Structural Plan 'Coarse' display object properties

[bog]

Hello all,

     I have been driving our companies entry into Revit from Autocad. I need to be able to show multiple line types for different structural materials (wood beam/column/wall, steel beam/column/wall, concrete beam/column/wall). I have tried to modify the 'Structural Usage' object parameters, however I cannot set custom structural usages to objects and I cannot define different structural walls visually. Is this going to be implemented in the future or is there another way I could show various framing object types in the coarse structural plan. Without the ability to define structural members visually rather than calling everything out with text will make our structural plans very difficult to read and will limit our adoption of Revit Structure.

[erik_snell]

Have you tried view filters?

[bog]

Thank you for the suggestion, I just tried filters with some interesting results. I am wondering why something called a 'Filter' makes something visible, it is a little counter-intuitive. I have split our model up into worksets and made each structural floor a different workset. I used a Filter to show the walls and columns from above for each floor by choosing show by workset. I was able to show the loads coming down from above almost exactly as we have been showing them in autocad, and any walls or columns that were supported below I was able to omit from the filter by adding a rule that if the object had the comment 'supported' it would not show. This is opening up all sorts of ideas for us.

Thanks I will update with my attempts to implement 'material' filters.

[erik_snell]

I'm happy that you've been able to work around your issue. One thing to note is that worksets do provide filtering capabilities as you describe, but that is not thier primary purpose. Worksets are designed to allow users to work concurrently on a single model. The only reason I warn you is that having 2 primary workflows depend on a single feature may in the long run run into conflict with each other. I would suggest you look at view filters and view templates to better help you display issues. I would reserve worksets for collaboration.

Just a suggestion.

Cheers,

Erik

[bog]

I understand Worksets primary purpose is for having multiple users working on the same project concurrently. I foresee us using this feature in the future. I decided to use worksets to separate the model by structural level in order to make visualization of the structure more straight forward. Is there another way to 'group' structural features so that you can apply filters and view properties in order to isolate a structural level in a model. Using Worksets I can set views to only show one structural level at a time and all the members associated with that level. I need to be able to see what is coming down from above (in unique line type/weight/colour) and determine if it needs special support while also seeing what is available to 'hide' the structure architecturally (in unique line type/weight/colour) using the linked architectural. I also need to see our structural walls (in unique line type/weight/colour) for that level and what type of material they are. All these factors make reading what line is what very difficult. As you can see I am kind of feeling my way through a dark room looking for the light switch. I have a bunch of training, and that helps, but I am still bumping my head. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

[erik_snell]

In my eyes I would look at this from a different direction. If you are working level to level then you'll make the model more complicated with walls on top of walls and columns on top of columns. If you have a 35' column why would you split it into 3 different columns?

If your in a 3D view use the view cube to "Orient the View" to a Floor Plan view (its in the right click menu). This will automatically add a section box to a 3D view matching the view range of the plan view. Then you can rotate that view to show you the 3D extents if the elements in the view.

I always recommend creating a model as it would built. This will improve downstream workflows of the data. Its sounds like your splitting and creating the model specifically for documentation. This is perfectly valid if you understand that that is what your building the model for. Don't expect to be able to easliy schedule and QTO from the model.

One way, to use the filters in the way your describing is to add Project Parameters to your elements. Set the value of the parameters to define how your splitting by workset and then filter based on the values in these parameters. This is not a perfect workflow because elements move around but it may help.

Erik

[bog]

HI Erik,

               I am modeling a wood frame building, this is why I want to separate by level. There are no continuous columns of steel or wood, the only continuous elements in the model are the concrete walls in the two storey parkade and the core stairwell and elevator. We are using interior suite walls as loadbearing in order to limit the joist span, and thus depth, as the architect is limited by min floor to ceiling and max height of the building. I need to be able to update our LBW’s from the architectural overlay and have them automatically show up in revised locations on the floor below, otherwise I might as well be drawing in 2D and do it all manually. The interior suite walls often change and this can be a time sink, I was hoping to automate this process. Is there another way to define an object by level when you are initially placing it? I suppose when I finish each floor, I could select all the framing of that floor from a side view and apply specific parameters – then filter by these parameters.

Is there a way to define different types of structural walls by material – and display them in coarse view according to material? Or should I try to do this with parameters?

Thanks,

Brendan

[erik_snell]

When you create a wall there is a parameter called Structural Material that you can use in a filter to drive the view. This works for structural elements. It should be able to do what you desire. 

[bjur]

You can also modify the individual familys to show different things in different views.  We do a lot of wood construction and need to show the posts above differently from the posts below.  We cut the framing plan below the floor and "look up" (which is a parameter in the structrual view).  All of the cut wood columns (columns below) get shaded automatically based on their materials "cut pattern".  The columns above are drawn based on the "projection line styles" as those columns aren't being cut by the view cut plane.  In the wood post family, I placed an X through the post set to the Projection Line Style.  When the column is cut, it's shaded.  When the column is beyond as in above the floor, it's not shaded and gets the X drawn in it.  It forces you to model it as it's really built.  Continuous columns would be drawn shaded as they would be cut in a number of views.  Does that make sense.  You can do the same with steel columns.  Walls can be drawn differently based on their material you pick.  You can vary the way the wall below looks vs the wall above by modifying the cut / projection patterns.