We can do this now with a Legend View. Hold on, don't get excited...face based based symbols don't work very well in legends because they won't orient to the view correctly and you can't rotate the symbol into the correct orientation. Legend views do not support "rotate view on sheet" either so scratch Legends as a viable approach.
I imagine using "real" symbols of these components at first and then later worrying about placing the "real" element in the model. These real symbols would be complimented with annotation symbols that depict the inner workings of switch gear and fuses for example as well other such detail as needed. Then good old detail lines round out the feature. This way the symbols are not disconnected from the real elements and if they change in either location they will update the model. This makes perfect sense in my head...I'm just not sure it is coming out here...
Now that I've babbled about that here's another thought I've been tossing around for the interim. I can create interior elevation views of electrical equipment rooms. These views can be stripped down to just show the electrical stuff. They can be arranged on a sheet with a basic no frills view title. Once all the required equipment is visible on the sheet detail lines can interconnect all the various equipment "close enough"..."eyeball"... so that when the sheet is printed it looks convincing.
We can eliminate the elevation symbols from cluttering real project views by placing them in a floor plan view that uses a ridiculous scale like 6"=1'-0" since it would never fit on a sheet. The elevation symbol will use the "Hide at scales coarser than" parameter and not show up at any scale coarser than the "nutty" scale I used. Here's an over simplication of the concept...
To compliment this basic layout using the actual model we could create drafting views of the internal workings of fuses and breaker assignments etc, place them on the sheet near by and use detail lines to sketch a "balloon" and leader back to the riser diagram to indicate where the enlarged diagram is referring to. Like this technically incorrect oversimplification.
If needed a 3D view can supplement the diagram but you can't tag the elements in this view (madness!) so text would have to be coordinated against the tags used in the other view(s).
2 comments:
Steve, as always, another great post. On Friday, I was helping a friend model his house in Revit so he could number each window for his hurricane shutters. It's a big house with 49 windows and 12 doors.
After doing a rendering, he asked me if we could put the plan view door and window tags on the 3d views and renderings. After a brief pause, I can up with the idea of putting Model Text on each window which would show up as tags. Sure it's an extra step, but it got the job done.
So here I am reading your post about the same type of issue.
I opened up a Revit MEP file, added a reference plane to a wall and attached the model text to a few pieces. It works.
Here's a link to take a look at it. Is this the answer to your problem as well?
www.bimwit.com/files/images/isometric_model_text.jpg
Sample isometric with model text
PS. You still owe me a phone call.
Gregory
I've seen people put model text on panels to replicate the signage you typically see attached above an electrical panel door for identification.
For the purpose of my example the 2D text in a view would do the job the same way model text would except that the model text would be visible in any 3D view.
If it was part of the panel family then a parameter could drive the value that appeared in the tag too. Still extra work to do something that most people expect to be able to do, tag an element in a 3D view, but still can't do.
Phone call...why yes I do!
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