Wall Parts and Dimensioning

[mmcintosh-ral]

Hi,

I am a longtime AutoCAD user (20 yrs) and architect, working on my first project in REVIT. Steep learning curve here, but I'm trying.

Based on information on several online forums/blogs, I am trying using the parts tool for our masonry cavity walls to differentiate between two brick veneer colors.

Recently I made some edits in the model that deleted some of my floor plan dimensions. I know which day it happened (I have a backup file with the dimensions still there, and the next backup file where the dimensions are gone. they are not turned off in the view, VG is not off, view extents were not changed. I tried looking in the journal file for that day, but it has now disappeared, so maybe I accidentally deleted that too.)

I tried to copy my backed-up copy dimensions using the clipboard, but get an error message (attached). I was hoping to paste them in place in my current file.

One guess at what happened:

I updated some wall openings using the parts modify/division sketch mode on the day that the dimensions disappeared. Dimensions with origins on the walls with the deleted openings (or corners of the adjacent walls) were deleted. This guess doesn't make a lot of sense to me, since the openings themselves were not a part of the dimension string. But maybe it makes sense to Revit.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is there anything else I should look at for trying to somehow use the dimensions from my backup file in my current file?
2. any other ideas on what may have caused my dimensions to be deleted?
3. What is the most efficient method in Revit to show masonry brick patterns on the exterior of a building? Is using parts a bad idea, or does it work for you?

Thanks for any ideas,

Michele McIntosh

[barthbradley]

Have you checked “Revealed Constraints” to verify if your dimensions are not “Hidden Constraints”? If so, you can make them "Permanent" and restore them in view.

[mmcintosh-ral]

Thanks for your speedy Reply!

ugh. looks like this tool (reveal constraints) may not have been loaded onto my machine.

waiting on IT and our CAD manager to see if I can get an update.

I'll post back on whether it works or not.

[ToanDN]

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@mcubed wrote:

Hi,

I am a longtime AutoCAD user (20 yrs) and architect, working on my first project in REVIT. Steep learning curve here, but I'm trying.

Based on information on several online forums/blogs, I am trying using the parts tool for our masonry cavity walls to differentiate between two brick veneer colors.

Recently I made some edits in the model that deleted some of my floor plan dimensions. I know which day it happened (I have a backup file with the dimensions still there, and the next backup file where the dimensions are gone. they are not turned off in the view, VG is not off, view extents were not changed. I tried looking in the journal file for that day, but it has now disappeared, so maybe I accidentally deleted that too.)

I tried to copy my backed-up copy dimensions using the clipboard, but get an error message (attached). I was hoping to paste them in place in my current file.

One guess at what happened:

I updated some wall openings using the parts modify/division sketch mode on the day that the dimensions disappeared. Dimensions with origins on the walls with the deleted openings (or corners of the adjacent walls) were deleted. This guess doesn't make a lot of sense to me, since the openings themselves were not a part of the dimension string. But maybe it makes sense to Revit.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is there anything else I should look at for trying to somehow use the dimensions from my backup file in my current file?
   You can copy the dimensions from the one file to anther if the reference hosts are at the exact location.  For example, if a wall shifted then it will gives you a "cannot find reference" error.
2. any other ideas on what may have caused my dimensions to be deleted?
   If a dimension was select, right click and choose select all instances in project, press DEL key, then all dimensions of the same type would be deleted.
   If the geometry was cut then paste in place, then any dimensions would be gone.
3. What is the most efficient method in Revit to show masonry brick patterns on the exterior of a building? Is using parts a bad idea, or does it work for you?
   Brick materials with surface patterns.  If you need special patterns, you can create them using HatchKit addin for Revit, or import from ACAD pat files, then create new materials and assign the new patterns.  If you need several patterns on a single surface, you can either use Split Face and Paint different materials, or Create Parts and assign different materials, or use stacked walls if the change is horizontal.  It really a case by case basis.

Thanks for any ideas,

Michele McIntosh

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[mmcintosh-ral]

I appreciated the responses I received on my question.

Autodesk asked me to mark one of the answers as "accepted".

Unfortunately, I'm unable to try the answer that I think might work, because I do not have permissions to update my software to include the tool that might solve my problem. 

The hierarchy of the way this software is implemented in my office makes it difficult for an end user like myself to trouble shoot problems that a majority of users in our organization do not also complain about. So I'm missing a tool that might solve my problem, but CAD management does not have time to help me, and I am not allowed enough access/permissions to help myself.

Off topic, but another problem I'm having:

I sent a note to Autodesk about this, and my CAD management, but I have not received a response from either. Is this something I can solve myself, and/or is it really not a problem? 

• my current work assigned username for using Revit (first initial + last name) is not available from AutoDesk because, surprise, there is more than one AutoDesk user with my first initial and last name.
• When I work on a project in Revit, I am logged in under my assigned username. I am unable to log into Seek under this username, because there is another Autodesk Seek user with the same ID.
• I have asked my IT/CAD support to update my username with a suffix that hopefully will be unique, and available for AutoDesk Seek. My last "official email request" was over two months ago. A friend in IT is interested in helping me, but it's outside of his official realm of power/responsibility, so it's slow going getting permission from CAD management/ upper IT management.
• I filled out a form online with AutoDesk asking for direction on this, but have not received a response/recommendation.
• Is there a way to access SEEK without my usernames matching? Am I making this too complicated?

thanks for responses to my earlier post, and for any additional ideas on navigating permissions hierachies while using Revit

(another complaint- I'm an end user outside of the "CAD management team" and am therefore not allowed to create shared parameters for any reason, so I end up using unused available parameters and just renaming them, and adding explanatory notes to keep track of what's what. These are parameters that do not duplicate an existing shared parameter. It would be so nice to be able to name things so that they are intuitively recognizable).

I am finding the hierarchical setup of Revit to be cumbersome.

[ToanDN]

@mmcintosh-ral

They do it all the times.  You don't have to mark a solution if none satisfies you.