Can't add elements to assemblies after the fact

[VSmithTJNSM]

• R20
• I have created panels with multiple elements (framing members, custom hardware families etc).
• Then made them into assemblies and created shop drawings of them (assembly views and sheets).
• There are Multiples of many of the assemblies (i.e. there are 8 of the #11 assembly

Problem:

Now I want to add an element to #11 so it's added on all of the #11's. As soon as I do in either the model or in an assembly view, it wants to create a new assembly number. This removes all the work I did on annotating them in the assembly views and I would have to re-annotate the assembly.

How can you add an element to an assembly and have it added to all of them without loosing your Assembly number?

[barthbradley]

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Revit-gr...

[VSmithTJNSM]

Not quite the same - I have not grouped elements in my assemblies.

[RDAOU]

@VSmithTJNSM 

The behavior you are expecting is that of groups...In assemblies once you add a new element it becomes a mismatch and a new assembly is created. That is so by design and it is quite helpful to preserve revisions/variations of an assembly.

Looooisng all the work you did is a pretty much dramatic statement you made there. To update all the previously placed instances of an assembly simply

1. right click and select all instances >>
2. from the Type drop down Menu; swap them with the new Assembly 

[barthbradley]

You are experiencing one of the biggest (and well-documented) limitations of Assemblies. It is impossible to modify the elements in Assembly. It will automatically create a new Assembly if modified. 

[RSomppi]

Limitation or design feature?

Combining similar assemblies is done by analysis. If they are the same, they become the same assembly. Edit one and it is no longer the same as the others, thus a new unique assembly.

I've been hoping to find a way to not have similar assemblies automatically combined into one because our standard is to submit them separately.

[VSmithTJNSM]

defiantly a limitation

adding elements to an assembly after documentation is a common occurrence - How can you produce shop drawings without this feature working.

Just to be clear - you can add elements to assemblies, however it does create a new assembly type and will not add those elements to the other assemblies. 

If you do add that element to the rest of the assemblies manually, it takes on the new assembly number and deletes the old assembly - loosing any annotation/documentation you did on the original assembly.

Revit will never be used for production shop drawings without this feature being fixed.

[barthbradley]

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@RSomppi wrote:

Limitation or design feature?

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I'm guessing that right about now, it's being considered a limitation by the OP.     😉

[RSomppi]

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@VSmithTJNSM wrote:

defiantly a limitation

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You are entitled to your opinion but I'm certain that there is logic to how it works. Just because it doesn't fit nicely into your workflow, doesn't make it a limitation for everyone.

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@VSmithTJNSM wrote:

Revit will never be used for production shop drawings without this feature being fixed.

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You are surely mistaken as it is being used by us and many others.

[VSmithTJNSM]

Fair enough, that was a knee jerk reaction to my frustration.

Do you use assemblies for shop drawing production? Have you ever added an element to an assembly after it was documented? Have you found a workaround.

Thanks,

[RSomppi]

If you read my first response, you should have picked up the fact that we are required to submit unique sheets for every assembly. We do a lot of prefab, the shop likes it this way for tracking.