Along with the standard tabs available on the ribbon interface, contextual tabs also are available while you're working on a project. Explain what a contextual tab is and how it may differ throughout your workflow.

A contextual tab is an additional tab that appears when an object is selected. It is an extension of the Modify tab that contains tools specific to the editing of the selected object.

It is important to workflow efficiency to know how to access features of the user interface. What tool can be used to activate or remove user interface features?

The User Interface tool on the View tab can be used to turn on or turn off user interface features.

The use of keyboard shortcuts has been part of design and drafting software for a long time. The ability to customize the shortcuts to best suit your workflow is key to improved efficiency. How can the settings for keyboard shortcuts be accessed? How can the settings be shared among users?

The Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box can be accessed from the User Interface tab of the Options dialog box, from the User Interface button on the View tab, or by using the KS keyboard shortcut.

The properties of a view determine how objects and the model will appear in the view. Along with Visibility/Graphics Overrides, what other view property determines whether items are visible in that view? For a floor plan view, describe the three major components of this property.

View Range determines what elements can be seen in a view based on their location. For a plan view, the Top setting defines the elevation at which the model is being viewed from. The Bottom setting is the extent to which the model is being viewed from the Top. The Cut Plane setting is an imaginary plane that cuts through the architectural and structural elements.

Phase settings for a project are very important to defining what portions of a building design occur in certain phases. Explain why having phases established in a template might cause a need for a separate template file for phased projects.

When phases are established in a project, it is important to assign a phase to each view so that objects modeled in a view will belong to the phase of the view. If you are creating a template with phases and preset views, you will want to have a view type for each phase. If you use this template for a project that does not require phasing, you will have many unnecessary views already established in your project.

Having system family types defined in your template is just as important as having the appropriate components loaded. Explain why certain component families are required in order to create and define MEP system family types.

To create and define duct, pipe, cable tray, and conduit system family types, you need fitting component families loaded. The system families cannot be modeled without their fittings defined.

Having a predefined organization for drawing sheets in your template will ensure consistency from one project to the next. True or false: You must have all the required sheets for any project built into your template in order for them to be organized properly? Explain.

False. You only need to establish the organization settings. As new sheets are created in a project, they will be organized according to the settings.

You are working on a project with a mechanical engineer, a plumbing designer, and an electrical engineer. Describe the types of worksets that the model can be divided into to accommodate the different systems for each discipline.

The model can be divided into HVAC and mechanical piping worksets for mechanical, domestic and sanitary water piping worksets for plumbing, and lighting and power worksets for electrical.

Describe how to create a local file copy of a central file and how to coordinate changes in the local file with other users who are accessing the central file.

Browse to the central file in the Open dialog box, and select the Create New Local box; alternatively, copy/paste the central file to a new folder, open the pasted file, and click Save.

Use the Synchronize With Central command to coordinate changes made in the local file with the central file.

Describe how you would isolate a system in the model so that no other user could make changes to that system. What is the best way to release a system so that others can work on it?

Create a workset for that system, and place any model elements on that workset. Take ownership of the workset to prevent changes from other users. Use the Relinquish All Mine command to release ownership of the workset, allowing others to have access to the components on that workset.

You are facing a deadline and need to add some general notes to one of your plumbing sheets. Because of the intricate design of the HVAC system, your project file is very large and takes a long time to open. What can you do to open the file quickly to make your changes?

From the Open dialog box, select the Options drop-down, and choose the Specify option to open only the worksets required to complete the task.

Describe the importance of making worksets visible in all views when your file will be shared with consultants.

If you do not make a workset visible in all views, the model elements on that workset will not be visible to consultants when they link in your file.

How would you turn off a model category within a Revit link while allowing that category to remain visible in your model?

Select the Revit Links tab in the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog box. Click the By Host View button in the Display Settings column next to the appropriate linked file. Change the display to Custom. Select the appropriate tab within the RVT Link Display Settings dialog box, and turn off the desired category.

List the types of elements in a linked file that can be monitored for changes.

For Revit Architecture: Levels, Grids, Columns, Walls and Floors.

For Revit MEP components: Air Terminals, Lighting Fixtures, Mechanical Equipment, and Plumbing Fixtures.

Describe the difference between linking and importing a CAD file and why the linking option is preferred.

When a file is linked, it can be updated by reloading the link. An imported file will not update when the original CAD file is updated. Importing causes unnecessary information from the CAD file to be brought into Revit, which can increase file size and impede file performance greatly.

