Granted in 9.0 - Details details 2

[Martin P]

I think the most misunderstood problem people have with Revit and detailing is that when people say Revit is no good for detailing I think this is why - Its not that they cant draw details, that is fine -but that with Revit you cant manage them.

It has always amazed me that I can edit and update anything I like parametrically or by reloading with Revit except for the most important things - THE DETAILS!!, by this I mean fully drawn, finished working details. not the parts that make them up, ie detail components - Working detail drawings are completely dead entities in terms of Revit. I cant link them, load them, save them, update them..... I use my details across many projects, not just in one model. I need a way to be sure the projects I want to be are up to date, and the ones I want archived will not change.

I need a new type of family called a DETAIL. This family should have the same properties as a DETAIL COMPONENT mentioned in my previous thread - ie I can copy/paste into it from models etc, but importantly it can contain text as well this text and leader arrows would come in with the family in the same way as labels do in other families...

That way I would use this new family to create, edit and store fully drawn details, I could then have a meaningful and manageable detail library using Revit on its own. I would be able to update details in projects by loading these DETAIL families. At the moment Revit has no means of updating details other than pasting in the new one and deleting the old out of date one

EDITED>>>>> why groups are not a solution <<<<<<<<<

As to edit groups you have to -open a project, locate group, load, place, edit group, edit the lines,add to group, finish group, save, close project - then locate it, load into your project, place it..... - you are doing quite a bit more work than should be required. Major alterations often require an ungroup - you then cannot save over the existing group name!!!!! Saving details out as groups hasnt got any great benefit as far as I can tell, you cant open them on their own and groups are a pain to alter when it comes to details (load group,edit group, add to group, finish group,save group - hopefully without having had to ungroup..........) - in my experience I have found it quite a hindrance to be honest as it takes quite a lot of time to alter them for no real benifits.

A family for details would have a lot of benefits over using groups. Unless groups are changed in some way to allow us to OPEN saved groups in their own right and work in them - and/or to work in them whiles in EDIT GROUP mode. Rather than the lots of superflous steps we have at the moment, to simply edit a group you want to use a detail. At the moment it takes far to long just to edit them to be a real solution...

[Roger Evans]

Good analysis & nicely put

[Chad Smith]

I find it absolutely bizarre that Revit doesn't accommodate for a family as simple as a DETAIL family.

I've tried groups and they are just useless. You can't preview in explorer, and can't open them when they need editing. It becomes tedious when you have to load, edit and then re-export out again.

This lack of DETAIL family (or other alternate detail management system) is just another prime example of Autodesk not fixing or completing simple and requested features, before moving onto newer complex features. I'm one of those many people who would like Autodesk to stop/slow down development on their 'vertical' Revit products and concentrate on the simple problems first.

I'm sure the 'vertical' products are going to be great, but I would much rather prefer simple detailing features.

[Scott D Davis]

Why can't you start a new 'detail component' family, nest all the individual pieces of detail components into it, save it as a 'complete' detail, and then load it into your project and use this group of nested components as a complete detail?

[Chad Smith]

What about all the detail text and dimensions?

[archjake]

I would also like to see a feature to create 3D details from scratch w/ solids or the existing model if it had better isolating and cut away tools. Some details just make more sense in 3D. Sometimes I find myself wanting to open up Sketchup and mass out a detail. Get the angle I want and export a 2D DWG that I can then re-import to a drafting view and then re-do the linework.

I would love to just open up a 3D detail tool in Revit, make my massing and cut away materials. Make the notes, put on a page and be done with an awesome detail that communicates.

[Martin P]

Why can't you start a new 'detail component' family, nest all the individual pieces of detail components into it, save it as a 'complete' detail, and then load it into your project and use this group of nested components as a complete detail?

http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=18829

I have tried this Scott, but it is really not easy to do. Not least because I cant copy back into these families from my projects and have to work on them isolated from my project.(Above) - I like to detail with all the information I need on the screen, ie cut a section and detail over the top of it so I everything is in the correct place. The only way I can do as you suggest is by exporting DWG's of the views and linking them into the detail component families, which seems very much like a workaround.. I dont think this is what anyone detailing with Revit does - I may be wrong, but as far as I can tell most people are doing details in projects - then pasting them if they need it in another one (due to text/dims/project info etc)...

[Martin P]

Original post edit to explain why detail groups are not a solution.

Separate wish for working in edit group mode..

http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=16161

[david.kingham]

I'd be happy if you could just right click a drafting view > copy and paste into another project...seems simple enough

[dalewww]

I am in the beginning stages of details for my first project in Revit. I was just looking for a way to begin my detail library for Revit. Looks like it is a hard task.

If there is not a family that is specific to details, which I too thought there would be and should be, then what is the best way to save these details to use them across projects (door jamb, door head, scupper, window jamb, window head, window sill,etc). What direction would be the best one to go in prior to Revit actually giving us a Detail family? Detail components like Scott suggests, but then what about the text and dims, groups and deal with the pains. What direction should I go and how do I go about setting that up?

Thanks.