SETTING LINE WEIGHTS

To open the line weight settings, click the Manage tab and choose Additional Settings ➢ Line Weights. The dialog box shown in Figure 4.4 manages the printed line weights relative to a numbered assignment from 1 to 16. For model objects, heavier line weights vary between view scales. If you require more granular control between scales, click the Add button to insert another scale value column and edit the line weights as required. In the Perspective Line Weights and Annotation Line Weights tabs there is only one column to specify line weights. This is because annotation is always displayed at 1:1 scale and perspective views are not defined at any measurable scale.

We recommend that you first customize the graphic appearance of model and annotation elements with object styles before trying to manipulate any of the information in the Line Weights dialog box. You should attempt to refine the line weight settings only with a rigorous investigation of printed views in multiple scales, because changes in one area can have an impact on several others.

SETTING LINE PATTERNS

Line patterns are created from a repetitive series of dashes, spaces, and dots. To edit or create line patterns, switch to the Manage tab and choose Additional Settings ➢ Line Patterns. The Line Patterns dialog box, shown in Figure 4.5, displays a list of existing line patterns in the project.

To edit an existing pattern, select a pattern from the list and then click the Edit button. Click New to create your own patterns. You create and edit patterns by specifying dash and space lengths, which will form a repeating sequence, as shown in Figure 4.6. For dots, a length value isn’t required.

Frequently, a line pattern is required to include a symbol or text for elements such as fence lines, piping, or underground utilities. In Autodesk^® AutoCAD^® software, shape definitions can be used within linetype definitions to achieve the desired results. In Revit, these special lines can be created as line-based detail components. Samples of this type of custom line can be found by downloading the file c04-Lines.rvt or c04-Lines-Metric.rvt from this book’s companion web page at www.sybex.com/go/masteringrevitarch2016.

CREATING A NEW LINE PATTERN

Follow these steps to create a new simple line pattern:

1. Switch to the Manage tab and choose Additional Settings ➢ Line Patterns.
2. In the Line Pattern dialog box, click New.
3. In the Name field, type MARA Pattern.

4. Define the sequence, as shown in the following image.

   Any dash or dot must be followed by a space, and all dashes and spaces must have a defined length.

   

5. Confirm by clicking OK.

   The resulting line pattern looks like this:

   

SETTING LINE STYLES

Now that we have discussed the basic components of lines—weight and pattern—the two are combined with a color to create line styles for use in detail lines, model lines, filled regions, and masking regions. They are also available when the Linework tool is used to override a part of a model element. To open the Line Styles dialog box (shown in Figure 4.7), switch to the Manage tab and choose Additional Settings ➢ Line Styles. Note that you may need to expand the list of line styles by clicking the plus sign next to Lines.

In the Line Styles dialog box, notice that some of the style names are bracketed—for example, <Hidden>. These are internal, “system” types of lines that cannot be renamed or deleted; however, their weight, color, and pattern can be modified.

Establishing the best styles for your templates will be completely up to you, but we will offer some proven examples for inspiration. First, realize that the application already uses common line styles such as Thin Lines, Medium Lines, and Wide Lines. If you are creating a complete array of customized line styles for your colleagues to use, rename the out-of-the-box styles to fit into your graphic standard.

One common approach is to create line styles organized by their weight number along with any variable to their appearance, such as (3) Gray Dashed or +Line 01. The parentheses (or the use of any special characters at the beginning of the line’s name) keep your custom line styles sorted to the top of the list in the Line Styles dialog box as well as in the Type Selector when you’re using a line-based tool. This approach has proven to be effective and efficient when creating details in drafting views or generating fill or masking regions.

Another approach reserves certain line styles for special circumstances where lines represent aspects of a building in a plan, elevation, or section and must be assigned to a specific layer when views are exported in CAD format. For example, the crossing lines typically used to indicate an area-in plan that is “Open to Below” may need to be assigned to the CAD layer A-FLOR-BELW. This is difficult if you used a line style based solely on weight and pattern such as (2) Dashed. You cannot separately assign that line style to A-FLOR-BELW for the floor plan export and A-DETL-THIN for all other exports. Here are some examples of line styles you could create:

• Open to Below
• ADA Circles
• Curbs
• Fire Rating

In summary, take care to understand the different settings when you are beginning to customize graphic settings for lines in the Revit template. To change the displayed weight of an element in a project, changes should not be made in Line Weights but rather through the Object Styles dialog box. For example, if you want to increase the cut line weight of a wall already set to (5), do not increase the value of (5) in the Line Weights dialog box. You would change this value by selecting (6) or (7) as the cut weight of a wall in the Object Styles dialog box.

