View Template include subcomponent from other template

[WM_Ron_Allen]

Link a view Template's sub property to include another view templates property.

In the example at right there are basic system overrides:
<NONE>

<APPLY>

Additionally other templates can be selected in lieu of specifying parameters form the current template.

For V/G Overrides IMPORT, look to "_LINK"'s settings to use for the current template.

The VG settings would need to scan to prevent A=B=C=A type loops. and only offer selections for non-recursive selections,

* warn prior to breaking the chain.

This particularly useful when setting LINED Revit Files VG overrides where the model components may be <BY HOST> or hidden alltogether.  These settings would only need to be modified to the "_LINK" tempalte and ant child template that used "_LINK" templates properties could be managed from the one partial template.

There may be cases where sub components point ot other subcomponents so that A=B=C. (e.g. AEFP, ADFP, AEFP-048X-ENLARGED, ADFP-048X-ENLARGED, ETC WOULD 'CASCADE' THROUGH THE TEMPLATES SETTING MORE AND MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION AS THEY PASSED FROM ONE TEMPLATE TO ANOTHER.

[jkidder]

Combining view template components, allowing for a update to a component to affect multiple templates would be very helpful.  

For example:

• On a large project we might do a separate dimension and key plans.  Both should have the same visibility of model elements, but will have different annotation settings.  Modifying both view templates model visibility introduces room for errors, and takes more time
• Filters are set up to assign specific colors to model elements.  The same colors need to be used in plans, sections and elevations.  It's very time consuming to copy, and more so to update.

Filters, in particular would benifit if they had the ability to have some controlled by the component template and other that are controlled by the view template.  Ideally these would have different settings for include.  Filters are very versitile, but it would be helpful to control some elements (colors, graphic overrides) on a more global scale, while modify other things per view.  Right now there is no middle ground.

[lionel.kai]

I was wishing for something like this early on. Maybe something like Word Styles? where you can see the differences... SECTION TEMPLATE = BASE TEMPLATE + Scale:3/4" + DetailLevel: Fine, etc.

but I like your idea of each category being assigned to a partial template (and I think that would take care of any possible problems with recursives by only allowing choosing a template with that category ASSIGN or NONE, to set default). However, I would like the flexibility of being able to have a core set of Filters (with the graphic overrides set) and still have the ability to add more to specific templates, or even change what's there).

maybe handle it sim to v/g for links: <By Parent Template> or <Custom> (which copies the current settings, then allows you to modify)

[WM_Ron_Allen]

Similar concept- the pointers to the partial tempaltes could easily be limited to one level- or checked prior to offering a selection of values... (Could be filtered as well)

e.g. If:

* A used B's value and

* B used C's Value

C couldn't specify A or B for its value (not an option-Removed from the list), it would have to specify a [NONE] and use the hard-entered value, or use other templates if available; searching for availability in that particular parameter (E.g. scale) and not compare the entire list for linkages. For really long lists of view templates and partial view templates, a search / filter dialog might come in handy.

Additionally in a case where specifying a part...
e.g. Assigning A to B's part- Revit could invoke a dialog:
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is linked to value in template [C].
( * ) Use this directly
( )Leave Link as-is

[ ]remember my preference.(saves in settings and ini)

[OK] [Cancel]
----------------------------------------------------------------

[AnthonyViscusi]

The ideas to build up multiple view templates is grand.  I definitely need the ability to separate Revit Links, and its sub categories, from the remainder of view settings.  As an MEP user I would think about it this way: Lets say I have a heavily "stepped" building.  Architecture has setup their backgrounds with plan regions and captured all the floor elevation changes.  I configure my floor plans to look the way that I want, model categories, filters etc, this is something I could easily apply to every level of my building, except its best to now use LINKED VIEWs to have the architectural background plot correctly.  This forces me to have separate view templates for each floor which is a huge pain to keep up with.

[lionel.kai]

@AnthonyViscusi If you need to have separate link settings for each view (or separate settings for any of the categories in the View Templates dialog), simply uncheck the "Include" box for the category. You don't need to create a separate template for each view - only put settings in the template that are common to all views.

[jkidder]

Unchecking include works fine for some things, especially settings like scale, or phase filters, that only control one thing in the model.  For the major visibility graphics categories it is too broad.  In Anthony's case it's quite possible that you'd want to reuse the first floor linked view settings combined with a plumbing template, an hvac template, an electrical template and so on without having to redo the link settings for every view. It also would mean that any custom settings done to another linked file, like structural, would have to be redone for every single view.

[AnthonyViscusi]

@jkidder Thank you, yes that is precisely the situation I was attempting to describe.  We need a more modular way to control visibility settings.

