Renaming or renumbering elements is one of the most tedious and labor-intensive BIM tasks confronting architects and engineers. Many factors can contribute to the need to edit element names and numbers, including complying with external facilities management (FM) database requirements, such AiM, SPIE, and COBie. 

The good news is that Ideate BIMLink makes this task painless. Users, including those who are not Revit users, use the software to pull Revit model data into Excel for easy editing, and then push the corrected data back into Revit to update the model. 

Below is information on how much time our users reported saving. 

Task: Gathering Data for External Facilities Management Software 

Calculate Your Return on Investment

If you’d like to figure out the value of Ideate BIMLink to your company, simply:  

1. Review the chart above as well as additional related data to learn how much time can be saved by using Ideate BIMLink for various tasks
2. Compare that amount of time to your number of projects and your software purchase price

Two ROI Examples

For simplicity’s sake, both these examples assume you will save four hours per project. Because our customers reported an average savings of 20 hours per project on the task featured in this blog post alone, your payback will likely be much higher.

• A single standalone license of Ideate BIMLink costs approximately US$795. If you have 20 projects per year and save four hours per project, you’ll save 80 hours per year. According to the 2018 AIA Small Firm Compensation Report, the average designer salary is about $60K per year. Assuming a corresponding hourly rate of $29 (which would exclude overhead), you will have a payback (over covering software costs) of more than US$1500 each year. 
• For larger firms, network licensing can experience an even higher return on investment. For example, the cost of a single seat is about $2,000 per year. Assuming that you save four hours per project, pay a higher burdened salary rate of $50, and have 50 projects, you will have a payback of more than $8,000 per year. 

Learn More

We have several resources available online that can help you get the most out of Ideate BIMLink:

• 5-Minute Video: Renumbering and Renaming – A COBie Example
• Blog Post: Ideate BIMLink and Facilities Management 101 
• Videos: Ideate BIMLink video playlist
• Blog Posts: All Ideate BIMLink blog posts
• Help Files: All Ideate BIMLink Help files

Similar Posts

This post is the 12th in a series related to the results of our survey of architecture, engineering, construction, and building-owner companies. Our previous posts covered the time savings reported by using Ideate BIMLink to:

1.  Manage Revit sheets 
2. Create and modify rooms and areas
3. Swap structural framing instances
4. Coordinate spaces & rooms and audit & fix device elevation
5. Compile quantity takeoffs, assign assembly codes, and swap types
6. View and revise tasks
7. QA/QC doors, hardware, and other elements
8. Extract/Import coordinate data and confirm level and grid information
9. Perform general data management tasks
10. Manage Interior Finish Data and Generate Plumbing Fixture Counts
11. Audit Analytical Columns, Structural Framing, and Rebar Shape Data

Keep an eye out for our next blog post, and check out our Ideate BIMLink ROI web page, where we separated the all the time-savings data by discipline.

Contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Browse our website for more information on our Revit productivity tools. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Sash Kazeminejad - AIA, LEED AP - Customer Success Manager
Sash earned his Master of Architecture from Montana State University and is a California registered architect, LEED Accredited Professional. He has extensive experience in project management; BIM management; design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon; and leading classroom and online BIM training. He provides consulting, sales, support, and training solutions to AECO customers around the globe. Find Sash on LinkedIn.

Unfortunately, Revit does not have an easy way to create new View Types. Users must tediously create new View Types one by one. To complicate matters even further, copying and transferring View Types to other projects is difficult, since this is not a feature that is available through Transfer Project Standards (TPS).

A Better Solution: Use Ideate BIMLink

Thankfully, we have Ideate BIMLink to assist us with this challenge. In an earlier blog post, I discussed how we can easily create new View Types in Revit from an Excel list via Ideate BIMLink. In this post, we’ll take this idea one step further and review how to use that same process as a way of addressing the need to transfer View Types from one project to another.

Using Ideate BIMLink to export existing View Type information and to create NEW View Types in other models (or your template) will help bring project standards into alignment and save users many hours and the hassles that come along with doing things manually in Revit.

