How to lock a prefix on a mark per family

[max.a.hollander]

Hello,

I am currently creating a template project for my Mechanical engineering and construction Company.  thei issue that i am running in to is that i am trying to "lock" a prefix to te mark parameter.  I want to use the mark parameter because it will automatically add a number to the item that is placed into my project. So to explain further i want to add a parameter from a pump family that whenever i place a new "pump" family for instance the mark or tag parameter will mark it as P-1 the second i add would mark it P-2 and so on.  There are several reasons i want this to happen. One being the i want the schedule to always have P-1 be certain specifications so when ever i load this pump like gpm be 15, rpm be 42 etc etc.  Maybe i am trying to do this with the wrong parameter.  it would be fine alson as i can make the mark always input the correct prefix for the family i am placing.  so my family for vavs would have a prefix to the mark as VA pumps have one as P boilers have the prefix as B. I understand that i can only insert the family that has the parameter that specifys the prefix.

[CoreyDaun]

You won't be able to get the desired behavior with the Mark parameter. This parameter can seem kind of unpredictable at times and as such, I would not recommend relying on it. Since you cannot control the prefix, it'll be extremely easy for a mistake to happen. Even if you could control the prefix, it would still be unreliable. For example, If there are 3 boilers placed (B-1, B-2, B-3) and someone places one by mistake and then deletes it, the next boiler will now be B-5, even though the previous one was removed.

Here, we use a Shared Parameter (text/instance) and manually assign the ID to a given piece of equipment. We typically do so through the Schedule View, by entering the desired values in the appropriate cell. If we need to see the elements in question, we click on its row in the schedule and use "Highlight in Model".

[max.a.hollander]

What share parameter do you use?  how do u make the text file carry to the next number or do you make the shared parameter b-1 b-2 b-3 etc

[CoreyDaun]

It's just a basic Shared Parameter added to out Families - It doesn't automatically assign the next ID. We set the default value of this text parameter to the prefix without a number such as "B-"; we use the Schedule View to manually enter these values.

[max.a.hollander]

Can you please elaborate farther. and with screen shots please.  Because i was trying something very similar and i was only getting the text portion it would not allow differant numbers

[CoreyDaun]

I will walk through adding this parameter to the OOTB Boiler family and I am using Revit MEP 2013. I will also explain this so that readers who don't know so much about Shared Parameters and such can better understand.

Note that this parameter is just a single Text string intended for manual input.

1. Create the Shared Parameter

Expand the Spoiler below to see the image.

(a) Under the Manage tab, click on Shared Parameters. (It doesn't matter if you've got a Family or a Project file open).

(b) If you have not created any Shared Parameters before, you'll have to create a new Shared Parameter file; in the current dialog, simply click "Create..." and specify the name and location of your new file.

(c) Next, create a new Parameter Group (click "New..." under Groups). Note that this does not have any impact on the functionality of the parameter, it's just for organizational purposes, so you can name the group "Mechanical Equipment".

(d) Create the Spared Parameter; click "New..." under Parameters. Leave the Discipline as "Common" and change the Type of Parameter to "Text". Name the Family something that indicated it's function, such as "Equipment Tag".

***As an alternate method to step (d), you may opt to create two Shared Parameters; one that controls the prefix and one that controls the number. This will allow you to use the prefix parameter as a Type Parameter that can be dictated by each Family, while using the number Parameter as an Instance Parameter. They can then be combined into a Mechanical Equipment Tag. The downside to this is that these parameters cannot be combined in a Schedule, so each of them will have their own column.

Spoiler

2. Add the Shared Parameter to the Family

Expand the Spoiler below to see the image.

(a) Open the Family through the standard "Open" dialog.

(b) On the Create tab, click on Family Types, which is the icon with the four blue squares.

(c) In the following dialog, click "Add..." under Parameters.

(d) Change the Parameter Type to "Shared Parameter", click "Select...", and choose your Shared Parameter from the list. Change it to an "Instance" parameter (so the value can be changed for each individual element). Select an appropriate Group - this has no actual affect on the Parameter; it's just for organization. Click 'OK'. Save the Family.

(e) You can enter a default value for this parameter so the Prefix will already be included in the Project. Under the Formula column for your parameter, enter the desired text prefix in quotations, and the click apply. Now remove the text from the Formula column. This process ensures that this value is assigned to all of the Family Types.

Spoiler

3. Add Shared Parameter to the Tag Family

Expand the Spoiler below to see the image.

(a) Open the Mechanical Tag Family through the normal Open dialog.

(b) Select the Existing Label (or create a new one) and click "Edit Label" on the Ribbon.

(c) In the following dialog, click "Add Parameter" (bottom left), click "Select...", and select your Shared Parameter. Click 'OK'.

(d) Select your Shared Parameter (and any other desired parameters) from the list on the left and click "Add Parameter". Click 'OK'. Save the Family.

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4. Create a Mechanical Equipment Schedule to manage ID's

Expand the Spoiler below to see the image.

(a) Load both the Mechanical Equipment family into your Project. Place two or more instances in the Project.

(b) Go to Views tab » Schedules ▼ Schedules/Quantities. Select the appropriate Category (Mechanical Equipment) and title the schedule appropriately.

(c) Under the Fields tab, add the desired Fields to the Schedule, including the Shared Parameter.

(d) Under the Sorting/Grouping tab, set "Sort By:" to your Shared Parameter. Click 'OK' to create the Schedule.

Now you have a means of assigning the appropriate ID to each of the pieces of Mechanical Equipment in the Project. You can directly enter the desired Equipment ID into the Schedule, and the value will be applied to the associated elements. In order to locate a particular piece of equipment, select a cell in the row and click "Highlight in Model" on the Ribbon.

Spoiler

I hope this helps, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[max.a.hollander]

Thank you So much that did help out alot.  I was doing that but i messed up on a step.  I have anouther question about adding ID parameter to my project.  I want to add a identifing system to my duct work.  I work for an HVAC construction firm and when i draw up shop drawings i have to split the duct up into lengths that we can purchase, leaving me with on average 30-50 lengths of duct per system.  I want to be able to schedule the duct per system.  I had thought using the mark would work but after talking with you i dont think it would be the best idea.  Any idea how to ID pieces of duct  1,2,3,4,5,6 etc for system A.  I run into issues since ductwork are not quite families.

[CoreyDaun]

In the case of System Families, you can create a Project Parameter to add to the appropriate Categories. In your Project, go to Manage tab » Project Parameters. In the following dialog, click "Add...". Now, you have two options regarding Parameter Type; Project Parameter or Shared Parameter (see below). In this case, select "Ducts" from the list of Categories. Set the Type of Parameter to "Text" and name the parameter appropriately. You will want to make this an Instance Parameter, so you can assign a value to individual Elements of Duct. 

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Project Parameter: This is a general parameter that is added to all elements of the selected Category(ies). These parameters can be used in Schedules, but they cannot be reported by Tags.

Shared Parameter: You also have the option of adding an existing Shared Parameter as a Project Parameter, which will function in exactly the same way except that they can be reported by Tags as well as be used in Schedules.

So your decision is based on whether or not you wish to display this info with Tags on your floor plans.

[max.a.hollander]

The issue im Running in to now is that my project Parameter is editable while only selecting one  piece of duct but when i high light a run on duct work the parameter is no longer available .

[max.a.hollander]

NVM its too early