Chapter 11

Designing with Design Options and Groups

Many projects go through stages and phases. As a result, it's necessary to distinguish the element of time in your project: how something exists, how it will change, and what it will look like when the project is complete. In addition, design is about maintaining relationships between repetitive elements. Sometimes this repetitive element can be a single component in your project, such as a light or a piece of furniture. But it can also be an entire collection of elements, such as a hotel or hospital room.

Typically one digital design at a time isn't enough. You have to be able to see many ideas simultaneously and in context with other ideas. The client and contractor need to see options and alternates. It's important that these options not be fully independent, separate files so that the results can be analyzed and compared.

This chapter focuses on these three concepts: time, relationships, and iteration. In Revit, they're addressed with phasing, groups, and design options.

In this chapter, you'll learn to:

• Use the Phasing tools to create, demolish, and propose a new design
• Best uses for Groups
• Create and use groups to manage big design ideas