Every view within a project belongs to a design discipline. The discipline property of a view is the most common property used for the first level of grouping. Revit MEP uses only two disciplines for MEP engineering, Mechanical and Electrical. The Sub-Discipline parameter can be used as the second level of grouping to further distinguish views used for fire protection, plumbing, or other types of engineering systems. This parameter exists in the default templates that can be installed with Revit MEP 2011. If you choose to create a template or project without starting with one of the default templates, you will have to create a parameter for this type of use.

Using a Sub-Discipline type parameter makes it possible to separate views into their specific engineering systems. You can have all your electrical views listed under the Electrical discipline, but that may make it difficult to quickly find views you want. Having a second level of grouping that puts all the lighting, power, communications, and other systems views in their own group will create a more organized environment in the Project Browser.

The Family And Type value of a view is another commonly used level of grouping. This is what defines your views as plan views, sections, elevations, 3D views, or ceiling plans. When you begin to annotate your views in order to place them on construction documents, it is important to place the annotation in the views that will be used on your sheets, so being able to easily locate the proper view for annotation is important. Each grouping option can be set to utilize all the characters of the parameter value or only a specific number of leading characters.

Once you have established what types of views will be grouped together, you can determine how the views will be sorted in their respective groups. View Name is most often used because ultimately you have to find the view you are looking for in the Project Browser. Views can be sorted in either ascending or descending order alphabetically or numerically.

Figure 2.2 shows the setup of a view organization that utilizes the Discipline, Sub-Discipline, and Family And Type properties as a grouping structure with the views sorted by view name. Notice how the views are shown in the Project Browser because of this organization.

Figure 2.2. Sample view organization structure

Schedule views and legends are organized separately from model views. The only control you have as to how they are listed is by your naming convention because they will be listed alphabetically. The sheets used in your project are the only other element that you can sort and group in the Project Browser. Sheet organization options are discussed later in this chapter.

Another important consideration is the number of levels to include in a template. A view should be created for each level, so it is important to decide on how many to start a project with. If you work primarily on two- or three-story buildings, it may be best to have only three or four levels established in your template, including one for the roof. More levels can be added to a project as needed. The number of levels is typically determined by the architect, so it is possible to not include any levels in your template and copy/monitor the architectural levels once the project file has been created. However, you must have levels in your template if you want to create views.

Views should be created in your template for each of the types of views to be used. These are generally determined by the Sub-Discipline property of the views. Whether your template is multidiscipline or single, a floor plan should be created at each level for each subdiscipline type.

When creating reflected ceiling plan views, it is a good idea to create only one ceiling plan view for each level. This promotes coordination among disciplines because everyone will be viewing the same ceiling plan and because all components of the model that occupy the ceiling are visible. Because this type of view does not belong to any one specific discipline, you may want to assign it to the Coordination discipline to distinguish it as unique.

Reflected ceiling plan views that are needed for construction documents can be created for the specific discipline that requires them once the project has been created.

A very useful type of view to create is what is typically called a working view. These are views that are the same as the views that will be used on construction documents, but the settings are different so that more or less of the model can be seen. They also allow for different graphic representations without having to constantly change back and forth within the view that goes on a sheet. For example, ductwork plans are typically shown in Hidden Line style, which can be difficult to navigate because of performance. A working view can be created that is set to Wireframe, which is easily navigable, and the modeling can be done there.

There are many parameters for view properties that can be set by default. It is best to keep things simple by setting the most common parameters that will determine the general style of the view. Visibility settings are the most important to any view because you want to see what you expect to see in a particular type of plan. It can be frustrating and time-consuming to have to turn off unwanted model elements every time you open or create a new view.

There are two primary areas of visibility control within a view: the Visibility/Graphics Overrides settings, which allow for turning categories of elements on or off, and the View Range settings, which determine the field of view when looking at the model. Setting default values for these parameters is a key element of a good project template. Since working in a Revit project is a collaborative exercise, it is good to have the objects in your views display as expected or to not have objects showing up from other disciplines as they are placed in the model.

View Range

The three major components of View Range settings are the Top, Bottom, and Cut Plane of a view. For a floor plan, Top defines the elevation at which the model is being viewed from. Bottom is the extent to which the model is being viewed from the Top setting. In other words, it is how far you are looking. Cut Plane is an imaginary plane that cuts through the architectural and structural elements. The portions of these elements that are above the Cut Plane elevation are not visible.

Though you may have levels established in your template, there is no way of knowing what their actual dimensions will be until the building is modeled. However, there is a way to set default View Range settings that ensures the initial view of the model will correctly show the building elements. For example, to create a first-floor plan view, follow these steps:

1. For plan views, select View Properties

   

2. Set Cut Plane to 4'-0" (1220mm).

3. Set Bottom and View Depth to the Associated Level with an Offset setting of 0'-0" (0mm).

Adjustments may be required depending on the construction of the building, but these settings are a good starting point because they will display all the visible model components from floor to floor. Since the Cut Plane setting is what determines the visible architectural and structural components, you don't need to worry that the actual floor object of the level above will interfere with visibility.

