How to know which template has been used for the project?

[kevin_peter]

I am working on central model via collaboration.

how do i know which template has been used for the project?

Can someone help me?

[s.borello]

Why do you want to know and why does it matter?  

[s.borello]

Why does it matter?  Start your own own project, and link in whatever trade models you have.  

[lmolina6V6K7]

It does matters. A lot!

This is the reason.

Best Practices: Project Templates 

[RobDraw]

Sure it matters when you start the project but once the project is started all bets are off. Plus the fact that most companies have their own templates. So, unless you had the actual template, knowing the name of the template would be of absolutely no value.

[lmolina6V6K7]

Let's say you have several drafters and designers (might include reviewers). They don't know what exactly is in the standard project template (one of them). They are all asked to make sure they are using the correct project template. Do all they have to go thru the scrutiny of comparing the two tempates? Wouldn't just be more stright forward to check the project template name within the open project?

Thanks.

[RobDraw]

Again, the template is pretty much meaningless once the project is started.

The name of the template means nothing unless you have the actual template file.

If you have the template file, just transfer the appropriate project standards.

[lmolina6V6K7]

Again, with all respect,

I'm not trying to convince anyone here. For us, as an organization, is more valuable to know right away if a project is not using the approved standards. Right away I mean with a click or two. At 30% of the project, even some cases at 60% is worth to go back and start from scratch rather than start scrutinizing the project template, transferring and updating all non-standard elements. I guess this is a very subjective subject.

[RobDraw]

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@lmolina6V6K7 wrote:

I guess this is a very subjective subject.

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Not at all. Your logic is either flawed or your use of the term "template" is incorrect in this forum.

A template does not drive the standards. The standards drive the template. It sounds like you are talking about a standards check. 

A project template is merely a starting point. If the wrong template was used, it should be apparent with a standards check. If standards require that the standards included in the template are not to be changed, then the starting project template should be defined in the standards. In this case, the correct starting template is known and if there is any doubt that the wrong one was used, then the correct standards should be applied in whatever way is appropriate to get everything correct. There is no need to know which one was used, just which one should be applied.

This thread is mostly about models from consultants. If you don't have their template named Charlie, how is knowing that they used Charlie to start the project going to help you unless you have said template? What if massive standards changes were made during the project because the project required it? I honestly don't see how knowing which template the project was started with is going to help. You need to know what the correct standards are. The template might help with that but it isn't where you should be looking. You need to look at the standards used to create the template.

Further thought leads me to think that you may be referring to a project prototype which could lead to confusion when using the term template. A prototype defines more than just what is included in a typical project template. I've come across these when doing chain stores where every one is almost the same as all the others with minor modifications to suit the particular project site.

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@lmolina6V6K7 wrote:

For us, as an organization, is more valuable to know right away if a project is not using the approved standards. 

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Knowing the template isn't going to help with that. Just because a project was started with a template doesn't mean it is still using the standards within it.

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@lmolina6V6K7 wrote:

At 30% of the project, even some cases at 60% is worth to go back and start from scratch rather than start scrutinizing the project template, transferring and updating all non-standard elements.

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Really? Starting over at 60% is an option in your world? Doesn't that kill the profit margin? Standards checking should be done throughout the project on a regular basis to avoid this type of thing. If you do need to start the project over, your standards will tell you which template should be used not the template that was used to start errant project but you shouldn't need to start the project over, just apply the correct standards in a way that doesn't destroy the model.

I really don't understand the logic that you are trying to apply here. It's not the template that matters, it's the standards. I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

[jesuslQKU39]

Rob, your comments are useless and unhelpful.  You are making this subject about your lack of understanding to a relevant question Alejandro brings.  If you cant help the problem, please refrain from unhelpful commentary.  I cant stand having to weed out all the negative nonsense of those that don't get the question.  It makes everyone else have read up on and waste their time with Negative Nancy's or trying to pursuade others to do something other than what they seek to resolve.  Not helpful especially when it is a valid point given Revits intelligent trackable info everywhere else.

To Alejandro, yes it is a very valid and important question that should be available by Revit.  In addition to Alejandro's reasonings there are many others like should someone leave a company that had the latest and greatest updates to a template and a new person comes in and has to redo everything that may already exist.  Why reinvent the wheel or double the work when there is a perfectly "updated" template that can have all you need even if just a few changes need to be made or modified slightly.  Yes an updated or template under live modification should always be trackable in case an owner that knows nothing of Revit has to deal with the departure of one of their BIM managers to delegate that new responsibility to a new hire.  To me this is a DUH question and truly don't get why the big fuss or confusion.  Yes Revit really needs to fix this.  Thank you Alejandro for bringing this issue up.   

[cunninghamb]

Just as a general point questioning the question multiple times is not helpful. Several clients i've worked for require me to verify what template was used to create a model as part of their QC Procedures. On longer projects where modelers leave the project this is hard to ask the original modeler.

