Every day, our Ideate Software Support team fields all types of questions from AECO professionals all around the world. A recent customer request came into our queue that asked about the ability of Ideate StyleManager to modify the color property of a CAD Import element:
“We have several imported [CAD] details from our façade consultants that require color to be edited to prevent an imported hatch from creating a large black area on our drawings.”
Revit manages CAD Imports as Object Styles unless they are exploded, in which case they become Line Styles. In the customer’s case, the CAD Import was not exploded, so Ideate StyleManager could absolutely be used to analyze, merge or delete these styles. However, the goal was to batch edit the colors of these object styles without exploding the CAD Import.
Ideate StyleManager main dialog showing the DWG lines as Imported Object Styles
In this specific case, our support team advised that Ideate BIMLink would be a better fit for the requested task. Even though this customer was specifically asking about Ideate StyleManager, they have access to the full Ideate Software suite. When you have access to the Suite of Solutions from Ideate Software, you can use the best tool for the workflow or task.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To edit the color, line weight or material of Revit Object Styles:
- Launch Ideate BIMLink
- Select New
- Pick the Category option at left
- type 'object' in the search box to find Object Styles
- Pick the sample link called "Project_Stds-Object_Styles"
Ideate BIMLink Dialog after selecting NEW and typing ‘object’ into the Search criteria
- Optionally, you can limit the export to only edit the CAD Import Styles by setting the Link Definition Filter as shown:
Setting the Filter in BIMLink to only export CAD Imported Styles
- Export to Excel
- In Excel, change the line colors and patterns as needed
- Import back into Revit using Ideate BIMLink
In this specific example, the combination of using both Ideate StyleManager and Ideate BIMLink was an excellent solution that delighted this customer.
“Wow, awesome workflow!
This is what I was looking for. Very easy to access all the properties there.
Thank you!”
It’s a good idea to review other Project Standards samples via the Ideate BIMLink library definitions by reviewing this online Help topic.
Let us know how you use Ideate Software solutions to create the most consistent project standards for your Revit models. We love to hear from our customers about how they are using our Ideate Software solutions to solve difficult and time-consuming Revit workflows.
This post is part of a series of real questions posed to our Support team and our solutions. View more.
About the Author
Richard W. Taylor, Associate AIA – Technical Evangelist
Richard has more than 30 years of experience working for companies that develop architectural and engineering software solutions, such as Intergraph, Bentley, and Autodesk. He has over 20 years of Revit experience, and he was part of the original development of Revit while at Revit Technology Corporation. He worked for 12 years at Autodesk, where he presented, taught, and worked to improve features in Revit. Richard holds both a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. As Technical Evangelist, Richard works with AECO clients worldwide, developing and consulting on BIM solutions. Find Richard on Twitter and LinkedIn.