Figure 2.4 shows the View Range dialog box with the settings described in the previous steps for a first-floor plan view.

For a ceiling view, do the following:

1. Set Top to Level Above with an Offset setting of 0'-0" (0mm).

2. Set Cut Plane to 4'-0" (1220mm).

   You may choose a higher Cut Plane if you do not want to see items such as doors or windows in your ceiling plans. The Bottom setting is irrelevant in a ceiling plan because it is always behind your field of view.

3. Set View Depth to Level Above with an Offset of 0'-0" (0mm).

Figure 2.4. Typical View Range settings for a plan view

These settings ensure that for your ceiling plans you will see all visible model elements from the cut plane up to the top of the view range. So if there are ceilings with varied elevations on a level, they will all display, and any items you want to see above the ceiling for coordination will also be visible.

Revit allows you to create a template within your template to expedite the process of establishing the visibility settings of your views. View templates enable you to define preset properties of view types that can be applied to any view in one simple step. These properties are not just for visibility but for any of the main view properties.

You can create a view template by clicking the View Templates button on the View tab of the ribbon and then selecting the View Template Settings option. On the left side of the dialog box is a list of any view templates that exist. You can sort the list by view type by using the drop-down in the upper-left corner. The right side of the dialog box lists the commonly used view parameters. Here you can set the default values for these parameters to establish the view template. There are also Edit buttons for setting the Visibility/Graphics Overrides settings and Graphic Display Option, which is used for displaying shadows in views. Any project parameters that you create that apply to views will also be available for editing.

The buttons in the lower left of the dialog box are for duplicating, renaming, or deleting a view template. There is no button to create a new template, so you must duplicate an existing one before you can begin. In fact, if no view templates exist in your file, you cannot access the View Templates dialog box from the ribbon.

A more common method for creating a view template is to first create a view and then to establish its desired properties, including the visibility settings. This is a more preferable method because you can see what the view will look like as you make adjustments to the properties. Creating a view template this way in your project template will require you to temporarily load a model to be used as the visual reference. Once you have the properties of a view established, you can right-click the view in the Project Browser and create a view template based on that view. You can also use the View Templates button on the View tab and select the Create Template From Current View option, as shown in Figure 2.5.

Figure 2.5. View Templatesbutton

View templates are useful while creating your project template, but they are also very useful after the project has been created. One of the properties of views is Default View Template. You can assign a default template so that as changes are made to a view, you can revert to the default settings at any time. You can also apply any view template to any view, especially newly created ones, and quickly have the desired settings. When you work on a large project that has many levels or many dependent views, having view templates can save a significant amount of time.

In the View Templates dialog box, there is a check box next to each property that you can use to determine whether the settings of the template for that property will be applied to the view. This enables you to apply only the desired portions of a view template if necessary.

Preset schedules in a project template are another feature that increases productivity and coordination. This topic is included in this section of the chapter because by displaying the data within the components that make up the model, schedules are actually views of the model.

Schedule views can be saved as their own project file that can be loaded into a project as needed, so it is not necessary to have every schedule that you might use in your project template. The types of schedules you should include are ones that you know will be in every project. If you are going to create a schedule in your template, you must use parameters that are available in the template file. The parameters will be available either because they exist in components that are loaded into your template or because they are set up as project parameters. This is most easily achieved by using shared parameters because it is important that the parameters in your content are the same as those in the schedule. Careful consideration should be taken as to what parameters need to be in the template prior to setting up a schedule. For more information on creating schedules, see Chapter 5; for more about creating and managing parameters, see Chapter 19.

Some types of schedules can be included in your template that are useful for managing the project. Consider adding a View List schedule to your template. This enables you to quickly view information about your views to determine whether you have all the views required for a project or whether a view has not yet been placed onto a sheet. This also is a good way to change the parameters of views without having to locate them in the Project Browser. Figure 2.6 shows a small sample of a View List schedule as it would look in a project file. There is much more information that can be added to a View List schedule, including any custom parameters that you create for views.

Figure 2.6. Sample View List schedule

Other types of schedules you should consider for your template are any schedules that are used for analysis or schedule keys for applying values to parameters. These types of schedules are usually Space schedules since spaces hold much of the analytical information. Even if you do not use Revit for energy or engineering analysis, there is a type of Space schedule that can be very useful for managing names and numbers.

Revit's ability to generate spaces automatically is a great feature; however, it will generate spaces where there is no room object in the linked model. It can be tedious and time-consuming to search through a large floor plan looking for any spaces that should not be in the model. When these spaces are found in a plan view, deleting them removes them only from the model, not from the project. A simple Space schedule can be used to find all the spaces that should not exist and gives you the ability to delete all of them from the project with one click.

