Library Sample with Revit: How to?

[Chad Smith]

I am having a look at the sample 'Library 5.1.rvt' that comes on the CD.
I was wondering how the two transparent masses were done? They don't seem to be mass objects.
I would like to do something similar in my current project, so I can show future developments in a transparent shade.

[hand471037]

one way for you to make everything that's future developement shown transparent would be to use a phase override with a trasparent 'smoked glass' like Material.

First, define the material you want to use as a clear mass.

Then under settings->phasing, make the 'new' phase material override that clear material.

Then, when in your 3D view, you set it to the current phase, the phase filter to 'current + new', and the next phase, i.e. the future phase will 'ghost' in like glass using your new material. This way you can have as much or little detail in the 'future developement' mass, and draw it using the standard revit tools rather than an in-place family or massing...

Good for ooh and awwws... ;)

Hope it helps.

[Chad Smith]

But by assigning the 'smoked glass' material to the new phase, wouldn't that make my whole project transparent, since the new phase is what I want to construct now.
I haven't used phasing before, but I'm assuming you cant add new categories to the Phase Filters.

e.g. New, Existing, Demolished, Temporary, Future, Stage 3, Stage 4 etc.

I see how the Phase Filters and Graphics Overrides link together, but how does the Project Phases come into play. I know that you assign the Project Phase to each object in the Phase Created and Phase Demolished fileds, but how does this relate to the Phase Filters? :? :?
Does the number down the left columns of the Project Phases and Phase Filters have anything to do with this?

[beegee]

This aspect of Revit can be had to "get" at first.
Some background :-

A modelling component has one of the following phase conditions with respect to the phase of the view:

New: Component was created in the phase of the current view.

Existing: Component was created in an earlier phase and continues to exist in the current phase.

Demolished: Component was created in an earlier phase and demolished in the current phase.

Temporary: Component was created and demolished during the current phase.

For each of these conditions there are three display options:

By Category: displays components as defined in the Object Styles

Overridden: displays components according to definitions in the Graphic Overrides tab

Not Displayed: does not display the component

If I'm understanding Jeff's method and your questions correctly -

Go to Settings, Materials and create a new material ( smoked glass like ) called Phase-Future (say)
Start a new view for Future work and set the View Properties to future phase. Draw up the future work.

Now follow Jeff's method.
The overide only happens with the future filter, not with the "current" filter and your views of the stages prior to "future" are set to show only those stages.

Clear as mud ? Best to start playing with the different settiings. Worth a thousand words.

[Chad Smith]

Ahhh, it took me a few reads of both your posts and a bit of playing, but it finally hit me like a tonne of bricks. :banghead: The key phrase was 'with respect to the phase of the view' not 'with respect to the phase of the project'

So I guess the way you guys are suggesting is not entirely correct but more of a workaround, by using the 'new' phase as the future work and the 'existing' phase as the current work. Or I guess I could use 'Temp' as future work.

:idea: In the same way that all existing phases can be shown on a view that has 'new' set as the current phase, maybe there should be one more phase filter heading called 'Future' so that more phase filters can be set up like:

1. Show Existing + New + Future
2. Show New + Future
3. Show New + Demolished + Future

Am I on the right track here? :wink: I think I'm really going to like using this phasing stuff.

[JamesVan]

You're definitely on the right track, just keep in mind that "New, Existing, Demolished, and Temporary" can't be changed or added to. So, you may have to disguise your "Future" category as "Temporary" in your Phase Filter setup. Let us know how you progress. Perhaps with some screenshots?