Schedule Advice

[janunson]

Can anyone offer advice on how to do the following?

In our office we typically do room schedules that contain entries like CPT-1, CPT-2, CT-1, VCT-1, PT-1, PT-2, ect. for finishes.. then we do a second schedule that has the definitions of these entries -

VCT1 - Manufacturer - Line/Make - Color - Comment

How do I/Can I do this in Revit?

TIA.

[aaronrumple]

This is a perfect example of using schedule keys... Run through the Revit help/samples.

[aaronrumple]

Too easy - here you go.

However the next neat trick would be for Revit to link this to actual materials in the material type list automatiucally.

[SCShell]

Hey there,

In addition, make sure to do your keyed schedules in you Template. Otherwise, you will have to copy/paste from sheet to sheet if you want to use it for other projects.

The nice thing about Keyed Schedules is that by adding parameters, they appear as instance or type parameters in the actual families used if you have them. (ie: a floor family for carpet-1)

Good luck
Steve

[Michelle Gibson]

I am justing starting to follow up on key schedules. I actually thought it was something you created internally in a schedule, such as creating a key schedule for all washrooms in a project so that you only fill out each field once, then either cut and paste or something. From the sample provided. It looks like you have a simple room finish schedule then the key schedule is more like the detail info but on a separate schedule. That to me looks like it might be a lot of schedules on one drawing.

Is there a way to fill in data across one entire line of a schedule, then cut and paste the same data onto another row that is exactly the same? Maybe I am thinking in spreadsheet mode, so I might be missing the boat in its entirety.

By the way, its our first project and we don't have any templates set up yet...

suggestions/comments?

[Dimitri Harvalias]

Is there a way to fill in data across one entire line of a schedule, then cut and paste the same data onto another row that is exactly the same? Maybe I am thinking in spreadsheet mode, so I might be missing the boat in its entirety.

That is essentially what you are doing with a schedule key. The 'key' is just another column entry that has certain values assigned to it to automatically fill in the required fields in the schedule. Select 'key' A and it assigns values 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 in your schedule
Select key B and it assigns values 1,3, 6, 8,12
Don't give up on these, they are very powerful tools for scheduling

[Michelle Gibson]

I have run thru the help file on key schedule and still don't follow how you insert the key into the room finish schedule. In my door schedule, I went all the way back to the family properties and added some specifics to the parameters on the bottom and they showed up on the door schedule. I don't follow how you do this for a room.

Looking for a better tutorial on the schedule key - I can't even figure out how or why the key schedule becomes a column in the room finish schedule (from another post).

[janunson]

Too easy - here you go..
Thanks again Aaron! that's exactly what i was trying to do. Going to go experiment now and see if i can use the same key on floors and walls. Not a big deal if i can't but we typically have a single "Finish Materials Table" for all surfaces, sorted by type... I'll post if i get it. otherwise several tables - 1 for each type of finish (like in the file you posted) will work great.

What would be awesome is if i could read these finishes from the model, and link them to accurender textures... now that would be most Revit-Like... Seams funny actually that it doesn't.

[janunson]

Looking for a better tutorial on the schedule key - I can't even figure out how or why the key schedule becomes a column in the room finish schedule (from another post).

1. Create a key schedule on Rooms..
2. Name the key Schedule and Key in the first dialog after calling it a Key Schedule.
3. Add Parameters that you want to tie to that key, either by selecting them from the room list (these will be autofilled in your room schedule) or using the add parameter button - these will be in your key schedule.
4. the name you gave the key (step 2) will appear as one of the fields available to choose on the fields tab of the room schedule edit.


once you've added the key, other fields you linked to the key will autofill, if you also add them to the room schedule. Key schedules can do a lot! i've been playing w/ them and now I've been able to get my model to do NFPA egress calculations and Plumbing Fixture Requirement counts just by using key schedules on the room schedule.

[Michelle Gibson]

Okay - let's see if I follow this!

I have added a whole bunch of fields to my room finish schedule already (approximately 17 columns in total). The only thing that fills in is the room # and name. Now I create the key schedule - its a school, and I figure i can create different room styles for each room type, eg. classroom, office, service room, gym etc...

If I follow the thought process, then I would create each style in the room style key schedule with exactly the same fields and assign a specific value to each. eg. a classroom style would have VCT, rubber base, gypsum board walls and paint finish etc...