Figure 2.7 shows a sample Space schedule that reports the room name and room number of each space. The blank rows indicate spaces that have been placed where there is no room object. These rows can be highlighted in the schedule and removed from the project by clicking the Delete button on the ribbon.

If you are using the Panel Schedule feature within Revit MEP 2011, you can create templates for panel schedules and store them in your project template. Click the Panel Schedule Templates button on the Manage tab, and select Manage Templates. In the dialog box, you will see a list of any templates in your file. You can create a new one by clicking the Duplicate button at the bottom of the dialog box. See Chapter 5 for more information on creating and editing panel schedule templates.

Figure 2.7. Space schedule

The Object Styles settings within Revit determine how elements will display by default if no overrides are applied to them in a view. You can set the defaults for model and annotation components as well as for the layers of any linked or imported CAD files. Settings can be applied to subcategories as well.

Even though the Visibility/Graphics Overrides settings are often used in views, it is important to set the standards for how elements will display. The need for overrides comes from having several types of an element within one category. For example, you can set the style for the Ducts category, but if you want to display different types of duct in unique ways, you will have to use overrides.

You can access the Object Styles settings for your template from the Manage tab of the ribbon. The Object Styles dialog box lists all the model, annotation, and imported categories on separate tabs for easy access. These are the types of settings you can apply to a category:

In the same way that the Object Styles settings define how model, annotation, and imported objects are displayed and printed, it is necessary in a template file to define the various line styles that will be used for any drafting or detailing that may be done in your projects. A line style is defined by its weight, color, and pattern. You can create different combinations of these settings to define lines that are used for specific drafting purposes or that match your standards.

Line Weights

The first settings to consider when creating line styles are the available line weights in your template file. You can access the Line Weights settings by clicking the Additional Settings button on the Manage tab of the ribbon.

With Revit you can establish 16 different line weights. Typically, line weight 1 is the thinnest line, and line weight 16 is the thickest. The Line Weights dialog box has three tabs that give you access to the settings for lines depending on what type of view or what objects the line weights are applied to. The first tab is for model objects. Model line weights are dependent on the scale of the view they are in. You can define a thickness for each of the 16 line weights as it appears in a specific view scale. This gives you the freedom to show lines that are usually very thick as much thinner when the view scale is larger. Figure 2.8 shows the Model Line Weights tab of the Line Weights dialog box. Notice that line weight 14 is half as thick in a 1/16 scale view as it is in a 1/8 scale view. This keeps items from printing as blobs when using larger scale views, without having to manually adjust the line weights of objects using Visibility/Graphics Overrides.

You can add or delete view scales for line weight settings by using the buttons on the right side of the dialog box.

The Perspective Line Weights tab lists the thickness settings for the 16 line weights as they would appear in a perspective view. These settings do not apply to the default 3D view types but only to views that are generated from an explicit camera position. There is only one setting for each line weight because these line weights are consistent at any view scale.

Figure 2.8. Model Line Weights tab

The Annotation Line Weights tab is used for defining the thickness of annotation objects. These settings are also independent of view scale. Another way of thinking of this is that the settings you apply determine how thick the lines will print. This is the easiest place to start when establishing your line weights for your template. Most people use only about six or seven different line weights, so it is not necessary to come up with a thickness for all 16 line weight options.

Once you have established the settings for your line weights on the Annotation Line Weights tab, you can then apply the same settings to the Model Line Weights and Perspective Line Weights tabs. For the Model Line Weights tab, you will need to decide how to reduce the thickness of your heavier line weights at larger scales. The line weights that you define will be available for use in your template and subsequent project files for setting object styles or overriding the visibility of categories in views.

Line Patterns

The final consideration for creating a line style is the pattern of the lines. To access the line patterns available in a Revit file, click the Additional Settings button on the Manage tab, and select Line Patterns. Revit line patterns consist of dashes, dots, and spaces.

Text in a Line Pattern

It is not possible to include text in a line pattern in Revit. One common workaround to this shortcoming is to use tags. You can place a tag multiple times along a line that represents something such as a pipe or wire. Though the tags must be placed individually, they will at least move with the object and be removed when the object is deleted.

The line patterns in Revit are independent from the view scale in which they are drawn, and there is no setting to apply a scale to an individual line. Because of this, you will need to create multiple line patterns for the same kind of line at different scales. This will allow for various lengths of the dashes and the spaces between dashes and dots as needed to display the line pattern properly. In Figure 2.9, you can see the Line Patterns dialog box and that additional Center line patterns have been created at 1/4, 3/8, and 5/8 scales to be used in different view scales.

Figure 2.9. Line Patterns dialog box

You can modify the settings for a line pattern by clicking the Edit button on the right side of the dialog box. In the Line Pattern Properties dialog box, you will see the components that make up the line pattern. In the Type column, you can select a dash, dot, or space. Spaces can be used only after a dot or a dash. In the Value column, you assign the length of the dashes or spaces. Dots have a static length value that cannot be changed. You can enter up to 20 of these components, and when you have reached the point where the pattern will repeat, you are finished.

