By Dennis Collin
Revit can generate panel schedules for branch panels, data panels and switchboxes. This schedule will display information about the panel, the circuits connected to the panel, and their corresponding loads. A panel schedule has 4 parts, a header, a circuit table, a loads summary, and a footer. It is good practice to define all these settings within a project template file. A Panel Template is not a file, but rather a group of settings like a View Template, these reside in a Revit Project template or RTE file.
To fine tune the settings for a panel template go to the Panel Schedule Templates dialogue.
Typically, in the UK the one column arrangement is used which follows the BS7671 standard.
Upon selection, an Excel style Preview Window appears where values like Company Name and logo can be set.
To set the company logo click in the appropriate field and choose Insert Graphic. Any standard image formats are acceptable (PNG, JPG etc.) It is also likely the company name would be set here too. This will mean that any future panel schedules would have a standard format and look.
If desired other rows and columns can be added and linked to additional parameters. But the listed template is based on the British Standard so apart from some minor customisation, the schedule format should be adequate for most project’s needs.
Other tasks for the template, would include Sheet Creation, browser organisation, validation of component and system families, annotations etc. But once set it makes creating models according to company standards much easier and faster.
Once a panel has been added to a circuit, a panel schedule can be created by selecting the panel and choose the create panel schedule option.
Revit will prompt for a template, and after clicking a confirmation a Panel Schedule is created from the company standard and populate like the image in Fig 4.
This data is live and if required properties can be updated, circuit numbers changed, renumbers and loads rebalanced.
If necessary, spares and spaces can be assigned and relocated as well.
Like all schedule views, a panel schedule can be placed onto a sheet and be printed or exported to other suitable CAD formats or PDFs.