MATERIAL PROPERTIES

Select any material in the Project Materials list and we’ll step through each of the asset tabs.

Identity  Defines schedule values and keynotes for materials. Specifying correct identity data for your standard or typical materials will increase efficiency when you’re using annotation such as material tags as well as facilitate quality management by aligning model data such as manufacturer, model, and mark with your project specifications. In Figure 4.10, we’ve entered some sample identity data. Keywords can be entered for use with the Search bar, and cost data have been entered for use in a Material Takeoff schedule. The use of material identity data in project annotation is also discussed in Chapter 18, “Annotating Your Design.”

Graphics  Defines shading color, surface patterns, and cut patterns. These properties will determine how a model element displays in non-rendered views (Hidden Line, Shaded, or Consistent Colors):

Shading  Defines the color and transparency of a material. Note that the color can be dependent on the material’s render appearance. If the Use Render Appearance option is selected, the color and transparency are adopted from the Appearance asset settings and the shading controls will be disabled.

Surface Pattern  Allows the selection of a model pattern to be displayed on the faces of elements in elevation, plan, and 3D views. Note that a material’s surface pattern does not appear in rendered views; a pattern can be defined in the Appearance asset tab.

Cut Pattern  Allows the selection of a drafting pattern to be displayed when an element is cut in a model view. Some elements can’t be cut, as discussed previously in this chapter; in these cases, this setting has no effect on the graphic display and the pattern will not display.

Appearance  Defines rendering attributes for use in Realistic and Ray Trace display modes as well as renderings. These properties will become visible only when you render a view and will not affect other graphic display styles, unless the Use Render Appearance option is selected in the Graphics asset under Shading.

Identity, Graphics, and Appearance are the three assets that are required for every material in Revit. You can add Physical and Thermal assets for analysis, if necessary.

Physical  Defines physical properties of a material for analysis.

Thermal  Defines thermal properties of a material for analysis.

ADDING AND REPLACING MATERIAL ASSETS

You can also replace an asset for Appearance, Physical, or Thermal properties with one from any asset library. Let’s review the process to add a new asset to a material. To complete the following exercises, download and open c04-Materials.rvt from this book’s web page.

1. Select the material Concrete - Cast-In-Place Concrete from the Project Materials list.
2. Click the plus button in the tabbed list of assets and then select Physical.

   

3. The Asset Browser dialog box will open (Figure 4.11). In the asset selection tree at the left, expand the Autodesk Physical Assets tree and navigate to Concrete and then Standard. Find the asset named Concrete 3.5 ksi, and with the mouse pointer hovered over the asset, click the arrow located at the right end of the asset listing.

4. Click the X to close the Asset Browser and return to the Material Browser.

   You will see a new Physical Asset tab next to the Appearance tab.

You cannot change any of the asset properties in the Autodesk Physical Assets library; however, after an asset has been assigned to a project (document), you can change the values. Let’s experiment with this process in a quick exercise. Remember that altering any physical or thermal assets may produce undesirable results in analysis or simulation.

1. Continuing from the previous exercise, make sure the Material Browser is open and the Concrete - Cast-In-Place Concrete material is selected. Select the Physical Asset tab.

2. Click the Duplicate This Asset icon at the top of the tab.

   It should change the name of the asset to Concrete 3.5 ksi(1). To change the name of an asset, expand the Information drop-down menu and click in the Name field. Change the name to Concrete 3.5 ksi (Custom).

   

3. Change the Source field to your name and then expand the Concrete drop-down menu. Change the Shear Strength Modification to 1.75.

4. Return to the Project Materials list and select Cast-In-Place.

   We will now add the customized physical asset to this project material.

5. Click the plus button in the tabbed list of assets and select Physical.
6. In the Asset Browser, scroll to the top of the list of assets and select Document Assets. From this list, you will find Concrete 3.5 ksi (Custom). Hover the mouse pointer over this asset and click the arrow at the end of the row to add it to the selected material.

