Advanced Techniques · In-place Family • Types ... (and create if necessary) the phase filter to...

Advanced Techniques

Speaker’s Name: Steve BurriCourse ID: AR12-3Course Outline: This tutorial will demonstrate advanced techniques in Worksets, Phasing, Groups and Family creation.

Topics:Phasing

• Best methods• Phased Schedules• Visibility• For Design Option• Area Calculations• New Features

Families• Good Housekeeping Practices• Component vs. In-place Family• Types & Parameters• Nesting• Arrays• Formulas• Profiles• Catalogues• External Parameters• New Features

Groups• Correct usage• Special Methods

Worksets• Managing References• Keeping Local/Central synchronized• For Design Option

PhasingPhasing





Phasing - Best MethodsView Management

• Duplicate a view (of the most common views) for each phase (or phase filter). 3D views, plans for each level... etc.

• Rename them to reflect the appropriate information.

Phasing - Best MethodsUnraveling the “Phase” / “Phase Filter” mystery

• Phase is an indicator of where in time the view is "existing" -This will set a maximum of what CAN BE shown

• Phase Filter indicates what is being shown in the view for the given phase - This will set what is being shown within the maximum.

Phasing - Best MethodsUnraveling the “Phase” / “Phase Filter” mysteryExisting New Construction (Demo)

Phasing - Best MethodsCreating a “DEMO” phase is extraneous and limiting

• New construction phase should include demo'd objects:

• if a separate demo phase is created you cannot see both demo'd and new objects in the same view.

• to get a view of your demolished data, copy the view in which the objects were demolished and set (and create if necessary) the phase filter to show only demolished objects.

• keep in mind, that when you demolish something, that is the LAST phase in which that object can be shown.

Phasing - SchedulesSchedule views respond to phasing information the same way any other view does.

• Applying a phase and phase filter to a schedule will change the schedules output.

• It may be necessary to make a new phase filter... “Show this Phase”, which filters out everything except the new objects.

• Apply the correct phase AND phase filter to the schedule.

• A good test to determine what a schedule is reporting on is to apply the same phase and phase filter to a new 3D view (make sure no category visibility settings are removing objects from the view) - and see what the view is showing you. This will be the same data that the schedule is going to "show" you.

Phasing - Schedules

Phasing - VisibilityPreventing "Existing" objects from appearing completely grey (Glass especially)• remove the "existing" material.

Phasing As a design study tool.Not recommended for projects using traditional phasing - if phasing is in use, it is suggested that the "Options" phases are placed at the end of the phase cycle.

Temporary objects should be used -Demolish the objects in the same phase they are created

Create a new Phase Filter to have Temporary objects appear normal

Watch for wall joins.

Mix and match ofdesign options isnot possible usingthe phasing method.

Room and area calculations for phased projects takes the final phase.• Annotation is not phased• need to use Area Analysis for providing alternate area plans in all but the final phase

Phasing & Area Calculations.

Phasing - New Functionality for 5.0Objects created in later phases no longer create holes in their hosts in earlier phases.

Likewise, objects demolished in earlier phases do not create holes in their hosts in later phases.

GroupsPhasing





Groups - Correct UsageNeed to be aware of the dependencies in the original group to ensure the subsequent placement of the group will succeed:• Levels• Grids• Reference planes• Hosts (if you include a hosted object include the host as well):

• floor• Ceilings• Walls• Etc.

• Adjoining and nearby elements:• Floors / ceilings / walls• Dimensional references• Aligned or joined elements to the side above or below.

Groups - Correct UsageThere are some things that are best left out of groups:

• In-Place families. • The exception to this is if an “independent” in-

place family is to be saved out and brought to another project.

• Walls that have had their elevation edited.

• Objects from different worksets.

Groups - Correct UsageThe most successful groups contain a relatively small number of isolated elements that need to be repeated and possibly changed as a whole.

It can be helpful, within a project to make and nest several smaller groups into a larger group.• Consider, however, that nested groups cannot be saved to file. Only “flat” groups can be saved.

Groups - Special Methods• Groups can be saved out and worked on in a separate file to study options.

Groups - Special Methods• Groups can be effectively used to manage standard details.

Groups - Special MethodsGroups can be effectively used to manage standard notes.

• Placed multiple times in a projects, one change updates them all.

• Can also be saved out to disk to be used across projects.

