbol will not be cropped by a Crop Boundary (only by an Annotation Crop,) where as a Detail Component will be cropped.

Cutting 3D CAD Files

When you are using 3D CAD files in your Revit models, whether it is for a topography, an existing building or a piece of furniture, one thing you might notice is that if you place a section marker that cuts the 3D CAD files it won’t show as being cut and even worse it will show the full extent of the CAD model, even if parts of it are behind the section mark.

                

To get the 3D CAD file showing properly in section, you have to import the 3D CAD file in an In-Place family.

Create a new In-Place Component Family selecting the Category most appropriate, and then Import the 3D CAD file. Finish the In-Place Family.

Now the section will show properly. Just remember the cut line work will now take on the style of the category.

This procedure also work by inserting the CAD file into an external component family.

Linked Site Disappearing

With all of our projects utilising shared coordinates, it means that we are linking our sites into the building models. This process can result in a little Revit anomaly in some section views, it doesn’t happen with all views or projects and can occur quite randomly.

In your section view the topography from your linked model disappears for no apparent reason, even though it is visible in the model in all other views.

If this ever occurs in your sectional view, check your ‘Far Clipping’ setting in the View Properties. If the Far Clipping is set to ‘Clip with Line’ it can make the topography in the linked file disappear (sometimes). If the ‘Far Clipping’ in the View Properties is set to ‘Clip without line’ (or ‘No Clip’) then the topography will become visible again.

Spot Elevations on Ramps

When you place spot elevations on your floor plan, if you try and place them on ramps you will notice that this isn't possible using the spot elevation tool.

It is possible to place them on elevations and section but plans it isn't possible......or is it?

A simple work around is to place the spot elevation onto a floor and then move or copy it onto the ramp and magically it will host itself to the ramp levels.

Voids in Complex Modelling

Voids can be a very useful object in complex form modelling. If you need to create a complex structural form you can use the edges of the void as a path to help host sweeps. As the void is negative space it won’t be visible in the final model.

It is a lot easier to create paths on the edges of a void form rather than having to try and create the path as a line. This is evident when you have to distort the path in 3 directions, (It is possible to do it using an adaptive family with points and splines, but is just so much simpler to use a void).

In the example I am using an extruded blend to create my void form.

Once you have the edges looking correct, just host a sweep to the edges using the ‘Pick Path’ and your complex form is finished.

A very effective way of rendering your design model is to assign a balsa wood material (or white card material) to all elements. Instead of having to engage in a time consuming process of saving a design model and reassigning materials, there is a very quick and easy process to gain the desired result.

Dimension Leaders

When you are using the Dimension tool in your model, sometimes the dimension text will be placed where it overlaps with the dimension line or ‘Tick’ mark. It is easy enough to move the dimension text away by selecting the blue dot at the bottom of the dimension text.

The result will leave you with a leader line back to the middle of the dimension line. If you want to remove it from the Dimension string, just look at the Options Bar and untick the ‘Leader’ tick box. This will remove it from the entire dimension string.

Unfortunately, the leader is turned on by default in all dimensions. If you want to turn it off in all the dimensions in your project you can select any dimension string and right-click, this will bring up the option to ‘Select All Instances’ > ‘In Entire Project’. Then you can turn off the leaders to all dimensions of that type.

Exporting to AutoCAD

If you need to export your Revit model to CAD for any reason you need to be careful what scale the Revit view is set to prior to exporting. At different scales you will get varying results in the final CAD file.

For smaller scales the export is without problem, but for some larger scales (above 1:200) the export will start to drop detail in you CAD file. And there doesn’t seem to be any logic towards what goes missing.

The examples below are images of the final AutoCAD (DWG) exports for a simple screen model.

Original Revit Model

Revit Export Scale 1:200

Revit Export Scale 1:500

Revit Export Scale 1:1000

Revit Export Scale 1:2000

So when you are exporting to CAD from Revit, be aware that any exports above 1:200 may not give you the results you were expecting.

Grouping In-Place Masses

If you are working with In-Place Masses be careful when you group them together. The masses will group together fine, it is only when you try to move or copy the In-Place Mass Group that you will start to encounter some problems.

When a group containing In-Place Masses is moved or copied they will not relocate to their new position. Instead they will remain in their original location creating a duplicate copy on the same instance, (or worse….. and start randomly placing masses).

This is clearly evident when you have modeled elements grouped with the masses (eg. Floors), the modeled elements will relocate properly and the masses are left behind.

So when you are working with In-Place Masses, try not to group them together.

Double Click - Middle Scroll Wheel

Here is a quick one......If you Double Click on the scroll wheel on your mouse, it is the same as selecting Zoom to Fit.

Wall Sweep Visibility Control

When you have Wall Sweeps in your model, by default they can be a little problematic to hide in your views without having to resort to ‘Hide in View’ > ‘Element’. (Which is a very undesirable work practice, so don’t even think about it!)

The problem occurs because there is no Wall Sweep Category and Revit, by default doesn’t have a Wall Sweep subcategory under the walls.

Dynamo - Accessing Legends via Core Nodes

This task originated from trying to determine which legends were actually in use on sheets in a Revit project file.

Listing all of the Legends in the model seemed like an easy enough task and while there are a couple of packages that have nodes to collect this information. I always see if it is possible to do this via the core nodes.

This process was more difficult than first thought below is the graph and attached is the Dynamo file. Hopefully you will find it useful.

You may notice that it brings up a few errors, but these can be ignored and it doesn't list Keynote Legends, as there are considered schedules by Revit.

Legends in Dynamo

Copy Box Toggle

When you are using a modification tool that has the ‘Copy’ box as an option, like Offset, Mirror or Rotate.

If you hold the ‘CTRL’ key down while executing the command it will toggle the ‘Copy’ tick box (On or Off depending on the modification tool).

This will save you having to move your mouse up there every time.

Divided Surfaces Alignment

In the conceptual modelling environment, if you have a trapezoidal face that isn’t a perfect square or rectangle, when you divide this flat surface the resulting grid will be applied at an assumed rotation, aligning itself to the angled edge. 9 times out of 10 this is not the result you were looking for.

It would be really nice if the grid was distorted so that it divided all of the edges equally resulting in a more uniform grid arrangement. Just like the image below.

How do we get to this result?

Well as it happens the conceptual environment seems to favour distorted, organic forms. So just pick the point at the top corner of the face and distort it ever so slightly.

In this instance I am adding .0001 to the dimension. Technically it isn’t perfectly flat anymore but dimensioning will round it to the correct value, and nobody will ever know. It is your little secret.

Dynamo Class At Autodesk University

Sorry for the blatant spamming of the group, but I have a submission in for Autodesk University later this year and it is a voting system to get the talks accepted. If you wouldn’t mind could you upvote my session? Link is below……

Session Title: Dynamo Protocols for Success - Standardizing Dynamo Deployment

Just search using the Session Title in the Link below:

http://au.autodesk.com/speaker-resource-center/call-for-proposals/voting

Either way, I will post up the presentation onto the blog, so that you can all benefit.

Thanks for your support.

Hide Unreferenced Views

When you are preparing your views for documentation one thing that is inevitable is that you have plenty of unreferenced views visible. Visually they tend to clutter your views.

Purging Famalies

When you are creating Families, don’t forget that they can be purged too. This will help when they are loaded into your project.

This is especially relevant if you have imported any CAD files into the Family.

Clean models mean faster models…..