Variations of a line pattern for different view scales can be made by first looking at the settings for a line pattern. Figure 2.10 shows the settings for a Dash Dot Dot line pattern that is used in 1/8 scale views. To create the same pattern for use in 1/4 scale views, you would click the New button on the right of the Line Patterns dialog box, give the pattern a name such as Dash Dot Dot 1/4", and then put in the dashes and dots with values that are half of those in the Dash Dot Dot 1/8" pattern.

Figure 2.10. Line Pattern Properties dialog box

It is a good practice to test your line patterns as you create them. You can do so by creating a drafting view and drawing some parallel lines. As you create new patterns, you can assign them to the lines to see how the variations display and make adjustments to dash or space values as necessary. Figure 2.11 shows the multiple variations of a Center line pattern. The variations you create do not have to match the view scales. You can create variations that slightly modify the lengths of dashes and spaces so that the line pattern is more usable in certain situations. The 3/8" and 5/8" patterns in Figure 2.11 are examples of line patterns that may be used at any view scale depending on the length of the line.

Line Styles

With line weights and patterns defined in your template file, you can create line styles that can be used for model or detail lines in your projects. Line styles are separate from object styles because they apply only to lines created by using the Detail Lines or Model Lines tools or when creating the boundary of a region. The line styles you create will appear under the Lines category on the Model Categories tab of the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog box when changing the appearance of a view. You can access the Line Styles settings by clicking the Additional Settings button on the Manage tab and selecting Line Styles. Revit comes with some line styles that are coded into the program and cannot be removed or renamed, although you can change the settings for these lines. Figure 2.12 shows these lines and their default settings.

Figure 2.11. Line pattern variations

Figure 2.12. Line Styles dialog box

To create a line style, simply click the New button at the lower right of the dialog box, and enter a name. You can then assign a weight, color, and pattern to the line style. In some cases, it is useful to create line styles that match line patterns you have created to ensure consistency between model objects and drafting items. For example, if you create a line pattern that will be used for a domestic hot water pipe, you may want to create a line style called Domestic Hot Water that uses that pattern. That way, the domestic hot water pipe in your model can be given the pattern using a filter, and your diagrams can use the domestic hot water line type that matches. Otherwise, you would have to override each line in your diagram to the appropriate pattern.

Line styles are very useful, and having a good set of line styles can save time when drafting in a project. You can change a line from one style to another by using the Type Selector that appears in the Properties palette when you select a line. This is useful for creating details because you can draw all the line work with the most common line style and then easily change any lines that need to be different.

To share your project with consultants, it is often necessary to export your Revit views to CAD. Once you establish line weights and styles, it is a good time to consider your settings for exporting views. This task can be a bit tedious and time-consuming, but the settings you define can be saved and used any time. The settings you establish for exporting do not need to be applied to your template, but it is a good idea during your template creation to consider your export settings.

You can access the export settings from the Application menu, as shown in Figure 2.13. You can create settings for various types of CAD file formats and also for IFC export.

Figure 2.13. Export settings

When you click the option for exporting layers, a dialog box will appear that lists every category and subcategory within Revit. Alongside the list are columns that allow you to assign an associated AutoCAD layer name and color ID to each category and subcategory. The color ID is as it is defined in AutoCAD. 1 is for red, 2 is for yellow, and so on. It is important to note that when you export a view with the settings you establish, the lines created in the CAD file will be the color you assign. They will not be colored BYLAYER. There are also columns for assigning layers and colors to objects that are cut by the cut plane of a view.

You can choose an industry standard for export settings by clicking the Standard button on the right side of the dialog box and choosing the desired standard, as shown in Figure 2.14. This is a good starting point if you are creating settings that match your standards.

Figure 2.14. CAD export standards options

After you have assigned a layer and color to each category and subcategory that you require, you can save the settings for future use or for sharing with consultants. Click the Save As button to save your settings as a text file. You can import this file into other projects prior to exporting views, and you can share the export settings among consultants to ensure consistency between construction documents and shared .dwg files.

The process for creating export settings for .dgn files is the same except that you associate a level number with each category instead of a layer name.

The goal of most Revit projects is to create a set of coordinated construction documents. Annotation that is consistent from drawing to drawing and from discipline to discipline is a major part of that coordination. One of the benefits of using computers to do drafting is that it makes it easier to apply drafting standards. In the days of manual drawing, there was no guarantee that one person's lettering would look exactly like another. Some may argue that you still don't have that guarantee by using computers. That is why it is important to establish your annotation standards in your Revit project template.

