topic Automatic sizing when placing valves in Revit MEP Forum

Automatic sizing when placing valves

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 00:11:25 GMT

In Revit 2013 MEP

I just placed a 6" valve on a 6" copper line, Later I needed to place a 3/4" ball valve on a 3/4" line. So I go to the Pipe Accessory button and invoke the process. I hover over the 3/4" line and it still remembers the 6" valve placed earlier. My question, Is Revit not smart enough to know that the line is 3/4" and not 6" ?

That's hard to believe... That it can give use all these calculations according to fixture units but not able to distinguish between pipe sizes.

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

jkarben — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 12:08:17 GMT

Yes it is. It will size per line size upon placement.

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

CoreyDaun — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 12:53:40 GMT

The size of some Families are controlled by Type Parameters, such as the Ball Valve family, and the desired size must be selected via the Type Selector (the pull-down on the top of Properties). Can you attach the Family file for the ball valve?

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:04:59 GMT

The OOTB content relies on the user to select the type (size) of valve to place in the pipe.

Some firms have made their own, or have modified the families to read the pipe size and adjust the family automatically. We have accomplished this by using formulas in the family. Its a lot of work, but worth it in my opinion.

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

jkarben — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:17:25 GMT

Well shut the front door. I retract my previous post. Thanks for fixing our valves Stearns. Goofy that it isn't that way OOTB.

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:34:10 GMT

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I found out that when someone requires an object they will tend to load them from were ever they can find it. Some from vendors, others from our standard files and still other from older versions of Revit families.

We will have to get in the habit of using only certain families designated for that project.

Thanks again.

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 12:07:38 GMT

Perhaps in your experience it's normal for people to seek families on the internet or out of the box. In my experience, some families others created (including autodesk) are not up to par or inaccurate. Big purple R --> New --> Family is what works.

Trying to force Revit to automatically select a valve size is a no-no especially for control valves. Your oversized pipe would force an oversized valve that will be terrible at getting the flow required and would be an expensive on/off valve.

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

jkarben — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:29:05 GMT

Sandleaz the question as I read it was in regards to isolation valves not control valves. Isolation valves are always line size to minimize pressure drop. I agree that control valves along with balancing valves are often not line size. Even having those size automatically to line size or not is up to need of the user.

Re: Automatic sizing when placing valves

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 16:53:35 GMT

So to have REVIT automatically size the valves for you and be inline with pipes, those valve families must probably not have multiple types within that family and must use a lookup table? I've created lookup tables before but they're more cumbersome than creating multiple types and using type parameters. I've created dampers that REVIT can automatically places inline with the duct (without me splitting the duct or editting the nominal height and width of the damper), but they have all instance parameters. With valves, the construction is a bit more complex and dimensions typically don't follow any general formula. I typically create many types within a family (each type is associated with a valve size), and simply right click, create instance (of the valve + size I want) and have REVIT stick it inline with a pipe.

Is that a little more complicated than having 1 default type and letting REVIT automatically size it? Sure. Does having 1 valve type save a little time should you resize the pipes (and REVIT automatically resizing the valve)? Sure.

If it works for you, then keep on doing what you're doing.