topic Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model in Revit Architecture Forum

Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

erdem_adali — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 09:27:12 GMT

I create two component (model in place or family, doesn't matter). 100x100cm cubes, one as generic model and second as wall. And paint one of their faces.

Material takeoff for wall shows 1 m2 paint. No problem, 100x100cm face is equal to 1 m2.

But material takeoff for generic model shows 6 m2 paint in my computer, 2 m2 in my colleagues computer!

Our company produce facade claddings. we use paint tool to calculate the certain surfaces areas of our products.

Does anyone has an answer? What is the cause or solution?

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

barthbradley — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:04:25 GMT

That's just the way Revit calculates. Paint is a good way to go.

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

barthbradley — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:13:01 GMT

This info might be valuable to you going forward:

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Supported-categories-for-the-Material-As-paint-parameter-available-in-the-material-take-off-schedules-in-Revit.html

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

erdem_adali — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:23:32 GMT

Thank you for your respond.
What do you mean with "That's just the way Revit calculates."? Does Revit gives random values for paint on generic model? Is there no solution?

We are a facade firm. Architects mostly model their facade with generic model element. We calculate our quantity over their models. Thats why i can't say "oh ok, i will make my models with wall element now on".

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

barthbradley — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 14:56:39 GMT

I think you misunderstood me - or I misunderstood you.

I merely confirmed that Paint was a good and widely used approach. Other than that, you should expect - and get -close to dead on ballz accurate MTOs from Revit.

Are you aware that you can also Paint Surfaces in a Family with a Paint Parameter?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J5fYF2eaks

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

erdem_adali — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 07:25:18 GMT

Answer for my own question ; Even if you only paint only one face of a generic model, materiall take off gives all area of all faces.

For example: i create a 1x1m cube. Paint only one face. But material takeoff gives 6m2 quantity, all surface of the cube.

But if i paint another surface with a different material materiall takeoff gives true values. 1m2 quantity for both material.

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

barthbradley — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 14:10:13 GMT

I don't understand your solution, but it sounds like you are using Paint as per my suggestions above. However, your conclusions sound flawed: "Even if you only paint only one face of a generic model, materiall take off gives all area of all faces."

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

erdem_adali — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 14:26:47 GMT

You have paint all the faces of the cube. thats why revit gave you the correct values. Try to paint only one face, it will say 6 SF again. Paint two face with same color, still 6 SF.
But if you paint one face blue and other face red its gonna say 1 SF blue and 1 SF red.

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

barthbradley — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 15:28:02 GMT

@erdem_adali wrote:
You have paint all the faces of the cube. thats why revit gave you the correct values. Try to paint only one face, it will say 6 SF again. Paint two face with same color, still 6 SF.
But if you paint one face blue and other face red its gonna say 1 SF blue and 1 SF red.

I still don't understand your conclusions, but only 2 faces of the cube in my previous screenshot have a Paint Parameter applied to them. The cube geometry's Material is "Blue".

Maybe these 2 screenshots will help clear up the confusion. In the first screenshot, there are 2 cube families; one with 1 side painted and the other with 2 sides painted. Both cube geometry's Material is the one named "Default".

In this screenshot, no faces have a Paint Parameter applied to them:

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

barthbradley — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:53:01 GMT

You know, I'm starting to think that your issue "Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model" is due to the way you constructed your schedule - not the way you constructed your family. What do you think?

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

erdem_adali — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 06:05:22 GMT

Aha! We were not choosing any material for generic model. We have only created the model and paint one face.

You selected "default" for the generic models material, so it says 1sf red and 5sf default. We didn't think it was necessary.

Okay, it's easier to choose a material than to paint it another color. Thank you.

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

barthbradley — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 14:43:33 GMT

@erdem_adali wrote:
Aha! We were not choosing any material for generic model. We have only created the model and paint one face.
You selected "default" for the generic models material, so it says 1sf red and 5sf default. We didn't think it was necessary.
Okay, it's easier to choose a material than to paint it another color. Thank you.

Huh? What does all this mean and why do you keep marking your own posts as the "Accepted Solution"? Please provide a lucid solution.

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

info8XB2Y — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 14:33:16 GMT

Are you dumb? He finally found the solution to this whole debacle, which we were all looking for. Revit calculates the area from all the faces of the model. If you don't assign a material to your family "rather than accept the ""by type"" parameter", and then paint one of the faces with a specific material, you can filter our the area of one face by Material Name. Now the general global public can finally create area schedules in generic model families using a multi-billion dollar company's software, which they cannot bother to update to workeable standards.

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

p.rikaniemi — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:00:51 GMT

I also noticed the same behaviour of the painted material calculations as described before.

An additional thing I'm noticing is that if you have a generic model with a painted surface and cut that model with a separate void family, the area calculation of the painted area becomes larger when it should be getting smaller. If you cut the generic model within the family editor (=not with a separate family), the area calculation is correct. Does anyone know why this happens and if there would be a way to use a separate void family and still get a correct area calculation?

Re: Material takeoff gives wrong values for generic model

p.rikaniemi — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:21:31 GMT

Okay, I already found a work-around that works for me. If I use a second solid generic model and join it with the one I want to cut, then place the solid on a workset which I then turn off, the element gets cut and the area calculations are correct. Voids for some reason don't work correctly for me except if they are inside the same family as the solids.