Standardize View Types in Model #1

Begin by ensuring you have a model with your ideal view types in-place.

1. Review my earlier blog titled Creating new View Types in Revit using Ideate BIMLink for instructions on creating new View Types in your current Revit model.
2. Once you have successfully created new View Types, export the View_Types-Create_New link if you have made any changes to it, such as adding, removing, or re-arranging any of the column data. This link will be used in the other Revit models that require the same View Types.

Prep Model #2 

1. In the Revit models that are to use the same View Types as your Project or Template files, launch Ideate BIMLink and load the exported link. This will ensure that the data columns are the same, both in naming, parameter usage, and same order of data.
2. OPTIONAL: If your projects require that you use the same View Template, Elevation, and Section Tag naming and standards, ensure all projects are using the same names and settings first. If they are not, you will need to use Transfer Project Standards to copy that data into your Revit models. For this example, we used TPS to copy in Elevation Tag Types, Section Tag Types, View Reference Types, and View Templates. When you generate the new View Types, you can either ignore the View Template assignment, Callout Tag, Section Tag, and Elevation Tag assignments or use your own from the project that you are creating the new View Types in.

Create Data Exports from both Models

1. Launch Ideate BIMLink and export the View Type information from the View_Types-Create_New link. When prompted to either open the file or done, select done.
2. Switch over to the Revit file that you will copy the View Type information from. Launch Ideate BIMLink.
3. If the link is called View_Types-Create_New, either rename this link or duplicate the link and call is View_Types-Export. This will allow you to export this data into the same Excel file export from the previously mentioned file, without overwriting the entire worksheet.
4. When prompted to either Open File or Done, Open File.
5. You should now see two worksheets. One from the model with the View Types you want to copy over and one from the model that you want to copy the data into.

Transfer View Type Data Between both Models

1. In the worksheet that has the View Types you want to copy over, copy to clipboard the data you need. At a minimum, you want the Family Name and Type Name. If you plan on using the same View Templates and tags, copy this data as well.
2. In the worksheet from the model that this data will be copied into, paste this information so it aligns with the correct columns.
3. Remove any duplicate rows of data, such as Type Names. This way you avoid any errors or duplication of information upon import. 
4. Edit any existing data that needs to be edited.
5. Under the Element ID column, be sure to type in the word NEW. This will instruct Ideate BIMLink to generate the NEW View Types. 
6. Once the Excel file is completed, save your work.
7. In Ideate BIMLink, select the IMPORT button and browse for the recently completed Excel file. 
8. Review the results in Ideate BIMLink. Check for items that have been edited, created as new, and any errors and warnings you may receive. Export any errors and warnings to Excel for review.
9. Once complete, review the results in Revit. Verify that the View Types have been created and that settings, such as View Template assignments, have also been applied.

** Note: if you do not see the link called View_Types-Create_New, you can start with the link called Project_Stds-View_Types and modify the link to match the one seen in the corresponding video. You can also reach out to [email protected] to request a copy of this link.

To learn more about this process, be sure to watch this video: 

For a related blog post and video, be sure to review Creating new View Types in Revit using Ideate BIMLink, which demonstrates how you can create new View Types in your Revit models with speed, ease, and accuracy.

Be sure to browse our website for more information on our Revit productivity tools. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Sash Kazeminejad - AIA, LEED AP - Customer Success Manager
Sash earned his Master of Architecture from Montana State University and is a California registered architect, LEED Accredited Professional. He has extensive experience in project management; BIM management; design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon; and leading classroom and online BIM training. He provides consulting, sales, support, and training solutions to AECO customers around the globe. Find Sash on LinkedIn.

Revit user tasked with managing Revit model content and standards have probably run into a need to create new View Types to better help organize views and meet the deliverable requirements set forth by owners and jurisdictions.

One of the challenges with Revit is the ability to bulk create View Types for the different View Categories in a project. While it may take a short amount of time to create new View Types for small projects, creating many different View Types and standardizing the naming and View Template assignments for large projects can take a very long time. Unfortunately, Revit does not have an easy way to create new View Types. In this situation, users have to create new View Types one by one by selecting an existing View Type, then duplicating it, renaming it, and changing any required properties, such as View Template assignments.

