Sheet Notes - Workflow

[barathd]

On smaller jobs normally I use a sheet of notes (specifications). To achieve what I have here in the attachment I created it within Autocad - then created a PDF file. Imported the PDF file into Photoshop - made a JPEG out of it and then imported it into Revit. The sharpness and quality was excellent.

I tried everything that one would think would work. Linking an Autocad file, importing a Word file into the extension - Text Generator, etc. No matter what I did the formatting would be buggy BIG TIME.

Has anyone found a better - reliable workflow? Will we every be able to do this in Revit without the ridiculous workflow I just went thru. A day wasted.

Thanks in advance.

[DoTheBIM]

The flow that I would think would work is create drafting view, link in dwg to drafting view, place drafting view on sheet. My crude testing seems to work fine. I'm assuming you already had this created in AutoCAD where if you didn't, why not just create in Revit. What exactly is getting messed up? Can you post a file to test?

[cdatechguy]

Create a text style just for those notes as well..... If you tweak a text style later it will screw up all the formating you had in place... just a simple change to bold can mess up the format of the indents.

[barathd]

Please try to create something similar with all the "stepped idents" and "spacing" within a drafting view. When you activate and do several random clicks of the mouse the indents and returns start to jump all over. To me it appears Revit can not handle the "hard returns" along with the "stepped idents". I even tryed creating each section as a seperate drafting view. No luck.

Yes what you are saying sounds like what you would do - it definately is not working for me. If you have an example that is working please post. I believe it is a Windows thing.

Thank you.

Dick Barath

[barathd]

Michael:

Your idea sounds interesting have not had a chance to try it - will shortly.

I have attached a good example of what I am talking about. Take the first "Note" in drafting views and click on it and you will see the idents start jumping all around. The results will be similar to "Note - 2."

This file has been purged completely - so theoretically there is only one text style. However I will start from scratch and try your suggestion.

Regards

Dick Barath

[DoTheBIM]

... To me it appears Revit can not handle the "hard returns" along with the "stepped idents"... I'd have to agree with this as well. If you use a shift+enter to get a space between your numbered paragraphs... Revit converts it to an regular Enter and you get a number between paragraphs which is unacceptable so you have to tolerate no visual separation between paragraphs or use AutoCAD with linking.

See attached for my simplistic example that seems to work fine with linking to drafting view.

[DoTheBIM]

Just tried opening your file and discovered your on 2012, I'm on 2011. So maybe there's a difference there.

[barathd]

I'd have to agree with this as well. If you use a shift+enter to get a space between your numbered paragraphs... Revit converts it to an regular Enter and you get a number between paragraphs which is unacceptable so you have to tolerate no visual separation between paragraphs or use AutoCAD with linking.

See attached for my simplistic example that seems to work fine with linking to drafting view.

You are probably correct. My problem is that if I follow your suggestion my clients (consultants) look at me as if I were an idiot. Not everyone knows how to use Revit but most people do know how to use a word processor - "you got to be kidding - or you are an idiot" is the normal reaction and correctly so.

The Factory has buillt a race car with a plush leather interior and no brakes and continues to keep driving it.

[BrenDillon-IHA]

I've had similar problems with Revit's text function to what you described with the returns, indents, etc. Simply put, the Revit Text tool sucks. It sucks a lot. It has sucked for as long as I've been using Revit and every version seems to have the same problems. Hopefully, at some poitn, Autodesk will hear us and fix the problem.

For now, I've made it clear to my project managers what an issue putting specs onto a drawing sheet can be. As such, they've agreed to hold off on placing any specs onto the drawing sheets until the specs are complete, triple-reviewed and the drawings are about to be stamped and go out. This way I only have to deal with the formatting nightmare once instead of over and over. Obviously, its not perfect, but right now, it's the best I can hope for.

[barathd]

I've had similar problems with Revit's text function to what you described with the returns, indents, etc. Simply put, the Revit Text tool sucks. It sucks a lot. It has sucked for as long as I've been using Revit and every version seems to have the same problems. Hopefully, at some poitn, Autodesk will hear us and fix the problem.

For now, I've made it clear to my project managers what an issue putting specs onto a drawing sheet can be. As such, they've agreed to hold off on placing any specs onto the drawing sheets until the specs are complete, triple-reviewed and the drawings are about to be stamped and go out. This way I only have to deal with the formatting nightmare once instead of over and over. Obviously, its not perfect, but right now, it's the best I can hope for.

Triple checking does not do a lot of good when (inevitably) someone makes a change. As you say the "text editor" is a piece of **** and continually gets ignored (8 years and counting).

[cdatechguy]

Since its a drafting view....there is no reason you have to have everything in one big text block...

We still create tables with individual text in drafting views when a schedule just doesn't want to cooperate...

[barathd]

Michael:

This is a "specification sheet" - how do you point at 32 Mpa concrete. It was not one huge text note - it was a series of small text notes . What I am trying to do is not an unusal practice. I guess if you wanted to create several hundred meaningless note blocks and them shut them off your idea would probably work.

Regards

Dick Barath

[cdatechguy]

Another option is to create them in a schedule... That way you can filter out the information that you do and don't need... Your formatting would change some...but the info would still be there...

[barathd]

Michael:

I am not sure if we are thinking the same thing. I do not want to label anything - this is not a list of chores. This is a "specifications sheet" noting: products, installation, execution, etc. I am sorry but I do not understand how you can schedule this?

Regards

Dick Barath

[cdatechguy]

Go here: http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=class&session_id=2879

If your not registered, register so you can view the handout....there is a little "how to" on using a schedule for noting... You can use it for General Notes, Abbreviations, etc... Stuff that always stays the same but may need to be modified to fit on sheets..

We use the same method for our Room Finish Schedules as well as Abbreviations...

[BrenDillon-IHA]

Triple checking does not do a lot of good when (inevitably) someone makes a change. As you say the "text editor" is a piece of **** and continually gets ignored (8 years and counting).

That's why we don't add it until the drawings are stamped and released. Any review of the drawings before that is done in another format (usually word docs).

Michael, your suggestion is beneficial in some cases, but simply doesn't seem applicable to whole specification sections. Autodesk should spend less time making webinars about workarounds and screwing around with the GUI and more time making the basic stuff JUST WORK.

[cdatechguy]

T Autodesk should spend less time making webinars about workarounds and screwing around with the GUI and more time making the basic stuff JUST WORK.

FYI....those workarounds are created by the folks that use Autodesk products...not Autodesk themselves....the same folks that are answering the questions here in these forums...

Using a schedule helps keep items aligned and easy to use over and over again...so does a drafting view...all valid scenarios on bringing "specs" into Revit....

The rest of us still use Word and just print them into a booklet... :roll:

[barathd]

Agree - do it in Word - if we could only import into Revit. Soom jobs are just too small to warrant a booklet. I can't see how a "hard return" or "indent" is going to make any difference if it is in a drafting view or a schedule. Appears like no resonable solutions exists - will continue doing it the way I am doing it.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Dick Barath

[BrenDillon-IHA]

The rest of us still use Word and just print them into a booklet... :roll:

We do that for some projects, but when we have a small renovation with only a few spec sections, they go on the drawing sheets instead.