Dept. of Wishes - Center Options Bar Options

I've often thought about this but don't recall complaining about it before. I "wish" that the options offered on the Options Bar were closer to the work at hand. Perhaps "center" all the options being offered by default, at least? Here's the Option for "Copy" when using the Mirror tool. It's soooo faaaar awaaaay from the work at hand. With the mirror tool I can use the CTRL key to toggle it on (if off) and off (if on). Still, if the options themselves were closer to the "action" that would be nice, no?

Moving a Viewport Error - Disjoin

The Move tool offers us an option called Disjoin. When it is used Revit deletes the original and creates a new element at the new location. That isn't obvious to us but if you examine the GUID (ID's of Selection) you'll find it has a new GUID after the Move is complete.

The option is sticky, we have to remember to disable it when we use the Move tool again. When we are working on sheets and adjusting views we now have an opportunity to run into a confusing error message.

If you run into this or people you support do, just remember to Disable da Disjoin.

Per a comment: My previous post on re Disjoin.

Options Bar - Common Overlooked Options

The Options Bar is a part of the Revit user interface that is important but easily overlooked too. You can read through these selected examples but the moral of my story is "pay attention to the Options Bar".

Also keep in mind that, in general, it is possible to take advantage of the SHIFT and/or CTRL keys to interact with different Options. For example, when the Copy option is present, holding down CTRL will toggle Copy off. When using the Move or Copy tool holding SHIFT down will toggle on the Constrain option to limit motion to X or Y directions only.

For example, using the Mirror Tool the default option is to create a copy of the selected elements as well as mirroring them so the originals stay in place. Do you want Mirror/move instead? Uncheck Copy (or press/hold CTRL).

A similar option exists for the Offset tool.

Using the Move tool people routinely overlook the Multiple option. It makes it easy to continue copying the element(s) to more locations. Press hold SHIFT and Constrain is toggled on.

A similar option exists for the Align Tool. Press/hold CTRL and it toggles on Multiple Alignment.

Using the Rotate tool? It is also possible to copy the selected element during the rotation...just check the Options Bar.

When people use the Array tool they often also create the parametric relationship between the array elements, which is cool but often not necessary. Uncheck the Group and Associate option first.

Using the Split tool we often overlook the Delete Inner Segment option. Using the option makes it easier to split/trim walls to other walls.

When we place columns it is easy to overlook the option that determines whether the column is placed based on Depth or Height. That's a common cause for columns that don't show up when we place them and the annoying error message telling us we can't see them.

Using the Roof tool we can decide whether each sketch segment should be sloped or not, just remember to un-check the Defines Slope option.

Using the Room tool it is easy to forget that we can choose to place any rooms that have not been placed already...from the Options Bar naturally.

When applying dimensions don't forget that we can decide which part of walls Revit should prefer to make it easier to place them.

Have a favorite forgotten option?

Options Bar and the Mouse Wheel Zooming

In past releases we needed to be careful about using the mouse wheel button to zoom in and out after entering a value on the options bar, in particular with Revit MEP users. When we selected a duct or pipe and set the dimensions on the Options Bar and then rolled the wheel on the mouse the dimension values changed instead of zooming in or out in the view.

I am happy to report that I’ve observed this is fixed in 2014. When entering an offset value for walls though the Options Bar still keeps the focus so it is necessary to use the "pan with the mouse in the view" trick to return the focus to the drawing window.

Dept. of Subtle - Copy Option Checked or Unchecked

A post at AUGI by Aaron Rumple reminded me of a very subtle feature using the CTRL key. I stumbled into this using the Offset tool in Revit 2009.

Here's the scenario, imagine you are using the Offset tool to create a copy of a wall offset by four feet. The Copy option that appears on the Options bar is checked by default. That's great, but what if you wanted to use the Offset tool to move the wall not create a copy. You have to un-check Copy to get the Move instead. If you press the CTRL key prior to selecting the wall to offset the check mark is cleared in the Copy Option.

The AUGI post discusses this technique in conjunction with the Mirror Tool. Like with Offset the default setting for Mirror has Copy checked, assuming you want to create a mirror/copy, not a mirror/move.

