In STC Hell

[truevis]

We've got an MEP RVT linked with an arch RVT and when the worksets containing the links are open and Revit is considering what is in the links, STC is taking a very long time -- like 30+ minutes!

If the worksets with the links are closed or the links are unloaded, everything is quick and normal. Both RVTs are ~80Mb.

Now, the arch people can live without seeing the MEP RVT but the MEP people cannot really do work without seeing the arch RVT .

The MEP RVT has things based on the arch RVT like face-based Electrical Equipment, Spaces, Copy-Monitor, etc. Any idea what aspect of that (if any) could really be slowing down Revit?

The RVTs have all been sent to Autodesk but they did not find/cure anything.

I'm tempted to do a workaround involving a 3D DWG export for the arch RVT to represent a dumb 3D background for the MEP people to look at. I really hate the idea of having to so something like that. However, work has pretty much come to a crawl because we are all fighting over the MEP Central RVT and everyone has been having the "Accessing File..." wait box up for a long time.

We are all using Revits 2009 x64 WU3 on a LAN.

Another idea I have which may help a little is to Link to local RVTs on the network instead of the Centrals. The local RVTs would just have to be refreshed occasionally. Comments, please.

[Brian.Gemmell]

How many default systems do you have? Apparently when everything is on the default system it can really bog things down.

[mwiggins121466]

Is your arch in house or out? If out remove as much as possible from the arch link like any DWG, details, elevations, plans and familys. If in house (or out) have the arch audit and compact the model.
HTH

[truevis]

The arch RVT is in-house. The too-much-in-the-default-system issue is still something we have to address.

Arch is as clean as I can get it currently.

Linking to a local still want to access the central so that's useless.

Thanks for your replies.

[cris8096]

I believe there are many ways you could have talked this from the beginning.
Have you read the White Paper from Autodesk called Model Performance Technical Note?
How many worksets do you have on your MEP Model?
How many stories and sqft of the building?
Are you modeling all systems MEP or jus Mechanical??
Do you clean up the Arch Model before you link it? meaning deleting elevations, walkthroughs, etc...
Do you have a blank view to STC?

there are many elements that are involved before you can decide how to set up your model..
You can have a model for each system, or breaking it down by stories, etc..

[truevis]

I believe there are many ways you could have talked this from the beginning.
Have you read the White Paper from Autodesk called Model Performance Technical Note?
How many worksets do you have on your MEP Model?
How many stories and sqft of the building?
Are you modeling all systems MEP or jus Mechanical??
Do you clean up the Arch Model before you link it? meaning deleting elevations, walkthroughs, etc...
Do you have a blank view to STC?

there are many elements that are involved before you can decide how to set up your model..
You can have a model for each system, or breaking it down by stories, etc..

Yes to the best practices; the building is 2 levels, 150000SF. It's a data center and is VERY dense full of MEP stuff. I'm suspecting the HVAC things are bogging it. There are like 10000 duct-related elements in the model already.

A major problem is when the MEP RVT file is being written, no one else can access it and we get the dreaded "Accessing File..." wait box. Thus, no one wants to STC but they wait all day to STC and the STC takes a long time (or even fails).

I have made a couple of people happier today by breaking out one aspect of the RVT and linking it back in. They only have 30sec STCs.

[truevis]

Looking at the problem more, it's really the Reload Latest part that is taking the 30 minutes. So if a user does RL before STC, it doesn't lock up the central for the 30 minutes (that's good!), but by the time the RL is finished and someone else has STC'd in the meantime, if the user does STC, Revit will have to do another 30 minute RL. So the user has wasted 30 minutes extra.

If I ever find the answer to this conundrum, I shall post it.

[mwiggins121466]

If you are placing components (lights, diffusers…) try opening the model in Revit Architecture. Arch will not calculate and you may see better performance. Anything specific to MEP you will have to go back to using Revit MEP.
HTH

[truevis]

If you are placing components (lights, diffusers…) try opening the model in Revit Architecture. Arch will not calculate and you may see better performance. Anything specific to MEP you will have to go back to using Revit MEP.

Yes, I have been learning that trick.

WORKAROUND OF THE WEEK: Yesterday, a user worked on electrical panel schedules for half a day (in RME, of course) and then could not STC. I did a local save, then opened the local in RAC, and was able to do a STC.

[luigi]

Not that this is the issue MEP is having...but I have found that sometimes, when one cannot STC...one needs to save the local...close revit, open revit again and then STC and it has worked everytime for me. So although you opened RAC the second time, it might have worked if you had reopened RMEP and saved...

But STC can be timeconsuming...but 20-30 minutes is way too much time...

Yes, I have been learning that trick.

WORKAROUND OF THE WEEK: Yesterday, a user worked on electrical panel schedules for half a day (in RME, of course) and then could not STC. I did a local save, then opened the local in RAC, and was able to do a STC.