View Templates for linked models

[scotthardin]

It would be nice to have a way to create view templates for Revit linked models that doesn't involve having placeholder links and using "reload from". We have to recreate our filters in every project and are always hiding the same things (pipe and duct centerlines, annotations, etc.). Has anyone come up with an efficient workflow for setting up standardized graphic overrides for linked models?

[Mbruno-JDB]

View Templates do get applied to linked models, we do it every day.

You can't see the Parameter in a view template until you have linked models.

V/G Overrides RVT Links is where you control how a view template applies to linked models.

[scotthardin]

Thanks for the quick response! Correct, we apply templates to our views to control visibility of the linked files in our plans, but we are unable to set these up until after the files get linked. When we start a project from our template, there are no links so we have to do apply these filters for every project rather than it being set up by default in the template. Are you saying there's a way you have your filters set up prior to links being set up? 

[Mbruno-JDB]

Our view templates are set up in our project template.  We create a new project from our template, link in the models and our view templates apply to those models.  I'd say they work on 95% of linked model to clean up our views the way we want them.  There are cases where we need to customize the views in the actual links, but I try to use that as a last resort.

We maintain 2018 and 2022 templates.  Most categories that were added between 2018 and 2022 don't affect us.  There is a category that was added in 2022 that we need, so we had to customize our template for it.

[scotthardin]

I must be confused. It seems as if you're saying you can override links in a template file. When I open our template file (no links added yet) and edit our view template for say elevations, under Revit Links, there is nothing to click on to set the override. Is there a way to add overrides to links before the links are added? We are sometimes months into a project before we receive consultant models so having overrides set up in the template would save us from having to redo it each project.  

[RDAOU]

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@scotthardin wrote:

It would be nice to have a way to create view templates for Revit linked models that doesn't involve having placeholder links and using "reload from". We have to recreate our filters in every project and are always hiding the same things (pipe and duct centerlines, annotations, etc.). Has anyone come up with an efficient workflow for setting up standardized graphic overrides for linked models?

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A view template is a tool/dialog that allows users to manage category and subcategory visibility and apply graphical overrides. It is largely straightforward and absolute in the sense that it does not require a dummy placeholder link for its creation. Once integrated into the project template from which the user starts their models, the template can be easily applied to any linked model as needed.

Not sure why would one would need a dummy placeholder link...If the goal is time-saving, consider the difference between linking a model and applying a template directly versus using a dummy placeholder and loading the template from it. The time saved is literally 2 click maybe 3.

IMHO, there is no such thing as a universal view template that works for every linked model. External models come from various consultants and disciplines, each with distinct visual graphics standards. Adjusting existing or creating new view templates for linked models, especially those from third parties, is often if not always necessary. Hence, the 3 clicks mentioned above are not really something to worry about.

[Mbruno-JDB]

Any view templates in your model prior to adding links will automatically be applied to linked models once you have linked models.  This parameter  won't appear in your templates until you have linked models.  Once it's there, you can use it to manage how the templates are applied to the links.  The default setting for linked models is to use the same template settings as the host model for all views that the template is applied to.

https://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-7C5EC03A-77C6-49C7-8FB0-77ACC2320A9D

[scotthardin]

How do I apply a preset list of graphic overrides to the linked file once it appears in graphic overrides? I know how to set overrides for links, but i have to do this for each view template rather than the overrides being baked into the view template from the start of the project.

[RSomppi]

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@scotthardin wrote:

Has anyone come up with an efficient workflow for setting up standardized graphic overrides for linked models?

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I use a dummy project as my project template and dummy links so that I can preset the graphics in the links. It is the only way.

[javirod800]

There is an easy method to quickly apply your own preset graphic overrides to linked models independent of the host view settings. 

1. Create a dummy project and create a view template within this project with all of the standard overrides that you wish to apply to linked models, including filters.

2. Use "Transfer Project Standards" and check only view templates to transfer this template to the linked model. 

3. Duplicate any view in this project. Rename the view "FOR LINKED VIEW" and apply your transferred view template to this view. Save the linked model and close.

4. Open your host model and make sure the linked model is re-loaded to apply the recent changes.

5. In the view settings for the host view template, go to 'V/G Overrides RVT Links" and click on the Display Settings where it says "By Host View". Click on the circle for "By linked view". In the dropdown list, find "FOR LINKED VIEW" and apply.

6. Repeat step 5 for any host view templates with links.

That should do it. With this method, you only need to setup your overrides and filters once. It is also easy to make slight modifications to the overrides by simply switching to "Custom". If there is a case where you do not have direct access to consultant models, I suppose you could simply ask the consultant to apply steps 2 & 3 after transferring them the dummy project.