The Family has been Renamed

This warning message is probably familiar, troublesome and annoying.

I was reading a couple threads at RFO; THIS ONE and THAT ONE.

Apart from workset related issues I've written about before, I believe the underlying cause of renaming is that Revit perceives a family as different. That's not very surprising but I think that the actual difference is the result of different versions (2016 vs 2017) or having Save As used on the family (to put it in a different folder)...AND any operation that involves Copy/Paste, which includes the Insert from File tools.

When Load from Library > Load Family is used I only see it occur when worksets are being used (see the links at end of this post). The families merely having some different parameters (either instance or type) generates the dialog asking how we want to deal with the existing definition.

Using Revit 2017.1 and passing a family from one project to another I observed the following:

Family is renamed but no warning message:
If the family being introduced is an older version (upgraded) of one already in the model
If the family is same version but has had Save As used on it, i.e., to put it in a new folder location

Family is renamed and the warning appears:
If the family is an older version or Save As version AND Insert from File is used

Family is not renamed:
If the Family is copied from same library folder to a new folder
If the Family is from the same library folder
If the Family (existing) is reloaded from older version before using Copy/Paste or Insert from File.

The issue can be avoided if we are meticulous about using families from the same library and version. If we load office details from a detail library project file using Insert from File and the families (some or all) involved are based on older versions while newer versions are already present in the project we'll incur the renaming penalty.

The detail library should be updated, have the newer versions loaded first so they will be the same as those in the active project. If we need to keep the detail library in more than one version then we'll have to decide how to manage that and for how long. Merely upgrading the detail library model does not appear to be sufficient to avoid the issue.

I ought to mention that I can load a family and let it upgrade. Then if I use Copy/Paste to pass it along to another project file it does not get renamed unless the existing family in that project is based on a different version than the one I just upgraded. Upgrading a family does not seem to create the same problem that using Save As does for a family, at least not in the context of Revit treating it as a rogue family competing for the same name/existence in the project.

Regarding the workset issue I wrote three posts about previously, they describe how families can get renamed when worksets are being used and more than one person loads the same families and synchronizes their work in a specific way. The posts are:

FIRST post
SECOND post
THIRD post (references the first two as well)

Paste Aligned Won't Play Along

I recently encountered a situation where two Paste Aligned options did not work while the option for "Aligned to Same Place" did. In this situation I was moving elements from one building file to another because of a scope of work switcheroo.

Typical we can select elements in a linked file and then paste them into the host project. Ordinarily I can paste walls, for example, using "to Aligned to Selected Levels" or "Aligned to Current View". In this case the walls didn't seem to remember their level arrangement even though both models observe the same elevations and naming. Revit insisted on putting them on the level above or the level below.

I ran into the same disrespect using "Aligned to Current View". The only way I got what I wanted was using "Aligned to Same Place". I was in a hurry so I didn't back up and try to figure out what might be contributing to the issue. I've never had a problem using the other options with elements that were already part of the same host file, you know just pasting elements to other levels to copy them upward or downward. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that these elements were coming from the linked file?

Something to consider the next time you are copying and pasting elements from one file to another.

Bug - Structural Columns - Paste Aligned

When you work with Structural columns you have the option to define them according to their Height or Depth relative to the level you are working on. This is in response to the fact that Revit used to only place them according to Depth and that was frustrating for most users. Having the choice is good!

When you want to propagate a Level's columns to another Level or Levels by using the Copy to Clipboard followed by a Paste Aligned - Select Levels by Name technique...you don't get a choice. Revit's code places the new columns using Depth regardless of the fact that you placed the originals using Height.

If you aren't careful you'll likely end up with a warning like this one.

Now the programmer will take issue with the "bug" designation because it works as written. True or not...it doesn't work the way I'd expect it to work.

The solution? When you use Paste Aligned, remember that the Level you are pasting from and the one above it should not be selected because the next set of columns above will be starting at a level and using a Depth placement logic instead of Height. Here's an image of the Paste Aligned Result when I select Level 3 for destination even though I selected the columns on Level 1 as the originals.
It is interesting that skipping Level 2 in the selection process produces a column whose Instance parameters end up "correct" though.

Unfortunately this image is from 2010 and that means it isn't "fixed" yet...and yes this is an "oldy" but not "goody".

Quick Tips - Cut/Copy/Paste - Paste Aligned

It is never a bad idea to remember to basics like these:

Windows Standard Shortcuts
Copy to Clipboard = CTRL + C
Cut to Clipboard = CTRL + X
Paste From Clipboard = CTRL + V

Paste Aligned
Think "Paste Special" in Excel if that helps...special paste options.
a) Edit Menu > Paste Aligned > Current View
b) Edit Menu > Paste Aligned > Same Place
c) Edit Menu > Paste Aligned > Pick Level Graphics
d) Edit Menu > Paste Aligned > Select Level by Name...
e) Edit Menu > Paste Aligned > Select Views by Name...

Explanations for each:
a) Current View will paste model or annotation elements into this view assuming you copied elements from some other view (or the same view technically).

b) Same Place will paste something back in exactly the same location. For example you want to move something from one design option to another. Cut to Clipboard while editing the one option and Paste Aligned > Same Place while editing the other option.

c) Pick Level Graphics will let you select one level to paste model elements on. For example select columns on Level 1 and use this option to select Level 2 or 3 or 4.

d) Select Level by Name will do the same as above (with Model Elements) but will let you choose multiple Levels from a dialog (Morerer fasterer)

e) Select Views by Name will let you paste 2D/Annotation Elements from one view into multiple other views by selecting from a dialog.

Thanks to Behzad from Kelar for the inspiration for this post and his quick tip about the using zero (0) with Paste...which is...

Let's say you need to alter a floor slab to indicate where one pour will end and another will start. You have one overall slab that needs to be two pieces. Bezad's example was focused on different phases. Edit the existing slab. While in sketch mode select the sketch segments you want in the "other" pour and Copy to Clipboard. Alter the sketch so the existing slab now represents the first "pour".

Now create a new slab and use Paste to place the sketch that you Copied to Clipboard earlier. When Revit displays temporary dimensions, you can enter zero (0) to "tell" Revit to paste at the original coordinates of the elements that you copied to clipboard. The sketch lands on top of the original slab location which can now be altered for the extents of the second "pour". Equal result as using Edit Menu > Paste Aligned > Same Place but you didn't have to go all the way up to the Edit menu.