WorksetsPhasing





Worksets - Managing ReferencesManaging references closely to allow for Selective open provides excellent performance returns for:• Site Elements• Multiple Buildings• Furniture plans

Returns are more limited beyond these areas.

Worksets - Managing ReferencesWhat are References?• Information shared between elements.• References can be “two way”, “one

way”, or “no way”.o Insert objects reference the

host (the host also references the insert) – 2 way.

o Constraints (locked dimensions, locked alignments, etc.) – may be 1 or 2 way.

o Wall joins (corner joins are 2 way, mid-wall joins are 1 way).

o “Moves with nearby” –Component parameter is a 1 way relationship with “nearby”elements

Worksets - Keeping the Central and Local files Synchronized

If a synchronization problems occur, the best method for resolving them is to create a new local file from the central file and be more careful with saves to local.

Worksets -As a Design Study ToolFor projects that have worksets enabled, it is possible to create additional non-referencable (isolated) worksets for design studies.

• Keeping them isolated allows them to be kept out of memory for team members not requiring options information

• The use of worksets allows workset visibility to be used to display the different options.

• Turn off their visibility by default when creating the new options workset

Worksets -As a Design Study Tool

FamiliesPhasing





Families - Good Practices

As much as is practical, create and use reference planes to establish references for geometry.

After each addition of geometry or parameter, “flex” the model to determine if your addition is stable.

Make sure the template isappropriate for the familiespurpose.

“Flex” the host in host based families.

Families - Good Practices (Component vs. In-Place)

As a rule of thumb

• Component families should be created when the family:

• may be grouped• may be used in more than one project• may be used more than once in this project

• In-Place families should be created when:• project references are required to make the family• the family is unique to one location in the project

Families - Good Practices (Component vs. In-Place)

Project specific elements need to be made as in-place.

Families - Family TypesInstance parameters are added to the Family Types area as a default value. Each time the component is placed in a project the instance parameter value can be changed for that instance only.

New (Instance and Type) parameters can be created to control dims AND non-dimensional parameters can be added as well.

Families - Family TypesMaterial parameter allows different types (or the same type / different instances) of the same family to have different materials

New Types can be created on the fly in a project.

Families - NestingFamilies can consist of other families. Families can be loaded and instances of that family insert into the new family. This allows previous work to be built upon while creating families suited to a specific need.

=+ 4 x

Families - ArraysThe number of elements in an array can be a parameter for a family. After an array is created, the array number can be selected and turned into a parameter. This allows the parameter value to be increased or decreased to vary the instances of the array in different family types or instances.

Families - FormulasFormulas can be used for calculating type parameter values.

They may include numerical constants and other parameter names. • For example, the family could have two parameters named

length and width. The value for width might be calculated with the formula =length/2.

Formulas support the following arithmetic operations: • addition [+], subtraction [-], multiplication [*], division [/],

exponentiation [exp], logarithms [log], square roots [sqrt] and powers [^].

• Formulas also support the trigonometric functions: sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, and atan.

• Make sure the units of theparameter and the units of theformula match ! !

Families - ProfilesA profile family is a two-dimensional loop shape that will be loaded into a project and then applied to certain building elements. For example, a 2-D sketch of a profile loop for a railing can be used to define the railing shape in a project.Profiles can be defined for, wall sweeps, reveals, railings, stair treads, and sweeps. One profile family, can be reused multiple times on building elements in the project. Loaded profiles appear as a leaf under the Families branch in the Project Browser.Profile families are created using templates supplied with Revit. Those templates are Profile Family.rft, Rail Profile.rft, Reveal Profile.rft, Stair Nosing Profile.rft, and Wall Sweep Profile.rft.

Families - Profiles

Families - CatalogsType Catalogs assist with the family selection process. Sorting through the catalog and loading only the specific family type required within the project can help reduce the number of families. This helps decrease project size and minimizes the length of the Type Selector drop-down list when selecting types.There are several ways to create a comma-delimited .txt file. It can be typed it in using a text editor like Notepad, or the use a database or spreadsheet software to automate the process can be employed.

Families - External ParametersExternal parameters are parameters that can be shared with multiple Revit families and projects. They are defined once and saved to an external parameter file. They can then be added to families and used as parameters of those families.External parameters can be used to create multi-category schedules and to tag elements with those external parameters.

Only certain family categories can have external parameters, the exceptions are rooms, entourage families, and walls.

Advanced Techniques · In-place Family • Types ... (and create if necessary) the phase filter to...

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