hide elements in linked model

[james.levieux]

This is a very important functionality that we need for our interior design firm.  We work on large hotel projects within the architect's linked model.  If we are working on a design option within the architects linked model, we need to be able to remove certain bits of the architectural work so we can draw our revised layout proposals.  This is extremely painful to do under the current circumstances.  It is crucial to our work to be able to hide and unhide elements within linked models.  This is not possible using the API either...believe me, I've tried:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-api-forum/hide-elements-in-linked-file/td-p/5777305

James

[glenbob305]

Often when linking in models you get a second set of grids with bubbles. Usually I turn them off by managing worksets and closing the grids workset.  Alternatively you can go VG and turn off grids in the revit linked view. 

There should be a view option to just "show grids in my model only"  

[jkidder]

I think the best way to tackle it would be being able to apply filters to links only (as suggested here) - that way it can be in as many templates as you need it without the tediousness (and potential effect on other graphics) of turning off worksets or managing each link individually.

[Galen.Hoeflinger.SG]

Nice Idea.

I would like also to be a type property of the linked file. 

[lionel.kai]

Not just Grids, but Levels (and probably Reference Planes), too. We currently turn off all annotation for all links in our View Templates (and leave a few working views with them on for coordination & using copy/monitor). The thing is, where do you draw the line? Maybe better as an add-in tool that will "turn off linked anno in all views", etc.?

[Galen.Hoeflinger.SG]

I agree, adding all datums into the properties of the link is a good idea.

But I echo your concern about this idea, how far should it go? While you can use filters and prebuilt links in your view templates, we all know that will become complicated especially when any links gets added later in the process. Multiple View Templates need to be updated and all it takes is one miss and the documents suffer.

But I would propose like in V/G, where a link behaves by host view settings or be overridden by view, this idea would leverage the link's type property default's (turning grids, levels, reference planes off), but add settings at the view level to control those link properties (and add to view templates if necessary), and do away with filters for this type of control.

[sburca]

So why not just use V/G and turn off the annotation of the linked files? Yes, there may be a few extra steps, but...?

[Galen.Hoeflinger.SG]

Because sometimes there should be some simple global settings in Revit to make life easier. Especially as it relates to linked models. But that's just my 2 cents. 

[jkidder]

Modifying the visibility of items in each links V/G is not only time consuming (unless you have placeholder links it has to be done in each project, not in the template), but to modify one element you must take all control ALL model/annotation elements for that link separately from the host file. What if you want to have reference planes controlled by the host while modifying the levels? 

Since there is always a need for coordination, it's not likely that I'd want to turn off levels or reference planes globally.  Adding a way to target links in a filter would be the most flexible.

[lionel.kai]

or maybe this would be a solution to the same problem:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-ideas/be-able-to-set-default-v-g-overrides-for-new-revit-links-i...

[tropitech]

Just give the grids/ levels in your host model a unique name and use a filter in your view template to turn all others off. Takes 10 seconds. No need to waste time changing workset or Revit link visibility.

[lionel.kai]

@tropitech Awesome idea! I wish we could give kudos to Idea comments...

I tend to think about using Filters only if I can't get the control I need using the Categories (wanting finer control - such as for a couple types from a category), but often don't think that it can be used just as easily for coarser control of multiple categories, especially from multiple links! Thanks!

[lionel.kai]

Also want to mention: while using a Filter solves this particular wish (and saves us a few steps with each link), we still need other link-related wish(es) because we still need to set Discipline to Coordination, check Halftone and Underlay, etc. for each link.

[glenbob305]

@tropitech That is a good solution, thanks for chiming in.  In fact I've used that one in a few projects.  It's somewhat hard to explain to other folks in the office.  So I think a built in solution would be a lot better.  

[justin.grayF6N2F]

Good idea - I'm constantly having to either put together custom filters specific to families in the linked models or worse just tab-click and do a "hide in view" brute force for certain items, multiplied by many different views.

Not having a ton of experience working with Design Options, it looks like all the elements for multiple design options show through on our plans (a partner put their matchlines on a different design option for instance, and they still show up). Perhaps there needs to be a "Design Option Mapping" function similar to the one for Phase Mapping between linked models (unless that is already a thing somewhere)? 