Text

Text is a Revit system family, and the various text styles that you need can be created as types of that family. There is no dialog box for text settings, so to create the styles you want, you should start by accessing the properties of the default type and duplicating it for each type. This is done by clicking the small arrow located on the Text panel of the Annotate tab, as shown in Figure 2.15.

Figure 2.15. Accessing the type properties of the Text system family

To create a new text type, duplicate the default type, and provide a name for the text type you are creating. It is a common practice to name text types using the size and name of the font applied to the type. The type properties of a text type allow you to set the behavior and general appearance of the text type.

It is very important to understand how Revit handles text types before choosing how to set up your text family types. Each text family type that is created is unique to the file in which it was created. Figure 2.16 shows an example of a text type called STYLE 1 that was created in a project and a text type called STYLE 1 that was created in an annotation family. When the annotation family is used in the project, the text within the annotation family maintains its settings as defined in the family file. It does not take on the settings for STYLE 1 as they are defined in the project, even though both family types have the same name.

Figure 2.16. Text types with the same name

The easiest way to manage this behavior is to use the default font, which is Arial. Although this may be a deviation from your normal CAD standards, it gives a huge return in time savings. If you choose to use a different font, you will have to change the text and labels in every family or detail that you bring into your Revit project in order to maintain consistency in your construction documents. This includes all the preloaded content that comes with your Revit MEP installation.

By setting the properties of a text style, you can create several variations of text for use in your projects. Remember that these are type properties, so you will need to create a new text type for each variation in settings. The most common types are based on text height, background, and leader arrowhead style. You can also create types based on other properties, which are usually variations of your standard text types. For example, you can create a standard 3/32" Arial text type for normal use and then create another type that is 3/32" Arial – Underlined for use where underlined text is required. This will save you time in having to edit text to make it underlined by giving you the option to switch from one type to the other.

The Show Border and Leader/Border parameters allow you to create a text type that has a border automatically placed around the text that is offset a certain distance from the text. Even if you do not show the border, the Leader/Border parameter determines the distance between where the leader starts and the text. The thickness of the leader and the border are determined by the Line Weight parameter. The Color parameter determines not only the color of the text but also the border and leader. Figure 2.17 shows some sample text types, named based on the settings used for each type.

Figure 2.17. Sample text types

Dimension Styles

Dimension styles are another key factor in creating consistently annotated construction documents. To establish the settings for your dimension styles, click the small arrow on the Dimension panel of the Annotate tab, as shown in Figure 2.18. Each type of dimension can have its own unique settings. If you do not use dimensions very often in your projects, you may want to consider leaving the default settings. When the need arises to show dimensions, you could establish the settings or transfer the dimension settings from a file in which they have already been established, such as a linked consultant's file or a previous project.

Figure 2.18. Accessing Dimension Types settings

Transfer Project Standards

The Transfer Project Standards feature of Revit can be very useful and save you time on your projects, but you should use it with caution. If you find yourself using this feature often on projects, you should consider establishing the settings you are transferring in your template to reduce the need for transferring.

Each dimension style is a system family, and you can create types within that family in the same way text types are created. Dimension styles have more parameters than text, however. Many of these parameters are for controlling how the graphics of the dimension will display. One of the key parameters in determining a dimension family type is the Dimension String Type parameter. This defines how the dimension will behave when a string of dimensions is placed. You have options for creating a Continuous, Baseline, or Ordinate dimension string. If you use all or some of these types, you will need to create a separate dimension type for each one.

The Tick Mark parameter determines which arrowhead style will be used. There is a drop-down list when editing this parameter that lists all the arrowhead styles defined in the file. The line weight of the dimension can be controlled independently from the line weight of the tick mark used by setting the parameters for each. The line weight for tick marks in dimensions should match that of the line weight for leader arrowheads in your text types for consistency. Because of their relatively small size, using a heavy line weight may cause your arrowheads to look like blobs, so choose wisely. The Interior Tick Mark parameter is available only when you have set the dimension Tick Mark to an arrow type. This determines the style of arrowhead to be used when adjacent dimension lines are too close together to fit the default tick marks.

Other parameters control the lengths of witness line components and gaps and also the text used in the dimension style. Some of the settings for text within a dimension style are the same as those in a text style, such as font and text height. The Read Convention parameter allows you to set the direction in which the text will be read for vertically oriented dimensions. With the Units Format parameter, you can set the rounding accuracy of dimension types independent from the default project settings.

Whether you are creating a template using metric or imperial units, you will need to establish what units of measurement are used and their precision. These settings will determine the default reporting of data not only in views but also in schedules and parameters. Click the Project Units button located on the Manage tab to access the settings for units.

You can set the default units for any graphical or engineering measurements. Figure 2.19 shows the Project Units dialog box. The drop-down list at the top contains the different discipline specific groups of units, with the Common discipline containing units that are used by all regardless of discipline.

