Wish List items

[The Monk]

The following items should be a part of the basic program:

1) Custom Label or Attribute creation; specifically for title border sheets. The current label list is too limited and ought to be customizable

2) A physical manual for the program

3) Video tutorials of some of the custom features

4) Better documentation on the items such as Parameters, examples of family creation types, massing elements, etc. The online manual is hard to follow and read

5) Walls and other objects made capable to be drawn along and ellipse

Thanks,

John

[Scott D Davis]

1) Custom Label or Attribute creation; specifically for title border sheets. The current label list is too limited and ought to be customizable.

Labels are customizable using shared parameters. You can make any parameter you'd like, and use it in 'custom labels' for your titleblocks, or anywhere else for that matter.

[mlgatzke]

3) Video tutorials of some of the custom features

What subjects are you looking for video tutorials for? I do some of this for my class. I might have one or more that fit your need.

[Martin P]

Labels are customizable using shared parameters. You can make any parameter you'd like, and use it in 'custom labels' for your titleblocks, or anywhere else for that matter.

That is true Scott - but shared paramaters are a pretty advanced feature to learn to use, the very first thing almost every new Revit user is going to want do is create their own titleblocks - it is probably the very first family that everyone will create. Shared paramaters to make a custom label in a titleblock to a new user will seem like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! - most will struggle with concept of families, labels, parameters etc - never mind shared paramaters.... - maybe there should be a tutorial aimed at new users on EXACTLY how to do your titleblock including custom labels, but without going into detail on shared paramaters - just "this is what you do". In over 3 years of using Revit I havent looked at using shared paramaters yet, and I have made a lot of families.

[zanzibarbob7]

Martin,

I agree with you that the Titleblock is one of the first things out the gate and that shared parameters can be difficult to get your head around. It would be nice if there were more optiions available in the Project Information.

Having said that, I am going to open up shared parameters in the help files and buckle down and do my homework. Guys like Scott and Beegee, who seem to have grown up with Revit in their cribs, make it clear that you will only become a Jedi Master through dedication and hard work. Then you see some of the rendering Chris Zoog turns out and you realize that you are still in the crawling stage.

Patience and hard work, Grasshoppa'. And come to the well (AUGI) when you need it, AND to attempt to help others.

[Scott D Davis]

Martin! I'm in disbelief that you have yet to create shared parameters! You have been using Revit for quite awhile now!

Ok, Shared Parameters...sounds intimidating, but really fairly simple. It's really only a couple more steps that creating a 'normal' parameter. Shared Parameters reside in a file "Shared parameters.txt". Here's the help file for creating the Shared Parameter: (Once you create the Shared Parameters in the file, they can be loaded into any family, including Titleblocks)

NOTE This procedure is for creating a new shared parameter file. If a file already exists, you can browse to that file and modify it as needed.

1. From the File menu, choose Shared Parameters. The Edit Shared Parameters dialog box appears.
2. Click Create to begin creating an external parameter file. Type a file name and save it to the desired location.
3. After creating the file, you create parameter groups. In the Groups box, click New. Type the name of a new parameter group and click OK. Parameter groups help you to categorize your parameters. For example, you might create a group called electrical for specific electrical parameters or a hardware group for specific hardware parameters. You can create as many parameter groups as desired.
4. You can now create parameters that are part of the group. From the Parameter group drop-down menu, select a group to which you want to add parameters.
5. In the Parameters group box, click New. Type a name for the parameter, specify its value type (types include text, integer, number, and length). Create as many parameters as desired. NOTE You do not specify the parameter to be instance or type. You decide that later when you add the parameter to a family or a project. See Instance and Type Properties.
6. When finished creating parameters, click OK.

[Martin P]

Martin! I'm in disbelief that you have yet to create shared parameters! You have been using Revit for quite awhile now!

I am a bit ashamed to admit it too!! just never had a need yet. Must get round to looking at all the bits I havent tried yet!! Just too busy churning out house drawings...

[aaronrumple]

The thing to remember about shared parameters is that they are just a way the programmers came up with to get annotations, projects and families to all have the same data field. Nothing more.

Once the shared parameter and it's associated families and tags are loaded, the shared param. file isn't used further.

Also just because you put the parameters in nice neat categories - it doesn't really mean much. It might help you get the correct param. used in a door associated with a tag, but it doesn't prohibit that param from being use for something completely unrelated. (Messy technology in my opinion...)

A good example might be "Instance Width". Doors and windows are set for "type width" out of the box. Maybe you do width by instance like our office does - not type. There isn't really any need to have an "door instance width" param. and a "window instance width" param. You could have simply one instance with param. and use it in both your door and windows.

Personally I'd like to see these go away.

If I'm making a door - any parameter I add to that door should be automatically usable in tags, projects, schedules and ODBC.

[The Monk]

Labels are customizable using shared parameters. You can make any parameter you'd like, and use it in 'custom labels' for your titleblocks, or anywhere else for that matter.

Scott,

I am a new user to Revit and I am using Series 7 ( I have not migrated to 8 yet). Where do I find the "custom label" tool or setting. When I place a label I have noticed a greyed out "modify" box. Is that where you are suggesting I make the changes? Is there a tutorial I can follow?

Thanks,

John

[aaronrumple]

Hit the select button.

Run through the help files/tutorial fist...