Linking multiple models and setting-up sheets

[thomas.denney836893]

I'm trying to visualize how on a large-scale project with multiple models linked into one master works. Arch, struct, and MEP (all in house) all linked into a 4th, master model. Where are the views set-up, are the sheets all in the master, how are the worksets arranged in the master so an 'archie' person and 'struct' person can work in it at the same time?

At the end of the day the project manager wants to be able to go into the project at any given time and print a set of ALL the sheets and not have to worry about calling over to the structural and MEP, and asking them to make pdf's.

[Craig_L]

Nope doesn't work at all like that - unfortunately.

My recommendation is that each discipline also provide a DWF of 3D model + Sheets. Here the Project Manager can open each discipline DWF and access the sheet list from there, while still having good access to each element even elements contained on sheets will still show throughout the model. In addition, Navisworks is an even better coordination tool for PM's. If PM's are working in revit...they're doing it wrong. Revit is for modeling, and documentation, navisworks and design review are much better tools for coordination and management - as the PM doesn't need to model at all, he needs to check sheets, check the validity and accuracy of the model, and control clashes between disciplines. All of this is better and more quickly achieved through the management tools that go with Revit.

[thomas.denney836893]

So this gets back to one of the issues that came up...How do we populate the 'G' sheet with the drawing index so all the sheets come in and is updated instantly when one of the disciplines makes a change, addition, etc.? Does that 'G' sheet live with the architecture sheets? So what then? you have a ton of ghost sheets in the arch set with call-outs to views that aren't placed and a bunch of views that arn't going to be placed on sheets.

[david_peterson]

I have a current project, approx 60 models, multiple firms, we have one "master model" for sheet lists. The trick is getting the filters set up for each schedule. You won't want to print, and I'd suggest you never attempt it, everything from one model. Just think about the work flow. You'd have to open one model to change the content, then open the master model to adjust the annotation on the sheet. Since you can't really have both models open at once on the same workstation, in the same session, you'd be killing yourself opening and saving models all day long.

Your G sheets can live in the G model. Load in the models and turn off all the modeled worksets in each link. The only thing you're looking for is sheet list information. The only time I'd use "ghost views and ghost sheets" is if I need to reference a detail from another model.

Back to your sheet list. Give each discipline a number for the order in which you want their sheets to appear in your sheet list. Create a Shared Parameter specific to sheets called maybe Sheet List Order. Then you can filter disciplines based on that via a filter. You've got tons of options for this. But try not to think to much about it. It's a lot easier to create new sheet list scheduled and place them on the same sheet than it is to create one schedule that sorts and orders everything.

Hope this helps.

[thomas.denney836893]

@David- Your last part about the sheet list set-up is what we are doing now minus the shared parameter to pull sheet info from other linked models. However we create the G sheets in the ARCH model as well, and not using a Shared Parm to pull info from other models we are then stuck using the 'ghost sheet' system. I like this idea of a G model.

So if I set-up a Shared Parameter for all the models being linked into the G model. I can pull sheet information in and then all the actual views and sheets we are printing for the set will the continue to reside in their individual models?

And really there is now way to set-up something that mimics a sheet-set in autocad, where it would pull the most recently saved sheets and send them all to plot??

[dhurtubise]

Im with David on that one. This will result in a terrible file. Trying to print all the sheets from there will take forever and you wil lend up with too many people working on the file at crunch time.
Each sheet in the appropriate model is much more efficient.

Then i would ask myself how often do you actually need to print an entire set of drawings?

[patricks]

Printing a complete set of drawings should be done via PDF. Each discipline creates PDF's of their sheets, and then someone (PM probably) combines them all into a single PDF set.

As far as a sheet list, if everyone is in-house then it should be much easier. Everyone should be using the same title block family, and each discipline's Revit model should have all the same sheet parameters used for sorting, etc. That way, your sheet list in the master model file can include the sheets from all the Revit links, and everything will group and sort accordingly.

I would love to be able to do that on my projects, but our consultants are not in-house and I don't want to rely on them to try to get their sheet parameters set up correctly.

[david_peterson]

We just send them the shared parameter file and tell them to add it.
We create a shared parameter for each deliverable and use that as a filter.

[dhurtubise]

We don't have any in-house consultants either but we just share the TB families and the Shared Parameter. We also make sure they understand that providing the accurate information in their responsibility and not ours.