What functionality exists in Revit that could allow a design reviewer to comment on coordination issues within a project?

Annotation symbols can be created and used throughout the model to comment on design issues. The annotations can be scheduled to organize and manage issues that need to be addressed.

The information in schedules comes from information stored within the objects of a Revit model. Explain why editing the data of an object in a schedule will change the properties of the object.

Schedule views are just another view of the model objects. So when you edit an object in a schedule, you are actually editing the properties of that object.

Understanding what information can be used in a schedule is important to setting up a specific component schedule within your Revit project. What types of parameters can be included in a schedule? What type cannot?

Project parameters and shared parameters can be included in a schedule as well as some of those that are inherent in objects. Family parameters cannot be included in schedules.

The information stored in Space objects often comes from their relationship with other objects. Some of the data for analysis needs to be manually input. Explain how using a schedule key can assist in adding data to a Space object.

A Schedule key allows you to assign a value to a parameter based on the key value, which ensures consistency throughout the project. Key values can be added to objects via a schedule without having to access the properties of each individual Space object.

A Note Block schedule is a schedule of annotation family so a list of the information within the annotation can be generated. What are some of the benefits of using a Note Block instead of static text for plan notes?

When a note is removed from the list in a Note Block, all the associated annotation instances are removed from the plan. Notes can be easily renumbered in the Note Block schedule.

Although the drafting tools in Revit MEP 2011 may be unfamiliar at first, learning to use them efficiently and effectively will help you spend more time focusing on design decisions instead of drafting efforts. Describe how filled regions can be used not only to display a pattern but also to provide line information in a detail.

The line styles used for the borders of a filled region can be used to convey information about the detail without having to overlap lines and regions.

Using CAD details in a Revit project can be a quick way to complete your construction documents in a timely manner. However, using many CAD files for details can have a negative effect on file performance, so it is important to link CAD files whenever they are used. Explain why importing and exploding CAD files can adversely affect your project.

Exploded CAD files cause many text and line styles to be created. These styles are unnecessary and could be used by mistake instead of the standard styles developed specifically for Revit projects.

Revit drafting views can be saved as individual files for use on projects as needed. True or false? A drafting view will be added to your project when you use the Insert 2D Graphics From View option of the Insert From File tool. Explain.

False. When you use this option, only the graphics drawn in the selected view will be placed into your project.

Callout views can be created from plan, section, and elevation views. Explain how detail views are different from drafting views.

Detail views show the portion of the model from the callout tool. You cannot show model graphics in a drafting view.

To ensure that your Revit projects look the same as, or similar to, your other projects, it is necessary to have a titleblock family that looks the same as other file format titleblocks you use. Describe the process for creating a Revit titleblock family from an existing CAD format titleblock.

The CAD titleblock can be imported into a new Revit titleblock family. The drafting tools can be used to create Revit lines that match the CAD lines. Labels and text can be placed in the same locations as CAD text and attributes.

A Sheet List schedule is a very useful tool for managing the information shown on your construction documents as well as for organizing the order of sheets for your project. Is it possible to create parameters for sheets that can be used in the sheet list? Explain.

Yes, custom parameters can be created for use in a sheet list. These parameters can be shared or project parameters.

Uniformity among sheets in a document set is important not only to the look of a project but also for ease in document navigation. Explain how guide grids can be used to place model views in the same location on individual sheets.

Guide grids can be established so that column grids in the model views can be snapped to the same location on each sheet.

Printing sheets is often necessary for quality control checking of a project. How can you keep section and elevation marks of views that are not used on your sheets from printing?

The Options area of the Print dialog box has check boxes for hiding unwanted graphics and view tags.

True or False: Outside air cannot be modeled because there is no default system type to select from.

False. Although there is no default Outside Air system, the system can be created by using Supply Air and renaming the system to Outside Air.

A designer has been asked by the engineer to create a grease waste system to accommodate a new kitchen that has been added to the project. What would be the quickest way to accomplish this feat?

The designer can easily create a new system called Grease Waste and add all the plumbing components that are required to be on the system.

A plumbing designer has just created a Grease Waste system, and now the engineer has decided that the Grease Waste line should appear as a dashed line. How would the designer accomplish this?

The designer would create a filter that referenced the name of the system, which in this case would be Grease Waste, and then add this to the Filters section of Visibility Graphics. Once this is added, then the designer can add any linetype, pattern, color, or line weight they desire.

