It is probably safe to say Revit models contain a wealth of information. Some of this information can be generated on your own terms, and some of it is automatically generated by Revit itself, but a lot of it is unavailable to the end user, unless they have software that can tap into the Revit API.
One of the issues with having all of this information is having to decide what will be available for viewing, and how it should be composed or used within a Revit project.
For those of you who have had experience with Revisions in Revit, you probably have discovered there are a lot of benefits, and limitations to the revision tools. For example, you have the ability to customize the numbering schemes to match your office standards or client requirements. Clouding and tagging views and sheets is generally easy, unless you are clouding Parent Views with dependent views that have been placed on sheets. Revisions can get a little tricky in these situations!
But one of the biggest limitations to revisions in Revit is the scheduling aspect. As of now, Revit only has the ability to schedule revisions based on Current Revision information, such as Current Revision, and/or Current Revision Date. While this information may be sufficient for some folks, many owners and contractors require a schedule listing all sheets, including each revision, on each sheet. Unfortunately, this type of schedule is simply not native to Revit.
We have had many inquiries from customers looking to try and resolve this issue with Ideate BIMLink. As a result, we created a nice Excel Macro Template that works with our pre-defined links in Ideate BIMLink. As an added bonus, you can insert the Excel files back into Revit as a Sticky schedule, if you so choose. If you make any changes to your revisions, all you have to do is re-export the information back into your Excel Macro template to regenerate the information. Sticky will then recognize the updates, and auto-update, as long as this feature is enabled in your Revit model.
For more information on how to use the template and learn some of the basics of Revisions in Revit, be sure to check out our video on how to use the Document Issues Records Template . If you are an existing Ideate BIMLink customer and would like a copy of the Excel Macro Template, be sure to contact Ideate Software.
Thank you for reading! For more information on Revit and other Autodesk products, and information on training and consulting for the various products Ideate services, please visit our Ideate Software website.
About the Author
Sash Kazeminejad - ACI, LEED AP AEC Senior Application Specialist
Sash is a registered Architect and LEED Accredited Professional who holds a Master of Architecture from Montana State University. Sash’s experience includes project management, BIM management, and design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon. As an Autodesk Certified Instructor, Sash provides Revit Architecture training and solutions for AECO firms. Find Sash on Twitter.