Revit Viewer and Worksharing

Reading a thread at Autodesk's Revit Community forum David reminded me of the quirky issues related to the Viewer when worksharing is being used. If someone launches Revit Viewer and then tries to open a project that has enabled worksets they'll get this warning.

When the file is opened and they try to print, export or save they'll get this warning even though they haven't DONE anything...but Revit has made changes to the file in order to create a new local file.

Okay, let's follow the instructions in the first warning message. We'll open the project using Detach from Central. Sorry, "Do not pass Go, do not collect $200". That process also changes the file. Still no export, save or print for you!

The ONLY way we can use Revit Viewer to open a project with Worksets enabled is to open the Central File itself, by un-checking the option to Create New Local. This means that user is now working on the real central file with Revit Viewer.

If you do this you will likely encounter several of the messages shown in the first image. The projects I've done this with all have linked files and it seems to pop up for each link (RVT) used and once more if there are any linked/imported DWG files.

To the good, they won't be able to synchronize their work nor will it prompt them to Save when they close the file. They won't be able to edit much of anything though because they can't borrow elements. The notion of using Revit Viewer to poke around the model, do some experimental stuff within the model is off limits to Viewer mode. We are able to print or publish to DWF, because those formats don't create an editable version of the data/model.

It seems to me that the notion of Revit Viewer for workset projects is fundamentally flawed, if we're thinking of it as a way for Project Managers to poke around, do anything other than JUST LOOK at views. If we'd like them to be able to cut a section view or hide things, do anything that requires temporarily borrowing something, that's all off limits to the Viewer.

For that we'll have to show them how to use Detach from Central AND to be careful not to save that file overwriting the original project.

Including a Sheet File Name and Path

Ever since we started using computers to generate architectural and engineering drawings we've been inclined to provide a place on a title block to help people find the file. Sometimes it is just the file name and other times it is necessary to have both the file name and path to the folder it is in.

The path is useful to the team working on the files but if those files are passed along to someone else it may be meaningless to them, or confusing at the very least. The file name is useful to anyone who happens to be looking at the drawings as long as they are in a position to access the digital version of the file too.

In a Revit model, which usually contains all the sheets for a project, the file name doesn't have the same usefulness when compared to a file based system like AutoCAD. That's true unless you are printing multiple layouts from a single DWG file, then it's not all that different than Revit. When someone is looking at a printed sheet and sees the file name and path it doesn't help them find the digital version, like a PDF file for Sheet A100 for example, because the file name is the Revit model, not the resulting PDF export.

As such Revit misses the mark in helping us carrying on that tradition. Since there are a number of ways our sheets can end up as individual files it is hard for Revit to anticipate or provide a suitable way to plug in a unique value until the data is exported outside of Revit. I'm sure there are some things that they could do to help us with this but it hasn't happened yet.

Revit's API could be used to capture the sheet information and store a contrived file name in a parameter for each sheet. When we print or export we might end up with the correct file names matching the resulting files or bearing a slight difference. I don't recall an existing application that deals with this specifically but one might exist, like Xrev Tools for example.

If we forget limitations within Revit for the moment, since the output format of a set of documents is where the appropriate file data is really needed it might make sense to consider focusing on how we handle the output files instead, at least for now. For example, the company Bluebeam offers software to process, review, and markup PDF documents. It includes the ability to add custom headers and footers, which can be the file name (among other things). It can also Batch Process files to include the file name. The file path is another available choice to put in a header or footer so we can combine them if we want to include both.

If it is necessary to provide the specific file name (and path) for exports to DWG it is probably best to add it those files after exporting, this way they'll point to an actual file instead of the Revit project file. Again some customization could add the necessary fields pretty effectively.

It seems like post processing this information is probably as effective as trying to come up with a way to deal with it internally in Revit.

Project Browser Interferes with Plotting and Exporting

I'm having a deja vu moment. I feel certain I've written about this before but can't find a post. I even feel like I've recorded a video of it...but again, don't find one. I've been at this too long I think. I've definitely talked about it in class and during support sessions many times, tonight too...which is why I was looking for the post, to echo it. Okay, moving on.

Have you encountered this when you try to print?

Or this when you try to export, the options for file format are disabled?

You've got the Project Browser selected.

You need to change the "focus" of Revit back to the drawing area. They are both "windows" as far as the software is concerned. If the Project Browser is selected then Revit thinks you want to print the Project Browser (or export from it) instead. Just click in the drawing area before you start to print or export.

Subtle...

Line Weights - Plotting and Scales

Regarding the Line weight Settings in Revit, this was provided to "Archman" (member username), a member of AUGI, in July of 2006 at AUGI by Autodesk support and David Conant confirmed its accuracy.

The question had to do with the logic of defining line weights and the various scales present in the Lineweights dialog. Specifically, "What line weight(s) does Revit use when you use a scale that isn't defined there?"

Autodesk Support wrote:
In this case the line weights will be assigned to the last lineweight before it until the lineweight can be rounded to the next one. For example: between 1/16" = 1' and 1/32" = 1'. If you only have these two weights defined at scale and none of the increments inbetween then 1" -20' and 3/64"= 1' will default to the 1/16= 1' setting while 1" = 30' feet will round up to 1/32" =1' . Any of the line weights after the last defined scale will default to the last defined scale.

To add to this, when a scale is not defined, and a view is plotted that uses it, and it falls in between two that are, Revit will use the next largest scale.

To summarize, it uses the closest or larger scale depending on the proximity to the defined scales and it uses the corresponding lineweight settings.