By Linked View and multiple users working

[twiceroadsfool]

Im still testing this issue on various releases, but I CANT believe it existed in 2009. You all know I use file links religiously, and if this behavior was present in 2008/2009 I would have seen it doing all the Linked Retail models I was doing (14 models and HUNDREDS of views). Can someone confirm or deny that this has always been the case?

Take two worksetted projects as follows (all RAC2010 SP2, workshared):

Model “Outparcel”
Model “Main Building”

Two users are both in local copies of “Main Building.” USER ONE opens up a local file of “Outparcel” and creates a new view PLAN. They then SWC. In “Main Building”, they reload the Linked File “Outparcel.” They then create a new view in “Main Building” called PLAN-OUTPARCEL, and in VG they set RVT:Link:Outparcel to “By Linked View: PLAN.” They then SWC, and close the file.

Meanwhile, USER TWO has been in “Main Building” the whole time, working or idle (has no effect). Theyre working somewhere entirely different in the project. After USER ONE leaves, USER TWO works a while longer and then SWC’s. USER TWO closes the file and leaves.

Both come in the next day, and open Main Building with “Create new local.” The view PLAN-OUTPARCEL no longer is set to By Linked View: PLAN… It is set to BY LINKED VIEW (in the first RVT:Link screen) but then when you click to enter VG of the RVT:Link, it is set to None (by host view). Wtf happened??????

In essence what weve found is this: The last person to SWC has to have the latest version of all the Linked Files, or it breaks all the Linked Views. Ill be mind-blown if its always been this way. I have a central file here I built at my last job with HUNDREDS of Linked Views from 13 different files, and I was setting them up with 5 people working with me. Theres no way I wouldn’t have seen this before.

Im going to test in 2009 ASAP, but this cant be normal behavior… Can it?

[twiceroadsfool]

Confirmed behavior in 2009WU3 as well. Submitted a Support Request. :(

[rjcoolpix880]

We are having this same problem of views changing back from 'by linked view' to 'by host view'. Let us know if you get a fix or solution to this.

[cliff collins]

Is it possible to create View Templates which "nail down" the visibility between
host/linked views, then apply the view templates, and save the project.

Then close and reopen the project.

Will doing this cause the views to "stay set" properly?

Just a thought.......

cheers

[rjcoolpix880]

that would require hundreds of view templates. one for each view you are changing. right?

[cliff collins]

Yes.

Just seeing if the process of using a view template would solve the issue
of the views "re-setting" themselves?

cheers

[cliff collins]

One other thing to test:

Under Revit Links, are the linked file's paths set to "relative" or "absolute"?

Have you tried changing these settings, and if so, is there any effect on the issue
of the views changing back?

cheers........

[rjcoolpix880]

mine are set to relative, if that helps the conversation.

we are also seeing if instead of setting the view to 'by linked view; to 'custom' to see if that would work.

unfortunately we have a submittal tomorrow so we don't have time for all 7 people to mess around with revit for an afternoon of troubleshooting. The funny thing with this is that we actually paid a Revit consultant to help us with this project and he recommended this method of linking views, and we realize it doesn't work the day before we have to print!

[twiceroadsfool]

None of the above fix the problem. It stems not from the view setting in the Main model, but from the fact that the LAST person to STC has an OLDER version of the Outparcel model loaded, which doesnt HAVE the new view. A reload latest COULD theoretically load the "By Linked View" setting, but it would be "By Linked View: Null" since the Revit Link doesnt reload during Reload latest.

So the VT doesnt do it either. You would still need to go one by one and reapply all the VT's if the last user that saved didnt have the latest version loaded of the Linked Model.

Seems to me the problem goes away if all loaded Revit Links update during a reload latest and a STC. Yes, it would take longer, but this is insanity.

The

[rjcoolpix880]

the problem, you are saying, is from having one person working in the OUTPARCEL and the other person working in the MAIN, simultaneously and they don't sync properly. ??

So if you theoretically closed out of the OUTPARCEL file, and then change all the links in the MAIN, the MAIN file would work properly. that is until someone works in the OUTPARCEL. ??

is that correct?

[bregnier]

Maybe an AHK script to replace save to central that reloads all links before saving? Might be using a cannon to kill a fly...

I feel sorry for you but thanks for bringing this up as I'll probably be dealing with this same issue soon. It sounds like the best solution is prevention-- make sure all the views you're going to need in the linked file are created before you start bringing them into the host. If new ones are needed I'd just have to make them early in the morning before anyone opens or makes a local.

[twiceroadsfool]

No RJ, thats not precisely it.

If a user makes a NEW VIEW in outparcel, while ANOTHER user (user 2) is in Main.

Then they reload Outparcel in to main, and they link a view in Main to that new view in outparcel.

If User 2 is the last one to SWC, it will unload the By Linked View setting, since the "version" of Outparcel loaded in their local file is "timestamped " before the new view existed.