topic Re: Just a Basic Table in Revit Architecture Forum

Just a Basic Table

lee.imbimbo86EM4 — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:15:15 GMT

Is there anyway in Revit to do a basic Table, now interlinking, no databasing, just a table were I fill-in all the various cells and get the data I want on a drawing? Sometimes all this interlinking just slows down something that could be very simple otherwise, and a good old fashion manual fill-in table would be a lot easier. I just don't see anything like a Table button on any of the tabs.

Like I said, I've just one too many times had an issue were I don't want to go through the pain in the ass process of building up the database of components and interlinking them with parameters, etc. I'd rather just fill out the table manually and be done with it. Get it done in an hour, not an afternoon kind of thing.

Any ideas?

Re: Just a Basic Table

ToanDN — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:16:50 GMT

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2019/ENU/Revit-DocumentPresent/files/GUID-75B3B9C4-6899-4DC9-8424-DFC901701B48-htm.html

Re: Just a Basic Table

lee.imbimbo86EM4 — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:21:53 GMT

This function still wants me to interlink with Parameters. I'm not really looking for that. In some of the cases I'm talking about there isn't a Parameter for what I want. So rather than go through the hassle of making a parameter, interlinking that parameter will all the various crap it could be associated with, I just write on the Table at the Top of a Column a Descriptive work, and then in the cell below it a value for said thing. No interlinking, no BS required. Just a Table.

Sure it's not BIM, but you know sometimes you don't need all the technology to just do the basic thing and get the **** job out the door.

Re: Just a Basic Table

ToanDN — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:24:34 GMT

@lee.imbimbo86EM4 wrote:

This function still wants me to interlink with Parameters. I'm not really looking for that. In some of the cases I'm talking about there isn't a Parameter for what I want. So rather than go through the hassle of making a parameter, interlinking that parameter will all the various crap it could be associated with, I just write on the Table at the Top of a Column a Descriptive work, and then in the cell below it a value for said thing. No interlinking, no BS required. Just a Table.

Sure it's not BIM, but you know sometimes you don't need all the technology to just do the basic thing and get the **** job out the door.

You just need to keep adding parameters to the schedule create columns to enter value and forget about them.

Re: Just a Basic Table

pedruccioli — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:34:06 GMT

If you want to benefit from table aestethics, do some basic formulas with manual inputs, a key schedule is the best option as @ToanDN said. You will only need to create some "trash" parameters.

Other than that, there are legends and drafting views, which are REALLY manual, and in that sense, I would just go with excel.

But if you don't mind me saying, the time it takes is well spent. At first, some things take far to long to happen. But the next time you need it, if you've done it correctly, it may take only seconds to get done.

Re: Just a Basic Table

L.Maas — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:47:36 GMT

You can create a very basic table in a text box where you can type text in each cell. Do not expect much formatting and so on.

Re: Just a Basic Table

mhiserZFHXS — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 16:50:51 GMT

Curious what you're wanting to do this for. Are you just trying to make a table for codes or something? Or are you trying to make a schedule for doors or equipment or something?

If you are doing the latter, you are making an immense mistake and shooting yourself in the foot.

Re: Just a Basic Table

RLY_15 — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 17:24:09 GMT

I get nervous when you use the word 'data' in your post. That tends to imply a mutable thing i.e. project-specific information, in which you really want to be using parameter storage for best practice. Changing things once to propagate through the relevant parts of a project is the intended workflow for Revit, and deviating from that creates potential coordination issues in the future.

If this is something like 'here's a snapsnot material spec because this isn't a specbook project' with generalities, you can either play in a schedule's header area (column/row/formatting does exist in the header, but it'll be exceptionally limited compared to excel or CAD), or you can make a detail or legend view that just simulates a table look but with text note elements.

Re: Just a Basic Table

lee.imbimbo86EM4 — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:05:54 GMT

@RLY_15 and @mhiserZFHXS, @ToanDN has the closest thing to what I'm looking for really. But in truth it just the nature of projects. You are at the end, the data isn't ingrained in the various objects that you would otherwise interlink. And to go through the hassle of ingraining that data into those various objects would easily take four or five times as much time as is needed to just quickly populate up the data for a Schedule, or Note set, or any number of other things you may need. So rather than waste your time rebuilding families, working out kinks, and all that jazz, you are simply just better off manually filling it in and moving on. BIM is great and all, but sometimes it is just overkill for what is actually needing to be done. Not only is it overkill, but the time wasted in its implementation is not worth it to either you as the design professional, or to the client.

It's a matter of practicality, not everything needs to perfect BIM, and sometimes you just need a table to answer the question and it will take you an hour or two max to fill it out and get the sheet updated. But if you tried to do it in BIM, with the workflows you're talking about, you could easily spend several days trying to do just that. That may be in service to a BIM operators OCD, but it doesn't serve the contract, or the immediacy of the request for information.

I've put this in the Revit Ideas before. But it never got much traction. Revit would greatly benefit from the ability for one to have some basic WORD PROCESSING and SPREADSHEET capabilities. Sometimes you don't need a database, you just need the write a narrative, or make a table, or provide a bulleted punch list, and on and on and on. For example, I currently have a posted IDEA that is simply just pointing out that more graphical control of arrows and other basic graphic devices would go a long way to improving Revit's presentation abilities. Sometimes it is just that.

Data is nice and all, but if the end user isn't going to use that ingrained data, than it is simply a waste of effort to implement it. The end-use contractor in this case, will not benefit from a Revit BIM model, heck they more than likely don't even have the software to look at it. But they will benefit from a table telling them the information they need to do their job.

Re: Just a Basic Table

mhiserZFHXS — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:19:09 GMT

You still didn't really say what you are using it for. I don't disagree that more developed word processing and table features would be nice to have and use in extremely specific circumstances, but it really sounds to me like you are throwing the "information" out of BIM.

Yes, these things take time to set up. But if you do it right, you set it up once, and then every project moving forward is going to be far more efficient and have far fewer unintentional errors. Even if it truly takes 5 times longer (most of these things don't), after five projects, your time investment will have paid off. I would highly recommend you reevaluate your workflows in Revit. Its not just about this project. Its about every project you have going forward.

Re: Just a Basic Table

ToanDN — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:34:52 GMT

I use a combination of component schedules, key schedules, note block schedules, keynote legends, and Excel tables exported to PDF placed on Sheet.

Component schedule:

Key schedule:

Note block:

PDF from Excel table: