Door/Window/Curtain Wall Schedules
This has been a debate in our office and out with regards to office standards versus Revit's automation of setting up door, window and curtain wall schedules. Revit does not have a dedicated method/function of doing this in my opinion. I have come across other third party add-ins offering these automations but at a fee. All great, but why does Revit not have such a built-in function?
So the idea is:
- When Revit's automated schedule is generated, Revit should allow for a new parameter field to allow a view of a component's Type (just like a Legend Component except directly in a schedule table), OR BETTER
- Revit should introduce what I would call a Smart Legend View. When a new Smart Legend View is created, this type of Legend will have some pre-sets such as a built-in schedule table, with headings stacked vertically and a view window for the component's view.
- A NEW Type of Legend should be introduced to handle this process.
- One will need to associate a component type to this Smart Legend View, from the view's properties.
- All Type and Instance properties are associated to this Smart Legend View's Family Type.
- The parameters can be selected to automate the properties of that Family Type, exactly how a schedule table is done.
- In this Smart Legend View, a view of that component may be selected (Plan, Front, Back, 3D View, etc) and can be locked to avoid the view position/scale being changed.
- The scale option may also be selected for that view or scaled to fit.
- The table must be adjustable to change the size of the table's columns or rows, or may have a fixed option to maintain all Smart Legend View tables to be consistent.
- Dimensions may be allowed in the component's view window.
- Smart Legend Views must have a browser organisation option to arrange to group these legends exactly like Views, Schedules and Sheets are.
- Smart Legend Views may all be placed onto a single sheet, one view per sheet or onto multiple sheets.
If the Properties of any of these components change this Smart Legend View schedule is automatically updated as it is LIVE.
This would be a very helpful idea to assist in scheduling Doors, Windows, Curtain Walls and other components, whereas just placing an image parameter field sometimes is just not enough - Doors, Windows and Curtain Walls require dimensioning and notes sometimes on the component's view.
This is just my idea, which could be further built on to improved on its functionality and interactivity.
Worth looking into?