[james.levieux]

I agree that Design Option Mapping might be wonderful but I don't want to muddy the waters with that issue here.  We usually just want to do something small like show a door in a different position from the architect and we don't want to bother the architect (yet) with a coordination request.  It's such a common need that we tend to do DD drawings in AUTOCAD (horrors) because it's so difficult to manipulate the AOR model.  A truly infuriating fee bleed in my opinion.  It's probably Revit's biggest limitation for interior designers. Better hide-in-view capability (either in the editor or the API) would do us interior designers huge favor.  

As a side note, I'd ask all ID people to speak up about this.  All the other consultant get lots of special tools to do what they do...and interiors, we're just lumped in with the architects as if we do exactly the same thing in exactly the same way.  Everyone in the AEC community and our clients would benefit if our workflow was smoothed.

James

[jeremy_tammik]

I just discussed this idea with the development team, and they reply: As a work-around they could try to select the linked elements in the file and run the postable command 'HideElements', which would effectively be the UI version thereof, and will work on the given view and the given view only. Generally speaking, "hide in view" is a silly command to run via the UI outside of the occasional work-around, and something to be avoid in the API as it introduces BULK changes which can take MONTHS (sadly not a joke - I had a bad experience once) to track down in the UI. The use of a filter would be preferable here, and likely fits well. If they were able to bulk select the elements via the API, then it's likely that a filter would work just as well, and give the benefit of being easily applied to new views without needing an add-in, and quick to disable on any one (or many) views.

[james.levieux]

Thank you for your inquiry Jeremy. 

There is absolutely no doubt that using a selection filter would be the best solution.  Hide in views is a nightmare.  I may have misunderstood, but the person in dev seems to think that it's possible to select linked model items and add them to a selection filter.  That is not possible in the UI.

I could certainly write an API program to bulk select elements, but after that, it would not allow me to save the selection so that I could apply a filter.

[jeremy_tammik]

Thank you for the clarification. I pointed this out to the devteam and await their explanation...

[james.levieux]

Disappointing not to hear back from the dev team yet.  I thought I'd take some time to describe how much extra work is required by us interior architects to use Revit as a design tool. 

In the following example, imagine a large hotel project, where the architect has already been working on the model for 4 years.  We're hired to design the lobby, restaurant, bar, ballroom, meeting rooms, and club.  There are two public restroom that we are going to design.  The architect has drawn restrooms but it's a placeholder for permitting purposes.  The kitchen is drawn but we need to make changes since we've changed the restaurant program a bit.  So we've basically wiped out everything on level 1 except the BOH offices....

In a perfect world:

1. Add selected elements of a linked model to a selection filter
2. Apply filter and make not visible
3. Draw whatever you want in the blank space and the rest of the linked model remains up-to-date.
4. Eventually, after the architect adds the new architectural wall and doors following our new design, delete the filter.

In this world:

1.  Two modes are required.  The current arch linked model and a custom arch linked model
2.  Make copy of current arch model to use as our new custom linked model.
3.   Create a new workset in custom model for items to remove and close workset so items aren't visible.
4.   Assign all items (walls, casework, ceiling, doors, etc) that we want to hide to the new workset.
5.   For curtain walls, if we need to add or move a door, we must hide remove the entire curtain wall.
6.   This is the worst part....The architect will update the model from time to time.  They don't use BIM360 so they post updates every week, so we need compare models every week AND make updates to our custom linked model.  In order to do that:
   1. link the current arch model into our custom model.
   2. create view template that shows all current model elements in a different color.
   3. Identify elements (on 3 separate levels) that have changed and copy new elements into custom model.  Select the new items in the linked model (very tedious method using ctrl+pick to select individual elements. can't use window selection), then copy, then paste "in same place".  Delete or move other elements.
7. Draw whatever you want in the blank space and repeat step 6 every week.
8. Eventually, after the architect adds the new architectural wall and doors following our new design, we'll reload the link from the current model.

See the difference?  This is only HALF the reason why Revit is not popular with ID.  Don't get me started about not being able to apply wall finishes to a linked model!  

The ID discipline needs some focused attention and dedicated tools.

[jeremy_tammik]

Thank you again! I passed this on to the devteam and asked them to take a look at it for you.