A Better Solution: Use Ideate BIMLink

Thankfully, we have Ideate BIMLink to assist us with this challenge. Ideate BIMLink reports on existing View Types in Revit models and allows users to export the associated View Type data to Excel. From there, users can make changes to the existing data, such as the name of the View Types, View Template Assignment for New Views, and so forth. In addition to making edits to existing View Type data, users can also create new View Types using the same Excel worksheet by using NEW in the Element ID column, assigning the View Types appropriate names, category assignments, and View Templates, if applicable.

Using Ideate BIMLink to edit existing View Type information and to create NEW View Types will help bring project standards into alignment and save users many hours and the hassles that come along with doing things manually in Revit.

Step-by-Step Instructions

The process for this workflow looks something like this:

1. In Ideate BIMLink, navigate to the …\Quality Control sub-folder.
2. Select the link called View_Types-Create_New**
3. Add or remove any parameters you wish to export to Excel, such as Project Information or RVT link information.
4. Once all your data is compiled in Ideate BIMLink, export it to Excel.
   • Note: In the corresponding video, we exported this data to an Excel file that had a worksheet set up with some basic information, such as proposed View Type names and Revit categories. This setup is not necessary. New View Types can be specified in the Excel file that you export.
5. Under the Type Name column, at the end of the existing Type Name data, create a list of the View Types you would like to create. 
6. Assign the new View Types the appropriate Family Name. For example, if you want to create some new View Types for Floor Plans, input Floor Plan for the Family Name. This will ensure that the new View Types are assigned the appropriate category.
7. Under the View Template applied to new views column, you can assign a view template so that when new views are created using the associated type, those views will be assigned the appropriate view template. This setting is optional and will not affect the creation of new View Types.
8. Under the Element ID column, be sure to type in the word NEW. This will instruct Ideate BIMLink to generate the NEW View Types. 
9. Once the Excel file is completed, save your work.
10. In Ideate BIMLink, select the IMPORT button and browse for the recently completed Excel file. 
11. Review the results in Ideate BIMLink. Check for items that have been edited, created as new, and any errors and warnings you may receive. Export any errors and warnings to Excel for review.
12. Once complete, review the results in Revit. Verify that the View Types have been created and that settings, such as View Template assignments, have also been applied.

** Note: if you do not see the link called View_Types-Create_New, you can start with the link called 
Project_Stds-View_Types and modify the link to match the one seen in the corresponding video. You can also reach out to [email protected] to request a copy of this link.

To learn more about this process, be sure to watch this video: 

For a related blog post and video, go to Transferring View Types in Revit using Ideate BIMLink, which demonstrates how you can copy View Types to other Revit files to keep standards and deliverables in alignment.

Be sure to browse our website for more information on our Revit productivity tools. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Sash Kazeminejad - AIA, LEED AP - Customer Success Manager
Sash earned his Master of Architecture from Montana State University and is a California registered architect, LEED Accredited Professional. He has extensive experience in project management; BIM management; design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon; and leading classroom and online BIM training. He provides consulting, sales, support, and training solutions to AECO customers around the globe. Find Sash on LinkedIn.

Many Ideate BIMLink subscribers use the software to simplify data editing tasks. With Ideate BIMLink, Autodesk Revit users can pull information from Revit models into Microsoft Excel and push volumes of precise, consequential BIM data back into their models with speed, ease, and accuracy. 

But did you know that Ideate BIMLink is also used for QA/QC tasks related to overall model health reviews and standards? 

Watch the recording of this 30-minute webinar to see live demonstrations of some of the additional capabilities of Ideate BIMLink:

1. Health Check: General health check and editing of Dimensions, Grids, Ideate, Levels, etc.
2. Project Standards: General review of project standards, such as detail naming, renaming all Family and Types, View Type data, etc.
3. Quality Control: Check elements, such as dimension overrides, door fire ratings, flipped and in-place family reviews, etc.

