Tag: design options

What good is a Ceiling Tag?

Luke Johnson

It is one of the few tags that can directly access the Level parameter – quite useful, even to the point where I created secondary Design Option called Level Tagger with a bit of Ceiling on it, and then use a Ceiling “Level” Tag to give me the Level in given views.

Using Copy – Paste Aligned to Selected Levels for the bit of Ceiling, and

Copy – Paste Aligned to Selected Views for the Ceiling “Level” tag.

The secondary Design Option is only turned on when I want to use this particular tag, meaning that the Ceilings are typically hidden.

Oh, you can also tag normal Ceilings with Ceiling Tags 🙂

Another method of tagging the Level parameter is using the Case Param to Param tool:

  1. Add a Text SP in the Project (shared parameter) to the Category for which you want to tag the Level property (ie. Floors)
  2. Use Param to Param to copy the Level parameter of Floors to the SP you added in step 1
  3. Add that SP to a Floor tag to tag the “Level”
The obvious problem – this is not a live link.  Also, it doesn’t work too well with Grouped Floor elements.

Deleting a Design Option Set may prompt to delete View Templates

Luke Johnson

If a View Template includes a Design Option visibility setting, and then the associated Design Option Set is deleted, Revit will prompt you to delete the View Template:

Obviously, you can untick the box to retain your View Template.

Here is another post along similar lines:
Accepting a Primary Option results in Deletion of Drafting Views – explanation

Accepting a Primary Option results in Deletion of Drafting Views – explanation

Luke Johnson

I saw this tweet and I thought I would look into the problem:

I created a Drafting View and then applied a Secondary Option to its Visibility / Graphics:

Then I used the Design Option dialog to Accept Primary – and guess what:

So, even though Drafting Views theoretically can contain NO Model Elements and thus can’t display variances in relation to Design Options, IF an Option is selected in Visibility / Graphics, Revit will prompt you to delete the Drafting View when the selected Option is removed.

How can you get around it?  Just don’t tick the check box when the dialog comes up – the Drafting View will remain.

EDIT:  There are situations where the Checkbox will be ‘forced’.  In the example below, I created a Callout Drafting View from one Drafting View that had a Secondary Option applied.  Even though there was no Option set applied in the new Callout Drafting View V/G, the Callout Drafting View checkbox is still grayed out when Accepting Primary …

Room Tags, Design Options and Revit Links

Luke Johnson

Here is the problem – I have two linked files, set as separate options in the same Option Set. If any of the Room elements overlap in the two linked files when placed in the host file, and I have the view set to a Secondary option, the Room Tag fails:
None of the created elements are visible in Floor Plan: UPPER FLOOR PLAN – Option 2 View. You may want to check the active view, its Parameters, and Visibility settings, as well as any Plan Regions and their settings.

If I move the link in the secondary option AWAY (geographically) from the link in the primary option, the Room Tags work fine.

The workaround that I am currently using is this:

  1. Place the two link files in different Option SETS.  In this way, both the Revit links can be a ‘primary option’.
  2. Make a ‘blank’ option in each of the Option Sets.
  3. In a plan view, set the Visibility / Graphics such that the link you want to see is selected, and in the other Option Set ‘blank’ is selected.
  4. You should now be able to tag these Room elements through to both of the links in the different Option Sets. 

    EDIT:
    If the above doesn’t work for you, do this:

    1. In a plan view, move the link you want to tag ‘away’ from the other link a known amount.
    2. Tag the Rooms in the link in the new location, then
    3. Move the link back into the correct place.  Revit will prompt to move the Room Tags for you…

    Five Places to Hide Things in your Revit Model

    Luke Johnson

    Sometimes you want to save some Revit elements for later – like throwing them in the cupboard until you need them.  Here are five ways to do that:

    1. Group, then Link, then Unload the Link (you can copy / paste things from a link instance later)
    2. Add the elements to a secondary Design Option
    3. Put the elements on a Hidden Workset
    4. Put the elements in a Future Phase (after the current job phase).  Or, put them in a phase previous to Existing and then demolish them all in the same phase.  You can also put Views, like Sections, in a Future Phase to keep them in the model but stop them from showing in any plan views.
    5. Group the elements, Pin the Group, Duplicate the Group Type, then delete everything from the new type.  (Technically, you will need to keep at least one thing in the Group – so keep something that won’t print in there.)

    Using a single RVT link with Multiple Design Options for Multi-Storey

    Luke Johnson

    I have used a similar technique for residential housing – where you can have repetitive plans with only small differences. It can even be adapted to work in a demolition scenario.

    The visibility in each applicable view must be set appropriately, but the net result is cleaner and easier to control than the other methods.

    Thanks to Aaron Maller for the video.