Links - How many?

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

I work for a residential developer and have just set up all of our BIM workflows. Although I am now being challenged with a task of created a planning application for 90 units on a site. The general workflow I have set up is to use Formit 360 and Infraworks 360 (mainly through feasibility). Then have one master/site model within Revit with each housetype/unit linked into this file.

For this proposal this would therefore mean I would need to have 70 (give or take due to duplicates and apartments) different Revit models all linked into my main master file. I was wondering if anyone has completed a similar task and how it went for them, or if anyone has any suggestions for me other than using worksets?

Many Thanks,

Tom

[FGPerraudin]

Hi @Anonymous,

There you are trying to use Revit as a compilation platform.

Just know that Revit is perfectly equipped for that.

Create your links and then register their position (very important). Here is a link towards shared positions:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/Revit-Collaborate/files/GUID-049BE99D-249F-4D1F-A79C-A348955AB49C-htm.html

Next, it is very important that you work with worksets.

They not only keep your file organised, but a closed workset ISN'T EVEN LOADED IN THE MEMORY!!!

It will make your workflow much faster.

Last but not least, you need to pick how you link your Revit files:

• attach will load the file into the project, a bit like a family that would be loaded.
• overlay will load an IMAGE of the file. overlay links do not display in Nested links (an overlay link in a link will not display).

Then, in order to get the information from your links, do not forget to tick the "inculde links" box in your schedules properties, and to check the "room boundaries" option in the properties of your placed links.

Then everything should work just perfectly fine!

Hope this helps,

François-Gabriel

[baniabdelwaheb1]

I have already done a similar job in 2008. See attached image

All the work is done on Revit

A master plan and revit linked files no more

The size should be around 100 Mo

And I presume that will be lighter because revit enhanced the handling of heavy files

Good luck  

Abdelwaheb,

[Anonymous]

Hi @FGPerraudin

Thank you for getting back to me. Yes this is what I have set up as a workflow for my company, I just did not know the capabilites in terms of how many links I could actually use without the file becoming too heavy!

Out of interest, when working in projects like this how would you go about printing all of the different sheets? For site plans I can use the main master/site file. Although if I want to print the floor plans for each housetype (Revit link), do I then need to open each file and then print their sheets individually?

I understand that I would be able to print all of my sheets from the main master/site file, although wouldnt I have to rotate them so that they all fit perpindcular to the sheet? I would have this issue as the housetypes I design will most likely be located and aligned with the roads, so none of them will be perpinduclar to the sheets naturally.

Kind Regards,

Tom

[chrisplyler]

You should have master site plans, and then you should have separate set of plans for each building. Each building set could have one "site layout" sheet near the front (or perhaps on the cover sheet) oriented to true north and showing the shared survey point and local project base point, so that building orientation and location can be determined by the GC for that building without needing the set of master site plans.

[m.voss.alvine]

its not just how many links, but how many copies of each link.  we have had issues with hotels where there are only 6 types of guestrooms.  but 2 of them are in the model a combined 140 times.  the model becomes almost unusable, even after breaking the hotel up into different worksets.

[Anonymous]

Hi @m.voss.alvine 

I have heard that perhaps using groups for something like this would be better?

For aparment blocks I will be using groups. Links will be used for the buildings core and perhaps MEP but for my design team just creating planning applications, I feel that the workflow will be best to model each apartment as a group, that way they can be easily copied.

This may be something to consider for your hotel workflows if you have not already.

Kind Regards,

Tom

[Anonymous]

Hi @chrisplyler

Thank you for anwsering my question. Just to clarify, are you suggesting that I would then be able to have all sheets within the same 'master' model and be able to PDF all of my site plans and housetype GAs from the same model?

Kind Regards,

Tom

[FGPerraudin]

The hotel issue is very simple:

It is not a matter of links or groups.

It is a simple matter of geometry to handle.

Consider this:

A link doesn't change, it is a constant geometry.

A group still interacts with its environment (walls, etc...)

They both are "written" only once, and then caculated in live rendering one by one.

So links are a better and faster solution.

Problem is usually the following:

You need to KNOW WHEN DETAILS ARE ENOUGH.

For example, you DON'T NEED ALL YOUR DETAILS IN EVERY HOTEL ROOM.

One is enough for inside rendering.

If you use the same object for both, YOUR COMPUTER WILL BE CALCULATING 140 TIMES A VERY COMPLEX OBJECT.

As a BIM MANAGER, a big part of my job is to STOP PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DETAILING TOO MUCH.

Just keep in mind what your model is made for and everything will be fine I promise.

François-Gabriel

[m.voss.alvine]

we have found that groups is the better solution.  there was not a lot of detail in the links.  the issue is all of the file information within the revit file other than the floor geometry.  if all 140 rooms were in 1 file, the project would run faster.  as we slowly get the architects to use groups in lieu of links, our model is getting faster by leaps and bounds.

[chrisplyler]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hi @chrisplyler

Thank you for anwsering my question. Just to clarify, are you suggesting that I would then be able to have all sheets within the same 'master' model and be able to PDF all of my site plans and housetype GAs from the same model?

Kind Regards,

Tom

---

No, I'm suggesting you print each set of drawings from it's own file.

I can't imagine why you would want every sheet of every different building drawing set in the master site file. When it's time to distribute drawings for a particular building, open that building file and print them.

[Anonymous]

Thats my point, they will not have 'drawing sets' as they are just for planning applications. Normally most of our housetypes will literally have 1 sheet, with the ground and first floor GA's and a row of elevations underneath.

It is a time consuming task to go into every housetype model just to print one sheet. Although I am sure a dynamo script can be created to create a PDF set from different models, and I will be looking into this further this week.

Thanks,

Tom

[ToanDN]

If you need to work on both the master file and the building files, open your master file in one Revit session and open all the building files in another.  Set up a print-set to only include the one sheet (or more) you need to print.  Configure print settings for one file and transfer it to all others if you don't already have it.  Then, it is just a matter of Alt+Tab, click the print button, click OK, and done for one.  You don't even need to open the Sheet or look at the file.  If you have 100 houses it probably takes 20 minutes to print them all.

[chrisplyler]

I see.

I would still print them individually once. Print to PDF files. Then bring them altogether and order them as desired in one PDF file for future printing/distribution of the entire set.

.

[Anonymous]

Did you purge everything other than what was needed in the link file. Usually create the links and purge everything so that there is no superfluous information in the links and it seems to fly. Groups are too sensitive and are affected by everything they touch which causes groups to break. Links are unaffected by anything. 

This is from my experience of doing a lot of high-rise apartments, most over 60 stories. So links get my vote, if that means anything. Either way, there's a lot more to it than links and groups. People always forget to keep their warnings in check, which drives me nuts. That's enough from me.