Separate Discipline and Sheet Number Titleblock Labels

[Brockster]

I have a client with a very unique titleblock. In this titleblock the discipline ID (A, E M, etc.) are in one area and the sheet number are in another. They are not combines as usual (A101). Currently, the sheets names must not include the disciplines. So a detail bubble looks like this 1/101 instead of 1/A101. Is there a way to use the typical sheet naming convention (A101), but limit the two titleblock label tags to display only the "A" for one tag and "101" in the other label?

[Richard at AA]

A few ways to accomplish this. If I am understanding you right, the easiest way if you are just creating the 'A' sheets, you can change Title Block Label to Prefix the sheet name with 'A' in the Title Block and just use '101' as the actual sheet name. This would give your detail callouts 1/101 as you need. If you are doing more than the 'A' sheets, you can make the prefix a type parameter and use that as part of a small family of titleblock types (one for each discipline)

[twiceroadsfool]

If im understanding him correctly, he WANTS the callouts so still say M101, but he wants M to be located in a different portion of the titleblock than the 101... Which means the sheet number would have to be 101 and the M would have to be an added parameter.

Short answer: It wont do what you want to do.

Long answer: You can probably trick it in to doing it, but it will be replete with a LOT of manual data coordination. Reconfigure your titleblock. :)

[Richard at AA]

I see.

I that case your title block and anywhere else you need to hide the Prefix, you will need to use a masking region and probably left justify to avoid sheet number shifting the prefix too much.

[Brockster]

Thanks Aaron and Richard. Richard, I like your answer using mask regions. It's a down and dirty trick but it might work. Seems like something a code could write to hide characters number blank, blank, blank.

Does any one else have any suggestions?

[Scott Womack]

Thanks Aaron and Richard. Richard, I like your answer using mask regions. It's a down and dirty trick but it might work. Seems like something a code could write to hide characters number blank, blank, blank.

A masking region does not normally hide text, or parameters. You'll have to play with it.

As a separate point. If the Discipline was set up as a shared parameter applied to sheets, it is probably possible to get the sheets to "read" correctly. The Callouts and tags are another issue. I do not believe you can "combine" labels in annotation families like you can in a Titleblock, but I don't think you have the ability to add parameters to the callout head families to do the same thing, with the sheet disapline as a parameter, and ane sheet number as a separate parameter.

[Brockster]

A masking region does not normally hide text, or parameters. You'll have to play with it.

As a separate point. If the Discipline was set up as a shared parameter applied to sheets, it is probably possible to get the sheets to "read" correctly. The Callouts and tags are another issue. I do not believe you can "combine" labels in annotation families like you can in a Titleblock, but I don't think you have the ability to add parameters to the callout head families to do the same thing, with the sheet discipline as a parameter, and and sheet number as a separate parameter.

Your comment about this affecting the callouts seem true. Although I could mask the label in the titleblock, the label would display all characters in the callouts. Each callout that contains a sheet number label could be modified, but not the elevation callout. My coworkers pointed out yesterday that the elevation callout is not a editable family, but is hard coded in Revit's DNA (API).

So with that said, I still don't have a remedy.

[twiceroadsfool]

I understand our reluctance to push changes to our clients when they dont like it, but let me ask this:

Why not make the sheet numbers be the entire conglomerate: M101. Then ALSO have another parameter to go in the Title Block in the OTHER location, such as "M".

Its going to be manually coordinated, but ANY way you get around this issue will be manual at best. At least with this solution, you dont need to mask/hide/trick/cheat every single view reference.

Personally, id try to persuade them to go to regular (arrogantly using the work REGULAR to mean "M101") sheet numbering and naming, but if you cant... Id try advocating on the redundant version i mentioned above...

[Brockster]

The idea of doing the titleblock number manually is undesirable, but may be something we have to live with.

[Scott Womack]

The idea of doing the titleblock number manually is undesirable, but may be something we have to live with.

As you say, you may have to live with that, but you are also probably negating the use of a Drawing Sheet list as well. The more an more you end up negating, the farther and farther away you get from the automation of Revit, and some of it's ability to save time for your firm as well. If the client is that inflexible, than your firm should get paid more for that inflexibility

[patricks]

I can't stand bureaucratic people and companies that think OHHH NOOOO the earth is going to stand still or something just because something like a title block or a tag in one project doesn't look EXACTLY THE SAME as every other past project they have ever done. :roll:

[Brockster]

I thought about still naming the sheet as usual, placing the label in the binding edge and then find a way for the chopped text from the label to appear in the titleblock. Hmmm...