Multiple Building Project...

[bbeck]

I work for an architectural firm that only does educational projects. We're looking at different options on how to approach a campus project within Revit. I looked at the Tutorial that talks about linking Revit files together but that seems to have some flaws. For whatever reason they allow scheduled items to read across links but the tags don't display across. So, are other firms doing....

A. Multiple projects linked to a master site with plotting and schedules manually coordinated?

B. One master project with individual buildings as worksets?

C. Other?

Schedules and Detail coordination are the two major questions from a few of the Associates here.

Thanks

Brian Beck
CAD Manager
Rainforth Grau Architects

[janunson]

I'm doing one now w/ 2 different building files, referenced multiple times into a master site file. Each building type will have a separate set of documents, so i'll do all schedules in the individual files. the site drawing will contain the documents related to that part of the project. Haven't yet really needed to coordinate schedules between buildings. I'd be curious to see how others are doing.

[Sweetshelby]

I am working on our first Revit School project and we have the entire campus in one file and have broken up each building into worksets. We have 3 existing buildings and 3 new additions so we are also doing phases and demo.

So far we have not had any problems. We have a 1/16" site plan and then each building has a 1/8" callout view. The hardest part was setting up the different base heights and turning levels off in views that you don't want to see them. In some views there may be a lot of levels you have to not show in view and you have to do it in elevation and section.

This is also the first project where our Structural Consultant is using Revit Structures. Everything has been working pretty well so far as well.

If you have any specific questions just ask!

[janunson]

.... and turning levels off in views that you don't want to see them. In some views there may be a lot of levels you have to not show in view and you have to do it in elevation and section.


For a setup like that you should definitely look into scope boxes. that'll keep the multitude of levels in check, and help ensure that when you need to add a level for a bearing on a canopy or some other detail part of the building later on, that you don't have to visit every other section drawing in the project and turn it back off.

[Sweetshelby]

Thanks

I thought about it but since we have not used them before I did not want to get into it. But maybe it would be worth it. I will take a look!

[bbeck]

Thanks for the replies gang. I'll be pushing forward with setting up our campus's as the project and then pushing the various buildings out as worksets. I just need to keep reminding our staff and consultants that it took most of them a long time to become proficient in AutoCAD and they need to keep that in mind as we move to Revit.

Brian Beck
CAD Manager
Rainforth Grau Architects

[Sweetshelby]

That is exactly what I had to do here! I finally had to say "I don't want to hear what you could have done in CAD, I want you to learn how to do it better in Revit!" Once I told them this they stopped complaining and started trying harder and now everyone is doing great in Revit!

Good Luck!

[scott.neumann]

Jennifer,

How did you handle duplicate grid numbers and level names between buildings? I am starting a 4 building project all in one file and using worksets. I know you can't duplicate grid and level names in a single project so how are you able to use grid 1 on all of the buildings?

Am I missing something here??

Thanks in advance.

[hand471037]

Jennifer,

How did you handle duplicate grid numbers and level names between buildings? I am starting a 4 building project all in one file and using worksets. I know you can't duplicate grid and level names in a single project so how are you able to use grid 1 on all of the buildings?

Am I missing something here??

Yup. Look into Scope Boxes. They let you have multiple and different grids within one project.

Case in point: on a large urban multi-family residential project, where the first three levels are sidewalk retail with a parking garage hidden behind them all done in concrete (the 'podium') and the next couple of levels are wood-frame and steel condos with a interior courtyard, you have one Scope Box for the first three, another for the upper ones, and you can then have two sets of column grids (one for each) within the project, and swap back and forth at will. Scope Boxes also help in cropping and just generally managing your Project when it's complex.

[Sweetshelby]

Jennifer,

How did you handle duplicate grid numbers and level names between buildings? I am starting a 4 building project all in one file and using worksets. I know you can't duplicate grid and level names in a single project so how are you able to use grid 1 on all of the buildings?

Am I missing something here??

Thanks in advance.

Definitely check out the scope boxes. We did not use them so we have our grids labeled by building A1, A2 & AA, AB for Admin building, C1, C2 & CA, CB for Classroom, & P1, P2 & PA, PB for Pupil Building and so on. I new about scope boxes but never used them and it was to late into the project for me to start but they seem like a great idea.

[Phil Read]

Scott -

Definitely a bad idea. If you have to modify the location, orientation or elevation of just one of the buildings - you're stuck.

Better to put the buildings in separate files, locate, orient and elevate each one in the site file. Then publish the coordinates from the site back to each building.

-Phil

[scott.neumann]

Thanks everyone for the help.

I did some testing with scope boxes and they appear to work well but I still can't have duplicate grids (which is understandable).

I am proceeding with Phil's suggestion of seperate projects at this time linked into a master site project.

Thanks again.

[bbeck]

Hi Hi Gang,
I still have a hard time getting around how you would coordinate a construction drawing set if the individual buildings are separate projects linked into a site project. Where do you do your plotting from? Can the drawing/sheet index that is setup in your project browser work across links? Where do the details live so that the callouts stay coordinated? Schedules work across links but the tags don't display across. So far I can only see doing all of our work in one project. We can have as many as 200 architectural sheets for 10 or so buildings in one of our standard high school projects. Each building as it's own project just wouldn't work for us I think, although I've been wrong many times in the past.

Brian Beck
CAD Manager
Rainforth Grau Architects