Best way to copy/monitor structural columns?

[patricks]

We have a structural Revit file from our consultant on a large project, and we're trying to coordinate grids and columns. Unfortunately it is very late in the game, and this project has HUNDREDS of views. We have to copy/monitor the structural columns, because it really is not feasible to try to go through EVERY view and set it up to show ONLY the columns in the link (no grids, walls, levels etc. showing from the linked model).

However, when we try to copy/monitor the columns, there are lots of structural column families in the link, and only a few structural columns in our model. What is the best way to get all the structural column types, and will the copy/monitor automatically match up the column family types once we do get them all in?

We tried selecting all the columns in the structural file and copy/pasting them into our file, but for some reason we're still not getting all the types that it's listing on the link side of the C/M Options dialog.

[Scott Womack]

Transfer project standards from the Structural file to your file for structural columns only. Then when you copy/monitor them, you'll be able to use their families for the column creation.

Personally, I'd edit the view templates to reflect what I want to show in the views, and then select the views in the browser, and apply the view templates, since they apply to the linked files as well.

I believe that you are setting yourself up for future problems on this file, as well as a potential performance hit. All that copy/monitoring of theat many columns, will slow down the load times, as well as the save to central times, since revit will do a compare against those columns, and the linked structural file.

[patricks]

This project is nearly complete, with probably 200-300 model views. Setting up every view really isn't an option here. We're only trying to coordinate placement of columns. And the views are not set up with any view templates applied at present.

Also, column types cannot be transferred using Transfer Project Standards as far as I can tell. There is "Structural Settings" in the list, but not structural columns, or any type of column for that matter.

[Scott Womack]

Yea, I realized this a while after I posted this. Using the copy/Monitor, you'll have to first load all of the sizes in on your file, by selecting them out of the list. There is no Faster way to do this. That is why Aaron and I had talked about using the View Templates, and applying to your views. You could actually make a template that only has the Revit Model catagory left checked on, and modify that, then apply it to ALL of your views. Of course this may cause heart burn later, since all of your views would show this as the default view template.

[patricks]

Our template actually doesn't have any view templates applied to any views, so pretty much all views in most projects list "None" as the default view template, except on the occasion that someone applies some. If you can't tell, we don't make much use of view templates around here, although we probably should.

[Scott Womack]

View Templates are your FRIEND....

Applying a view template sets it to the default template for that view. Once you have applied a view template to a view/type of view, later on you can then grab a large number of views, and there is a command Apply Default View Template, which has the effect of applying a number of view templates at one time. It will read the default template in each view, and then apply that template to that view.

The attached image is for a small project, just starting into DD. By the end of CD's we may 20 to 30 view templates.

[twiceroadsfool]

+1 for view templates. Patrick, it doesnt have to change ANYTHING but the VG:RVT Links tab of the views.

You can go in to ONE plan, say VG: RVT Link Override > Custom > Model (shut off everything but the columns), shut off the entire annotation tab.

Project browser > right click, make VT, then UNCHECK everything BUT the RVT Link override radio button. And save the VT.

Now apply that VT to EVERY plan/view in the project... And ALL it does is remove everything but the columns.

if youre close to done, theres no WAY id me Copy Monitoring that stuff. YIKES...

[hermeytheelf]

So I know this is an old post but I found it by searching and I don't want to muddy the waters with a new post. We just became aware of this shortcoming.

Fact is COPY/MONITOR DOES NOT WORK FOR STRUCTURAL COLUMNS!!!
I repeat COPY/MONITOR DOES NOT WORK FOR STRUCTURAL COLUMNS!!!

If the column in the linked model changes Family, Family Type, Size, Rotation, Length, Top Offset or Bottom offset you will never know about it because a Coordination Review is NOT triggered :-(. The only changes that are aknowledged are deletion or a move in the X,Y location. The Factory knows about this and has taken it as a 'Wish List' item so not much hope for a fix. Hopefully they can think about fixing the Help section to add this clarification.

Add this to the problems with not being able to use any wall alignment other than Center and Copy/Monitor is really worthless for anything but Grid coordination.

I shudder to think how many RFI's have been generated so far because of an Architecture team relying on this tool to give them accurate Structural information...