Working with linked Revit files and other needed tools

[FinearcLtd]

To my amazement it is not possible to use a revit linked file the way Autocad uses Xref files, i.e.enabling in place editing. Worse than that, you cannot edit the mother file while the child is open, you need to unload it from the child. Whose idea was that? For what purpose? Hello, development team, wake up! You received requests for this feature in 2012...

Our office does a lot of interior design for buildings of our design. For instance, we have housing projects where we do the interior design for apartments, and that requires the rapport between the mother file of the building and that of the specific appartment. If not done this way the mother file will reach an impossible size.

Any ideas as to how to resolve this and even better, how to make the Revit team take this seriously?

Help!!!!!

[LisaDrago · Accepted solution]

You know - I was going to pass this by - but it is frustrating when Revit is expected to be like AutoCAD.

Revit is not AutoCAD.

Revit will not look like AutoCAD.

Revit will not function like AutoCAD.

Revit was not developed by Autodesk, therefore it will not be like AutoCAD.

Why do you want an awesome 3D program to function like a 2D program?

You are comparing a steak to an apple. They are no where near each other.

You have to get past the differences and accept Revit for what it is and not expect it to work like anything else.

Now off my soapbox...

What I have done in the past is open two sessions of Revit and work on each file. Or you could close one file and open the other. I have done both and am able to get my work done without the frustration of comparing one program to another that is nothing like it.

LD

[FinearcLtd]

Believe me I know how to use Revit to its limits. The only problem is, I meet them too soon. Surely I do not want to comapre it with Autocad but it should be doing better than any 2D software, better not worse. The linked files are a poor tool with very little programming thinking behind it. It certainly does not comply with the concept of Revise Isntantly. What I suggested is a much more sophisticated use of this tool that will allow practices like ours to work more efficiently. When you have half a Giga size central file you do not want to put more irrelevant details into it and you also do not want to have it open in a parralel session when you are only designing one appartment out of 70 or 100 or... That is not a wise way of using software. The best way is to be able to isolate part of a project and deal with it in a seperate file without having to go back and forth in an overloaded workstation.

I think you took my post into the wrong direction! I want a better product! One that supersedes any existing 2D or BIM solution. I think that Autodesk are big enough to afford that, but their development team move too slow to my taste.

Thank you anyway!

[damo3]

Looking past the AutoCAD comparrison, I don't think this is an unreasonable request. Opening and closing large central files, loading & reloading, I don't think anyone can argue that this is an efficient way to work? 

I will also add that licences cost a lot of $$$$. Open 2 sessions of Revit on a network licence system and you use 2 licences. So when you have no licences to spare and 3 team members who would ideally like to work as you mentioned Lisa, another session of Revit open..... well lets just say 1-1 doesn't equal 2.

[FinearcLtd]

Thank you for getting to the bottom of this!

[LisaDrago]

Yes - I may have gone on the nut about comparing Revit to AutoCAD but I hear it so much it gets me going..

@Anonymous I can agree about the multiple licenses - I don't always think about that...

But I do want to say - I currently have a project open - working on the MEP but I also have the linked ARCH model open at the same time.

Now I know this is not normal - how it is working - I am not 100% sure. I am on a Revit Server. the models are linked as overlays.

I am new to the company I am currently working at and I have not been able to do this before.

Not sure if we can get an Autodesk tech to chime in on this...

but I will keep looking in to it to see what is making the difference.

LD

[damo3]

I have come across the same thing on a project of mine. Havent had time to experiment what causes it. My only theory so far (not tested) is your linked file on a closed workset by chance?

[LisaDrago]

Hi @Anonymous  - no the workset is not closed. I admit this is not the norm. But I will work to figure it out soon.

LD

[Lance.Coffey]

@damo3: From what I have found in the 2015 help, opening multiple sessions of the product uses a single license:

About Network License Management (...If you run multiple sessions of an Autodesk product on an individual computer, only one license is used....)

Note: This would apply if you run multiple sessions of the same product. Launching a session of Revit 2015 and Revit 2014 would use two licenses.

@LisaDrago: I tested opening a linked RVT file (Revit Server 2014, both projects on the same server, with liink type of Overlay), and this seems to work without issue (I even made changes to the link, and found that you need to manually reload the link, in the host project, to see changes i.e. synchronizing doesn't update the display of the link).

[damo3]

Hi Lance, yes thats partly correct. Standalone no problem. Network though if you open multiple sessions of say Revit 2015 , you use two licences. Its been the case in a few offices i have been in. So if the help menu is suggesting otherwise, then i would ask for a tested confirmation. Is there a setting or circumstance we need to be aware of? 

We send emails to users to close mulitple sessions, as it releases a licence. You are correct though for BD suite. If you open Revit and AutoCAD, it uses one licence as it is part of the one "product"  BDS. 

As for linking, yes this has always been the behaviour, you alwsys need to reload. Part of the problem i think. Would be nice if the sync dialog included a tick box to reload links before syncing.

[Lance.Coffey]

I should clarify that my previous test was opening the link while the host model was still open (and this is working for me without the normal message indicating that the host file must be closed first).

Regarding the use of multiple licenses when opening multiple sessions, the help, on managing network licenses, clearly states that opening multiple sessions (of the same product) should utilize a single license, and this is consistent with my understanding of the way the licensing system works.

If you are seeing multiple licenses being utilized (when opening multiple sessions of the same product on the same system), then this could indicate that there is an issue with your setup, with the software/licensing system, or with my understanding of what is or should be happening.

Note: One caveat to this would be if you are using session based licensing with Citrix. In that scenario each session would utilize a separate license.

[damo3]

Well I would say the caveat could be the clincher! Ill need to check when i am in the office next. What setup should offices be using? And what is the significants of citrix? Because havig access to multiple sessions sure would be helpful, especially when our office is always limited on licences.