Sheet Layout and Management

File: OPE_SheetLayout

Objectives

  1. Be able to prepare graphic documentation out of the BIM Model in form of sheets.
  2. Be able to create a Sail List showing project information.
  3. Manage sheet cosmos and arrangement in project

Prerequisites

  1. User take basic skills in BIM modelling with Revit Software, and can navigate the model and project browser.
  2. User accept notions about view cosmos and graphic configuration.
  3. User can consummate model views with note elements.
  4. User tin create and edit schedules.
  5. User understand the use of parameters (project, family, shared and system parameters).

Description

At some bespeak in the development of BIM Processes nosotros will exist able to delivery merely the BIM Model since it is a digital version in accelerate of the building to exist and should contain all the information needed. This moment has not come yet and in the meanwhile we have to become ready a set of construction documents to explain the project.

In this example the construction certificate prepare is a group of sheets that describes the projection as needed in each phase.

A sheet view in Revit is a layout where you tin can place:

  • A Titleblock
  • Multiple drawings (graphic views such as plan views, sections, elevations, details, 3D views)
  • Multiple schedules
  • Images
  • Texts
  • External elements

Since the project is a database, canvas lists can exist managed from the model itself by the employ of schedules, making it not necessary to use an external spreadsheet to organize them.

Process

one Create Sheets

To create a new canvass view get to View Tab > Sheet limerick panel > Sheet

Once created sheets are saved and yous can open up them any time needed similar any other view. In the projection browser they are listed nether their ain section: Sheets.

A new canvass tin can also be created right clicking on the heading of the project browser section:

When we select to create a new sail a card volition announced. In this menu we can:

  • Select one titleblock family unit for the canvass format
  • Select no titleblock (non recommended)
  • Select i existing canvas placeholder to create the sheet (see Sheet List Department).

Canvas will be then created:

  1. It is automatically numbered. Information technology can be renumbered by user. Canvas number organization parameter must be unique.
  2. It has to be renamed. Sail names must not be unique.

ii Insert views on sheets

ii.1 Insert graphic views

Views can be inserted from View tab > Sheet composition console > Place View

Or drag it from the project browser to the sheet and click to fix it to the wanted position.

  • One view can be placed merely in once, in one sheet. If  for any reason we want the same view in more than one sheet, nosotros take to duplicate it.
  • Views are shown as they are configured by their properties. If we alter anything in the view it will be updated on sheet and vice versa. Editing a view from the canvass or from the project browser have same results.
  • Scale
  • Cropped area
  • Graphical settings
  • In project browser each sheet will have driblet-downwardly tree where we can see which views are placed in it.
  • Size of views depend on the scale and the cropping. Even for 3D Views.
  • Size of Camera Views depend on the size ingather not on the scale. They act like images.
  • When placing a view on a sheet it becomes a Viewport (like to viewports in AutoCAD on newspaper infinite), that is a organization element that includes:
  • ViewTitle : it is a custom family that can includes selected almost the view such every bit Name, Scale, Detail Number on Canvas. Information technology can be moved independently from the view location by selecting it and not the whole viewport.
  • View :  Yous tin edit it in the same way you lot were editing information technology from the project browser past activating it. Select information technology and select Actuate View (or double click on it).

ii.2 Insert schedules

A schedule tin can exist placed on a sheet like any other view, but with some specific points:

  • Nosotros tin drag it to the sheet and place it into the right position
  • We can practice information technology in the View tab > Sheet Composition Palette > Place View

2.three Insert images

Become to Insert Tab > Import panel > Image

Continue in mind that images should exist placed with the correct format and graphics since when they are placed on a sheet they cannot exist edited (color, crop…). They tin only be resized maintaining proportions (size crop).

two.iv Canvass layout tools

  • View internal reference : when nosotros identify ii plane views that are coincident on a sheet there is an automatic tool that helps to align them horizontally or vertically. Same occurs with View Titles if we want to move them from their initial position.

  • Guide Grid : Information technology tin exist activated on the View tab > Sheet Composition  > Guide Grid

Nosotros tin create more than one guide grid (with different spacing between filigree lines) and assign a different one (or none) or the same on each sail to arrage views and so that views appear in the aforementioned location sheet to canvas.

When we endeavor  to move a view on a sheet to identify information technology to the terminal placement, detect that we can snap only to certain elements inside views:

  • Crop region
  • Levels
  • Grids
  • Reference planes

three Titleblock

Title Blocks are elements that inside Revit accept their ain category (same proper name: Title Blocks).

They are custom note families with one special feature: the external lines of the format ascertain the boundaries or borders of the sheet. They more often than not include data about the pattern business firm, customer, and about the projection.

As custom families we tin can create them with any appearance that is required in project, and they are formed past:

  • External boundary lines (tin not be deleted but can exist moved)
  • Note lines. With whatsoever graphic appearance.
  • Images (for logos, fundamental plans)
  • Title Block data:
  • Ready text. They are created as Texts.
  • Arrangement Project info parameters can be shown in Titleblocks (See Parameters Guideline). They are shown by Labels.
  • Custom Shared parameters can be shown in Titleblocks. They are shown by Labels.

