Combining floors of a building

[Joseph TVM]

Hi all

I have got a large project and I am planning to do it by assigning different floors to different members. I need to combine the floors into on file in the end. Is this feasible? Or should I be planning it by doing it in a single revit file and doing it using worksets. If so could you please give a briefing on how to use worksets as I have never done that before.

Awaiting replies

Thank You
Joseph Bejoy
Senior Cad Engineer
Trivandrum

[Scott Womack]

First, Revit is NOT CAD. It operates nothing like cad.

You will only be able to combine the floors by linking them together. This could make documentation a living nightmare. Worksets create a central file, which all of your users can working at the same time, by creating local copies on their machines.

One way to approach would be to create a workset for each floor, although that is not really necessary.

The Help file has a lot of info on worksets. It seems (and I'm sorry if I offend) that you need some training on Revit. At least try buying one ofthe third party books.

[Joseph TVM]

Yes... I have just started using Revit recently and the output we prefer is mainly CAD based.

[Joseph TVM]

Hi

Got the info from help file and we have started the project. We dropped the idea of worksets and have gone for linking the floors finally after the completion of floors just like you had mentioned. Thank You very much for your reply

[cliff collins]

It sounds like you are coming from a Cadd/ADT/ACA methodology and trying to apply it to Revit.

I'd suggest that you strongly consider a Central File and Worksets--any time you have 2 or more members working on the project. This is how Revit is designed to work.

Scott's post is actually NOT recommending that you use ONLY linked models, without worksets.

You can indeed use both--as is standard practice.

Enable Worksets, and Set up a Central File on your server.
Have all users open it, and click "create New Local", then Synch. to Central.

You can divide up work on floors as you like, using Worksets for various team members.
I agree with Scott that this may or may not be the most ideal way to work.

On a large project it may be good to break up the model into a Shell and Core .rvt file,
a Site .rvt file, and an Interior Fitout .rvt file--all Central Files with Worksets enabled--
and Linked together using Shared Coordinates.

This is the generally accepted best practice.

cheers

[antman]

Am I missing something? I thought that if you created a central file, and each user worked in the local, that if a user modified an element it would instantly become locked for all other users, preventing them from editing until SWC or relinquish. Is this not how it works? Do you have to separate everything out into worksets?

[cliff collins]

The only way to have a Central File is to enable Worksets--so they two terms are dependent on each other.

You cannot have a Central file without Worksets.

If you have a file without Worksets, it's not a Central File.

cheers

[antman]

I *do* have worksets enabled - but right now they consist of 'Shared Levels and Grids' and 'Workset1.' Does the project need to be organized into many worksets so that multiple users can work on it simultaneously?

[twiceroadsfool]

You can work with just SL&G and Workset 1. You do not NEED to create more than those two worksets.

For the original poster: You should strongly reconsider your decision. Im willing to bet youre making a lot of assumptions, like when you link the files together all the notes and tags will show up. Its not that simple. Working with Links CAN be a good thing, but its completely unnecessary for the project youre describing, and- if youre that new to Revit- you are REALLY not going to like working with those links through CD's.

[Joseph TVM]

Hi all

First of all Thank You very much for your suggestions. As i had mentioned i am a novice with Revit, I had considered trying out all possible ways by doing it by using sample files. I am really impressed by the way worksets perform, but dropped it just because each floor is handled by different individuals and so need for worksets was not necessary. The basic problem we are facing now is switching over from Cad to Revit. I expect support from all you guys for helping us in this change over

Regards
Joseph Bejoy

[patricks]

Hi all

First of all Thank You very much for your suggestions. As i had mentioned i am a novice with Revit, I had considered trying out all possible ways by doing it by using sample files. I am really impressed by the way worksets perform, but dropped it just because each floor is handled by different individuals and so need for worksets was not necessary. The basic problem we are facing now is switching over from Cad to Revit. I expect support from all you guys for helping us in this change over

Regards
Joseph Bejoy

I think you're going to run into many coordination problems with that method. For example, what do you do for a building section cutting through all floors of the building?

With worksets, the section is there, it shows up on all floors in the correct place, and each person can still work on their own floor. Without worksets, you'll be stuck trying to get all the portions of the building stitched together with links, and I don't even know if a section in one file (one floor) would show up in another floor (another file). I'm thinking no.

Trust us, anything you can do with each floor as a separate file, you can do with everything in one file and using worksets, and you can do it better (plus much more).

[twiceroadsfool]

Hi all

First of all Thank You very much for your suggestions. As i had mentioned i am a novice with Revit, I had considered trying out all possible ways by doing it by using sample files. I am really impressed by the way worksets perform, but dropped it just because each floor is handled by different individuals and so need for worksets was not necessary. The basic problem we are facing now is switching over from Cad to Revit. I expect support from all you guys for helping us in this change over

Regards
Joseph Bejoy

Here is what youre missing:

We arent UNaware of what youre trying to do, or why youre trying to do it. Worksets are STILL meant to do, exactly what youre trying to do. Have you actually had someone put NOTES and TAGS and ROOM elements in a sample file, and link them together? Yes, its doable. In fact, ima big fan of how it works. But there is a time and a place for it.

Go ahead and try it, and see what you have to do to get the notes to show up.

Were all telling you about Worksets for a reason, and its not because were never seen a project team tackle a building floor by floor. :)