As you probably already know, you can create a copy of an element by selecting it, pressing and holding CTRL and then dragging the selected element to a new location. When you press CTRL with Offset, Mirror, Copy and Move the Copy option becomes un-checked or checked in the case of Move.

I've never found any mention of this in the help file in the past. I just scanned through the 2010 documentation for any mention of it (using CTRL as a criteria) to see if they've added it but didn't find anything now either. A far as I can tell it's undocumented. Thanks to Aaron for the reminder!

A video might help?

Dept. of Reviteristics - Revit MEP - That Pesky Options Bar

When you enter a duct size or offset (elevation) on the Options Bar you may have been bitten by the "old scroll wheel automatico-resizer-syndrome"?? Ouch...you picked a 12" high duct and suddenly you find your height is 48" just because you moved your mouse back over the drawing window and used that middle button/scroll wheel to zoom in or out.


Trouble is the "focus" of Revit is still in that field on the Options Bar. The TAB key, doesn't help. Pressing Enter doesn't help... Nothing seems to...

Well here's what I do, I click on one of the Scroll Bar's buttons to move the focus back into the drawing window. This allows me to move the focus back into the Drawing Window without actually clicking in the Drawing Window, which would place a first point instead of letting me zoom in/out.



Edit: Comment by "Mr. Jackson" suggests his technique: Use the middle button to "pan" for a second. I think is a better solution too!

Dept. of Subtle - Options Bar and Tab Key

Hi again, another video attempt at a post.

We need to pay close attention to the "focus" of Revit when we enter a value on the Options Bar. In the video example I show a roof in the sketch process and I want to use the Offset parameter to create the roof edge 2'-0" from the exterior wall. When I enter the value and then try to use the Tab key to "Select the Chain of Walls or Lines" Revit doesn't acknowledge the walls. It just moves the "focus" between the Offset parameter and the Extend to Wall Core options. When I click in the Drawing Window the focus moves away from the Options Bar and the TAB key feature will work.

This is just a subtle thing that can be frustrating if you don't notice what it happening on the Options Bar. I hope the video helps too!

Fillet This! - The Options Bar

In the "if t'were a snake itta bit ya" category the Options Bar appears often. The question asked, "Can I copy something multiple times?"...the answer, "the Options Bar".
Another, "Can I copy something when I rotate it?"...the answer...you get the idea.
The subject of this post is, "Where is the fillet command?" The answer..."the Options Bar, sort of". Trouble is that most everyone seems to think that the fillet command is an editing task. All those years in other software told em so!

Along comes Revit and they seem to view it as a creation tool. A fillet is creating a third element, a line or wall arc where nothing was before except two lines or walls meeting at a corner or maybe not even meeting. With this in mind the process to fillet between two walls or lines is a creation event and the command is hiding within the commands for both, wall or lines.

When you are sketching a wall/line you have to take a closer look at the options bar because there is a little innocent check box next to Fillet and a place to enter a radius value. Check it, enter a value and when you sketch you'll get an arc between the segments you draw. Like this box:


Now what if you have a box already and you really meant to have radius corners? Start the wall/line command again and this time take another look at the Options Bar. Click the little pull down arrow next to the sketch tools and look at the list offered. Choose the Fillet Arc option.


Now you can select the two walls/lines you want to fillet between and graphically decide where the arc should land or specify a radius on the Options Bar first.
When in doubt, take a good look at the Options Bar!

Options Bar Data Entry

When I use the Offset tool I find that I must take care when I enter a specific ofset value if I want to use the Tab key to select "A chain of Walls or Lines". I get similar result when I use the Pick Lines option while drawing walls or lines.

The issue seems to be one of focus, Window's focus. That is what programmers refer to when a text box or similar control has the applications attention. When the offset value text box on the options bar has focus, Windows thinks the Tab key should be advancing to another control on the interface. In this case it advances to the Numerical radio button. I have to click in empty space in the drawing window to get the Tab key to do what I want. This put the focus back in the drawing window and Revit gets to define what the Tab key will do.

So watch out for this in your workflow.