[lionel.kai]

OK. Thanks to both of you for clarifying! I initially thought Anthony's comment was for a simpler case than what we're asking for. 🙂 Definitely a situation where a parent-child template relationship, or increased granularity of template inclusion control, would be very helpful.

[WM_Ron_Allen]

@lionel.kai  @AnthonyViscusi I use view templates to manage all of my view settings. Some of the visibility graphics elements are repeated- I could use this granularity within the visibility graphics settings within the templates themselves.

Prime example- I typically have 15 or more linked files in each building for a project. Every time I have a varation in a template (plan, section, elevation, interior elevation, and so forth) I have to click through all those settings to turn everything I want ON, set the color coding for the links, halftones for out of scope, etc.

IF I could link partial templates to other templates I could have a "_LINKS" template that only adjusted the links settings and apply it universally to ALL other templates. If a link gets added - I can update that ONE 'sub' template to update all other 'master' templates.

Extending that idea it makes the templates modular so that overrides can be quickly changed throughout the sheets and views without having to create a multitude of templates. If I need to go back to presentation graphics for a sheet for the client I only need to switch out one or two templates- which would maintain their updates to any new content though the sub templates.

The whole system is modular like the rest of Revit- the 2nd and 3rd level granularity of control is a feature lacking in View templates right now.

[TCairneyWSAP]

Voted!

I posted a similar idea yesterday, tho more specific to RVT Links which are displayed By Linked View.

Check it out: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-ideas/view-templates-amp-linked-views/idi-p/6486325

[WM_Ron_Allen]

Need more support- this solves a lot of other issues and is a huge time saver!

[WM_Ron_Allen]

Just looked at several other ideas that could be resolved by using this tool, hopefully we can gain some more support to get this implemented!

[ralvarez1976]

Give us the ability to nest view templates. The view would have a primary view template, and each view parameter with an "Edit" button would have the ability to have a secondary view template.

This would allow us to have less view templates with more control, as we can create new outcomes by combining them. One typical application of this would be to control the display of linked files with linked views, per level.

[m.voss.alvine]

allow us to assign 2 view templates.  I could assign a view template to control the background visibility across all disciplines.  Then each discipline could assign a "Sub-view Template" to their sheets (IE Lighting, Power, HVAC)  Any categories that happen to be checked in both templates would default to the "Primary View Template" to avoid any conflicts.

[matthewboynton4992]

Interesting idea but I'd be worried people would get even more confused than they already are.

[TBodor1]

The way we handle that is to have separate view templates that control just certain things. We always have one that just controls our Revit links and others to control how the different views will look with the Revit links unsleected. It's the only way I could get it to do what I wanted. 

[js1900]

Sounds like a cascading view template like behavior? similar to how CSS works in HTML you could define multiple view templates and it can override/combine options from all of them. Also there could be inheritance like relationship where view templates can derive from other view templates. I would love to have this option, but can understand how it might over complicate things for some users.

[LFilleau]

When you use a lot of templates and you want to make a change on a property, you have to make the change in all templates.
It would be interesting to have in addition templates of properties of the view that could be linked to templates of views

Example: If you have several view templates with the same "V / G Overrides Filters" view properties, for example.

One could link to templates of views a "V / G Overrides Filters" template. Like this, if you change this view property template, the changes will be applied to all related view templates.

[km]

I would like to see some sort of parent/dependent functionality introduced for View Templates. While I love view templates overall, I hate the number of them I have to maintain for various scenarios.

For example, I have a Mechanical Combined template (shows duct and pipe)

Mechanical Duct (no pipe shown) template

Mechanical Piping (no duct shown) template

Enlarged template options for each above

If I need to make a change to how something in how an architectural model looks, I need to update potentially 6 view templates, and that's just for Mechanical.

With a parent/dependent relationship (Similar to overrides with Revit Links) I could create one Mechanical template which controls most visibility settings. Then I have the dependent templates which only modify what you choose to override in them (such as pipe/duct visibility). In the scenario above, I would update the parent template with the new architectural visibility change which would control the 5 or 6 child view templates.

Taken even further, the whole thing could be nested where I have one parent template with discipline dependents (MEPF for me), then further dependents of each discipline. So now I could modify something architecturally that I want to affect every single view in one template location. I could also further refine control by creating a dependent that only applies to 'AREA A' or similar.

For me, the biggest drawback to view templates is having to make a change to every one of them late in the project because of a design change. Its a time consuming tedious task with a good margin of error introduced if you have to replicate that exact change 20 times. 

[chris.malcolmA5MFS]

 It would be great to have a view template master and sub view templates (for slight adjustments like one thing different or two things different). The sub view template is a child of the view template master, so if the master changes the subview templates would also change, and the only differences would be the specified overriden vv settings. I imagine the child vv settings would be all greyed out (<controlled by master>) and then you can select various vv settings to override.