best practice question regarding campus of buildings in one document set.

[shenderson]

here's the scenario...
we are developing a campus of three buildings...
- 2 buildings are in phase 1; 1 in phase 2

what's the best way to set up the file so we can produce one set of construction documents for each phase?

can/do we...
1. build each building as a seperate 'model' file and link them into a 'documentation' file? can you create all the views and schedules etc from the linked models.

2. build all three buildings in one file? how do you manage the three buildings to produce a site drawing with true north and floor plans with specific building norths?

3. build each as seperate files with their own documentation? can you reference details in another file. for example" create a detail (4/A4.1) in building set 1 and reference it in building set 2? This is a campus that we are doing so details will be shared by all three builidngs.

4. OTHER - any ideas or better yet tried and true methods????

[twiceroadsfool]

If the drawings are all in one Document package, you have a few options:

1. Use just Worksets.

2. Use Linked files.

Ive done a few campus style malls using just worksets, and its fine, as long as you have the hardware to handle it when the file starts to get very large. I have some files at or around 275+ MB, and it starts to bog down the slower machines, even if they use "Specify" to only open certain worksets.

If you use linked files, be prepared for the following:

1. Having to annotate Plans in individual files, then using "By Linked View" to display annotations. You cant tag something from a linked file.

2. Wall Sections: Edit Cut Profile wont work on a Linked File object, so youll probably want to detail the different wall sections in the different building files, if they have different wall types and arent typical (mine arent)

2a. If you go that route, you cant get the view annotations (Section Markers) to show up in the "Main" file, as both files COULD have the same sheet and drawing numbers, so Revit wont let you. Logically, this makes sense, but (imho) we need a way to let multiple files complete one drawing set and remain coordinated.

3. Grids: You can use Copy Monitor across the multiple files, but heres my issue with that: CM only affects whats already there, as far as i know. If i go in my "Grid Master" Model, and put in another grid, it wont automatically get copied in to the building files. So for now, im working with just he linked in Grid master, and praying to get by without having to adjust grid heads...

4. Project parameter values: They wont update together. IF you have drawings in the multiple models, youll need to check the Issue dates, etc... In the Drawing sheets and titleblocks, as they wont all update together. Speaking of which...

5. Model groups, Families: Youll want all the files open if and when youre updating a family and/or a model group, which can be a Pain in the *** as you have to unload the links to open them. But if you dont, you could have different versions of families in different buildings.


All that said, i didnt paint a very friendly picture, but im trying out the second method on a 540k SF center currently. Our files get loaded down with a lot of sheets, as we have specific requirements delineating a mini drawing-package for every single tenant space, in addition to the shell package. Plus, we dont like to link those in, we like them IN the actual model, since THOSE packages are dictating Demise Wall locations in our main model, and not vice versa.

Revit Phasing works wonders, but also keep in mind the sheet numbering, however minor an issue it may be. Ive seen PM's freak over it: If you have two phases, and theyre completely different packages of CD's, you cannot use a Sheet Number twice in a drawing set. So youll end up with a "1A2.0" and a "2A2.0". If youre okay with that, phases will take you until your hardware cant handle it anymore...

Hope this helps..

[clog boy]

The smartest way would be (IMO) to make one linked file. The source files will have to be completely documented so you can simply check 'by linked view' for each linked model for each plan (it's in a tab for visibility/graphics settings).
In the meantime you can work on these projects in another Revit session, save, reload. Opening a linked file or loading/reloading a link takes time. Having one of the phases open in one Revit session is the most performance efficient way I heard of.

Anyhow, good luck.

[shenderson]

thanks for the replies...

they have been very helpful.

[twiceroadsfool]

Be sure to let us know how it goes.

The campus project i just started JUST for broken up in to linked files yesterady. Its 9 buildings, 2 phases, 1 drawing set.

It was all one Model for SD and the beginning of DD, but now ive broken it up. Its 7 models now. It will be a fun experiment anyway, to see how much better/worse this goes compared to using only worksets....

[shenderson]

after reading your posts, looking at our existing process and talking over the options with the team members, we've decided to:

- use a seperate revit file for each building; each building file will hold it's own documentation with us coordinating sheet numbers manually.
- one building file will hold the documentation that is shared with the other buildings and we will either create dummy tags or tag dummy sheets in the other files to reference the main file. we've become used to working on the views from the sheet layouts so having the documented model in the same file as the sheet layout allows us to still work this way. creating a file
- we can link the buildings into another civil file and get our site sheets from that

this solution fits in to our current process. since, we are in the process of developing/transfering our standard details from autocad to revit, we are still using autocad for certain sheets that are already put together. we are familiar with manually compiling the set from revit/autocad so it's not that far of a stretch to revit(bldg1)/revit(bldg2)/revit(site)/autocad(standard sheets)....

i'll let you know how it's going...