Add a Search Bar to Imported Categories (Visibility/Graphics)

[sdraak]

Our projects often include multiple linked CAD files with hundreds of layers. When adjusting Visibility/Graphic Overrides, finding a specific layer under Imported Categories requires manually scrolling through long lists of layer names.

This is time-consuming and inefficient, especially in large and multidisciplinary models.

Revit already provides a search box for Model Categories, Annotation Categories, and Analytical Model Categories. Adding the same functionality to Imported Categories would significantly improve usability and save valuable time. For the sake of interface consistency, it would also make sense to introduce search functionality in all other Visibility/Graphic tabs as well (Filters, Worksets, Revit Links).

However, the biggest impact would clearly be within Imported Categories, where layer lists can easily become extremely long.

A small UI enhancement with a major productivity benefit.

If you’ve ever scrolled endlessly through layer lists, please consider upvoting!

[Joel_van_Herwaarden]

In addition, also add a search bar to the assembly code window!

[Susana_Duarte_LMSI]

Specially when the same layer may be used in multiple dwg links and they all need to be edited in the same way. It would make that edit much easier and faster, as the checking if needed.

[mchengineers]

Currently a pain to look for the right layers. Please get this implemented.

@mchengineers- this post has been edited due to Community Rules & Etiquette violation. 

[Mike.FORM]

This would definitely be helpful.

Currently you can hide layers by using the query function when selecting a dwg in a view.

Then when you select a line in the dwg it will tell you the layer name and give the option to hide (turns it off in VG) or delete that layer.

[MiWolff]

This may be the developer's way to tell users to refrain from using DWG at all: If there are too many layers to get one's head around, you maybe neglected to 'prepare' the CAD file for revit use. I agree the search bar should be available.

[sdraak]

@Mike.FORM Thank you for your suggestion. I was aware of this feature, however using this button will unfortunately only hide the layer if you are not using a View Template. It would be a huge improvement if it did also hide the layer for your current View Template, but that would be a different feature than the one requested here.

[sdraak]

@MiWolff I understand your point, but I’m not sure I fully agree if that’s the direction the developers should take.

In many cases we simply don’t have control over the incoming models. It’s not realistic to expect every discipline to reduce their layers to a minimal set just to accommodate Revit workflows. Different disciplines often have valid reasons for using a large number of layers, even if many of them are inconvenient for our purposes.

As designers, it’s essential that we are in control of what we want to show or hide. We can already do that, but the lack of a search function makes the process unnecessarily time-consuming.

[MiWolff]

@sdraak I am fully with you there, DWG files are part of any computer aided (building) design process. Revit should just be able to deal with them. There should not be any extra work required to make third party DWG files 'appropriate' for Revit. Ever.

I do not think I recommended any direction for the developers, I just think that there may be more to the neglect we are experiencing where CAD files are involved. If DWG support remains lacking perhaps users will stop using DWG - not that we have any choice in this.

[matt.bedeeGCMVG]

@sdraak - 100% needed.  We have Plant 3D models linked to our Revit models and the Plant 3D models could have 100 Xrefs, which means that layer would need to be turned off using Import Instance Query 100 times. If we had a Layer Search Bar, we could search for all layers and then uncheck all of the boxes next to the layers we don't want to see visible. 

AND have the ability to control Linked DWGs using Filters. This would be more of a wildcard approach to overrides and visibility of DWG content, but it seems easy enough to do. Have the ability to filter Pattern, Colors, and Weight based on Layer Names that contain keywords. 

[Susana_Duarte_LMSI]

The only way to apply transparency to dwgs is by override in view or filtering. Because we cannot create a rule for dwgs I use a saved selection that I need to remember to update anytime there is a new copy added. A real filter would be incredibly usefull an top of the all the other ideas here.