When creating a title block and inserting information in it to be shown after, we tin can think as if information technology were the tag in model for two categories: Project Info and Sheets. This tin can help to sympathise how to add parameters and labels in the family.

Title block is inserted in sheets when we create them or can be done subsequently. It is recommended to take different types of title blocks loaded in models and play with types to create sheets with different settings.

four Manage Sheets

For the sail management nosotros take to rely mainly on the info that they include. That info is stored in models in grade of parameters. For sheets we will find system project parameters, custom project parameters and custom shared projection parameters. (See Parameters Guideline)

  • System parameters: will bear witness in title blocks, will testify in schedules.
  • Custom Project parameters: will show in schedules but non in titleblocks.
  • Custom Shared projection parameters: will show both in schedules and in title blocks if required.

4.i Projection browser organization

In any project we can have a large number of sheets. To be able of working in an orderly manner with all that information that volition be living in the model, that specific section in the project browser can exist organised according with some criteria.

For that we will employ the ability to organise the project browser:

When defining the rules that we will employ to sort and organise sheets, information technology has to be clear which parameters that already exist for sheets we are going to use.

They tin can be,  as always, system parameters, projection parameters, or shared parameters.

4.2 Sheet list

It is a schedule of the sheets in the project. Information technology can exist used too to create placeholder sheets prior to creating actual sheets.

(Run into Schedule Guideline).

The all-time way to manage sheets is using the Sail List.

View tab > Create panel > Schedules drop down bill of fare > Sail List

Add together to the schedule any canvas parameter that need to be controlled in model.

We tin can have more than i Sheet listing, for different purposes:

  • Have a Canvas Listing to exist placed in the front page of the construction set up, with some of the data.
  • Have a Sheet List to manage the data that should appear in Title Blocks beyond sheets.

In Sheet lists we can:

  • Fill in all the info for sheets
  • Create placeholders for sheets and fill the information before creating the actual sheet. And so nosotros can take in advance the complete canvas list and have control over the documentation that has been completed and know what is still missing.

That placeholder canvas will be bachelor to select it when we create a new sheet, and its parameter will be automatically filled in with the values that were previously divers in the schedule.

5 Print sheets

Go to chief Revit Menu > Print > Electric current Window/Selected views sheets

You can print:

  • Only the current view (electric current sheet then).
  • A set of sheets

Change the printing setup:

  • Select printer (or to PDF)
  • Select paper size/orientation/placement
  • Use options: Hide ref/work planes, Hibernate Scope boxes, hibernate corp boundaries…
  • Select if print in Vector or Raster processing.

One of the options that about influences the quality of the printing will exist its processing. At that place are two options for this: raster or vector prototype.

A raster image is made up of pixels, and so the resolution of the prototype, and therefore its quality, depends on the number of pixels to which the epitome is printed.

A vectorised paradigm stores coordinates of the vertices of each geometric chemical element and its control points.

Programs such every bit Illustrator or Corel describe work vectorially, and the applied event of inserting a vector prototype into a vector program is that the lines and points of the epitome go the native lines and points of the editing program. Nevertheless, if a raster prototype is entered, the editing program only inserts it as an epitome and cannot control its points.

With a vector epitome, we will always have better quality, however, Revit has a limitation when it comes to printing, and that is that by default it rasterises those views that contain shadows, gradients, sketch lines, images or point clouds, making it impossible to impress in a vectorised way, even if this has been selected.

Therefore, when we have a sheet that contains whatsoever of the elements mentioned above, we will have two options to get a good quality image.

1- Print in a raster way playing with your impress quality options to achieve an optimal result.

2- If yous demand the image to be vector, in order to go through mail service-processing in other software, you volition have to turn off all the elements mentioned above, print vectorially, and apply shading etc. directly in the publishing software.

Tips&Tricks

  • Use the "Catalog every case" schedules in Sorting/Group Tab in schedules to populate at once same values in many sheets.
  • Canvas Number must be unique for sheets. Sometimes this is not convenient for project canvas numbering, and it is required to create additional custom parameters that can play that office in title blocks, and exit OOTB Sheet Number to merely identify drawings in model.
  • Sheets cannot be duplicated with the standard functionality. It tin can exist achieved with some programming in the API though.
  • When it comes to printing, our recommendation is to always accept vector press selected by default, as the plans will be of higher quality, peculiarly now that deliveries are in digital format and unlimited zoom is possible. In a raster image, if you zoom in too much, yous will end up seeing the pixels, but in a vector image, you will e'er meet lines. In addition, the weight of the pdf files volition be much less. Which is also a relief for our data storage system.

Bottom-line

When we create a BIM Model we cannot forget that the documentation process is maybe so of import than the modelling phase. Information technology is not recommended to focus only in modelling tasks and aspects when actually the sheet creation and description of the model will eat at to the lowest degree as much time equally the modelling part.

Associated Files

  • Parameters Guideline
  • Scheduling Guideline