Best way to have multiple layout options per floor

[jhermanDBS]

Hey there. Just wondering if anyone has a good suggestion on dealing with multiple changes to floor plans while working on a project? Example- I have the central file and each time I talk with a client they make changes. Say they make 5 changes to the 1st floor layout over the course of the project. What is the best way to apply those changes but still have the previous layouts in case they want to go back the very first layout I may have initially submitted? Right now I'm basically copying the entire layout, moving it X amount of feet and then making changes to the newly pasted layout but obviously that can make the files VERY large. Appreciate any suggestions.

[hmunsell]

one word... Design Options

depending on how big the building is, Design options may be worth looking into. 

[barthbradley]

So, what you are saying, is that the model is evolving and you want to keep each iteration?   

[jhermanDBS]

Fairly big. Dealing with a lot of grocery stores and hardware stores. I will have to research design options.

[jhermanDBS]

Yes. The model keeps evolving throughout their design process and sometimes after making multiple changes to a certain floor plan, they want to go back to a previous option that I may have done a couple weeks prior. 

[barthbradley]

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@jhermanDBS wrote:

Yes. The model keeps evolving throughout their design process and sometimes after making multiple changes to a certain floor plan, they want to go back to a previous option that I may have done a couple weeks prior. 

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You've just described every project I've worked on in my career.   😉 

[jhermanDBS]

And maybe there is no other way besides the copy and paste method I've been doing or saving the project with a new name each time? Just thought I'd check if anyone had a better way of handling it.

[hmunsell]

a grocery store might not be that bad.... we work on multistory office buildings and design options can get a bit cumbersome when working on large buildings like that if there not managed well.

The thing with design options is your still basically making copies, but your only saving what you needed to change. You can have multiple Option Sets and each option set can have multiple Options in it.  Once you get a final design, you can Accept Primary and it will apply it and remove all the other options.  

[ToanDN]

If your concern is regarding the file size then it makes no difference whether you copying the layout to other locations or you creating different design options.  The file will get bigger either way.

While Design Options is a formal to do it, it does come with a strict workflow in order to do it efficiently, or even be able to do it at all.  One of the most apparent differences between using design options versus what you are doing is that you will not see different layouts side by side unless you place different views on a sheet.

https://8020bim.com/design-options-in-revit/

[jhermanDBS]

Excellent. I appreciate all the information. I will look into design options and see how over my head I can get 😊

[barthbradley]

Personally, I wouldn't use Design Options to track iterations.  That's a bunch of work.  I would just keep a sandbox project and copy/paste to/from it.