Did you know that you can use Ideate Automation to export views and sheets to PDF and DWG files without worrying about editing the Revit Views/Sheets sets? This feature streamlines the sheet set creation and management because the Revit sheet sets are static lists, while the list of views and sheets that need to be exported is constantly changing.
When you select the desired model to be exported to PDF or DWG, you must select the desired sheet sets, which are static and exist within the Revit model. To address this challenge, we enhanced our PDF and DWG scripts within Ideate Automation to include a dynamic list that is setup through an Ideate BIMLink link definition to prescribe the sheet set. This Ideate BIMLink definition (.link) file can be saved outside of the Revit model so that it can be used across models.
As a result of this implementation, the task name in Ideate Automation is now called: “IBL-Export_Combined_PDF_Dynamic” and “IBL-Export_Individual_PDF_Dynamic,” and same goes for the DWG export tasks. If you aren’t already aware, you can save Link definition from Ideate BIMLink and use it externally. The idea with this script is to use one Ideate BIMLink definition that’s managed by a filter and can be applied to multiple models.
Tips for setting up the Ideate BIMLink definition filters for Dynamic sheet sets:
- Set placeholder property to False. This will ignore all placeholder sheets because they don’t have Titleblocks and will interrupt the printing process. You want to avoid that.
- Use a parameter that can be used parametrically across models.
- Once you set all your properties conditions, check “Elements Must Pass All Filters” making this an AND condition.
Watch this short video to see an example of Ideate Automation exporting a combined set of PDFs using the desired sheet set from an Ideate BIMLink definition that’s dynamic. For exporting individual PDFs, refer to the good naming standards tips found within Steve Deadman’s blog post on Exporting PDFs from Revit.
This blog post is part of our Training Series. Access more here. You can learn more in the related Ideate Automation Help Topic: How to Export to PDF.
Browse our website to learn more about how Ideate Software’s Revit add-ins help Revit users save time, increase model accuracy, improve deliverables, and elevate design. You can give them a try by downloading trial versions or purchasing the bundle for access to Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps for six months.
About the Author
Nivin Nabeel, Customer Success Manager, Americas
Nivin has a background in architecture, visual arts, and computer science and has extensive experience in managing and manipulating BIM data, developing and implementing BIM standards and workflows, and applying BIM workflows to ancillary project components for improved efficiency. Before joining Ideate Software, Nivin worked at several architecture and design firms where she learned about Ideate Software products, used them, advocated for them, implemented them, and trained others on how to use them. She earned her Bachelor of Architectural Science degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. Follow Nivin on LinkedIn.