by Dennis Collin
When working in Revit, great efficiency savings can be made by having a well-defined project template. A comprehensive library of families that is easily accessible and stored in a controlled central location. If families require bespoke parameters or COBIE data, it is recommended that this information is also held centrally.
Revit’s content locations can be configured via the Options command, with Project Template locations being specified. Template order can be reordered according to usage frequency, with unneeded template shortcuts being removed using the red minus icon.
Fig 1. Configuring Revit’s File Locations.
For System and Component families, select the Places button . Click the green plus icon to add, red minus icon to remove and the blue arrow icon to adjust the place list order.
Fig 2. Adding family content locations to places.
When opening a file from the dialog box, it is also possible to add frequently accessed folders to the “Places” section. This makes it easier to get back to that location quickly, thereby improving efficiency.
Fig 3. Adding a content folder to Revit’s places.
To do this, start the Open command in Revit. Within the Open dialog box, navigate to the folder you want to “save.”
Depending on your operating system either drag the folder to the places panel or right click on the folder and choose “Save folder to Places”. Personally, speaking I prefer the former method.
Repeat the process for other folders. The folder order can be sorted by dragging them up or down the list with your left mouse button action. If you wish to remove them, just right click on the location, and choose “Remove.”
Fig. 4. Configuring Revit’s places for frequently accessed content.
For specifying the location of a customised Shared Parameter File, within a family or project document locate the Manage tab, choose Shared Parameters then select browse and click on the file location path.
Fig 5. Specifying Revit’s Shared Parameter file location.
Working efficiently and maximising use of content are just some of the topics that ARKANCE provides on Revit training courses. Visit the Arkance UK site to get an overview of the courses on offer and talk to one of the team for dates and availability or if you have more bespoke requirements, please just ask, we are here to help!