Describe the relationship between rooms and spaces — are they the same element? Describe an essential tool that can be created to maintain and track space input data and building construction for a heating and cooling load analysis.

A room is a region that can be occupied within the architectural building model. A space is the design region, based on an architectural room, within the MEP model. Be sure to check the Room Bounding option on your link to ensure that the same elements that define the room boundaries also define the respective space boundaries.

Developing a working Space Properties schedule, either by creating a custom schedule or by modifying an existing one, will enable you to track and modify space properties as needed to properly account for critical properties that affect the space loads.

How does project location affect building heating and cooling loads? Describe methods to determine project location in Revit MEP 2011.

What is a sliver space, and how does it affect the building performance?

The location of the project building determines the environmental conditions surrounding the building. Conditions, such as ASHRAE climate zone data, determine minimum design conditions that the building construction must perform to. Two methods exist in Revit MEP 2011 to determine project location: selecting the design city from a list of default cities within Revit MEP or using an Internet mapping service and locating the exact coordinates of your design building.

A sliver space is a narrow space in the building bounded on two sides by occupiable interior spaces — pipe chases, HVAC shafts, wall cavities, and so on. The volume of the sliver space is added to the larger of the two adjacent interior spaces when the building performance is analyzed.

What is gbXML? Why is it necessary to export your Revit MEP project?

gbXML is a Extensible Markup Language file that is able to be written and read by multiple programs. It allows interoperability between building modeling programs and energy-simulating programs.

It is necessary to export the Revit MEP model, via gbXML data format, to a third-party simulation program because Revit does not offer the user extensive customization of the spaces, zones, building constructions, or even the heating and cooling systems requirements. It also does not have the capabilities for energy analysis of the building, as required by LEED and other energy conscious organizations.

Should you choose hosted or nonhosted components for your project?

A mixture may well be the best solution, but whichever you choose, consistency is the key. If you start with nonhosted, stick with that type of component during the life of the project because you will find it difficult to change between hosted and nonhosted.

When asked to submit a design proposal for a multifloor office building, the HVAC designer needs to show a typical open plan office and the supply and extract ductwork. How should the designer start this process?

The designer should start by laying out air terminals and, if required, VAV units. Then they should use the autorouting tools to generate an initial duct design.

You have just finished your modeled layout and given it to your employer for review. Your boss has just came back and has asked you to remove a couple of elbows and replace them with tees for future expansion. What would be your method to accomplish this quickly?

Select the elbow, and click the + sign; this will change the elbow to a tee.

A designer has just been asked to model a mechanical piping layout, and the engineer wants to make sure the designer will be able to account for the piping material used in the layout. What steps must the designer take to the complete this request?

First the designer must figure what piping materials are needed. Next the designer will duplicate the piping and associated fittings. Once the piping and fittings have been duplicated and renamed to the piping material as needed, the designer will assign the fittings to the proper pipe types. This will ensure that when the piping is routed, all of the fittings and piping can be accounted for.

The engineer has just come back from a meeting with the owner and architect, and it has been decided that the owner wants to have a hot water system and a chilled water system rather than a two-pipe hydronic system. How would you modify your hydronic layout to accommodate the change?

First duplicate your mains. Rather than a two-pipe system (one supply, one return), you will have a four-pipe system (one hot water supply, one hot water return, one chilled water supply, one chilled water return). The designer will also have to change out the mechanical equipment to add chilled water coils. Additional chiller and pumps may also be required. Once you have all your equipment added and modified, add the mechanical equipment to the proper systems by changing the hydronic supply systems to hot water supply, hot water return, chilled water supply, and chilled water return. This will allow the pipes to be filtered properly.

You have printed off a check set for review and have noticed that there are no shutoff valves. Now you need to load the shutoff family. What directory should you look in for pipe fittings?

You should first look in the imperial library for Pipe and then Valves. If you have a manufacturer that is creating proper Revit content, its fittings would be the preferred choice. Also, you can refer to Autodesk Seek, Arcat.com, and other sites for additional content.

The engineer has just come back from a meeting with the owner and architect, and it has been decided that the owner wants to have a hot water system and a chilled water system. You have just modified your hydronic layout to accommodate the change. Now the owner wants the pipes color coded, so it's easier to visualize the changes. Describe how this would be done.

