Getting Started Guide for Ideate XRay

  Ideate XRay can be found on the Ideate Software tab, on the IdeateApps ribbon. Use Ideate XRay to understand why a Revit element is not visible within a specific Revit view, referred to as the "Target View".

In this exercise we will use the Revit sample file named rst_basic_sample_project.rvt.

This exercise will cover the basic usage of Ideate XRay:

 Select What is Invisible

In this sample project you will discover that many of the section and elevation markers are mysteriously missing.  In the first part of this exercise we will use the Selection Wizard within Ideate XRay to select the missing view reference.

  1. Open Structural Plan: Level 1.
  2. Notice that there are no Section or Elevation markers visible within this plan, even though there are several Elevations and Section Views within the project. Make sure nothing is selected.
  3. Start Ideate XRay
  4. The 'Selection Wizard' screen will pop up.

  1. Pick the 'Pick from the list' radio button under the 'Looking for a grid, level or view reference' section.
  2. Type "longitudinal" in the Search area.
  3. Select (pick) the View Reference called "Longitudinal Section", then select 'Next'.

 Select the Target View

Ideate XRay needs both a missing element, which you've already selected, AND a Target View in which the element is missing.  If you only have one view open, the Target View will already be set. If you have more than one View, be sure that your Target View is set correctly as shown. In this exercise the Target View should be the "Structural Plan: Level 1".

 Review the Results

After the missing element and the Target View are specified, you are ready to put Ideate XRay to work.

  1. Select the "Find Element" button.
  2. The Results dialog will open and display the reasons for the element's invisibility.
  3. Use the collapse/expand icon to view each result on its own, as shown.
  4. Select the picture within the "View Discipline - View Reference" result to see an expanded view of the image.
  5. See below for steps to resolve each of the visibility issues.

 Resolve the Issues

In this example there are four reasons causing the Section Marker to be invisible, though only three will display at the beginning. In some cases there are inter-dependencies between the results, so as one is resolved, run Ideate XRay check again to confirm success and to determine if one fix has also resolved other issues.

Hidden by Category

In this exercise we will first address the result called "Hidden by Category".

  1. Select the “Show Me” button to open Visibility Graphics.
  2. Switch to the Annotation tab and note that the Sections category is unchecked.  
  3. Either fix this issue by checking the Sections category or decide to test the Fix button later.
  4. Close the Visibility Graphics dialog and notice that Ideate XRay is re-stored.
  5. If you did not choose to fix the problem within step #3, then use the Fix button now to achieve the same result.
  6. Test this result by using the Try Again button, repeating steps in the Review Results section.
  7. Notice that within the new results the "Hidden by Category" result is no longer displayed.

Hidden Per Scale

The "Hidden per Scale" result indicates that Longitudinal Section reference mark is currently set up to only display in a view whose scale is less coarse than 1:20.

  1. Select the More Info button to review the two possible methods for fixing this issue.
  2. Use the second method of changing the "Hides at scales coarser than" property of the section marker:
    • Go to the Properties Palette, which should be displaying the properties of the Section marker.
    • Change the property from 1:20 to 1:100, to match the scale of the Target View.
    • Select Apply within the Properties Palette. The Section marker is frustratingly still invisible!
  3. Use the Try Again button, and notice that there's only one result remaining: "View Discipline - View Reference".

View Discipline - View Reference

Before attempting to address this issue, take a moment to review the text providing a summary level description of the issue. Because this issue has more than one possible resolution, there is no Fix option. The 'Show Me' button is also inactive because there is no dialog to be opened that would provide a quick fix...rats! The good news is that the Help file under More Info provides detailed information about the nature of this issue. In case you want to cheat this time, we'll skip the opportunity to learn more, and just tell you how to fix it.

  1. Using the Properties Palette, change the Discipline setting of this section to Structural, so that it matches the Structural Plan: Level 1.
  2. Use the Try Again button to find out why the section marker is still not visible!

For extra fun, actually read the detailed information on View Discipline - View Reference

View Reference - View Cropped

This particular result cannot be assessed until the other results have all been eliminated as possible culprits.

  1. Select the "Show Me" button to see the view where the Crop Region of the View Reference can be seen. This will open and focus on the View called "Section: Longitudinal Section" if it has not already been opened.

  2. Within the Properties Palette turn on the "Crop Region Visible" property for the Longitudinal Section view, then Apply.

  3. Notice that the lower portion of the View Region stops at Level 2.

  4. Using the grip edits of the Crop Region, drag it downward to include Level 1.

  5. Now...finally you should be able to see the Section Mark within the Level 1 plan.

Read the detailed information on View Reference - View Cropped.

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