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Unbounded Zones

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Message 1 of 19
BCERBimMan
1116 Views, 18 Replies

Unbounded Zones

The Wiki Help doesnt go into any depth about this.

 

It does say this: "...Unbounded zones can be created for design purposes, for fire protection zones, or to retain zone information. Unbounded zones retain zone properties that you specify, and you can move (drag) them within a view for design purposes. Only unbounded zones can be moved. After a space is assigned (added) to a zone, the zone is bounded by the space(s) assigned to it, and the zone cannot be moved. Unlike a space, an unbounded zone will not snap to a bounded area. However, the unbounded zone can be moved over a bounded area for design purposes..."

 

If I create a zone and dont had a space, it places the zone not even close to where I want it. Then I have to go find it. It is also a standard 10X10 box which cant be edited in terms of size. If i want to use it for a fire protection zone or radiant floor heating zone, how do I do that since the size cant be changed?

 

What has everyone done for this? The only alternative I see is using "dumb" text and detail lines which, IMO, isnt "BIM" and defeats the purpose.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
18 REPLIES 18
Message 2 of 19

What about using Area Plans as an alternative with project parameters to allow you to expand the available parameter lists and create colour fill plans and schedules of areas/hazards/etc.?

 

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Message 3 of 19

Julian,

 

Sounds like a great plan. However, we use hatch patterns to designate our zones as colored areas dont print all that well.

 

Thanks though, I may still give it a try.

 

Jason P.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 4 of 19

What about Filter over-rides on areas to apply a hatch pattern based on specific parameter values withint the area instead of using colour fill?

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Message 5 of 19

****, you are just full of great answers today. Its one of those "why didnt I think of that!!" moments. *grins*

 

Ill have to give that a try as well.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 6 of 19

Hope the above suggestions work

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Please give Kudos as appropriate to enhance the value of these forums.

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Message 7 of 19

Ill let you know what I find out when I can test it out.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 8 of 19
BCERBimMan
in reply to: BCERBimMan

I have tested your idea Julian. I can create an area plan, designate an area and create a filter to had a hatch pattern to that area. The onyl time the hatch shows up if I zoom way in on the area and it does not print. i did the same thing with an HVAC zone. Created a filter, assigned a pattern and it doesnt show until I zoom in and also doesnt print.

 

*throws up hands*

 

No clue now. What am I missing?

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 9 of 19
BCERBimMan
in reply to: BCERBimMan

Also learned that Keynote Tags cannot be used on an area or HVAC zone, nor can they be added to the area or zone tag as a family or a label. *sigh*

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 10 of 19
BCERBimMan
in reply to: BCERBimMan

*Update* After more testing, if I assigned a pattern using a filter and if I assigned a Color Scheme to the view, then and only then did the pattern show up and was printable. I think with some custom parameters, we will be using area plans from now on for both Fire Protection and Radiant Floor Zones until such a time that Autodesk incorporates something like that for the masses in a future release.

 

Im still going to have to come up with something else in order to tag a keynote for that zone. Like creating a small box or something and masking it behind the tag.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 11 of 19

Glad you managed to get it to work. Out of interest - how are you using the keynote? Do you have an example you could show as wonder if you could try a different approach with Project SP's assigned to areas and then a custom area tag?

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Message 12 of 19

We use Keynote Manager for Keynotes, both text and work notes. Im a big advocate of not using "dumb text" and detail lines. Our work note symbol is a diamond. Then we fitler by sheet and put the Keynote Legend on the sheet.

 

Ive attached an example. This is not how I would have done the notes, but someone in the office did and now I have to fix it. Anyways, the detail lines are how the radiant zones were originally done which was only way I knew at the time.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 13 of 19
BCERBimMan
in reply to: BCERBimMan

I found something else. I found that the <Area Boundary> linestyle isnt recognizing a change in Lineweight. I would like these to print thicker so they are noticeable. They are printing at like a 1 or 2 LW even though I have it set to an 8. *Edit* I found this to be true because it was in the mechanical discipline (REVIT 2012). If I switched it to Architectural or Coordination than it would display the LW I selected but then the linked architectural would be dark.

 

 If its not one thing, its another it seems.

 

I didnt notice it before in my testing because I was just using a specific room instead of an open floor area.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 14 of 19

Looks like you have to change the view's discipline to get the lineweights to thicken - Either Architectural or Coordination. Again not ideal but still better than "dumb" annotation

 

What Revit giveth with one option - it taketh away with another!!

 

If my reply answers your query, please use the Accept as Solution.
Please give Kudos as appropriate to enhance the value of these forums.

Thank you!
Message 15 of 19

Grrr *pulls out hair* (but head is shaved).

 

Yeah, I just figured that out. How do I get the background to be lighter if I was in mechanical discipline because it would be dark as if in the architectural model? Checking Half Tone in Revit Links doesnt look the same as the rest of the plans.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 16 of 19
CoreyDaun
in reply to: BCERBimMan

What if you set that up as a separate View (Coordination discipline) with everything else turned off and then overlay it on top of the Plan View on the Sheet?

Corey D.                                                                                                                  ADSK_Logo_EE_2013.png    AutoCAD 2014 User  Revit 2014 User
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
⁞|⁞ Please use Mark Solutions!.Accept as Solution and Give Kudos!Give Kudos as appropriate to further enhance these forums. Thank you!
Message 17 of 19
BCERBimMan
in reply to: CoreyDaun

Just to clarify:

 

1. Create Area Plan.

2. Place area boundaries for my zones.

3. Tag them.

4. Turn off everything not used model/annotation categories.

5. Drag view onto the appropriate sheet and line up with other view?

 

Or is there a better way to overlay?

 

Does overlapping views have consequences? Like "hidden lines" not displaying properly or something?

 

Tested - turning everything off except areas and areas tags turned EVERYTHING off and the area boundary. Need to remember to keep the linestyle on as well and to tweak tags and such between the views but I think that could work.

 

Thanks CADastrophe.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO
Message 18 of 19
CoreyDaun
in reply to: BCERBimMan

I'll share a newly discovered trick (for me at least) which will come in handy if you or other users frequently 'Activate View' to work in the View:

 

With two Views on top of each other, there is chance that the user will have trouble activating the Plan View to work on, selecting the overlaid View instead. If you select the overlaid View and then Hide Element, it will become unselectable and the View Tag and boundary will become invisible. But the contents of the View will still appear and print as expected. This was briefly tested in Revit MEP 2013.

Corey D.                                                                                                                  ADSK_Logo_EE_2013.png    AutoCAD 2014 User  Revit 2014 User
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
⁞|⁞ Please use Mark Solutions!.Accept as Solution and Give Kudos!Give Kudos as appropriate to further enhance these forums. Thank you!
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Message 19 of 19
BCERBimMan
in reply to: CoreyDaun

It works in 2012 as well.

Jason Peckovitch
BIM Manager | Mechanical CAD Design | Father | Car/Tech Guy
BCER Engineering Inc - Denver, CO

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