material tag

[Moshe-A]

Hi Guys

i know material tag command takes the description field value from the material dialog but i wonder if there is a way

to change this -  like setting it to take the Comments or keywords?

OR

adding an Instance parameter to let the user the option to select other fixed value

thanks in advance

Moshe

[CoreyDaun]

Open your Material Tag in the Family Editor, selected the Label, and then click "Edit..." under Properties. In the following dialog, you will find that you can customize your Tag to report a short list of other Parameters, including "Comments". "Keywords", however, is not available.

[Moshe-A]

Corey,

Yes but how would this be settled with this statment?

"the tag is based on the value of the Description field of the Identity tab of Material dialog"

sure i can add other Labels in the list but how can i make Material tag command to use it?

Moshe

[CoreyDaun]

That's strange; the expanded tooltip pertains to the OOTB (default) Material Tag. So, if you change the Tag, that advice is invalidated.

You have two options; you can either load in a new Material Tag from a separate Family file or you can open the existing one are reload it, choose to redefine it. If you choose to load in a separate Family, you can make that the default Material Tag by activating the Material Tag command and then selecting the desired Tag from the Type Selector at the top of Properties.

[Moshe-A]

Corey,

i'm sorry but i still do not get you

the Material tag Command uses only the Description field value of the Identity tab of Meterial dialog box

creating another material tag family does not let you to use another label

if the material tag family does not uses the description label?

then the Material tag will tag with '?'

what i'm looking for is to create a meterial tag that uses the description (as default) but give the user the option

to use other field for a special condition

i hope i'm now more clear?

Moshe

[CoreyDaun · Accepted solution]

---

Moshe-A wrote:

"what i'm looking for is to create a meterial tag that uses the description (as default) but give the user the option

to use other field for a special condition

i hope i'm now more clear? "

---

Now, it is definitely more clear.

Follow these steps in order to modify your existing Material Tag:

1.) Find the Tag in your Project Browser (Families > Annotations) and open it for editing.

2.) Select the Label (the text), and copy it 1" (or some other fixed distance) up.

3.) Select the copied Label and click "Edit Label..." under Properties. Remove the "Description" parameter and add the "Comments" Parameter, instead.

4.) Select the copied Label again, and under Properties, click on the little grey button to the right of "Visibility". In the following dialog, select "Create Parameter", and then name you Parameter "ShowComments" (or something). Make sure you leave it as a Type Parameter.

5.) Repeat step 4 with your original Label, but create a new parameter and name it "ShowDescription" (or something similar).

6.) Open the Family Types dialog (upper left). Create two new Types, named something like "Tag by Description" and "Tag by Comments".

7.) For each of these Types, check the appropriate box for the newly created Yes/No Parameters (steps 4 & 5) and uncheck the other.

Now, when you use this Family, you can select between the two using the Type Selector. This is the best you can do in Revit, as of now. It is currently impossible to include manipulative Instance Parameters in Tags, so you must use Type Parameters.

[Moshe-A]

Corey,

wonderful that's worked

thank you very much

Moshe

[stefan.butler]

I have a question. I'm not sure if it can be solved or if there is a work around?

I have created a family that has multiple different types and each of these different types has a different material assigned to it that is not

changeable by an instance parameter. The material has to be that specific material for that specific type created.  

At the moment when you use a material tag to tag the family type that you have created, it only displays the description of the material that is on the top of

type stack. For example if you have created a family type that is lower down on the stack that has a different material assigned to it via a type parameter. The description of the first family type in the stack will remain showing. 

- Ok Sort of, half figured out a work around while writing this, materials have to be assigned to different geometry within the family. Instead of a type parameter changing the material assigned for each family type for the material tag to change description.  Which makes it hard as there is only one 

piece of geometry in the family and 50 different material types each with a different name but this will also mean 50 different visibility parameters etc -

[ToanDN]

@stefan.butler

I am not seeing the struggle.  Please take a look at the attached 2017 Revit file and let me know if that is what you are after.