Moving a building...

[iru69]

I've been having a ton of problems moving modeled buildings around on a site.

I have two townhouse buildings and a site in one project file (I like to keep everything in one file if possible - linked files strike me as a lot like acad's x-refs). The views will need to show both buildings relative to each other in plan and section/elevation.

I've wanted to adjust their "xy" location on the site as well as their "z" elevation on the site. However, every time I move the building, I get all sorts of error messages about constraints, etc. followed by all sorts of model elements (sweeps, windows, floors, etc.) getting seriously out of whack. When I try and move the buildings up or down, same problems as well.

Now, I've read a dozen threads on this topic, and almost all conclude with using the "Relocate this project" tool. However, the "Relocate this project" doesn't seem to work if you want to relocate just one of the buildings relative to the other building and site. Locking all the floor levels together and then moving it didn't seem to avoid the problems either.

These are fairly developed models, so it's obviously a major hassle to go back and fix dozens of little "issues" every time I want to move a building a couple feet in the xyz directions.

Are using linked files the only way to avoid these issues (aside from trying to avoid the "xref" pitfalls, the buildings really "interact" with the site, so I can't afford to lose any functionality on that end either)?

Am I missing something easy?

[rhys]

Linked files were introduced for just this purpose, and I believe scheduling is now available in 8.1 for linked models. Back when linked files didn't exist (v3 or 4 ) the best way to move a complete building and to avoid most of the error messages was to go to a 3d wireframe view with all categories etc turned on and bottom right/ top left select. I think linked files are the way to go for Campus schemes.

[Martin P]

It should be relatively easy to make this one big file into several linked files - just do lots of saveas and lots of deleting to get the separate buildings... keep a back up of the original though!! - maybe a few hours work to sort it all out, but how many hours will you spend now if you dont do it..

not having seen it of course makes it much easier to say than it probably is to do!

Its the way forward really....not many pitfalls honest! - not as many as not linking anyway!!

[Chad Smith]

We have all sorts of problems when moving buildings around on the site too.

99% of our projects are just one building on a site, so we have been modeling the entire project within one file. It doesn't matter how careful you construct the project, when it comes time to move the building we get all sorts of errors, the most common being deleting objects and unconstraining objects.

I thought of modeling the site and building in two different files, and then linking the building into the site, but the lack of sub-category visibility control has turned me off this idea.

[Mr Spot]

Providing the building doesn't actually change rotation. I tend to move the site instead of the building if its position changes. Less hassell. But of course there are times when the building needs to rotate slightly in relation to the site. In this case i will link the building into a site file - do the site drawings in this file and all other drawings in the building file.

But if there are multiple buildings we always use linked files. Now if only we could tag parts of a linked file and have full control of the visibilty and phases for each linked element...

[Wes Macaulay]

Move in plan: select all objects, then group if needed, move, ungroup. Grouping helps with the rotation but no guarantees!

Move vertically: select all levels -- nothing more -- and move them as needed.

..all this if of course using linked files is not going to work.

[iru69]

Thanks to all for your responses!

I guess I'm going to be forced into using linked files.

I need to be able to schedule across linked files, so thankfully that sounds like it's now possible... hopefully it really works.


I thought of modeling the site and building in two different files, and then linking the building into the site, but the lack of sub-category visibility control has turned me off this idea.
In what way? Could worksets serve the visibility control issue? What other issues would I run into if I use linked files.

When I first started using Revit back on 6.1, I tried linking my building into a site, but I got frustrated going back and forth between my building file and my site file... ayhh, this whole linked file thing sounds easy from a modeling stand point, but confusing from a documenting standpoint... and not very condusive to the work flow... well, I guess I have to really give it a good try before I dismiss it.

[Chad Smith]

Could worksets serve the visibility control issue?
It's something I have yet to try. I've used worksets before, just not with linked files.

When I first started using Revit back on 6.1, I tried linking my building into a site, but I got frustrated going back and forth between my building file and my site file...
Yeah, that's a right pain. You have to open a new session of Revit. I look forward to the day when you can open both files in the one Revit session.

Wes: I've only just noticed the last line of your signature. Nice tie in with the avatar. :)

[Martin P]

The 2 Revit sessions...... I do this all the time and have never had a problem yet (although David Connant advised against doing this - it does work!)

We always link into any modelled site drawings. The site works drawings are not a problem - if you do the drawings in the site model... No "rules" about everything having to be in one file, if you have 2 model files, why not have drawings in 2 files? All you have to do is type in the projects address etc again!!


If all else fails and its one building and you cant link files - move the site instead of the building, its got less parts to go wrong....

[iru69]

It should be relatively easy to make this one big file into several linked files - just do lots of saveas and lots of deleting to get the separate buildings... keep a back up of the original though!! - maybe a few hours work to sort it all out, but how many hours will you spend now if you dont do it..

not having seen it of course makes it much easier to say than it probably is to do!

Its the way forward really....not many pitfalls honest! - not as many as not linking anyway!!
Well, I split the one file up into a site plan file, and two building files and then linked the building files into my site plan file. That part worked great.

However, the first pitfall I've run into is that I can't control the worksets of my linked file. I use worksets to overcome many of the visibility control issues that I have with Revit. If I can't control the worksets of linked files, I'm right back where I started. Am I (hopefully!) missing something?

[Wes Macaulay]

Nope. You can't control the visibility of worksets in the linked file. Also to note: worksets set to be off by default are invisible when linked.

[iru69]

Wes, thanks for clearing that up. That's very disappointing.

[Martin P]

irusun,

I will apologise for advising you to do that, I didnt realise that this happened with worksets having not used them often. That is really is quite poor and more than little dissapointing, I am about to use worksets for the first time myself in conjuntion with linked files.

Would it be a possibilty for you to have the sheets for each building in the separate models, rather than trying to get them all in the one file?

[iru69]

Would it be a possibilty for you to have the sheets for each building in the separate models, rather than trying to get them all in the one file?
Hey Martin, I did give your idea some thought, and while feasible, at the moment it seems more complicated than I'm willing to put up with.

You try it :), and let us know what you think.

[Alex Page]

Do note that you when linking in the files, you can control what worksets are brought in (under 'Open Worksets') so you do have 'overall' workset visibility. You can also do a 'reload' and change the worksets as well