Dimensions and text query. It may seem stupid!!

[Anonymous]

Right, this may seem like a stupid question, but can you dimension one object, or draw some text, and then make it appear on every drawing without copy/pasting? I just had an argument with my manager about this. I would swear black and blue that you cannot, whereas he says that you should be able to, because you can do it in microGDS( similar to AutoCAD I believe, never used it). He is worried about wasted time and inaccuracies. Saying that most things are tagged and not text, well..trying to explain a tag to him was.... challenging. I fear he truly does not understand Revit (we have been using for approx. three years).

Please help me by definitively saying whether this is so or not. He may believe you!!

[RDAOU]

Hello @Anonymous

Dimensions, text as well as leader objects/annotations are all view specific objects and it is not a typical/default behavior for Revit to populate these items automatically in other Views.

I am assuming you mean by every drawing, views of the same level; if this is the case; the only thing I can think of and which might be what your manager has in mind is creating "Dependent Views, which does in fact populate annotations in all associated Views.  

However; you should note that "Dependent Views" will duplicate all annotations which are already placed; but any text subsequently added in any of the duplicated views or original will not cross populate. For that you will need Duplicate as Dependent which all populate all annotations you add on any one view in all other associated views.

For cross level; you will need to copy to clipboard and paste to the level or all levels where applicable.

This shoult satisfy both you and your manager...I think 🙂

If the above helps, kindly mark this reply Accept as Solution

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately dependant views are not what I am after. My manager is more concerned with, as you call it, cross level application. He expects that I draw one dimension and it will appear on every drawing without having to draw it again. Same with text. I add a text note on one drawing, and it shows on every other drawing. If you dont wish to see it, then change the visibility. He does not like the idea of copy/paste to all levels.

[RDAOU · Accepted solution]

Then I guess you have to tell your boss that what he has on his mind is not possible. Why would any software in the world let you draw a dimension on a ground floor and have it automatically appear on all levels.

There is the copy to clipboard and paste aligned to levels when and if needed...but just like that have every annotation/dimension drawn on one level, populate automatically on all levels doesn't exist (Not even in AutoCAD - since you mentioned that too)

Sent from my iPhone

[chrisplyler]

Annotations are view specific.

If every annotation I placed on a view automatically showed up in every view, I would be very angry. That's just dumb.

For those annotations that you do want to populate to other views, Revit makes it pretty easy with it's paste options.

Tell your manager I said he's a moron.

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm.... as tempted as I am, I dont think calling my manager a moron will be helpful. I have tried to explain that it is different to this MicroGDS that he used to use, but he just does not seem to understand. Thank you for the help.

[chrisplyler]

Of course don't actually call him a moron. But there is a difference between "doesn't understand" and "refuses to accept."

[Anonymous]

In autocad I would put what I want in multiple drawing in an xref file that is inserted into any file I want repeated. The one file can be modified and all files with that xref are modified. that includes dimensions , notes etc...