Phases are Deleted - Electrical Issue - Cancel placing a wire

A client shared this issue with me a couple of weeks ago and Autodesk has acknowledged it as a bug. If you've already installed 2018.1 it has been patched, so the scary bit that follows has been dealt with.

The issue: Place the first node of a wire and then cancel (press ESC key for example) before placing the second node. Afterward, people find that their project's Phases are no longer available. In other words, the phases are not listed in the Phasing dialog box nor in the Phase parameter for elements, when examining the Properties palette. Also, the buttons that allow us to create new phases are disabled in the Phases dialog.

Bad bug! Fixed in version 2018.1.

Deleting All Levels

I have been telling people for years that Revit needs at least one level to function. As proof, if you only have one level you'll find that Revit won't let you delete it, the last one. The Delete button is disabled and it ignores you if you tap the Delete key.

I find it disturbing and interesting that it IS possible to delete all the levels as long as you select all of them and delete them together, at the same time. No complaint from Revit at all.

That seems like more like a bug than a feature to me. It works this way as far back as v2013, as far back as I've tested it.

What if you've done that, deleted all of them? You'll probably be a bit disappointed at the condition of what was your model...but just open an elevation view and create a new level(s).

Revit 2015 Update Release 8 and New Project

When I click New under the Projects (or Family) list on the Recent Files page Revit is opening a new strange page instead of opening the New Project dialog.

That's a bit ridiculous...

If I rely on the Application Menu > New (Project/Family) the normal dialog appears. So for now avoid relying on the Recent Files page...

Restore All Excluded Intermittent Ribbon Button

This is an odd one, seeing it in 2014, 2015 and 2016...

Three of these four instances of a quad workstation Group have had Elements Excluded. The group has both possible seating positions included for each workstation and I can just exclude the one I don't need. When I select one group I get the Restore All Excluded button on the ribbon.

When I select two groups I don't get the Restore All Excluded button on the ribbon...sometimes. It's not there in this image but several times it did show up.

When I select three groups I get the Restore All Excluded button on the ribbon...again sometimes.

If it's any consolation, the right-click Restore All Excluded works everytime.

Here's a video...

Web Update 7 Killed Grid Level and Ref Plane Alignment

I was wrong, the update is innocent, sorry. The culprit is Snap to Remote Objects which was off.

Uh oh, I installed the recent Web Update 7 and now grids, levels and reference planes don't see each other like they used to. Existing grids and levels work normally. It seems to affect new elements when you attempt to place them in alignment with others. For example, try to sketch new parallel grids. Normally we see a green dashed graphic that indicates alignment with an adjacent grid end. I don't see this anymore. I also don't get the locked relationship between grids. Same for new levels.

If you copy them they'll recognize their alignment and behave normally unless you unlock that and alter them individually. Then they'll forget they can see (should see) each other. We can get around it, with grids for example, until they patch it by sketching a reference plane across the grid ends and dragging them so they touch the reference plane. The grids will start to behave normally as long as we don't separate them again.

Well at least a couple replies suggest I'm crazy but here's what's happening to me.

Creating Elevation Views and Finish Floors

If you use the finish floor approach to create individual floors for rooms they manage to confuse the Elevation tool. If you create an elevation view inside a room you will likely find that the view's crop boundary is very short.

These are two interior elevations I made. The crop region for the one on the left is good but it's floor is flush with the sub-floor (and level). The crop region for the view on the right is bad, too short because the finish floor is set so that it sits on top of the sub-floor. Quirky quirky.

Raff, a member at RFO, started a thread the other day and it reminded me that I'd created the video below, embedded here.

The video is based on Revit 2015 R2 and Update Release 5 installed.

Ugh Schedule Bug Revit 2014 and 2015 and Hotfix

Reading through a thread at RFO this morning brought some unpleasantness to my attention. The usual suspects there have been working with Autodesk to identify the issue and then a reply mentions that Autodesk is working on a Hotfix for both 2014 and 2015 to reconcile it.

Short story: Multi-Category schedules that are intended to include elements in linked files may not be report everything or anything correctly.

Link to a Hotfix (right-click Save As)
Link to READme

Thanks to the RFO gang for the heads up!

Revit 2014 User Interface is Forgetful

I didn't notice this when 2014 was first released but since the last two web updates Revit seems to be forgetful about the Project Browser and Properties Palette status. I find that I can work for awhile, close Revit and return to find the palette and browser aren't open. When I examine their settings via View ribbon > User Interface the check marks indicate that Revit "thinks" they are open but they aren't "there". If I "close" them by un-checking and then check them again they come back.

I do find it is less forgetful if I allow the Recent Files list to open. There is an option to disable it in the Options Dialog (User Interface section), "Enable Recent files page at startup". If I disable it however I find that the palette and browser linger on screen when I close projects and families which gives the appearance that the project is still open because it will still display information that is part of the last project.

I've visited a few clients suffering with this and have heard from friends as well. It seems related to the new dockable browser API and it's messing with a couple external applications too apparently. If you are encountering this, you aren't alone. Hopefully they'll sort it out and issue another web update or perhaps a Hotfix to sort it out sooner than later.

Conduit Connector Gone Rogue

I created a conduit connector "disc" that let's me attach conduit to any surface. I place the connector and then add conduit, easy. It's based on the other connector families that Revit provides in the library, these:

When I loaded the connector into a project and select it I find a bizarre value offered. I get the same value no matter what size I enter. This image is after trying 3/4", 1", 1.5" and finally 2".

I tried creating the parameter as a Common/Length as well as Electrical/Conduit Size. Doesn't matter...same bizarre result. The connector's size changes when I change the parameter in the Family Types dialog so it works. You can't enter value on screen. Fwiw, it happens to pipe connectors too. I added a pipe connector to a transformer (I know it's probably a bad idea to put water in a transformer, unless it is water cooled?)

