Text Leader

[KraiggC]

Good Morning again. So I need help with some simple annotation that's giving me fits. I've created a "Detail Item" family to start rebuilding our details database in Revit '16. For some reason after creating my Text I'm not given the option to add leaders off of this. Is there something I did wrong? Is a Detail Item family thing? As you can see in the attached screen shot the leaders are all greyed out. Thanks in advance!

[Alfredo_Medina]

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@KraiggC wrote:

.... Is there something I did wrong? Is a Detail Item family thing? ...

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Yes, that's wrong. You are creating text inside a detail item family. That text won't be visible in your project. That needs to be a nested annotation family with the text in it. And, the option for leader for text is available in the project, not in the family editor, for annotation families or text, not for detail items and not for nested annotation families in detail items.

[FGPerraudin]

Hi Kraigg,

Can you send the family?

François

[KraiggC]

Thank You. So what is the best way to create detail families as separate entities. I know I could have them all within a Template project but that would create a file larger than we would like. I feel like having all these details separate of one another and load in on an as-needed basis would be best. But if I'm wrong I'm willing to admit it.

[Alfredo_Medina]

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@KraiggC wrote:

Thank You. So what is the best way to create detail families as separate entities. ...

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Well, that is a different question. How do you create detail families as separate entities? Simply create a new detail item family and save it in the proper folder in the libraries. When you need to use it, load it into a project.

[KraiggC]

Well that's what I'm trying to do. My detail families will require text with leaders and dimensions. You mentioned earlier that I can't have text with leaders in a detail item family unless nesting them together. Maybe this is the process I should inquire about?

[Alfredo_Medina]

That is not a good idea, because: Detail items have a specific dimension, as model elements do, which means that their size does not change with the scale of the view. If you nest annotation families in detail families, the annotation will scale up and down, and that will make the annotation move away from the detail item which will remain at the same place. Typically, detail items are just graphics, and then you annotate them or keynote them in the project.

[KraiggC]

The details I'm working on compiling now is a static set that won't change. Their size is fixed to a standard sheet layout and the layout may change to comply with details inserted. But from your responses it doesn't sound like there's a way to have a single family with all the aspects I need. Thank You. I'll just do all of it in a Template Project and have to purge it once all the details have been compiled after a project has been set up.

[Alfredo_Medina]

I think you are referring to a library of details, construction document details, not detail item families, which is different. 

[KraiggC]

Yes! Sorry for the confusion.

[FGPerraudin]

Hi Kraigg,

I think you might not use the correct workflow.

If you want to have very good and useful details, then they should embed their own information (the text annotation in contained within the detail or its description). For example, here is what you could do:

• Use a tag to report a comment, or a description that is part of your detail family
• Use a keynote that will report an information specific to your detail but stored in a keynote list.

Any of those method will allow you to legend you detail element within seconds.

On top of that, the information will be available in the Information part of your BIM model!

Hope this was of help,

François

[Alfredo_Medina · Accepted solution]

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@KraiggC wrote:

Yes! Sorry for the confusion.

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In that case, create your standard details in an empty Revit file, in drafting views. Then, save this file in your standard folders, and let your users know that they can use this file with "Insert > Insert Views from File", to load these drafting views with the details, in other projects.

[KraiggC]

François,

Thank You for your suggestion, and it's something I'd love to look into. Right now it's not something I understand, or I'm misunderstanding something. Is there anyway you can upload  what you're suggesting so I can dissect it and understand better what your suggesting?