First create filters that are named after the systems you created (Hot Water Supply, Hot Water Return, Chilled Water Supply, and Chilled Water Return) by duplicating hydronic piping. Change the system type to the system name, and then add the name of the systems, remembering that the text is case sensitive. Finally, add these to your filters, and apply the colors you want to use.

Describe the relationship between ceilings and engineering spaces. How can you be sure that your engineering spaces are reporting the correct geometry?

Ceilings can be set to define the upper boundaries of Room and Space objects.

The upper limit of a space should be set to the level above to ensure that room-bounding ceilings will define the actual height of the space.

What model elements contain the data required to determine proper lighting layout?

Spaces contain data that determines the average estimated illumination within them. Lighting fixtures contain photometric web file information to provide accurate light output from the fixture family.

What is the default hosting option for face-hosted families? Describe the limitations of representing wall-mounted lights with symbols and how they can be shown in a plan view.

The default hosting option for face-hosted families is to place them on a vertical face.

Lighting fixtures cannot maintain the orientation of annotations within the family. In a plan view, wall-mounted fixtures must be represented by the actual graphics of the fixture or by model lines drawn in the fixture family.

What is the benefit of using nonhosted lighting fixture families for site lighting?

Nonhosted fixture families can be adjusted to match the elevation of the topographic surface if necessary. Hosted elements do not offer as much control when trying to coordinate with topography.

Having flexibility in the relationship between model components and the symbols that represent them is important to create an accurate model and construction documents. Is it possible to show a receptacle and its associated symbol in slightly different locations to properly convey the design intent on construction documents? If so, how?

Yes. You can add parameters that allow for an offset of the symbols that represent the model components in a plan view.

Interference between model components can be detected by finding components that occupy the same space. Explain how you can determine whether an object interferes with the clearance space of an electrical equipment component.

You can build the required clearance spaces into your equipment families or build a separate family to be used for clearance space. You can use Revit's interference-checking capabilities to find interferences with the clearance spaces.

Because your project may contain multiple distribution system types, explain the importance of assigning distribution systems to your electrical equipment and naming your equipment.

True or false: You cannot create a power riser diagram with Revit MEP 2011.

Assigning a distribution system to electrical equipment allows for other items of the same distribution type to be connected to the equipment. Naming equipment makes it easy to locate when connecting elements.

False.

Conduit and cable tray can be modeled with two different styles. One style uses fittings, and one does not. Does this mean that no fittings need to be assigned to the style that does not use fittings? Explain how this affects scheduling of the components.

You must assign fitting families to be used by the style without fittings. The fittings must exist in order for the conduit or cable tray to be modeled. Scheduling styles without fittings enables you to report the total length of a run. Scheduling styles with fittings is done to report data about the components that make up a run.

The distribution systems defined in a project make it possible to connect devices and equipment of like voltages. Do you need to have voltage definitions in order to create distribution systems? If so, why?

Yes, voltages must be defined to create distribution systems because they are used to establish the line-to-line and line-to-ground values for the system.

Circuits can be created for devices or equipment even if they are not assigned to a panel. Circuits can then be represented by wiring shown on construction documents. Give two examples of how you can add a device to a circuit that has already been created.

You can right-click the device connector, select the Add To Circuit option, and then click a device that is on the circuit you want to connect to.

You can click a device that is part of the circuit and then click the Edit Circuit button on the Electrical Circuits contextual tab. You then click the Add To Circuit button and select the device to be added.

While checking the circuits on a panel, you notice that there are only 14 circuits connected, but the panel has 42 poles. How can you reduce the amount of unused space in the panel?

Click the panel, and access its instance properties. Change the value of the Max #1 Pole Breakers parameter to a smaller value. Right-click the panel in the Project Browser, and select a template that utilizes fewer circuits.

The information in Revit panel schedules may not meet the requirements of your document or design standards. Describe how you can use the data within your Revit model to provide the required information.

There is much more data contained in electrical circuits and panels than what may be shown in the Revit panel schedules. You can create a schedule of electrical circuits that shows the information you need.

What are the two types of parameter information that can be scheduled and used in type catalogs?

System parameters and shared parameters. Simple parameters that have been added to the family cannot be scheduled.

Why are nested pipe assembly families better to use than the modeled pipe assembly for a BIM project ?

BIM stands for "building information modeling." With nested families, you can create more accurate information. If you are using Revit strictly as a modeling tool for drafting, then the modeled pipe assembly will help keep the file smaller, but you lose some of the I in BIM.

