In this video, I demonstrate a simple yet effective technique to precisely center the Revit tag leader line. By using an invisible line to control the scope box around tag labels, you can ensure that the leader line snaps exactly to the correct point. This method improves both the accuracy and visual clarity of your tags in Revit. Watch the full tutorial to see it in action!
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Revit is a robust tool for architectural, engineering, and construction design, but users often face challenges when it comes to visualizing spatial information in 3D views. While 2D room and space tags work effectively in plan views, Revit lacks an easy, built-in way to display spatial data directly within 3D views. This limitation can complicate model reviews and coordination tasks, especially in complex or large-scale projects where clear spatial identification is essential.
This Revit add-in addresses this gap by enabling users to generate 3D tags and spatial volumes for Rooms and Spaces directly in their models. The tool extracts spatial information from Rooms and Spaces in the current model, while also pulling data from any linked models, and generates 3D tags displaying Room or Space names and numbers. Additionally, the add-in creates spatial volumes that enhance visual context and clarity in 3D views, streamlining model reviews and improving coordination workflows in platforms like Navisworks®.
When performing 3D model reviews, particularly for design validation and coordination, having spatial information readily accessible is invaluable. Navigating large projects becomes easier with identifiable room and space data in the 3D view, eliminating the need to switch to 2D views or rely on cumbersome workarounds. When models are exported to coordination platforms like Navisworks®, this integrated spatial data enhances design and clash detection efficiency by embedding spatial context into the 3D environment.
1. Spatial Information Across Phases and Models:
The add-in retrieves spatial data from Rooms and Spaces in the current model and all linked models, organized by phase. Users can specify whether they want to generate 3D tags, 3D spatial volumes, or both, and can select the elements they wish to process.
2. View Filters Based on Room Names:
The tool automatically generates view filters for spatial volumes based on room names, making it easier to organize and filter spatial data within 3D views.
3. Automatic Family Loading:
If the model lacks the required 3D Generic Model tag family, the add-in automatically loads a default family, saving users from manual family management. Users can also create custom families or modify existing ones, provided they include “Name” and “Number” instance text parameters.
4. Control Over Worksets and Phases:
The add-in allows tags and volumes to be created within specific Revit worksets and phases, giving users full control over visibility and collaboration workflows.
5. Shared Parameters for Enhanced Data Management:
The add-in adds shared parameters to the Generic Model category, enabling users to list room data directly within the Revit model. This enhancement makes it simple to access and organize room information without needing additional views or annotations.
6. Customizable Deletion of Tags, Volumes, and Filters:
Users can delete 3D tags, spatial volumes, and associated view filters by selecting specific families or tag types, or remove all at once. This feature includes a cleaning option to clear the model of view filters, model filters, and shared parameters, keeping models clean and up to date. In case of errors, such as when certain room geometries cannot be created, the add-in logs these instances for user review.
This Revit add-in significantly improves spatial data visualization by allowing users to generate 3D tags and spatial volumes for Rooms and Spaces across multiple models and phases. Whether working directly in Revit or exporting to Navisworks for coordination, this tool streamlines workflows and enhances clarity by making spatial data visible in 3D views. With features like automatic family loading, shared parameters, customizable deletion, and view filters, this add-in is essential for any Revit user looking to elevate the way they visualize space in their 3D models.
Engipedia Layers Manager PRO is a powerful add-in designed to enhance your experience with Revit®. It allows you to easily tag, annotate, and schedule layered materials and their thicknesses in various Revit® categories, including Walls, Floors, Pads, Ceilings, Structural Foundations, and Roofs. Additionally, the add-in provides the ability to export material layers to Excel or CSV for further analysis.
Engipedia Structural Layers is a powerful Revit® Add-in designed to extract structural layers from layered structures, including Walls, Floors, and Structural Foundation Slabs.
This unique workflow allows users to derive a structural model from existing Revit® elements, which can then be utilized as a standalone structural reference or as a basis for creating formwork plans in architectural designs.
Update 2023-05-11: The latest version (v1.1.23.0501) now supports Revit® 2016 through 2024, featuring minor bug fixes and user interface improvements.
Warning: This process significantly alters the model. To prevent data loss or unwanted outcomes, it is advisable to:
Overview
The Engipedia Topo Shaper tool enables users to manipulate topography instances using model lines in Autodesk® Revit®. This tool adds additional topography points along selected model lines, allowing for precise topographical modifications. Line division can be based on either the number of points or the distance between points. If multiple topography instances exist, the tool will prompt the user to select only one.
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When working with doors and windows in Revit, you might encounter a common issue—some instances are flipped (mirrored), whether intentionally or accidentally. While flipping is a useful feature, it can cause major data inconsistencies in your BIM model.
For example, left-handed and right-handed doors may look identical but function differently. Unfortunately, Revit treats them as the same if they share the same type, leading to incorrect schedules, tags, and even construction errors.