Another way you can quickly change assets is by using the Replace Asset command. Instead of manually changing each asset property, simply select a material in the Material Browser and in one of the asset tabs, click the Replace Asset icon. Let’s explore this functionality with another quick exercise:

1. With the Material Browser still open, select the material named Concrete - Precast Concrete and then select the Appearance tab.
2. Click the Replace This Asset icon in the Appearance tab.

3. In the Asset Browser, navigate to the Appearance Library folder and then click on Concrete.

   Notice that the list of assets is automatically filtered to show only those assets with the Aspect field specified as Appearance.

4. Select the Smooth Precast Structural asset and double-click it, or click the replace arrow at the end of the row, as shown in Figure 4.12.
5. Click the X to close the Asset Browser, and then click OK to close the Material Browser.

PLANNING MATERIAL STRATEGIES

It may seem impossible to imagine all the materials you’ll need in a project, which may make the process of building a template seem daunting. Think of the basic materials you’re likely to use—wood, brick, concrete, glass, and so on—and build from those. Remember, a template is just a starting point, and you can always expand it. If you create a number of high-quality materials over the course of a project, use the Transfer Project Standards function to copy those materials back into your templates. You can also create custom material libraries for your own reuse or for larger project teams.

When you start to organize materials by name, there are many prevailing theories too numerous to list here, but here are a few suggestions:

By Type  Each material is prefixed with a descriptor such as Metal, Paint, Carpet, Wood, and so on.

By Use  Each material is prefixed with a description of its application, such as Cladding, Interior, Exterior, Site, and so on.

Alphabetical  Materials have no prefixes.

By CSI Division  Each material is prefixed with a MasterFormat numerical descriptor corresponding to its specification section.

By Mark  Each material is prefixed with the designation of its Mark annotation parameter (for example, WD01-Wood-Cherry).

Whatever naming convention you choose for materials, the Material Browser can help you organize and manage them efficiently. First, note that you can change the display of the material list, including sorting options, by clicking the icon at the upper right, as shown in Figure 4.13. You can also filter the list of materials according to the Class property by clicking the arrow at the upper right.

You can also use the Search bar to quickly find matching text in any material property field. For example, try typing sample in the Search bar and the list will reflect those materials that include that term in the Keywords property.

CREATING A NEW SIMPLE PATTERN

To create a new simple pattern, first choose either Model or Drafting, and then click the New button. A generic pattern appears in the New Pattern dialog box. You can then design your pattern and assign orientation behavior.

The option Orientation In Host Layers is particularly useful when you’re making drafting patterns. This option allows you to specify how a pattern orients itself relative to host elements such as walls, floors, roofs, and ceilings when they’re represented as cut. Note that the option isn’t available for model pattern types. As shown in Figure 4.17, the orientation options are Orient To View, Keep Readable, and Align With Element.

Orient To View  When this orientation is applied, the patterns used in the project all have the same orientation and the same origin. They’re always perfectly aligned with the origin of the view.

Keep Readable  This orientation will maintain alignment with the view (that is, horizontal lines will remain horizontal) but will be adjusted relative to angled host elements.

Align With Element  This orientation ensures that the pattern orientation depends on the orientation of the host element. Patterns essentially run parallel with the element.

CREATING A CUSTOM COMPLEX PATTERN

Custom patterns require an external file that contains the definition of the pattern. The filename extension of that pattern should be .pat, which is what you’ll make in this exercise by editing an existing AutoCAD PAT file. An advantage of specifying patterns in the template file is that the PAT file won’t need to be installed on each computer where the application is installed; patterns are stored internally in the Revit template or project file.

Before modifying PAT files, always make a copy of the original PAT file you intend to use as a base; you don’t want to risk messing up other files that might already be using that original PAT file. PAT files can be edited with Notepad or any other text-editing application. For this exercise, you’ll choose the AutoCAD pattern called Grass, which you can find in acadiso.pat (in metric units) or acad.pat (imperial units) located on this book’s web page.

IMPORTING A CUSTOM PATTERN

Follow these steps to make a custom fill pattern by importing an existing pattern definition:

1. Using Notepad or a similar text editor application, open the file acadiso.pat (Metric patterns) or acad.pat (Imperial patterns).