Do fitting parameters have to be set up in the system pipe types?

Yes. If you do not set up the Fittings parameter properly, you will have mixed materials or fittings that may not be placed automatically when routing piping in your model.

A plumbing designer has just been asked to lay out a sloped plumbing system and has only a day to pipe up a clubhouse. Where should he start his pipe route first?

He should start from a point of connection outside the building and work his way in, from main to branch to fixture.

You have just finished your modeled layout and given it to your employer for review. He's just came back and now has asked you to remove a couple of elbows and replace them with tees for future expansion. What would be your method to accomplish it quickly?

Select the elbow, and click the + sign; this will change the elbow to a tee.

There are too many systems showing up in your views. What would you do to show only one piping system in that view?

Type VG, go the Filters tab, and deselect all the systems you do not want to show up.

What is a method to help speed up production when using a standard fire riser on multiple buildings?

Create a nested family with all the components required on the fire riser.

Marty has just created a fire protection system name called Wet1, and he has created a filter system type named wet1. Now Marty is in a presentation, and his system is not filtering properly. What should he look at first? What should he do if there is a second problem?

Marty should review his naming first. His system starts with a capital W, and his filter has a lowercase w. Next he should review whether he selected System Name instead of System Type in the filter.

What are some of the methods to deal with fittings that may not be supplied with Revit MEP 2011?

Use existing fittings for spatial restraints and visual coordination only, create your own fitting families, or use manufacturer-supplied content.

Several tools are available to create the shapes needed to represent MEP discipline components. Each tool generates an extrusion in a unique way. Describe the difference between a swept blend and a regular sweep.

A swept blend is used when the shape of the extrusion changes from one end to the other. A sweep is an extrusion of a consistent shape along a path.

Knowing the resulting orientation of an extrusion prior to creating it will save lots of time by not having to duplicate modeling efforts. Nothing is more frustrating than taking the time to create a solid only to find that it is in the wrong plane. Describe the process for creating an extrusion that is associated with a custom reference plane.

You first must create a reference plane and give it a unique name. Then when you choose a form tool, you can set the reference plane that the form will be associated with by using the Set button on the Work Plane panel of the Home tab in the Family Editor.

Solid geometry can be defined by parameters that can change the size or shape of the geometry. Reference planes and lines are an important part of creating parametric behavior. Why?

The dimensional parameters used to define geometry should be assigned to the dimensions associated with reference planes and lines that the geometry is locked to. This allows you to maintain the relationships of multiple solids when parameter values change.

It is important to know how a family will be used in a project to determine the visibility settings required for the solid geometry in the family. Why is it important to set the Detail Level visibility settings for pipe- and duct-related families?

The pipe and duct system families have specific visibility behavior to show as a single or double line. Your pipe and duct component families should be set with the same visibility settings for consistency on construction documents.

Having a good command of the tools available for creating symbols will help you create families that represent your design elements exactly the way you want to see them. What line tool is best suited for duplicating the line work of an imported CAD symbol?

The Pick Lines tool allows you to select the line work of an imported file and creates a Revit line to match.

By having annotation symbols nested into your component families, you can create an accurate 3D model that is displayed schematically on your construction documents. Explain the importance of creating subcategories for the graphics in your annotation families.

Symbols are created as generic annotations, which is a single category within Revit. A subcategory must be created to control the visibility of a specific symbol independently from the Generic Annotations category.

A common scenario for a Revit project is to link consultant files into your project file. Because of this, face-hosted families are often used. Face-hosted components can be attached to either a vertical or horizontal host, so the ability to separate the annotation symbol from the host needs to be created in the annotation family.

When using a length parameter to define the offset of a symbol from its host, what value should be input for the parameter when the component family is in a project?

You need to input a length that relates to the actual size of the symbol because the symbol size in a view is determined by the view scale.

The use of labels is a much more effective method than using text objects for keeping documents coordinated.

If your project requires that you show DIA (diameter) after each pipe size tag on your construction documents, how can you accomplish this globally throughout your project?

When defining the label in your pipe size tag, you can add DIA as a suffix for the label.

It is important to know when and where parameters can be used for extracting data from the model or project. It is also important to understand how instance and type parameters are used. Describe how the use of instance and type parameters affects the way data is changed in a family.