Weird, just weird...looks like a bug that needs some squashing!!

Tag Slope of a Ramp

We can apply the Spot Slope annotation to a ramp but it isn't very useful because, while Revit does acknowledge the ramp element, when you attempt to tag it you see [no slope] (image using 2014).

Alfredo replied to my previous post with a tip in his comment:

If you first place the spot slope tool on a floor and then move the slope annotation to a ramp, it works!

In this image I've dragged a slope annotation from a floor element over to a ramp element and it recognizes the ramp's slope!

Definitely quirky and subtle but at least it is possible after all. A word of caution, it will probably be necessary to check the slope value before printing, for example if Revit regenerates information because the ramp is altered. The tag could could start to report [no slope] again. Fwiw, in my casual testing so far it hasn't broken the slope value even after altering a ramp's parameters. Your mileage may vary...

Primary Primary Oddity

This is curious eh? A primary primary design option! Definitely weird...

Dept. of Bugs - Intous 4 Pen Tablet and 2012

I've been experiencing a quirky issue with the Type Selector in Revit 2011 and 2012 since I started using the Wacom Intous 4. If I use the pen the Type Selector will not expand to show me the list. If I use the mouse they provide it works fine. Read a post at RevitForum this morning that also mentions this.

It also mentions a bug I observed regarding the materials dialog in 2012. If I open the materials dialog and then click on the Appearance tab, followed by clicking on any part of the dialog, as if I were going to change a setting...Revit will crash when I click OK to close the dialog. I'm taking the hint to just leave materials alone! Hopefully with some reports to Autodesk it will get sorted out between Wacom's driver and their material .dlls.

Dept. of Bugs - Revit Framing Does Not Play Nice

Avan Amalsad wrote to me today asking me if I could corroborate her observations and those of one of her clients, she works with Microdesk and specializes in Revit Structure. She was asking about that version but I had Revit Architecture open. The two applications share these features so if it happens in RST I expected it to happen in RAC, it did! Okay okay...what is it?

If you have a grid, column and framing layout and adjust the position of a grid by a value of around six inches or less (150mm) you'll find that the framing doesn't follow the grid.

If you change the spacing by a value greater than six inches (150mm) then it seems to wake up and follow the grid. If you keep changing it by small increments the framing may not wake up until you've move it enough that it does again. Odd foible. Avan's client says that they saw a larger increment of failure back in Revit 2009 so it is better now. I guess we have to define better loosely? I recorded a little video to demonstrate it to make it easier to see.

Dept. of Bugs - Revit MEP Conduit Bend Radius Uh Oh

Trying to clean up some conduit yesterday I ran into an unpleasant repeatable bug/issue/feature. In my situation I have three  vertical and horizontal conduits that have a sweep joining them, nothing special. They are using the stock conduit Family and Type: Conduit without Fittings: Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit (RNC Sch 40). If I attempt to edit the bend radius parameter in the Properties Palette, no worries. I just get this error message.

If I dare to use the Options Bar field or the Temporary Dimension that appears when the conduit sweep is selected, ouch!

[Inserted 12/30/10 - 12:00 PM] After receiving a couple messages about this, I should clarify that I'm not concerned about being able to supply a smaller radius than appropriate. I'm concerned that entering a "bad" value in the Options Bar or Temporary Dimension is generating a crash. Can't prevent someone from ever putting a bad value into those fields so a crash from the occasional mistake is still a crash.

Watch a VIDEO or video. You can listen and watch below:

As I've been mulling this over, it occurs to me that it might be related to the issue I've been having with Unresolved References and the dialog that appears but fails to finish displaying before hanging Revit out to dry. Since this dialog does the same thing it may be tied to whatever is causing that too, yuck!

Dept. of Bugs - Sloping Pad Defect gets Ornery

I wrote about THIS back in August of 2009. The sliver left behind in the image below could be eliminated by taking the advice in that post. Unfortunately 2011 eliminates that technique from the ranks of viable alternatives, per Jean-Frederic Monod's comment on the earlier post.

Possible workaround? Use a pad to drop the site toposurface to the lowest elevation and then use a floor to create the sloped and flat "pads" instead??

Dept. of Bugs - Closing a Schedule Before Updating a Field

Ran into this one today. Here's the scenario:

View List - Using it to update View Names - Edit the View Name field but before advancing from the field when you are done close the view instead. Hoping that it would fill in the value and let me get back to the plan. The expected message about renaming levels and views appears.

Then the unexpected SaveAs or Exit Dialog of Death.

On further experimentation I see that changing the Type Comments value in a door schedule will cause the same result.

The "quick fix" is DON'T CLOSE a schedule until you have committed the edit to the schedule by moving the cursor to another field and responding to the error message that appears. This is in the same vein as "Doc, it hurts when I do this!". Doc says, "Well don't do THAT!".

I suspect that the issue is related to the User Response dialog's that appear. It seems that Revit doesn't like trying to commit the change to the element while the schedule view window is attempting to close. It also happens in each version of Revit.

Here's a quick video to see it in action.

Dept. of Bugs - Entering Data in Schedules

The new subscription advantage pack unfortunately brought with it a bit of pain for those entering data into schedules. When you advanced from one field to another using the Up/Dn arrow keys or the Enter key Revit no longer assumes you will overwrite the value in the cell. You have to click in the field with your cursor, press the Home key or press the End key to get the cell to "wake up" and allow you to enter values. This is an unwelcome development that hopefully won't have to wait too long for a fix. Here's a video to demo what I'm referring to.

You can listen and watch here too.