InDesign-like functionality on sheets

[damon.sidel]

So this has a few questions all-in-one. I'd like to get into the Revit API and the first place I'd like to start is an add-in that gives me InDesign-like functionality when dealing with sheets.

Here's the problem I'd like to address: When dealing with design options, on a single sheet we might have quite a few 3d views (axon and perspective) and full-building elevations all with shadows on. It gets agonizingly slow to move or change anything.

The idea/solution: I'd like to be able to turn off everything in each view (or at least model stuff) so I can arrange the views on the sheet quickly. I would like it to be a quick toggle.

My questions:
1. I know VBscript fairly well. Is there any big advantage to using C# or IronPython rather than VB?
2. Since I don't know the Revit API, yet, what strategy would you recommend for this problem? For example, could I toggle the "Display Model" parameter for each view on the sheet to "Do Not Display" then toggle it back to "Normal" when I'm done? I've looked briefly at the Revit 2012 API help file and in the View class I don't see a View Member to affect the "Display Model" parameter.

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[Dimitri Harvalias]

No API answer for you Damon but what's wrong with a simple view template? Assuming your views are set up on their own you apply the view template in the browser prior to placing them on sheets, arrange away, close the sheet views and 'toggle' the views back to heir original settings in the browser. That's essentially what you'd be doing with a plug in, right?
Even just setting the views to wireframe prior to placing them might speed things up enough.

[Maxence DELANNOY]

For the choice of the language, in the context of Revit programming, we will find that most of the sample code is written in C#. So for copy and paste, it's a great advantage (note that you can find tools to convert to VB.NET like SharpDevelop, but it requires one additional step).

[damon.sidel]

No API answer for you Damon but what's wrong with a simple view template? Assuming your views are set up on their own you apply the view template in the browser prior to placing them on sheets, arrange away, close the sheet views and 'toggle' the views back to heir original settings in the browser. That's essentially what you'd be doing with a plug in, right?
Even just setting the views to wireframe prior to placing them might speed things up enough.

Thanks, Dimitri. View templates would indeed work... if we were rigorous enough to have default view templates for every view. It's a good, workable solution, but comes with a level of view management we just don't have right now. However, you did make me think again about the "Display Model" parameter. I could select the views in the project browser nested in the Sheet, switch "Display Model" to none, work on the sheet, then switch it back. I'll try that.

For the choice of the language, in the context of Revit programming, we will find that most of the sample code is written in C#. So for copy and paste, it's a great advantage (note that you can find tools to convert to VB.NET like SharpDevelop, but it requires one additional step).

Maxence, thank you for that thought. Very helpful. I've had trouble finding VB examples, so your suggestion may very well come true. It's a bummer since I already know VB syntax. I'll take a look at SharpDevelop, though. It may be worth the extra step to me.

UPDATE: I found a workaround. I can select the views in the project browser under the sheet and change the phase and phase filter of the views. We aren't using phases, so I can just use existing. But if we were using phases, we could create one before existing for this purpose. It's a hack, but I'll take it!