Here are some comments from webinar attendees:

• “I look forward to sharing the information to the office and looking like a genius.”
• “The health check feature will be extremely useful. BIMLink is a superb tool.”
• “Great overview of how you can check on your model health using BIMLink.”

Browse our website for more information on our Revit productivity tools. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Sash Kazeminejad - AIA, LEED AP - Customer Success Manager
Sash earned his Master of Architecture from Montana State University and is a California registered architect, LEED Accredited Professional. He has extensive experience in project management; BIM management; design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon; and leading classroom and online BIM training. He provides consulting, sales, support, and training solutions to AECO customers around the globe. Find Sash on LinkedIn.

Auditing Revit projects is critical, but probably not a favorite task for many. Fortunately, with Ideate BIMLink, engineers can quickly check data, verify accuracy, and make necessary changes, so they can confidently get back to the more interesting aspects of their jobs. 

Ideate BIMLink users, including those who are not Revit users, use the software to pull Revit model data into Excel for easy auditing and editing, and then push the verified data back into Revit to update the model. 

Below is information on how much time our users reported saving. 

Tasks: Auditing Analytical Columns, Structural Framing, and Rebar Shape Data 

Calculate Your Return on Investment

Do you need to determine the value of Ideate BIMLink to your company? Here’s how: 

1. Review the above chart above and additional related data to understand how much time can be saved by using Ideate BIMLink for various tasks
2. Compare that amount of time to the number of projects you have and your software purchase price

ROI Examples

Here are two examples. For simplicity’s sake, these examples assume you save four hours per project. Because our customers reported an average savings of 32 hours per project on the tasks featured in this blog post alone, your payback will likely be much higher.

1. Single Standalone License
   A single standalone license of Ideate BIMLink costs approximately US$795. If you have 20 projects per year and save four hours per project, you’ll save 80 hours per year. According to the 2020 Economic Research Institute, the average Structural Engineer’s salary is about $99K per year. Assuming a corresponding hourly rate of $48 (which would exclude overhead), you will have a payback (over covering software costs) of more than US$3000 each year. 
    
2. Network Licensing
   For larger firms, network licensing can deliver an even higher return on investment. For example, the cost of a single seat is about $2,000 per year. Assuming that you save four hours per project, pay a higher burdened salary rate of $59, and have 50 projects, you will have a payback of more than US$9,800 per year. 

Learn More

We have several resources available online that can help you get the most out of Ideate BIMLink:

• 7-Minute Video: Overview on Data Management
• Blog Post: Quantifying Reinforcement 
• Videos: Ideate BIMLink video playlist
• Blog Posts: All Ideate BIMLink blog posts
• Help Files: All Ideate BIMLink Help files

Similar Posts

This post is the 11th in a series related to the results of our survey of architecture, engineering, construction, and building-owner companies. Our previous posts covered the time savings reported by using Ideate BIMLink to:

1.  Manage Revit sheets 
2. Create and modify rooms and areas
3. Swap structural framing instances
4. Coordinate spaces & rooms and audit & fix device elevation
5. Compile quantity takeoffs, assign assembly codes, and swap types
6. View and revise tasks
7. QA/QC doors, hardware, and other elements
8. Extract/Import coordinate data and confirm level and grid information
9. Perform general data management tasks
10. Manage Interior Finish Data and Generate Plumbing Fixture Counts

Keep an eye out for our next blog post, and check out our Ideate BIMLink ROI web page, where we separated the all the time-savings data by discipline.

Contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Browse our website for more information on our Revit productivity tools. Give them a try with a free trial version, or subscribe today. 

About the Author

Sash Kazeminejad - AIA, LEED AP - Customer Success Manager
Sash earned his Master of Architecture from Montana State University and is a California registered architect, LEED Accredited Professional. He has extensive experience in project management; BIM management; design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon; and leading classroom and online BIM training. He provides consulting, sales, support, and training solutions to AECO customers around the globe. Find Sash on LinkedIn.