Better Functionality for Legends!!

[ndjabiras]

1.  Ability to Tag Legend Components

2.  Ability to rotate Legend Components

3.  Option for "Floor Plan View" for Floors, Ceilings, etc.

4. Ability to Override Graphics, apply Filters, etc to Legend Components

Work arounds for these issues are too many, and leave too much room for error.  A legend should be representative of the items in your model.  It should have as much functionality as your floor plans do because it is meant to be a visual guide of the items in said floor plan.  MUST HAVE FULL FUNCTIONALITY!

[lionel.kai]

@gsucciThe number of votes is only one of several things that Autodesk looks at when choosing what to fix first - and I suspect it's not very high on the list. They say a large number of votes can help "get their attention", but how well a new "feature" can be marketed, and how easy it is to implement, most likely play bigger factors.

Also, I tend to vote for an idea when I discover something I want different, then search for it before posting my own. Even though the wall idea got more votes, it doesn't mean that the same people looked at both and some just decided to vote for that one. It could be that people just aren't/can't use Legends, so they're not thinking of ways to improve it (and therefor aren't voting on ideas).

Personally, even though I voted for both, I think I'll get more use out of TAPERED walls (for CRM site walls, since we're structural, though I still don't think it's completely implemented in 2022 to where it needs to be). We tend to just use Text, Detail Components, etc. in Legends. Is that because that's all we need? Or because it's broken (that's all we can do) and that's about what we did in AutoCAD anyway? I don't know. I could put an actual Wall in (instead of using a Filled Region) I suppose, but some other things aren't as easy, so it's better to just be consistent... in the creation of Legend items, if not with the Visibility/Graphics. There was ONE project where I created "Legend Phases" so I could document a bunch of custom pile caps, and that worked pretty well except when something popped up because it had been copied and I forgot to set the demo phase... but that was an easy fix.

Though it's not like Autodesk can't get it done. After all, Drafting Views are just Plan Views with the model turned off... (found that out due to the Ref. Plane snapping issue - their response was "we didn't think anyone would notice", LOL), so while adding ALL the functionality and control that people want might be "non-trivial", I'd imagine re-enabling tagging shouldn't be a HUGE deal...

[sonicer]

ABILITY FLIP ...FOR EXAMPLE DOOR AND WINDOW

[Samuel.Arsenault-Brassard]

Ability to flip is dangerous. For example an asymmetrical windows is different if flipped, this is why the mirror tool for estimation purposes can be dangerous for accurate quantities.

[sonicer]

I do not agree.

Yes for asymetrical windows and door I need it....If I have Right door as 01A and left door 01B....it's still same type 01....
parameter instance is A or B....then I need possibility have left or right door.

[ViviNyehuusAndersen]

It's better to give users more possibilities than blocking them by fore options that really are optional for the user to use.

If you don't want to use this function if this was a reality, "just" don't.

It's really about setting guidelines and education of employees.

So if everyone are instructed how to use and "think". 

And you will only add a flip (control arrow) function inside the families that allows this.

Think outside the box. Maybe flip should not be a function in legends, but inside families, and working with legends☺️

[gsucci]

"It's really about setting guidelines and education of employees."

Not really: CAD was about that, BIM not so much.

BIM, theoretically, should "educate" users, automatically, and BIM managers should not worry about many "guidelines" that were required in CAD.

That is why we use Revit: because of its unyielding BIM features, and how they force you to think and behave like a designer of buildings.

Just to wish for a CAD feature because sometimes it appears to be more flexible is not a long term winning strategy.

Said that, we normally flip windows and doors in the model, because it is very common that those products are indeed "flip-able" (they can be built either hand), so I am not sure why it should not be allowed in a legend.

Sure, this means that  a type "001" door will tag "001" even when flipped, and some contractor or subs could freak out, and require a different type if the same identical door (finishes, hardware group, rating, ect.) has a different hand... Then maybe the flipping should not happen, and you should create a new door type.

But then again, many contractors want a door schedule based on instances (every door is listed) and this will allows to show the door's hand by instance.  But eve in this case you would place only one instance of the door in the legend and tag its type parameters, not instance.

