Copy to a Revit Design Option with Ideate ViewCreator

Using Ideate ViewCreator for Revit a team can develop, evaluate, and redesign building components and rooms within a single project file. Some team members can work on specific options, such as variations of a lobby, while the rest of the team continues with the main model. You can learn more about design options in the Autodesk Revit online help topic: About Design Options.

Ideate ViewCreator can be used to automate the creation of design option-specific views through the use of partial view templates. In this example, we will walk through the steps required to create multiple plan view copies that have both a unique name and design option setting. Before beginning this exercise, open the Revit Sample file called rac_advanced_sample_project.rvt. This file can be typically found at C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit 2018\Samples.

If you want to use your own project, and your design options are already setup, you can skip ahead to Setup a View Template.

Setup a Design Option

Before we can make design-option specific views, we'll need to create at least one design option set and two design options.

  1. On the Manage tab within Revit, select the Design Option button.
  2. Select the New button under Design Option Set to create a new option set called "Option Set 1". The first option will be automatically created and will be called "Option 1 (primary).
  3. Select the New button under Option to create a new option called Option 2.
  4. Close the Design Option dialog.

Next:  Add Main Stairs to Design Options

Create Revit Design Option in Ideate ViewCreator for Revit

Add Main Stairs to Design Options

In this project, we need to show the client two different layouts for the main stairs. This is an ideal condition for the use of design options. Follow the instructions below to use Revit to add the two main stairs to the options, then make modifications to Option 2.

  1. Open the 01 - Entry Level plan view. 
  2. Use Revit to select the two main stairs, then select the “Add to Set” button at the bottom of the screen, as shown below.
  3. Add the stairs to both Option 1 and Option 2, then close the dialog.

Next:  Modify Option 2

Add to Revit Design Option with Ideate ViewCreator

Modify Option 2

  1. Next, while still in the plan view, toggle the current option from "Main Model" to "Option 2" by picking the option from the dropdown at the bottom of the screen. This should result in the plan view becoming gray, with the exception of the two stairs previously added to the design option.
  2. Make Option 2 different by deleting one of the stairs.
  3. Toggle the Design Option back to the Main Model, which will show Option 1 (primary), and notice that both stairs are still part of that option.

Next:  Setup a View Template

Make Revit Design Option active with Ideate ViewCreator

Setup a View Template to Assign the Design Option Settings

Ideate ViewCreator can utilize custom rules to control both the name of the new views and the view properties of those views. The VG (Visibility Graphic) settings for both Design Options and Linked Revit files are not currently accessible for use in custom programming, but through the creative use of View Templates you can workaround this limitation to set the Design Option or Linked View settings.

Create Revit View Template with Ideate ViewCreator

  1. While on the 01 - Entry Level plan view, use Create Template from View, which is found from the View tab, as shown above.
  2. Name the new template "Option 2".
  3. Edit the template by un-checking all categories except for the V/G Overrides Design Options.
  4. Select the Edit... button next to the V/G Overrides Design Options to open the Design Option dialog.
  5. Set the value for Option Set 1 to "Option 2" as shown.
  6. Select OK to complete the View template.

Next:  Create Multiple Option Plan Views

Set the design option via visibility graphics with Ideate ViewCreator for Revit

Create Multiple Option Plan Views

Now that the project has some design options and a view template, we can make duplicate views to only show option-specific conditions. By default the views will display whichever option condition is currently active, but in many instance we'll want to assign a persistent option condition for some views. In this example we'll select existing ceiling and floor plan views.

  1. From the Ideate Software tab, select Ideate ViewCreator.
  2. Select the “Duplicate Views” method.
  3. From the Select Views dialog, select these (5) views to clone: 01 - Entry Plan, 02 - Floor Plan, 03 - Floor Plan, 01 - Ceiling Plan, 02 - Ceiling Plan.
  4. Select the View Naming Rule called "DUPLICATE — Design Option" from the rules drop-down. Notice the names of the views change so that " - Option" is added.  Edit the view template to the newly created view template called “Option 2”.
  5. Edit the value for Suffix to match the name of your new design option: “- Option 2”. You will need to use the tab or return key to update the new view names.
  6. Select the “Create Views” button.  The results will be (5) new views, each with the " - Option 2" suffix.
  7. Open "01 - Entry Plan - Option 2" and notice that this design option only includes one stair in the main lobby.
  8. Type VG to open Visibility Graphics. On the Design Option tab, notice that Option 2 is set for the design option set called "Option Set 1" per the View Template.

Create Multiple Option Plan Views with Ideate ViewCreator for Revit

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