Design Option Link File Strategy

I teach Revit workshops every other week during lunch at my firm and Monday I am teaching a class about Design Options. I completely understand setting it up for basic interior suite layouts, etc. but I wanted to go over some bigger picture design option strategy and I'm looking for some ideas on possible scenarios and workflow.

The book Mastering Revit Architecture recommends setting up linked files for larger design ideas so I want to cover that. I'm taking a past Revit project in the office and going over what would happen if we wanted to see options for a bigger chunk of the building such as a stair tower.

Would I save out two additional seperate files that only have the two stair tower options in it and the central file would not have any stair tower geometry besides the design option links or would I leave the stair tower in the central file and have that be the primary option and only have one linked file be the secondary option? When I select the design option and it happens to be the link do I go through the process of accepting the secondary option (the linked file) as the primary or would I delete the Option set entirely and just bind the link in? Discuss.

If you have any other bigger picture scenarios for this class I would be interested in hearing them!

Thanks!

I actually found a pretty cool workflow. First I just made a duplicate file and deleted out all the geometry except for the stair tower and linked that file in which was my Option 1 link. That was kind of a lot of work. Then I also decided to make the stair tower geometry in the Central file into a group. I made the Stair tower group a linked file and set up my Options that way. I accepted one of the design options and then bound the link. Awesome.

Probably too late for your class - but I usually put grid lines and sometimes reference planes on Design Options. This way, no one working on the project is apt to nudge one of the grid lines around accidentally. They have to really try to move the object. You can still dimension to it and base linework on it...but you can't accidentally move it around. Also - if I then get a structural file that has a grid that I like in it...I just set the gridline option to 'not' primary. (kind of like locking in AutoCAD)

I also sometimes use this scenario for a project that constantly has issues with things being out of place...I'll set up some model lines or reference planes on a design option that isn't primary and go back and check on it every once in a while. Good for weird geometry as well, like ellipses (although I've banned the use of those in the office...so don't have to worry about that anymore)

Also, for multiple building projects (same building over and over linked into a common site file) I've used design options for elements which control some specific areas of the building (stairtower on the 'right' vs 'left'). Worked pretty well, as long as there is proper training for everyone on what is going on with the model.

-Heather Worrell-
RATIO Architects

Thanks for the response Heather. I did already teach the class but that's okay. I mentioned the technique on putting grids in a design option.

I'm not sure what you meant by "if I then get a structural file that has a grid that I like in it...I just set the gridline option to 'not' primary. (kind of like locking in AutoCAD)" Do you mean if you want one particular grid line to reference in your file, you'll add that to the file and bury it in a design option? I think I understand your technique of setting things to not be primary is that by default they are hidden but they are there and locked if you want to reference them? Not a bad idea. Thanks.

Karen

Any other fun tidbits from the class that are a little out of the box thinking that you found?

-Heather

Not really. I'm a bit of a purist. The class found the segment of the lesson exciting when I spoke about bigger design ideas coming from a linked file. I explained that workflow earlier in this thread but I'm sure you're aware of that. Thanks again.

Sorry for the tangent, but Heather you mentioned banning ellipses. Is there a specific method you like to use for elliptical designs? I recently had to lay out and dimension an elliptical courtyard walkway (about 150'x100') and used the Five-Center Method from here: http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/MATHALGO/Ellipses.HTM It worked fairly well.