Not sure, maybe some door schedule expert can chime in.

Regards

gio

PS: Vivi, you wrote: "Maybe flip should not be a function in legends, but inside families, and working with legends". I am confused: flip controls are already available in families...

[ViviNyehuusAndersen]

Yes, it is already a feature in most families.

My point here is: Maby Autodesk needs to "transfer" this feature to legends. So if your window has a control file arrow, then make this work in an legend? This way, it´s the family functionalities who is in control of what can be done in a legend 🙂

[wr.marshall]

discussion about mirroring familys: Is this family mirrored or not? - Autodesk Community

[ViviNyehuusAndersen]

How does it fit in here?

There is a huge difference between allowing flip on an Family and applying mirroring inside Revit. 

Nobody talked about mirroring 🙂

[SamuelAB]

If the person who built the family put a flip in there, then that should be available in the Legend.

If they did not, then don't allow mirroring Legend elements.

That seems BIM-ish enough.

Either way, there's way bigger fish to fry when it comes to Legend's shortcomings: measuring Legend elements, annotating them, etc.

[Anonymous]

I am very new to this forum thing so i dont think i am even asking this in the correct place but how to i shut off the window arrow direction in a window legend in revit? 

[wr.marshall]

@Anonymous go into the family and see what subcategory they arrows are. Scenario 1:If none create a subcategory and place the arrows under this subcategory.  Scenario 2:If the arrows  are already set to a subcategory say for the frame/glazing you will then need to create a new subcategory like the none scenario 1. Save and reload into your project. Scenario 3:If arrows already have a subcategory then just close family and continue to next step. Then in Legend view go to visibility graphics and turn off this subcategory. The arrows should now have disappeared in legend views. 

As for questions like this, you can always post in the architecture forums for Architecture and General Revit queries. There forums for structural & MEP too if your query is relating to that.

[wr.marshall]

See related posts concerning sections in Legend

Section in Legends - Autodesk Community

[wr.marshall]

Related Post

Modify Instance Properties in Legend - Autodesk Community

[wr.marshall]

@kimberly_fuhrman-jones please add to Better Functionality for Legends!! - Page 2 - Autodesk Community

[M.Dougan]

Seriously Autodesk - why has there been absolute silence on this thread from yourselves??

[smichaudN26PG]

This is aggravating, I use a design option and a floor plan I order to show Duct/Pipe System Classifications and have them show the tag with the abbreviations. That way when a user modifies a system in the model it updates the legend automatically vs it being a line in the legend with dumb text on it.  Other example of using a design option and a floor plan instead of the clunky Legend view is that I can drive instance parameters for dynamic families. We have a family for VAV boxes and there is an instance controlling neck size by cfm input and formulas pair with lookup tables. There is a lock out of it snapping the neck to 0" if the user has not input either a cfm or a override value. Basically the Built in legend cause the family to only display in the "Size Does NOT Exist" state (frailly turns into a ☹️ shape) but the floor plan allows me to set the instance parameters to have the family show as desired. I don't want to make separate "dumb" families for legend purposes 

[Samuel.Arsenault-Brassard]

CC @kimberly_fuhrman-jones 

Legend improvement is one of the most overdue improvement, something every project has to deal with.

As someone who proselytizes the power of Revit, I'm always embarrassed to explain to new employees how limited the Legend functionality is in Revit and how it completely misses the mark and does not meet the basic needs of the industry. Would be great if this finally got fixed.

This is especially embarrassing because it's easy to do in CAD, has been reported for 7+ years. We feel ignored here in this basic tasks that we have to do on every project. Would be great to have a workflow that works with our basic documentation needs.

PS - No idea why all this text is bold

[anirudhUJGEK]

We are in 2022 now. This is so Frustrating! Is it possible to Tag Legend Components? Have some Project and Shared parameters to be Tagged as they constantly gets updated. Using text instead is so tag is so Primitive and increases the chances of human error . Legend Components seems half baked/restrictive because of it.

Can Autodesk Please please address this issue? Either fix it or atleast let the users know why they don't have the option to TAG!?

[Anonymous]

This really would be a great one to get in the pipeline. I know there are dozens of threads with a similar cited.