Add Multi-Select Mode for Items In Linked Models

[Anonymous]

Currently there isn't a way to select multiple items in a linked model. 

So as an example, let's say you've got a bathroom showing in an architects model you need to hide in your plans.  It's a couple of walls, a door and some plumbing fixtures, and maybe a few other items.  If you want to hide this in your MEP model, you have to "tab select" every item individually and then hide.  It's very tedious and error prone.  If you have to do a large area it can take forever.

A second example could be if you've got conduits modelled for Low Voltage in an electrical model and you need to hand those off to a technology designer once they get involved in a project. 

It would be great if you could use the same selection tools you have in-model to select those in a linked model.  Here are a few of the tools:

1. Tab select a connected system of elements (walls, pipe runs, electrical circuits, etc).
2. Window select (both directions) all items
3. Right-click select all instance in view or model.
4. Control click to select multiple items.  (This is currently allowed but the tab clicking makes it really clunky.

This could be implemented as a button/mode on the bottom right.  Click the button, prompt for which model you want to select from.  Then give access to the native tools listed above into that model.

[Anonymous]

 I suggested something similar but perhaps more generalised in an earlier idea: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-ideas/easier-way-to-select-elements-in-linked-models/idi-p/7796...

cheers,

-tomek

[Anonymous]

Tomek.  Yea exactly the same thing.  I guess I gave a few more details, but essentially the same.  Thanks for chiming in, I've voted for yours.

[Anonymous]

Would not filtering off/on those elements in the linked model be the same thing as hiding them? I am trying to understand why you are tabbing throughout the linked model to select what you need to be "hidden" when one can use visibility graphics to create custom filters to turn on or off items in the linked model.  I may not be understanding this idea.  

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous Filtering is indiscriminate. It's all or nothing. Well, it's much better now that we can have complex filtering expressions with logical OR, but it's still not the same as having manual control. Setting up filters is time consuming and doesn't take care of all the exceptions. It is great though when used for its intended purpose.

I often have to prepare diagrams from our working models where only certain elements are shown and others must be hidden. Typically it is much easier and faster to accomplish this with manual selection. However when many of the items to be selected are in links this process fails miserably and becomes very cumbersome. 

cheers,

-tomek

[Anonymous]

At risk of veering off topic a bit... There are a few reasons you want to be able to select lots of elements from another model. Hiding is one, copying over is another, you may want to count things,and there’s lots of other reasons too.

But anyway filtering doesn’t work well because it is dependent on the other model being set up in a filter friendly way.  And that’s not what we’re usually using hiding for. For example if we want to hide a room that’s out of date (the example I used earlier) there’s a bunch of model elements and no clear way to hide them with a filter. Calling the architect and asking them to update the room to be in a design option is too time consuming. We’re trying to short circuit that whole back and forth, which is very often required towards the end of a project. 

Generally for MEP users you don’t want to have to tell the architect (the customer) to clean up their model. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks @Anonymous and @Anonymous. Its true, one can not always get a filter friendly model from another client or subcontractor.  REVIT programmers should maybe create a sort of "temporary unlock"  of the linked in model(s) so that a user could manually click through any element they need to hide/isolate.