Adding to Design Options

[Anonymous]

I have a project that I have been working on for a few months now that has 1 Design Option Set set up.  In this project we are replacing only the exterior sheathing and finish for the entire perimeter of the building.  The studs and interior gyp are to remain.  I have this project set up so that the interior gyp and studs are one wall type, and the exterior sheathing and finish are a second wall type so that I could have the exterior finish be demolished and replaced easily.  Currently in the project the design option only dealt with the decks, so only the decks are part of the design option (see image).  We are just about finished up with CD's and our client has decided to add a Value Engineering alternate to have a different exterior finish for the entire perimeter.  I will have to create another Option in this set for the Value Engineering portion, which I have done.  My issue is that I am not sure how to go about adding elements to my new design option and the ones already in place.  Since the exterior finish needs to be different in the VE alternate, everything hosted on those walls will have to be added to these design sets as well.  When I try to add any wall with anything hosted on it (window, door, dryer vent, etc) I get the error message "An insert in the main model cannot be hosted by an element in a Design Option."  I have tried isolating a single wall, highlighting the wall and everything hosted on it, and adding it to all Design sets, and I get the same message.  I also tried highlighting everything in my model and adding it to all design options, I get this message in this situation as well.  This should be a pretty simple adjustment, but it's turning in to a huge headache!! Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated!

FYI, I am using Revit 2020. 

Thanks in advance,

Kate 

[RDAOU]

Just to understand a bit more what you have...

• On which wall are the inserts: hosted ? the Interior wall or the exterior?
• Are they considered as part of the renovation with the exterior sheathing or part of the existing which will not be redesigned?
• when you say the exterior sheathing will be demolish...do that mean you have phasing Existing/New Construction and you are demolishing a wall element? Or it has just been considered demolished/none existing 

Personally would have used Wall/Parts in such a case and generated different design options for the exterior part/layer/sheathing. 

[Anonymous]

The hosted elements are on the exterior walls.  I need to add all exterior walls to my design options.

the elements are windows, doors, and dryer vents and are hosted on the exterior walls that need to be added to the design option. 

I have phasing set up in the model, yes.  The stud/int gyp wall is an existing wall, not being demolished.  Then I have an exterior sheathing/exterior finish wall that that is being demolished, and replaced with a new ext sheathing/ext finish wall.  These walls need to be added to the design options. 

Note: The scope of the project is to replace The exterior finish and ext sheathing for the entire perimeter, replace all exterior doors and windows, and replace the existing decks.  

[RDAOU]

In this case you cannot have the inserts on an on your VE options. This error occurs when you try to hosted components in a design option without a host...In other words inserts and hosted components should exist in the same design option with the host.  

Hosted elements need a host => they need to exist in both design options (in the newly modeled sheathing & the VE)

EDIT:

Check this article on Autodesk Knowledge Network which addresses somewhat the same question

Also check this article on how to move elements from main to set

[Anonymous]

I understand how design options work, and that I need to have the host and the element in the design option.  I am trying to add the host and the hosted elements to the design options and I am getting the same error message.  Is there a way to add these elements into a design option after the fact without having to cut and paste them back in each option, and losing all dimensions, tags, etc that are tied to them.  It seems I should be able to select the wall, and all windows and doors hosted on that wall, and add them to a design option.  But I am unable to do this.   Would I have to remove anything joined to these walls as well? 

[ToanDN]

You can only add elements in main Model to Design Options. You cannot add elements in a Design Option back to another Design Option without copy paste. You cannot add element in a Design Option back to Main Model without copy paste or Make/Accept Primary.

If you don't want to lose annotation when copy paste, make a model group with an attached detail group from the elements, after paste the model group in the other design option, select it and choose attach detail group from the ribbon.

[RDAOU]

Sorry I misunderstood your reply then...I thought you said that the exterior walls of the 2 option sets were two different wall element.

Normally you cant add to new sets  if they have been assigned to an option Set already...It is either from main model or copy paste aligned...But I have never had issues selecting/checking the "active only" option and c/p all (host/inserts/tags/dim) aligned to same place on a different option set … you shouldn't loose much with respect to the annotations/dims and tags

[Anonymous]

Right now the elements I am trying to move to an option are in my main model.  

[barthbradley · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

This should be a pretty simple adjustment

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Not sure where you got that idea from?  DO's are far from simple. You cannot incorporate other DO elements into new DOs. Nor can you add anything that is hosted into a DO without its host as well.   If the client is throwing you an 11th hour change, it might be faster and simpler to make a copy (to a new Phase) instead of a DO. 

My two cents worth.  

[RDAOU]

1. the "Exclude Options" is  Checked
2. you can still select that wall element while the active view is set to "Main Model"
3. And the wall element shows that it belongs to the Main Model on the properties panel 

IF  the above conditions are true and you cannot add the wall element to an Option Set, then you have an odd and very unusual behavior which you need to file a ticket to resolve

[Anonymous]

I have verified everything I am trying to move is in my Main Model and can not be moved to a design option.  I have decided to make a copy of this model for my alternate, since that seems to be my fastest option at this point. 

[RDAOU]

@Anonymous wrote:

I understand how design options work, and that I need to have the host and the element in the design option.   

You know better about design options and it seems that using phasing (instead of DO) as suggested by the immaculate  @barthbradley  solves the dilemma for adding the VE alternative your client asked for (as per your OP)  regardless of the fact that it contradicts with the purpose of  design option and the way they are treated in change management and quantification .  

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