To solve this, we developed the Engipedia Flipped Elements Updater, an add-in that automatically updates a parameter whenever a door or window instance is flipped.
Creation of Revit® family instances with Python code in Dynamo is easy to do if you have the right code snippet. So I am sharing it here.
Code snippet shows how to do few useful tasks:
If you have many coordinates in Excel spreadsheet or in other table format, it’s easy to use the power of Dynamo to get those coordinates into Revit®.
In our example, we will use x, y, z coordinates to create model lines within Revit® project.
There are two ways to approach this problem:
When modeling elements in Revit, temporary dimension lines help place elements precisely. If you notice that the temporary dimension lines are snapping to the wrong references, you can adjust the settings to prefer specific references for snapping.
When linking an IFC file to Revit, two things happen:
You can find the linked IFC (which is actually a Revit model file) in the Manage Links dialog under the IFC tab. Here, you can reload the IFC file if a newer version (with the same name) is saved in the same location. Reloading will regenerate the linked Revit file.
To minimize IFC file size and loading times, it’s recommended to create a separate Revit IFC template that contains essential settings such as line weights, line patterns, object styles, and a single level. This template should be set as the first in the template list so that it’s used every time an IFC is loaded into the project.
If you need to change the level of entire systems in Revit, it can be tricky, especially for linear elements like pipes that also have slopes. While Revit allows you to change the level of these elements, it will adjust their positions relative to the new level.
To change the levels of elements while keeping them in the same absolute position, use the free Dynamo script I created for this purpose.
Kako promijeniti referencu Revit® familije bez pomicanja elementa
Multi-category schedules in Revit do not include system families. Instead, use the multi-category material takeoff schedule. The following image shows an example from a Revit sample architectural project, sorted by category, with “Show all instances” set to false.
If you only need Ceilings, Floors, Roofs, and Walls, here’s how to do it:
There are two important points to remember:
Finding duplicate layered types in Revit can be challenging due to the various settings that define layers, including:
Walls also have options for wrapping at inserts and ends.
To simplify finding duplicates, you can compare layered instances using Engipedia Layers Manager (since version 1.1) and the multi-category material takeoff table described earlier.
For instance, if you set up the add-in options to create a comparison string based solely on the function of each layered type, you can also find elements with the same materials and thickness, regardless of other layer properties.
Add-in will create comparison string containing only function of each layered type. The same principle can be used to find elements with the same materials with the same thickness or regardless of thickness and other layer properties.
Revit uses the following file extensions:
You can save to all these file types except for the .rft extension. To obtain a .rft file, save the family as a Revit family (.rfa) and then change the extension to .rft.
This is useful because you can create a family with your parameters, line weights, line patterns, fill patterns, materials, object styles, subcategories, and more, and save it as a template for future families.
If you save it to the default path for family template files (under File > Options > File Locations), for example:
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 20xx\Family Templates\English\
it will be available whenever you create a new family. (Remember to adjust the RVT version number and language accordingly.)
To create a family parameter with a value that cannot be changed by the user in the Revit project environment, set it using the following formula syntax:
IF((1 = 1), “Fixed value”, “any value”)
Note:
To test if a number
is even or odd in a Revit family, you can use the following formula:
if(roundup(n/2) = rounddown(n/2), “even”, “odd”)
The trick is that roundup and rounddown function will round number differently when number is different from integer.
For example, for n=3
Since 1 ≠ 2, 3 is an odd number
For n = 4:
Since 2=2, 4 is an even number.
You can also use even/odd mathematical functions to find out if an number is even, odd, integer or exactly half.
You can also use mathematical functions like cosine and sine to determine if a number is even or odd. For example, using cosine:
if (cos(n * pi (or 180°)) = 1, “even”, “odd”)
And to check if a number is exactly half or an integer, you can use:
if (cos(n * pi (or 180°)) = 0, “exactly half”, “not half”)
if (sin(n * pi (or 180°)) = 0, “whole number / integer”, “not an integer”)
Note: use pi or 180° depending on your angle settings in the Project Units dialog.
Did you know that the View Range dialog is also available in the Revit family editor? To access it, click on the view name instead of an empty space within the view. This way, the associated view properties will appear in the properties panel.
Additionally, a crop box is available in the family editor for the 3D view, although it may not function as expected.
In the Revit family editor, you may encounter an issue when attempting to move family objects up or down, regardless of the Constrain checkbox status. For example, even if Constrain is unchecked, you may only be able to move objects left or right in the front view.
However, you can select the family objects, cut them, and then paste them in the same location. After that, you can use the Move command again:
Now the family is detached from any attachments, allowing movement in any direction.
Use this trick cautiously, as it may affect your parameters and dimension lines.
I hope you found these tips helpful! If you learned something new, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
And if you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out Engipedia Revit Tips & Tricks #1 for even more insights!
Disallowing joins on Beam (Structural Framing elements) in Revit® is tedious job.
Good thing is that it can be solved easily with a little help of Dynamo.
If you are like me, than you don’t like depending on Read More