2. Highlight the lines that define the pattern, and select them:

   *GRASS,Grass area
   90, 0, 0, 17.9605, 17.9605, 4.7625, -31.1585
   45, 0, 0, 0, 25.4, 4.7625, -20.6375
   135, 0, 0, 0, 25.4, 4.7625, -20.6375

   The actual numbers in the pattern may differ slightly, depending on whether you are using acadiso.pat or acad.pat.

3. Choose Edit ➢ Copy.
4. Open a new text file and paste the selection. (You can also open the Revit metric.pat or revit.pat file located in C:Program FilesAutodeskRevit 2016Data, in which all Revit patterns are already saved. In that case, you can paste the selected text in that file.)

5. This is the important part: In the new text file where you pasted the selected text, add the two lines shown boldfaced here:

   ;%UNITS=MM
   *GRASS,Grass area
   ;%TYPE=DRAFTING
   90, 0, 0, 17.9605, 17.9605, 4.7625, -31.1585
   45, 0, 0, 0, 25.4, 4.7625, -20.6375
   135, 0, 0, 0, 25.4, 4.7625, -20.6375

   The first line that you write before the pattern text, ;%UNITS=MM, can appear only once in the text file. It defines the value for the units used in the pattern. In the example, the units are millimeters (MM); if you wanted to work in imperial units, it would be ;%UNITS=INCH. (If you use the option in step 4 to collect all patterns in the master PAT file, then this line already exists and you don’t need to add it.)

   The second statement, ;%TYPE=DRAFTING, helps define whether you’re creating a drafting or model pattern. In this example, the pattern is the Drafting type.

6. Save your text file with a .pat filename extension.
7. On the Manage tab, choose Additional Settings ➢ Fill Patterns.
8. In the Fill Patterns dialog box, verify that the Drafting option is selected, and click New.

9. In the New Pattern dialog box, select the Custom option.

   The lower part of the dialog box offers new options.

10. Click Import, navigate to the place on your hard drive or network where you saved the PAT file, select it, and then click Open.

    In the list that appears to the right of this button, you can see the name of the pattern you created: GRASS, as shown in Figure 4.18. (If you have a PAT file with many patterns defined, you’ll see all the other drafting patterns available in that list.) The name of the pattern automatically becomes the name of your fill pattern, but you can change that if you like.

    If necessary, you can adjust the scales of the imported pattern. The Preview window displays the graphic of the pattern, always in 1:1 scale. This informs you if you need to scale the pattern up or down. You’ll know that you need to scale the pattern if the preview appears as a solid black box—that means the pattern is too dense. As an alternative, if the preview box shows only white, your scale might need to be reduced.

11. If you’re happy with the result, confirm by clicking OK.

Now that you have created a fill pattern, you can use the pattern in a number of ways. One of the simplest ways is to assign the pattern directly to a material. We purposely instructed you to create a grass pattern in the previous exercise to illustrate a limitation in Revit—you cannot assign a surface pattern to a material that is associated with a toposurface.

In the following exercise, you will assign the grass pattern to a material in the sample project that has already been assigned to a toposurface. We will then show you how to create a new filled region type in order to create a symbolic representation of grass in the site plan.

1. Continuing with the c04-Materials.rvt file, switch to the Manage tab and click Materials.

2. In the Material Browser, find the material named Site - Grass and choose the Graphics tab. Under the Surface Pattern properties, click the Pattern field and then choose the GRASS pattern you created in the previous exercise. Click OK.

   The pattern will be assigned to the material, but you will be prompted with a warning that toposurfaces do not support surface patterns. Next, we’ll create a filled region type and use it as a graphic indicator on a site plan.

3. In the Project Browser, activate the floor plan named Site. Switch to the Annotate tab and in the Detail panel select Region ➢ Filled Region.
4. In the Properties palette, click Edit Type and duplicate the current filled region type to a new type named Grass. Set the Fill Pattern property to GRASS (Figure 4.19).

   

5. Click OK to close the Type Properties dialog box, and draw a shape on the Site plan using any configuration of lines, making sure your lines form a closed loop.

   Remember to click the green check mark in the contextual ribbon to complete the sketch of the filled region. You can even experiment with the <Invisible Lines> type to achieve results similar to those shown here.

   

CREATING A CUSTOM SECTION TAG

In the next exercise, you will create a section tag that looks like the one shown in Figure 4.37. You’ll first need to create a section tag family using the Family Editor before loading the section tag family into the template. You can download the template files from this book’s web page if you can’t find them in the default location.

