Custom Area Types, Modifying Default Area Types

[phyllisr]

Is there a way to add Area Types? Is there a way that I can change rules for the default types and create new types with different rules? Not Area Settings, actual Types.

Hopefully, I have not missed this in the older posts I reviewed. I can generally accomplish what I want for everything except BOMA areas using parameters, names and alternate color fill schemes. I understand how this works. I am hoping for an answer specific to changing the default BOMA area types and adding a few new ones, not a work-around. The default OOTB types are not correct and it's causing extra steps to get the information out of Revit into a spreadsheet created for the 1996 BOMA / ANSI standard.

There is no type for Gross Measured Area (different from Gross Building Area). To get the earliest Rentable Area calculations, this is important. There is no type for Floor Usable Area (often, in early phases, we are not interested in whether it is Store, Office or Building Common Area). Since Floor Area appears to be technically Floor Common Area (based on the boundary), it is named incorrectly and could be confused with Floor Usable Area. I can schedule Floor Usable Area with a calculated parameter but I cannot select the type correctly unless I arbitrarily assign one that's a default. There is nothing for Residential work - since BOMA does not have a standard, our developers make different decisions about whether to count balconies, how to calculate corridors, what to do in multi-use Retail/Office/Condo developments and more.

I am happy to make the corrections and additions myself but cannot figure out where it is.

Besides, it makes me nuts that only Office area has a lower case a.

Thanks in advance.

[luigi]

There is much to your post, I will only say a few things, and hopefully some of it may help you...

The automatic boundary lines can't be modified (at least currenlty) and only improvements to the software can help most of what you addressed.

but you can create various Area schemes (yes under Area Settings :), and manually pick walls (locking them) to the centers or edges. This way you can create the "Gross Measured Area" and manually select the boundaries you want (by locking them it will modify as one moves a wall or so).

I had to give you some answer, especially since nobody tried to answer you...

Take care,
Luigi

[mabadie]

Phyllis, Did you ever find out how to make custome Area Types? I am having the same problem but finding no answers.
Thank you.
Marc

[dhurtubise]

If you are referring to the 6 types already available, it is in fact impossible to create more.

[phyllisr]

...it is in fact impossible to create more.
Wish list. Still think the OOTB decision on the types is not a simple inconvenience but is just plain wrong. Oh, well.

[mibzim]

Surely the easiest way to address some of these problems would be to add a parameter to each boundary line that defines where on the wall it sits? For each type of area plan there could be a default setting when picking walls, but each one could be modified separately.

Room areas is another thing that could be improved - maybe you could set the face to which room areas are measured for each wall type. That would certainly help.

[phyllisr]

Surely the easiest way to address some of these problems would be to add a parameter to each boundary line that defines where on the wall it sits?
Parameters are certainly an option but none the less, it is a lot more effort and requires creating schemes for color fills to "trick" the view so it shows the missing categories. The type issue is as big a concern as where the line rests. At least I can draw a line and not apply rules to get the SF calculations I want.

The BOMA standard in question has been around since 1996 and there is no reason Revit identified area types that disregard a BOMA/ANSI standard in favor of the 1983 method. I still strongly believe the best method is either to get the area types correct at the core programming level or make this a field we can manage as users. Adding the correct types cannot be that difficult to do.

[dpasa]

If you are referring to the 6 types already available, it is in fact impossible to create more.

Not only you can't create more, you can't even rename them... So in Spain or in Italy or in Greece where I live, the phrase "Store Area" means nothing, because it is not in Greek.
Also, some other things like the footnotes in the schedules, can't be edited.\
That means that schedules for me are useless, and it a shame to pay for something useless especially when it is soooo easy to fix.
This is another "wake up Autodesk" wishlist item.

[eldad]

Not only you can't create more, you can't even rename them... So in Spain or in Italy or in Greece where I live, the phrase "Store Area" means nothing, because it is not in Greek.
Also, some other things like the footnotes in the schedules, can't be edited.\
That means that schedules for me are useless, and it a shame to pay for something useless especially when it is soooo easy to fix.
This is another "wake up Autodesk" wishlist item.

It is very annoying that one cannot change the area types, for that reason I always use the "by name" option, more work but more freedom.

[Batman]

Does this issue still blow as much as it did back when the thread was started?

Utter BS if it is.

[dhurtubise]

I've always used a SP and never had any issue with Area.
The deal with the BOMA included one is that the area boundary will move according to the area type. That means we would need a way to not only create a new type but also tell the type where to place the boundary.

[vmalerbajr]

Yes, Batman.....it does!

[patrick.villella]

I know this topic has been discussed at length in these forums, but I still get all sorts of questions regarding Area Types and Legends from students and designers I consult with.

This information is relevant even to the 2011 and 2012 versions of Revit.
I think Steven Shell did a great job of covering this topic back in 2008 at http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=84801.

