Template for Save to New File (Saving View to New File)

[TheMattatonAP]

Is there a setting that determines which template is used when you save a view to a new file?

If I right-click a view and click Save to New File... it creates the new file, but it does not carry over the line styles from the view. For instance, lines that were black and line weight 3 are now blue and line weight 2 - same line style name. It's as if whatever template is being used for the new file overrides the settings from the view.

I have my templates all set in the Options to the office standard template. Where are these settings coming from?

Thanks!

Matt

[TheMattatonAP]

Ouch. No replies. Not a good sign. 🙂

[loboarch]

The question does not make sense.  When a file is saved a template is not applied.  Template files are used at file creation, not file save.  So I am a bit unclear as to what exactly is happening. What you are describing sounds exceedingly rare if not "impossible".

[TheMattatonAP]

Definitely not impossible as I can recreate the scenario at any time. i just did it a few minutes ago to show a colleague in the office.

I described the scenario pretty much exactly as it happens. Try to save a view as new file by right-clicking the view and click "Save to new file..."

It saves/creates the new file from the view, but the line styles are not right. It's using the line styles from somewhere else other than the project file that the view was saved from. I don't know where, but it's getting line styles from SOMEWHERE. Hence the question of WHERE?

If I subsequently open the new file and Transfer Project Standards from the project the view originally came from, then I can get the proper line styles. But, they do not come over automatically in the "Save to new file" process.

[Anonymous]

Surely all this can be saved back to a master file to include specific items, when you find out please let me know. 

All the the best to your question 

[christian.riley]

@TheMattatonAP - 

To confirm what you are asking about :
The view settings that you have created within that view are lost when you save the view out as another file. Essentially, Revit seems to be applying some unknown template to the view, adjusting the view settings. Can you please confirm that it is not applying a "Turn on all" scenario? 

Once I have more information I can ask around to see if there is something that can be done about this as I am unaware of any "Save view to file" settings in regards to visual settings. Do the view templates get saved to the file as well? I am curious if you save your settings as a view template, then apply it. Granted, this is an additional unwanted step, however it may help in the meantime as a workaround.

[TheMattatonAP]

The only thing I have noticed is that the line styles are wrong. I would think when I saved a view to a new file, it would keep ALL the settings that made that view look the way it does. So, all line styles (weights and colors) should look identical in the newly created file. But it doesn't. It's getting new line style definitions from somewhere. I'm assuming when the new file is created, some sort of template is being used and that's where the redefined line styles are coming from. I feel like this has to be a bug because that shouldn't be how it works. The view should look identical when it's exported to a new file. 

The line style definitions are separate from view template settings, right? If a line is set to be a certain line style, if that line style looks different in another file (say we're pasting lines into a new file), the lines of the view will take on the look of the definitions in the file, right?

That seems like what is happening here. The new file has its own line style definitions and this view is being "pasted" into it and its lines are taking on the styles of the file.

It also doesn't carry over any view template assigned to the view. In the new file the view is set to have no view template even though it had a template assigned in the original file.

The view also has a View Category and View Sub Category parameter set for the Project Browser. These parameters carry over to the new file, but the structure doesn't appear in the Project Browser, so these params aren't "set up" in the new file either.

I don't know, just seems to me that all the pertinent settings from the original project file should follow the view to its new file. That seems like the most intuitive way to do it. Why would you save the view to a new file just to have it look different and have to fix it?

[RobDraw]

Can you post example files?

One for us to export from and one showing your results.

[christian.riley]

@TheMattatonAP - 

I agree with @RobDraw, if you could provide us with a few example files it would greatly help the troubleshooting process.

[TheMattatonAP]

Okay. Here are two files. Test_Host is the "original file" with the view hosted in it.

Test_Exported is the new file created by saving the view to a new file. (Both Revit 2019)

You can see in the original file that all the lines in the drafting view are black with certain weights applied. In the exported file, those same lines are black, blue, and green with different line weights applied.

Seems to me, the drafting view should look identical when exported.