Then I would go back to the room finish shedule and add a field to it that is the room style key. That would then become a column and I would select one of the room styles that is already in the schedule (that would be a pull down in the column?). As soon as I pick one, then boom, all of my fields in the room schedule get assigned all the info I put into that particular room style in the room style key schedule.

Man, sounds complicated but if I am catching on, it makes sense. If not, then shoot me...

I am going to give it a shot and see how it goes.

[SCShell]

Hey Michelle,

You are on the right track. There is another approach that I use when doing schedules like this.
I now do most of my "selecting" when I am in a plan view and placing room tags. Assuming that you have done the keyed schedules and room schedule, added all of the instance parameters needed, you can then just select everything as you place your room tags, one by one. Place your tag, right click on it and then select all of the finishes and parameters. This will then "automatically" fill in the Room Schedule.

I use this same approach for doors and walls. Now, even when designing and placing items, I modify the doors, walls and rooms so that the specifics are all there "automatically". In addition, I have all of my schedules already placed on sheets, with associated Keyed Schedules and notes in my Template. If I don't need them, I just select those sheets to not appear in the index schedule and ignore them.

For what it's worth, I still get those same feelings that I am not doing something correctly and that it should be more "automatic" or that I am having to do things twice etc. It doesn't feel very "Revit-like" sometimes; however, then I sit back and remember how I used to do it all and I feel much better!!!

Good luck
Steve

[Michelle Gibson]

Yahoo! My room schedule is now complete, though I had to go back a few times and add some room styles. I think I might modify the number of columns that I use in the key schedule so that I have some flexibility ie. offices are all the same finishes, but I might have a bulkhead or varied ceiling height so I would not include that in the key but type in manually. Also, I am going to delete the "comments" field in the key schedule so that I can make notes to suit specifics of some rooms.

You learn something new every day!

On the same track, I am looking at the door and frame schedule and wondering if we are better off to modify every one of the family types to add all the fields, or better to create a key schedule for the various door types. Based on my vast experience so far.... I think it is "easier" to do the key schedule and add the field onto the door schedule than go back to every family. Do you use this plan of attack?

With regards to selecting the room tags, I think that would screw us up right now as we named and numbered the rooms early on. Are you suggesting that once we have a template, before we tag rooms, we create our basic room schedule and key schedule then go back to the room tagging? I wonder if I can actually do this right now since the plans and schedule are basically complete. Would love to try as I feel I have mastered a signficant step in Revit!

thanks again

[Tom Dorner]

Michelle,

You are right on in your thinking.

I have answered posts like this for the past two years on Schedule Keys in Revit. As I tell the others in our local Revit Users Group, schedule keys are the only schedule in Revit that is not related to a physical piece of the Revit model. Schedule keys are really database lookup tables that populate fields in one table based on a common "key" field.

In your case you have a "room style" key schedule where you define room styles like Mgr. Office, VP Office, Storage, Conf. Rm. etc. and include the parameters (fields) in the key schedule that you want to populate out via the "key" lookup. The beauty of using this approach becomes obvious once you realize that if the carpet in Mgr. Office changed from CPT1 to CPT3, you only need to make that change in the schedule key and it updates everywhere that room style is applied.

In each room in Revit you can choose to apply the room style or not. Sometimes for the one off stuff we just simply don't apply any room style to that room and fill in the finish fields one by one for that room. Just be aware that if you choose to apply a room style to a room, then any field in the key schedule will be ghosted out in the room properties. This means that you might want to carefully plan out what fields you include in the key schedule. If the ceiling finish for example can be 1 of 3 types for any Mrg. Office then you would need 3 Mgr. Office room styles or simply not include the ceiling finish in the key schedule and handle the ceiling finish on a room by room basis. If you included the ceiling finish in the key schedule and included a finish in all room styles but not for the Mrg. Office, you would not be able to access the ceiling finish field in the room properties of the Mgr. Office as this needs to occur in the key schedule.

HTH

Tom

[Michelle Gibson]

Thank you so much. I have followed and posted in other threads, but this one clearly took me thru it step by step and offers the reasoning behind it. I suggest that Revit management might want to read this one thru and see if they can improve on the help info or tutorials...

Your patience was very much appreciated - now my only problem is that I might become the schedule expert in the office .... ugh!

[SCShell]

Your patience was very much appreciated - now my only problem is that I might become the schedule expert in the office .... ugh!
Hey Michelle,
Expert = Job Security!
Great Job...keep it up
Steve