Type parameters are used to define different family types within a family. Changes to a type parameter will affect every instance of that type. Instance parameters are unique to each instance of an element as it exists in the project. Changes to an instance parameter occur only at the selected instance of a family.

Certain families can have multiple family types. If a family has many types, all of them will be loaded into a project when the family is loaded. What can be done to limit the number of family types that are loaded when a family is inserted into a project?

A type catalog can be created to allow for the selection of specific family types when a family is loaded into a project.

Managing shared parameters is as important as managing your component libraries. Explain the importance of keeping a common shared parameters file for multiple-user environments.

Because a shared parameters file is a library of parameters, you want to keep just one location to be shared by multiple users. This will prevent the unnecessary duplication of parameters that contain the same type of data.

Parameters can be added to system families only by creating project parameters. When you create a project parameter, it will be added to all the elements in the chosen category. Explain why managing project parameters is important to using them in schedules within a project.

It is possible to create a project parameter that has the same settings as a parameter that already exists in some of the families being scheduled. This would create confusion as to which parameter should hold the data for the schedule.

MEP equipment can be quite complex in its structure. Complex geometry can have an adverse effect on model performance. What are some ways to model equipment in the most simple form yet still convey the proper information on construction documents?

The basic shapes of equipment can be modeled, and symbolic or model lines can be used to represent the actual geometry in plan views. The solid forms used to create the geometry can be set to show only in 3D views. Simple forms can be set to show at lower levels of detail, while more complex geometry can be reserved for finer detail.

It is important to know how your equipment families will be used in your projects from an engineering standpoint as well as for model coordination. Explain how connectors determine the behavior of an equipment family.

Connectors have properties that define the behavior of the family, depending on the system type of the connector. Duct and pipe connectors determine the direction of flow that may affect how the equipment can be connected in project systems. Electrical connectors determine which distribution systems the equipment is used for.

Equipment families with built-in clearance spaces allow you to quickly and easily determine whether the equipment will fit into your project model. Describe some options for controlling the visibility of clearance spaces so that they are not shown when not needed.

The visibility of clearance space geometry can be controlled by creating a unique subcategory for the geometry or by using Yes/No type parameters to toggle the visibility.

Shared parameters must be used in your equipment families if you want to schedule the data they provide. If you are creating parameters for parametric behavior of the solid geometry, do they also need to be shared parameters?

They need to be shared parameters only if they are to be used in a schedule. Family parameters cannot be scheduled.

Knowing how a lighting fixture will be used in a Revit model is important to determining the kind of family to create. True or false: A face-hosted lighting fixture can be replaced by a nonhosted fixture using the Type Selector.

False. Face-hosted fixtures can be replaced only by other face-hosted families of the same category.

Photometric web files can be obtained from lighting fixture manufacturers. These files provide the lighting distribution characteristics of a fixture when added to a family. How can you be sure that the .ies file you are using is appropriate for the type of fixture it is being used in?

The information in an .ies file obtained from a manufacturer can be viewed using third-party software. Files should be renamed to indicate what type of fixture they are used for.

Connectors are what determine the electrical properties of a lighting fixture family. Describe the process of ensuring that a connector has the same load and voltage values that have been assigned to the fixture.

The load and voltage values of a connector can be associated to the load and voltage of a fixture by accessing the instance properties of the connector and using the box in each parameter value to associate it to the appropriate family parameter.

Annotation symbols nested into lighting fixture families can represent the fixture without having to show the model graphics. Is it possible to use a nested annotation family to represent a wall-mounted fixture in a face-hosted lighting fixture family? Explain.

Device families are commonly face-hosted because of the way they are used in a project model. Describe why a device family that is hosted by a floor in a project may not display correctly in plan view.

If the geometry of the device family is flush with the host extrusion, it will not appear in a plan view when hosted by a floor if the bottom of the view range is set to the face of the floor.

The orientation of an annotation family nested into a device family is important for proper display in project views. What is the device family parameter that allows for the display of the annotation in plan and section views? What hosting options in a project allow for this parameter to work?

The Maintain Annotation Orientation parameter allows for nested annotation families to be visible in plan and section views. The parameter displays the annotation when the device family is hosted to a vertical or horizontal surface.

The parameters of a connector cannot be edited while working in a project file. Describe how you can change the properties of a connector without having to edit the device family.

The parameters of a connector in a device family can be associated to the device family parameters. The properties of a device can be modified directly in a project, therefore updating the connector properties.