Link topo to building or vice-versa?

[ws]

I'm in the middle of designing a new house and I have linked toposurfaces created as a separate project (with existing and proposed phases) quite nicely into the building model.

However I am wondering if it is perhaps better to link the building into the topo because I would like to create a pad for the new house and it doesn't work, not surprisingly I guess, the way that I have them linked at present.

This is the first time I've linked a site model rather than just built it along with the building and any advice on the pros and cons of which way round to link would be most welcome, thanks.

[davidcobi]

This is the workflow we currently use, anyone correct if I'm wrong...

When you want to link a dwg survey into a topo model:
- Import survey center-to-center & not Current View Only & Link (instead of import)
- go to Tools... Shared Coordinates... Aquire Coordinates
- then select the imported survey in your view
- save the file & location

When you want to link the topo model into the building model:
- Import topo model center-to-center
- rotate the topo as needed to align with the building
- go to Tools... Shared Coordinates... Aquire Coordinates
- then select the linked topo in your view
- save the file & location

Finally, when you want to link the building model back into the topo model:
- Import building model... by shared coordinates
- The building model should automatically land in the correct location

We do building pads and sitework in the site model. We keep the building envelope separate from the site work so we can potentially export the building out for analysis or 3d printing.

[Phillip_Miller]

What are the advantages of having the site in a seperate file. I come from an ADT background and I love Revit for the fact everything is in the one file.

[dhurtubise]

It depends on the situation. You would mainly use a seprate files to control the file size.

[patricks]

Another reason is if you want to have several instances of the same building linked into the site model.

We haven't really done campus work like that, though, so we always have the site in the same file as the building, typically on a separate workset.

[ws]

thanks dduarte and everyone,

cadclips.com have some good (subscription) video tutorials on this which started me off using linked site models.

One advantage seemed to be that you could easily play about with the relative levels of new building and site before deciding at what level the new building was going to be placed.

[patricks]

Here's another question: If the building file is workshared, should the site file also be workshared, or does it matter?

[dhurtubise]

It doesnt matter

[patricks]

Okay, I'm trying out this linked site model method on a project still in SD stages, but there's already quite a bit of walls, roof, windows, doors, etc. already modeled, both new and existing.

I linked in our survey into a separate new file, center-to-center (did not move it, and pinned it), acquired coordinate, and then created a toposurface from the survey.

Now when I link the Site file into the Building file, center-to-center, is it okay to move the site link around to get it to match up with the building model elements in the Building file?