To begin, follow these steps:

1. Click the Application menu, and select New ➢ Annotation Symbol.

2. In the New Annotation Symbol dialog box, select the family template called Section Head.rft or Metric Section Head.rft, and click Open.

   The Family Editor environment automatically opens, and the drawing area shows a view in which three green reference planes (two vertical and one horizontal) have already been drawn. Do not change the position of either the horizontal reference plane or the vertical reference on the right. In some templates, this is indicated with help text in red (which you can later remove).

   The intersection of the horizontal and the right reference planes defines the connection location with the section line. This means your annotation will be located in between the two intersections points.

   A proposed geometric shape is drawn for the annotation: a circle (two arcs) and a horizontal line. The default shape is there to help you visually understand where to begin drawing your new tag geometry.

3. Select the arcs that create the circle and delete them.
4. On the Create tab’s Text panel, click the Label button. Position your cursor between the two vertical reference planes and below the horizontal plane, and click to position the start of the label.

5. In the Edit Label dialog box, select Sheet Number. Click the Add Parameter(s) To Label button. In the Sample Value column, you can enter a value; the default is A101. Click OK.

   The label is placed and displays blue grips when selected. These let you change the length of the label text field. The length is important because any value that is added (in a project) that is longer than the length of this box will begin to wrap and could cause undesirable results.

6. Following the same principle, place the label Detail Number above the horizontal reference plane but still between the vertical reference planes, as shown in Figure 4.38.

   You can reposition a label by selecting it and using the Move button to move it around. For more precise positioning, use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge elements in small increments. You can also help yourself by zooming in for a better view. (Zooming in refines the increment for the nudge tools.)

7. On the Detail panel of the Create tab, click the Filled Region button. You’ll be put into Sketch mode. Using the Line tool, draw the shape shown in Figure 4.39. In the Properties palette, click Edit Type. In the Type Properties dialog box, check that Color is set to Black and Cut Fill Pattern is set to Solid Fill. Click OK to close the Type Properties dialog box and then make sure the lines you sketched form a closed loop (no gaps or overlapping lines).
8. Click Finish Edit Mode on the Mode panel of the Modify | Create Filled Region Boundary tab.
9. Save the tag you just created as Custom Arrow.rfa on your hard drive or network, and you’re ready to use it in the template or a project. To load it into your project, click the Load Into Project button located in the Family Editor panel. Choose the project where you want to use the symbol and click OK.

Next, you’ll assign this tag to a section mark system family type in the context of a project or template.

CREATING A SECTION TYPE WITH A CUSTOM HEAD/TAIL GRAPHIC

To create a section type that uses the section head family you created earlier, you need to load the new section head into the template file (if you’ve already loaded the custom arrow family in the previous exercise, skip to step 3):

1. If the family isn’t already loaded, switch to the Insert tab, and on the Load From Library panel, choose Load Family.
2. In the Load Family dialog box, find the Custom Arrow.rfa section head you created previously, select it, and click Open.
3. Switch to the Manage tab and select Additional Settings ➢ Section Tags.
4. In the Type Properties dialog box, click Duplicate.
5. In the Name dialog box, name the new type Custom Filled Arrow, and click OK.

6. In the section head’s Type Properties dialog box, click the drop-down menu for Section Head and select Custom Arrow. For Section Tail, click <none>. This means the other end of the section line will not use a symbol. Click OK.

   The final step is to create a customized section view type, which will use the new section tag type you created in the previous step.

7. Switch to the View tab, and on the Create panel, select Section.
8. On the Properties palette, select the Edit Type button.
9. In the Type Properties dialog box, select Duplicate.
10. Name the new type Design Sections, and click OK.

You can now place a section in your drawing area and see the results shown in Figure 4.40. Note that in our sample the section is referencing a view that has already been placed on a sheet.

You can repeat the previous exercises using a callout tag family template instead of a section tag template to achieve results similar to those shown in Figure 4.41.