Figure 2.19. Project Units dialog box

Clicking the button in the Format column next to a unit will activate the Format dialog box for that unit. Here you have a drop-down list for the different unit options for that unit type. Once you have chosen a unit of measurement, you can determine the accuracy by selecting a Rounding option. The rounding increment will display to the right of the drop-down as an example of the option chosen. If you are using a decimal measurement, you can select Custom from the Rounding drop-down and designate the rounding increment manually. The Unit symbol drop-down offers the option for displaying the measurement unit next to the value if desired. There are check boxes in the bottom half of the dialog box for suppressing zeroes or spaces or for digit grouping depending on the type of unit you are formatting. When you click OK to finish formatting a unit type, you will see a sample in the button in the Format column next to the unit.

Setting the accuracy of certain unit types is important not only for how units display but also for the availability of model elements. For example, if you set the rounding of the Pipe Size unit to the nearest inch, then when you go to place a pipe in the model, only pipe sizes of 1" increments will be available, even if you have pipe sizes defined at smaller increments in your project.

Although each project is different, you may want to establish phases in your project template if you are required to use them on many of your projects. The most common use of phasing is for renovation projects where the existing portion of the project is modeled. Phasing can be difficult to manage, so having the settings established in your template can be very beneficial.

Click the Phases button on the Manage tab to access the settings for phases in your template. The Phasing dialog box has three tabs for setting up the phases and their behavior. The Project Phases tab is where you establish what phases exist in your file. Revit starts each file with an Existing phase and a New Construction phase by default.

You can add phases using the buttons on the upper-right side of the dialog box, inserting them before or after the phase selected in the list. The list of phases starts from the earliest and ends with the latest. So if you were to insert a Demolition phase, you could select New Construction and use the Insert Before button, or you could select the Existing phase and use the Insert After button to place the Demolition phase between Existing and New Construction. The order of phases is very important because when views are set up, you will establish what phase they belong to. Any items placed into the model will be part of the phase that is set for the view in which they are placed.

During the course of a project, it may be decided that a phase is no longer necessary. You can use the Combine With buttons at the right of the dialog box to transfer the items from one phase to another.

The Phase Filters tab of the dialog box lists the different viewing options that can be applied to any view in order to display items from various phases, as shown in Figure 2.20.

The filter names describe what will be shown in the view that they are applied to. The New, Existing, Demolished, and Temporary columns define how the items that belong to the phases will be displayed. If you create a custom phase, the New column controls how the items are displayed in a view set to that phase. Any items placed in a phase prior to that are considered Existing. When you demolish an item, you can assign in which phase the demolition occurs; otherwise, the item is considered to be demolished in the phase that is applied to the view you are working in. You can create custom settings by creating a new filter using the New button at the bottom of the dialog box. It is a good practice to name the filter so that it is evident what will be shown when the filter is applied to a view.

Figure 2.20. Phasing dialog box

The options for the display of a phase are defined on the Graphics Overrides tab of the Phasing dialog box. Overrides to each Phase Status will affect only the objects when they are shown via a phase filter. They do not override the object styles defined in your project in views in which the objects are created. In other words, if you apply an override to the existing status, the overrides will not apply when you are working in an existing view, only when the existing phase is displayed in a view of another phase.

Figure 2.21 shows two pipes in a view that is set to the New Construction phase. The pipe on the bottom was modeled in a view that is set to the Existing phase. The Phasing dialog box shows the overrides for existing items. Notice in the properties of the view that the Phase Filter property applied to the view is Show Previous + New. These settings result in the existing pipe being displayed as dashed and halftone in the New Construction view.

If you establish phases in your template file, it is helpful to create views for each phase with the proper Phase and Phase Filter properties to maintain consistency throughout the project and to see expected results when modeling.

Loading annotation families is especially important for consistent standards when working in a project that is shared by multiple disciplines. Even if you are creating a template for just one discipline, there are many annotations that are used on every project and should be included in your template(s).

Figure 2.21. Existing and New pipes shown to demonstrate phase display

The symbols used for sections, callouts, and elevations should all be defined in your template file. To set up these standards, click the Additional Settings button on the Manage tab. For section tags, you can define what annotation family is used for the head of the section as well as the tail. There is also a setting for how the section tag will display when broken using the Gaps In Segments grip on a section line. These settings apply to the Section Tag system family. You can then create different types of sections by defining what section tag is used in the type properties of a section.

Elevation marks are created in a similar fashion. You first define the different types within the Elevation Tag system family by defining which annotation symbol is used and then apply the Elevation Tag types to various types within the Elevation system family. For callout tags, you can define what annotation is used and also the radius of the corners of the callout box that is drawn around a room or area of the model. The type properties of a callout are where you define what callout tag is used and what label to use when a callout references another view.