I just have a couple of points I want to make that might help:
1. Area Types are hard coded into Revit. They cannot be added, modified, renamed, or deleted. (I know that’s already been said, but it bears repeating.) This is true, even of Revit 2012, unless something drastic is changed between the Beta version I’ve been working with and the shipping release.

2. There are two categories of Area Types: Gross and Rentable. It is possible to add your own Area Scheme, and in that case, it follows the rules set forth in the Rentable type (see below).

3. I know everyone hates this fact and wonders why this is. Keep in mind that Area Type does much more than determine how the space is to be used. Area Types are really just rules that help Revit determine when it could be calculating area to the inside face of a wall, the centerline, or the outside face. It uses this to determine how to handle areas when walls have more than 50% glazing on them. There are a lot of intricate things these Area Types are doing behind the scenes that controls SF calculation, and it is for this reason that they are hard coded. If you want to read up on these rules, you can check out detailed explanations in the Help file at:
http://docs.autodesk.com/subscription/REVIT/2011/ENU/filesUsersGuide/WS46b90c3cb2c58cad1ccb029fc7ee3e379-7fee.htm

4. The development team tried their best to create Area Types and SF calculation rules that conform to BOMA rules and industry standard designations in the US. If you don’t like the way it calculates the SF or aligns your area lines, they are movable. Simply uncheck the ‘Apply Area Rule’ setting from the Options bar when placing your lines and Revit won’t use the rules for placement.

5. I realize that other countries have different conventions. It would be nice if Revit at least let you rename those Area Types as you wish.

6. This doesn't take away any of our control for color plans:

7. If you are creating a color plan and you need to designate area based on values that the built in Area Types do not accommodate, add a Project Parameter and assign it to Area elements. You now have another value you can use when setting up your Scheme for your Legend display.

8. You don't need to create a schedule to create this new parameter, as SShell mentioned, but that is an easy way to do it if you don't like to go into Project Parameters.

9. Note that you will still need to choose what Area Type those areas will be. If you don’t plan on using Area Type for color legends, and won’t be using the ‘Apply Area Rule’ feature, it doesn’t matter what you assign them. They could all be one Area Type if need be. If you are using Area Rules, be aware that what you assign them will affect SF calculations.

10. A trick I like to do is to create a Key Schedule with just one parameter named something like 'Area Style'. The advantage of using a Key Schedule is that I can now add rows to that schedule with the values that are allowed in the 'Area Style' parameter. This prevents other users from mistyping or adding Area Styles that aren't standard or I don't want in a project.

I hope this information helps!

[The Monk]

Thanks Patrick on the good advice. A couple of questions I have are: when creating the addtional parameters for the color schemes I found the parameters are available when creating an area schedule. And I am assuming it is at the schedule level where formulas are written for those custom parameters? Do you have any samples?

And the other two items are: only one area object can be created for any level. In other words there cannot be an area plan object for gross floorplate area and one for net?

The last has to do with the area schemes. I tried creating additonal schemes for the gross and net issue. What I found is those new schemes were not available for use - not that I expect them to be since I have no idea what evaluation method they would be associated with or how to apply a one of the methods.

Thanks again for the great post,

John

[1966ford]

Does anyone know why the Select Area Scheme Type window that allows you to select between Rentable and Gross stops appearing when creating a new Area Scheme?

[Chris D UK]

Does anyone know why the Select Area Scheme Type window that allows you to select between Rentable and Gross stops appearing when creating a new Area Scheme?

Anyone know the answer to this one? The dialog comes up in one file, but not another.

[dhurtubise]

If you are referring Area Type for Gross(Gross Building & Exterior Area) and Rentable(Building Common Area, Office Area, Exterior Area, Floor Area, Major Vertical Penetration & Store Area) it's becasue they are ahrd coded in those 2 Area Schemes. You will find the Rentable Area Type available for all other Area Scheme created though

[Chris D UK]

If you are referring Area Type for Gross(Gross Building & Exterior Area) and Rentable(Building Common Area, Office Area, Exterior Area, Floor Area, Major Vertical Penetration & Store Area) it's becasue they are ahrd coded in those 2 Area Schemes. You will find the Rentable Area Type available for all other Area Scheme created though

Thanks for the quick response. I understand that Gross and Rentable have hard-coded sub-types, but I'm not able to select the main type (i.e. select Gross) because the dialog box simply doesn't come up in one of my files, while it does in others.

[dhurtubise]

Theres no dialog, you can access it from the Properies. Cant see that when you are placing an area?
Got a screen capture?

[Chris D UK]

Theres no dialog, you can access it from the Properies. Cant see that when you are placing an area?
Got a screen capture?

This dialog:
94441

[jsteinhauer]

Chris,

Thank you for the screenshot. Unfortunately I'm not able to get this dialog box to pop up when creating new Area Scheme Types. What version of Revit are you currently running? Please include service packs as well.

On a related topic. Are we able to control the rules for custom Area Schemes? If so, how do we do this?

Thank you,
Jeff S.