CREATING A CUSTOM ELEVATION TAG

Elevation tags are a bit different from section or callout tags because one tag can simultaneously reference up to four views. You must, therefore, create and nest various parts of a custom elevation tag into one family in order to create custom graphics. Here’s how it works:

1. Click the Application button, and select New ➢ Annotation Symbol.
2. In the New Annotation Symbol dialog box, select the family template called Elevation Mark Body.rft or Metric Elevation Mark Body.rft, and click Open.
3. Using steps similar to those in the section tag exercise, place the Sheet Number label and draw lines as shown in Figure 4.42.
4. Make sure the properties Keep Readable and Fixed Rotation are checked for the label.
5. Save the family as Custom Elev Head.rfa.
6. Click the Application menu and select New ➢ Annotation Symbol.
7. In the New Annotation Symbol dialog box, select the family template called Elevation Mark Pointer.rft or Metric Elevation Mark Pointer.rft and click Open.
8. Using methods similar to those in previous steps, place labels for the Detail Number and Reference Label parameters. Draw a diamond with lines and a small, triangular, filled region, as shown in Figure 4.43.
9. Again, remember to make sure the properties Keep Readable and Fixed Rotation are checked for the labels.
10. Save the family as Custom Elev Pointer.rfa and load it into the Custom Elev Head.rfa family.
11. Place four instances of the Custom Elev Pointer family around the intersection of the visible reference planes, as shown in Figure 4.44.

When this custom elevation tag family is loaded into a project and associated with an elevation type, it will function much like standard elevation symbols.

After the views are placed on a sheet, you get a preview of the completed elevation symbol, as shown in Figure 4.45.

TRANSFERRING PROJECT STANDARDS

You can easily share Revit families between project files by loading their RFA files; however, most other types of content must be transferred with the Transfer Project Standards command. Types of elements commonly transferred with this command include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Materials
• System family types (Walls, Floors, Roofs, Stairs, and so on)
• Text and dimension styles
• Filled regions
• Grid and level types
• Schedules
• Line styles and patterns
• Object style settings
• Viewport types

To use this command, you must first have both the source and target Revit files open within the same instance of the software. As an alternative, you can have the source file linked into your target file. Next, make the target file the active project. Switch to the Manage tab, and select Transfer Project Standards on the Settings panel. In the Select Items To Copy dialog box (Figure 4.49), choose as many item categories as you want to transfer, and then click OK.

If you choose an element category containing some of the same types that already exist in your current project, you will be prompted with the option to overwrite the existing types or import the new types only (New Only), as shown in Figure 4.50.

INSERTING VIEWS FROM A FILE

The Insert Views From File command is useful for sharing views between project files—especially if you use the additive method of template management we mentioned earlier. This command allows you to copy drafting views, renderings, or schedules from one project to another. It can also insert entire sheets with all attached drafting views and associated properties. This procedure is quite useful if you use Revit project files as containers for your standard or typical details. An entire sheet of details can be inserted with one command!

Switch to the Insert tab, and choose Insert From File ➢ Insert Views From File in the Import panel.

Browse to a Revit project file (with the filename extension .rvt), and you will then see the Insert Views dialog box (Figure 4.51). In the left pane, all eligible drafting views, sheets, and schedules will be listed. If necessary, use the Views drop-down list to filter the choices.

If one or more sheets are selected in the Insert Views dialog box, all eligible drafting views placed on those sheets will be inserted into the current project as well. Note that repeating this process will not update the drafting views in the project but instead will create new renamed drafting views and sheets. Also note that any custom view parameters are maintained during the transfer and can fit right into your customized Project Browser organizations, as we discussed earlier in this chapter.

INSERTING 2D ELEMENTS FROM A FILE

The Insert 2D Elements From File command is similar to the Insert Views From File command, but instead of inserting an entire view, it will transfer only the view-specific elements from the selected view to the active view in the current project. You can select only one view from the selected file. This command allows you the flexibility to insert various view-specific elements such as detail lines, filled regions, text, and color fill legends. These elements can be imported from any view—not just drafting views.

On the Insert tab, find the Import panel, choose Insert From File ➢ Insert 2D Elements From File, and then navigate to a project file. Choose one of the available drafting views in the Insert 2D Elements dialog box (Figure 4.52).

For consistency, be sure to select the Transfer View Scale option to convert the scale of the active drafting view to that of the view you are inserting. You can move the elements into position using the Move command, and after placing the 2D elements, be sure to click Finish in the Edit Pasted panel or double-click anywhere outside the elements to complete the command.