View titles are another type of annotation that should be defined in your template to match your drafting standards. To create custom viewport types, you will need to first establish the annotation family to be used as a view title. These annotations do not require a line for the title line because title lines are part of the Viewport system family and are generated automatically when the viewport is placed on a sheet. You also do not need to include a callout tag within the view title annotation because the tag to be used is defined in the type properties of a view. When creating the label that will be the view title, be sure to extend the limits of the label to accommodate a string of text; otherwise, your view titles will become multiple lines with only a few words. You can load several annotations into your template file in order to create multiple types of viewports.

To access the properties of a viewport, you need to place one on a sheet. Once placed, you can click the viewport and access its type properties. There you can duplicate the selected type and name it with a descriptive name. In the type properties of a viewport, you can define the annotation used for the title as well as the color, line weight, and pattern of the title line. There are also options for displaying the title or the title line, giving you the ability to create viewport types that do not display a title.

Another type of annotation to consider for your template are any tags that are commonly used. Pipe and duct size tags, wire tags, and equipment tags should all be loaded into their respective templates or into a template shared by MEP disciplines. In some cases, you may have more than one tag for a category such as a pipe size tag and a pipe invert elevation tag. For categories with multiple tags, it is very helpful when working in a project to have the default tag set. Click the small arrow on the Tag panel of the Annotate tab, and select Loaded Tags to access the Tags dialog box. In the Tags dialog box, you can define which tag will be used by default for each category. You can change this at any time during the project, but it is nice to start with the most commonly used option.

General annotations such as graphic scales or north arrows should also be included in your project template. You may choose to include a north arrow in your view title annotation, but keeping it separate gives you the freedom to rotate and place it anywhere on a sheet.

The same annotation families that are used in your model components can also be loaded into your template for use in creating legends. Legend components are limited in their placement options, so it may be easier to use annotation symbols; however, this method also results in having numerous annotation families loaded into your project that are only there for the legend view.

If you use a generic tag for plan notes, it should be loaded into your template. If you use the keynoting feature within Revit, you should have a keynote tag loaded as well as a keynote data file location defined. You access the Keynoting settings by clicking the small arrow on the Tags panel of the Annotate tab. In this dialog box, you can browse to the keynote data file to be used and set the path options. You can also define the numbering method to display either the specification section number and text from the data file or the By Sheet option, which numbers the notes sequentially as they are placed.

The types of component families that you load into your project template really depend on what discipline you are creating the template for. If your template is used for a single MEP discipline, then there is no need for components that are used by other disciplines, unless you use those types of components regularly in your projects.

The most effective use of preloaded components is to have components loaded that are used on every, or nearly every, project. The following are examples of the types of components to consider for each discipline:

The basic idea is to keep it simple. Your template will be a fluid document that will change as your needs change or as you discover new requirements. If you find that you are having to load a particular component on many projects, then you should consider adding that component to your project template file.

Other components that you will need in your template are all of the duct, pipe, cable tray, and conduit fittings that will be used by their respective system families.

Figure 2.24. Sample plumbing components in a template

Along with having components preloaded into your project, it is important to define your system families. This will establish the default behavior for any types of system families that you define. If you start your template from scratch without using another template as a basis for your file, you will need to attempt to draw duct, pipe, cable tray, or conduit before the system family will appear in the Project Browser.

Once you have the desired system family in the Project Browser, you can right-click it to access its properties. The properties for MEP system families are primarily the same for each system. The idea is that you need to define what types of fittings are used. You can create variations of a system family to utilize different fittings. System family types should be named descriptively to indicate their use. Additional fittings can be added at any time to create new family types, but it is best to start with the basics for your project template.

An MEP system family will not be usable without fittings defined. To establish the fittings for a system family, right-click the family in the Project Browser. In the Type Properties dialog box, you will see options for assigning fitting component families to the system family. The fitting components you have loaded into your project will be available in the drop-down of the Fitting parameter for each specific type of fitting. Use the Duplicate button to create a new type of system family with its own unique fittings. Figure 2.25 shows an example of the settings for an Oval Duct system family. Notice that the family type has been named to indicate the elbows and preferred junction types defined in the family type.

Now that we have covered the importance of settings in your project template, practice setting the properties of both views and model objects by completing the following exercise:

You can use another group of settings to establish standards in your project template. The MEP settings of a Revit project file are used to determine the graphical representation of systems as well as the available sizes and materials of system families used. Click the MEP Settings button on the Manage tab to access the settings for a discipline. The settings you establish may determine the type of template you are creating. Some of the standards defined for the MEP settings may be unique to a project type or client's requirements, which would result in a unique template for those settings.

Other MEP settings include Load Classifications, Demand Factors, and Building/Space Type Settings. These should be established to the extent that they are used in your projects.

The sheet border of a construction document is called many things by many different people and organizations. In this chapter and throughout this book, the graphics and information that make up the border of a construction document, or sheet, is referred to as a titleblock.

If you generally work as a consultant to the primary design discipline, then it may not be necessary for you to have a titleblock family for use in your template. In this type of environment, you would normally acquire the titleblock to be used from the primary design discipline and load it into your project file(s).