As mentioned, it also drops the Project Browser organization. Although I see that as more forgivable.

Thanks!

Matt

[RobDraw]

Thanks for posting the files and as it turns out, it does appear that a template is being used. I looked at the "wide lines" setting and the color blue is a Revit default line style setting and is predefined in the line styles of many if not all of the templates that have wide lines as a line style predefined. Does that make sense?

Your question is intriguing. Which template? It would take a little investigation and some trial and error to determine which one. I would aim at the most generic ones. Although it could be a super secret hidden Revit gem hidden deep in some directory somewhere no one would look for it.

I wasn't able to look at the export settings to see if there was something that could be done there. I only have viewer available at the moment.

Alternative solution; use a custom linestyle instead of a Revit default.

[ToanDN]

My only advice for you is try not to use the in-built line types if you want to modify them away from the OTTB settings (they are the one highlighted below and cannot be deleted).  I guess the OOTB line types are reset back to the original (as if you create a new project file without a specific template, but choose Imperial or Metric to start with).

Create your own set of line types with prefix to differentiate from the OOTB and use them.  

[TheMattatonAP]

Yeah, I had already discovered it was the OOTB line styles that were being overridden. I agree this is a work-around, but the process is still broken. That's not how an export-view-to-file operation should work. Obviously, when you export the view, you'd want it to look the same as it was. It should be more like doing a Save As of the current project file and deleting every other view in it other than the one you want. It should look identical with the exact same settings.
I guess we can create a new line style set prefixed with our firm initials (as you suggested) like we do with everything else that we've made custom. Just seems like "Wide Lines," "Thin Lines," and "Lines" are so perfectly named and intuitive already. 😄

So, all in all, Revit is using some OOTB template when Save to New File... is used. That needs to be changed to either use the same template as the current file, or give the user the option of a template to use during the process.

I'll admit we RARELY use this method, so it's not that big of a deal. And there's certainly several workarounds for it.

Thanks for the input, guys!

[RobDraw]

Have you considered what happens when the view is inserted into a project?

Do you realize that it will take on the styles that have been set in the project (settings from your template) making the color change a moot point and any workarounds unnecessary?

[TheMattatonAP]

Haha! That's an extremely good point! In MOST cases these exported views would be used again by importing them into another project. 😄

There are cases where it could still be a problem. If you wanted to print the view it'd be wrong. And if you wanted to maintain the view as a typical detail and wanted to be able to update it and refine it in its single file. You'd obviously want that view to look correct.

I still very much believe the process is flawed, but you're right, in most cases the discrepancies are moot.

[christian.riley]

@TheMattatonAP - 

I was able to speak to the development team and they were able to explain this a bit more.

Your suspicions are mostly correct, however instead of thinking of it as applying a view template, think more along the lines of it applying a zero state. Or rather a return to factory settings.

The intention would be to export the view as a file, then import it into another project. The new host project's view settings would then be applied, setting the view up as it is intended to be seen.

I think the idea for maybe a check box to retain view settings would be a great candidate for a post on the Ideas forum. 

[TheMattatonAP]

Thanks for looking into it further. Yes, giving the user the option at export would be great. I can see how it can be used as-is, but it seems counter-intuitive in practice.

[Wesam_T_S_Jarjes_WSP]

Hi, 

I just recieaved a file from another firm where this function was used. The issue i'm having is that this "zero-state" that is mentioned previously seems to aply to the creation and demolished phases of all of the elements within the file as well. So everything within the file gets "new construction" as the creation phase and "none" for the demolished phase. This seems like a greater issue than a visual discrepancy since its the actual settings of the elements themselfs that are altered and not just how they are represented. 

@christian.riley 

[RobDraw]

This function wasn't used for your file. You have a different issue. Start a new thread and include as much pertinent information as you can and ask a question.

[Wesam_T_S_Jarjes_WSP]

right-clicking on a 3d view and choosing "save to new file" does indeed sound like the same function was used as the one mentioned in this thread. 

If you can elaborate why you believe it isnt the same function please do.