[RobDraw]

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@cunninghamb wrote:

Just as a general point questioning the question multiple times is not helpful. Several clients i've worked for require me to verify what template was used to create a model as part of their QC Procedures. On longer projects where modelers leave the project this is hard to ask the original modeler.

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Welp, sometimes people ask for things that don't make sense. Sometimes people jump into a topic with "the same issue" but it really isn't. This one just doesn't make sense, no matter who it comes from. In fact, the first response shared a similar point of view to mine. Also, the OP never responded. Overall a terrible thread that has no value, except be careful of what you ask for. What you think you need might not get you what you want.

Let's put it this way. Say you can easily look up the name of the template that was used to create the project.

Unless you have the template file in the state it was in when the project was started, what good is that information? Pretty much useless unless it's an inhouse project and back tracking this might be possible. 

If you had access to said template file, what are you going to do with it? Compare settings, transfer project standards, check content? All those things should either be documented or can be checked and updated as necessary quite easily without the project template.

The only real value a project template can provide is for starting a new project. If it is something that is dictated by project requirements, it should be a simple task to get the correct template. Let's be honest here. Expecting anything of value just from a record of the name of template is a bit of a stretch.

So, tell me and please be honest. If you could get a copy of the template file, what would you do with it and how would it benefit the project?

[cunninghamb]

I don't really want to get into a long fight. Just because you do not see the value or it does not make sense to you does not make it invalid. I recommend you stop following this chain. It is a required QC procedure to verify the models were started with that template to ensure the models they receive meet their standards. I brought this up so people could understand a possible use case for being able to determine what template was used. It is incredibly important that you understand that trying to pose alternatives is helpful but to belabor the point with your own point of view just to win an argument is not helpful or constructive.

To answer the question you keep asking with the verified template name I could sign off on the required quality check that this client has and therefore close the project.

[ToanDN]

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@cunninghamb wrote:

To answer the question you keep asking with the verified template name I could sign off on the required quality check that this client has and therefore close the project.

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Save as your project to a RTE file with a fancy name and tell them you are based off this fancy template.  I bet they can't argue that you aren't.

[RobDraw]

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@cunninghamb wrote:

I brought this up so people could understand a possible use case for being able to determine what template was used.

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Is that what you were doing when you said my posts were useless?

I stand by what I've been saying. Knowing the name of the template is useless.

[HVAC-Novice]

A template just determines how a project is started. The project could have been changed after creation. Families, parameters, line types etc. could have been added or removed afterwards.  Basically a template has some things already set up instead of manually setting them up every time you start a project. 

I really fail to see what advantage knowing which template was used. You could start with one of the oob templates and come to the same result as with a specific template. Maybe explain what advantage you think your request has. 

If you somehow want to track what template (and what version) projects were created with, your company would have to set something up to add that information (parameter, detail view etc.). But this would be a manual entry and could be wrong. Like if you used "template 2.5", the user still could write it was "template 1.5". 

[cunninghamb]

So to close out this loop. Revit is not capable of telling you any information on what template was used to create the file or what content may or may not have been in it at the start.

As many have argued I understand why this is a silly thing to ask about. That being said when a client has a standard requiring their template is used and the client requires that to be verified a consultant engineer is not in a position to argue about whether that makes sense. The ongoing dissection of the question and arguing about the validity of the question took away from just getting the answer which was Revit is not capable of this. Whether you think this is reasonable for someone to want this information is not the topic of discussion and our ongoing fights and bad behavior (including my own) didn't do anything to get us closer to just answering the original question.

[lmolina6V6K7]

My company has a very customized project template. Way off the OOB Revit Project Templates. If I don't use my company's project template as a starting point. I'm just not going to be as productive and efficient as the others using it. It's going to take me more time to achieve the goal following my company's standards. That's the whole point of having project templates. You're supposed to spend less time on a project when using project templates. I still find very much valid the original question.

[RobDraw]

Just because you "see" validity doesn't change anything. Can't you tell if the project was started with your template just by looking at certain aspects of the project?

[lmolina6V6K7]

Of course!, I can check all these just as an example: custom Annotation, custom Title-Block, custom Viewport types, custom Content (custom wall types, custom ceiling types, custom x, etc.), custom view templates, filters, Placeholder links, custom View types/Browser sorting, custom Materials and custom hatch patterns, custom Line styles, Object styles/Line-weights, etc. I just can't imagine how much more expensive is going to be the project if you don't make sure everyone is using the correct project template as a starting point. I just hope that @kevin_peter with the original question found what he needed and don't feel bad for the rude responses.

[RobDraw]

Don't you understand that at any time after the project is started, the template is irrelevant? Anything can be changed from the template settings. Just because the project was started correctly doesn't mean that the project still adheres to the template settings. Any number of things could have changed making the template irrelevant. You would need a standard checker.