If you work in an environment in which you are the primary design discipline and have a titleblock that is unique to your standards, it should be included in your project template. You can have multiple titleblocks loaded into your template. Your clients may require their own standards for a titleblock. This is another reason why you might create multiple templates. If you include all the titleblocks that you work with into one template, it is possible that the wrong one could be applied to a sheet. This is not to say that you need a separate template file for each variation of titleblock you may have. For example, if you have a company standard titleblock that comes in two different sizes, it would be reasonable to include both sizes in your template. When a project begins and the size of sheets is determined, the unused titleblock should be removed to avoid confusion or it mistakenly being used.

For more information on the creation of titleblocks and how to include the desired information within them, see Chapter 7 and Chapter 21.

Whether you are creating a single-discipline template or one for use by multiple disciplines, it is important to establish the organization of your drawing sheets in order to make sheet management consistent from project to project.

Setting up sheet organization is similar to setting up the organization of views. You can set up the Browser – Sheets system family with different types to organize your sheets in any manner desired. To access this system family, right-click Sheets in the Project Browser, and select Properties. Use the Duplicate button in the type properties of the system family to create a new organization method. It is helpful to name the type based on how it organizes the sheets so that it is clear to all users what the type is used for. Once you have created a new family type, you can click the Edit button of the Folders parameter to set the organization settings. Figure 2.27 shows a sample of the settings for an organization type that is based on the discipline of sheets. In this example, the sheets are numbered using a discipline prefix so the sheets are organized by the first character of the sheet number in order to group each discipline's sheets together.

Figure 2.27. Sample sheet organization settings

Additional parameters can be applied to sheets that can be used as a basis for organization. These parameters can be included as project parameters in your template so that when a new sheet is created, it will have the parameters applied to it. If you create a drawing list that appears on your construction documents, you can use these parameters to organize the order of the list, which may not always match the order in the Project Browser. For more information on creating a drawing list or adding parameters, see Chapter 5 and Chapter 19.

You know some types of sheets will be included in every project that you do. These sheets can be created in your template file to ensure that they are properly set up for each project. Any views that are required for those sheets can be applied to the sheets also. So when a project has begun, any modeling done in the views will be shown on the sheets, streamlining the process of creating construction documents. Having multiple titleblocks in your template can complicate this slightly. Unless you want to set up each type of sheet with each available titleblock, it is best to use the most commonly used titleblock for your preset sheets. If the project requires a different titleblock, the default one can be switched using the Type Selector.

With preset sheets, you can establish consistent locations of sheet-specific items such as plan notes, key plans, and graphic scales. Preset detail sheets give you a place to put drafting and detail views as they are loaded or created. General notes or legends that are used on every project can be already in place when a project begins.

Having a set of sheets also is useful for determining how views will be organized and how many sheets will be required for a project. Once a project begins, you can print the sheets to create a mockup set, sometimes referred to as a cartoon set, to better determine how many sheets need to be added to or removed from the project, as well as how the building model will fit onto plan view sheets. With this available at the start of a project, decisions can be made early on to increase efficiency and improve workflow.

As with any element or standard you create in your project template(s), it is important to recognize how much is needed on a project-to-project basis. Consult with the people who work on projects on a daily basis to determine the types of things they would like to have in their projects from the start to improve their workflow.

We hope throughout this book you will find many ways or ideas to improve your processes. Any one of these can be considered for use in your project templates. Remember that your project templates are the foundation for your success with Revit MEP 2011 when it comes to an efficient and effective workflow.

Real World Scenario: Tips for Managing Templates

The management of a project template is an ongoing process. As standards are developed and enhanced, new workflows are discovered, and new clients are acquired, the need for template maintenance grows. Here are some items for consideration when managing your templates:

Take caution when transferring project standards

Once a standard has been developed in an actual project, the easiest way to establish it in a template is to use the Transfer Project Standards feature of Revit. This is a powerful but potentially dangerous tool. Be sure that when you use it, you transfer only the standards required; otherwise, you may overwrite standards in your template with ones that are specific to a project.

Take caution with Purge Unused

The Purge Unused command is another powerful but potentially dangerous tool, especially when used while working on a project template. After all, nearly everything in a template file is "unused." Exercise extreme caution when using this tool in a template file. Some items such as text styles can be removed only with this tool, so its use is sometimes required.

Keep it simple

It can be tempting to include anything and everything in your project template(s). More often than not this will cause more work than it saves. Along with the potential for the wrong types of components being used in the model, there will be a lot of work cleaning up unwanted or unneeded items. Having to weed through a bunch of components just to find the one you are looking for will hamper your productivity.

Keep it safe

It is usually best to limit the access to your project template(s). The more people who have access to them, the more potential for them being lost or damaged occurs. Keep an updated archive of your template(s) in a secure location so that when the time comes, you can replace it with minimal interruption of work.