Which Phase Filter?

There are several phase filters that stock templates come with. Sometimes people aren't certain which ones to use or why they exist. There are three options that affect how elements are influenced by Phase Filters: By Category, Overridden and Not Displayed.

By Category - Project Object Styles and/or view's Visibility/Graphics Overrides govern.
Overridden - Revit will change the appearance of elements based on the Phase Graphics Overrides settings (see next image). Note that a Filter (View not Phase) applied to a view can still influence an element affected by a Phase Filter.
Not Displayed - Yes, this means elements are not displayed in the view.

What does it take for Revit to regard an element as being New, Existing, Demolished or Temporary? It varies according to the Phase of the view we see it in and which Phase Created and Phase Demolished parameters values are assigned to it. The following conditions define which Phase Status an element belongs to in a given view. For the following images assume this view is assigned to Phase New Construction and that we are looking at the Phasing parameters of four different walls.

New - Element's Phase Created parameter is assigned to the phase of this view and the Phase Demolished parameter is set to None.

Existing - Element's Phase Created parameter is assigned to an earlier phase than the phase of this view and the Phase Demolished parameter is set to None.

Demolished - Element's Phase Created parameter is assigned to an earlier phase than the phase of this view AND its Phase Demolished parameter is assigned to the same Phase as this view.

Temporary - Element's Phase Created parameter is the same phase as this view AND its Phase Demolished parameter is also assigned to the same phase as this view.

Any given element can belong to one of these four Phase Status in any given view according to the Phase parameter of that view AND its own Phase Created and Phased Demolished parameter settings. Phase graphics depend entirely on creating views for each appropriate phase and creating elements so they are assigned to the correct phase and then altered so their Phase Demolished parameters are assigned as required, if required.

Getting to the title of this post finally, each view has a Phase Filter parameter. What follows is my take on why I'd use each of the stock Phase Filters.

None - It's not a Phase Filter in the dialog, it's a choice in the list of Phase Filters within a view's properties. We use this when we don't want any Phase settings to affect the elements in the view. Everything is displayed according to either Object Styles or Visibility/Graphics Overrides.

Show All = This filter can't be altered or deleted. It means show us everything WITH Phase graphic alterations applied. NEW elements are governed by Object Styles (or possibly Visibility Graphics overrides) AND it overrides Existing, Demolished and Temporary elements. Use this filter to help see everything mixed together AND altered so each Phase Status is obvious. It is NOT a typical way of producing traditional documents but it CAN help explain relationships very well.

Show Completed = We're done! We don't want to see any graphical bias toward new or existing work, they should look the same. We don't want to see any demolished or temporary elements. We want to use this to show the finished design after construction is done. We could think of it as a view of "As Built" conditions if the model is kept current through construction.

Show Previous and New = We want to show new construction information in context against existing features but without Demolished or Temporary elements. This is ideal for New Construction views.

Show Previous and Demo = This is the filter to use for typical demolition documentation, existing features altered to show where demolition occurs. New work and Temporary work are not shown.

Show New Only = This is useful when we want to give a hint of future work. We can isolate and override graphics in a view to prepare a view for overlaying over another view on a sheet. When we overlay this on top of a new construction plan we'll see how they relate to each other despite the fact that Revit has no "future" phase.

Don't be fazed by phasing!

The Freshman

Lately I've been using the stages of development that schools use, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior to discuss the various levels of knowledge required of users to be successful making content for Revit.

For example a Freshman can work productively all day long if the things they need exist in the project template or are available in the content libraries. As soon as something doesn't exist they need to graduate into another level or ask someone who is at a higher level for help. Which level that is will depend on how hard it is to make what they need.

A firm can be quite successful with a majority of Freshman if they have one Senior. They can even be successful without a Senior for quite some time if they sought help to establish a solid library and well defined template(s), assuming the stock content isn't enough or completely acceptable.

Here are some reasonable expectations for each level of development.

Freshman
This person will routinely place, find, load and when needed, modify existing content to create additional types using existing parameters. They can add information to a family so schedules report the information they need. They will come calling when they need something they can’t find or if a parameter they need doesn't exist in a family.

Sophomore
This level requires the ability to create annotation and symbol content to support a firm’s documentation standards. This is either done based on existing content or from scratch. Additionally they should be able to make basic content that is made from scratch and may not require parametric flexibility. This can be done as 2d/3d objects at the simplest level of graphic representation or at least enough to create a placeholder until a more sophisticated element is prepared. They should also be able to modify existing content to include basic features that do not exist, such as additional information needed for scheduling. This also assumes that the geometry is already present but just needs slight modification.

Junior
This person is capable of planning for the behavior of flexible content and creating new content using templates. These families are parametric in at least a couple dimensions to provide modest flexibility and control, for example common windows, doors, furniture and casework. They also understand how to provide additional parameters to make scheduling and tagging content more effective. They understand how to take advantage of visibility controls to manage documentation and graphic quality.

Senior
This person completely understands how to model difficult geometry and effectively assemble complex content. They are able to discern the best strategy to deliver graphical quality as well as information for scheduling. They know how to get the information from staff that they will need to provide content with the least amount of rework. They can also mentor or guide the other staff as they become more accomplished and try to advance to higher levels.

Disclaimer Section
This isn't a "one size fits all" observation but in general I find it to "fit" in most of the places I've been. People and their personalities certainly factor in. The Senior isn't always the most patient person or the most capable at communicating to others. In some cases they may resist sharing their knowledge for a variety of reasons.

What is the secret to becoming a Senior? Work...make families, do the tutorials, read/ask questions at AUGI/Revit City/Autodesk NG's/blogs and get training either by hiring a consultant, attending a reseller's class and/or attend Autodesk University. One or more of these can fit your budget.

Last, this can apply to Revit overall too, a freshman can be quite productive when they know how to do the basic things they need to do. Revit is pretty simple when you tackle one feature at a time. It can be a bit daunting when you try to wrap your arms around it all at one time.

Here's to becoming a Senior!