View template settings won't transfer?!?!

[patricks]

What is this?? I have several view templates with overrides set up for my consultants' linked Revit models. When I try to transfer these view templates to another project, the templates come in, but NONE of the settings are there!!!! This is going to waste soooooo much more time if I have to set them up in all of SIX different building projects! :banghead:

[Scott Womack]

What is this?? I have several view templates with overrides set up for my consultants' linked Revit models. When I try to transfer these view templates to another project, the templates come in, but NONE of the settings are there!!!! This is going to waste soooooo much more time if I have to set them up in all of SIX different building projects! :banghead:

Are the names of the linked consultant files exactly the same names and paths? IF not that is why they are not coming in. The view templates cannot maintain information for files/paths that don't exist in a project you are transferring into. The information for linked files can only be created by finding the files the first time. Yes it is maintained if the link is broken. I don't believe it is maintained if the linked RVT file is removed.

There is only one work-around that I know of. You'd have to make a copy of the previous project, detached from central. Then using the reload from button in the Manage Links dialog, and load the links from the NEW project, then save. Now the Transfer Project standards for the view templates should transfer with the settings.

The way to avoid this in the future is to add linked blank "dummy" RVT files to your template, and set up the view templates in your template. Then the info can be maintained by using the Reload From button. It'll rename the RVT files, in both this dialog box, and in the View Templates as well.

[patricks]

So is this process with the "dummy" linked files in the template the way to do it if we want to set up particular graphic overrides for our consultants' files to be used on ALL projects?

[Scott Womack]

It's the only way I know of to get the settings for linked files to transfer reliable.

[patricks]

So let me see if I have it right:

I should create "dummy" files called Mechanical.rvt and Electrical.rvt for instance, and link those into the template file. Then in the project template, I can set up various view templates with overrides for those linked files. Then when a new project is started with that template, and we get files from consultants, I will just hit Reload From for each link, correct?

Hopefully it won't slow down a new project too much with these "dummy" files already being linked into it.

[twiceroadsfool]

Yeah, what Scott said. It also really stinks because if you dont know *how many* links youre going to have, you cant prepopulate view templates for them.

We either need:

1. Rule Based File Link View Templates / VG settings. (IE "For all Links do this", or for Links containing "that," do "other")
2. View Templates and Filters to populate down through Linked Files as well (we need this anyway). VG SORT OF does, with "By Host" but Filters dont work... Why?

[patricks]

Typically I resort to just setting everything to Custom in linked files and turning on/off this or that. That definitely becomes tiresome, though. I suppose I could accomplish it by leaving it set to By Host View, and then showing ALL categories in my VG overrides. But invariably, there is always something I need to show in one file and not in the other, that are both in the same category.

[Scott Womack]

2. View Templates and Filters to populate down through Linked Files as well (we need this anyway). VG SORT OF does, with "By Host" but Filters dont work... Why?

Aaron,

My guess is that the individual objects within the Revit categories are not directly accessible for "editing" within the linked RVT files. Somehow. this lack of access is connected in some fashion (you know I'm NOT a programmer) with the way that filters were initially written. Why they chose to do it this way is a mystery know only to Autodesk.

I do agree with your "rule" based filter concept. That would help simplify the process immensely!.

Take Care!

[twiceroadsfool]

Yeah, its just strange. If they set up the Filter in the Linked file itself, you can By Linked View it and the filter works. Even more interesting, you can place a section OUT in no mans land, and apply that filter. You can then use By Linked View in ANY SECTION, and get that filtered selection (say you were turning foundations red in the structural link... it would work).

So its weird.

And it can access enough data from them to SHOW you the instance parameters of all the objects, however grayed out they may be.

And it can shut stuff off at the catagory level.

LOL. Its like they just didnt connect the last dot. Im sure youre correct, that it would be a big performance hit to be able to *live query* the links. Probably why we HAVe By Linked View, instead of being able to annotate and tag Linked Objects.

Still, some months i wish i could work remotely, from Autodesk. To grab someone by the collar and say *look how we work, this is what we need* hehehehe.

[sthedens]

Another point to this work-around is that Project Templates can't have worksets.

It is a best practice to have a Revit link placed in a separate workset.

So this BIM manager must:
1. Create the Project from the template (with pre-linked dummy projects).
2. Manage Links - Reload From... the real projects.
3. Workset the Project.
4. Create the link workset(s).
5. Edit the Element Properties - Workset of each link.

[Duncan Lithgow]

I've made a forum post about the status of this issue with a video showing the problem clearly. See http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Revit-Architecture/Trouble-transfering-View-Templates-and-Filters-between-projects/m-p/3512514/highlight/false#M60771

For just the video see: http://screencast.com/t/nfmwzffr7L