PRODUCT FOCUS
Revit MEP 2013 each phase. For those on subscription, there is an add-in to automate this process. Spaces don’t work with phasing at all. They also don’t work with design options. If the project is in release 2013, no sweat—just tag the rooms through the link. If it’s a previous release, then a more creative solution will be needed.
ANALYSIS At the very least, rooms and spaces will be used to display room names and numbers. Space tags in the MEP file should have the same name and number as the rooms in the architectural linked file. While this sounds simple enough, it can be surprisingly difficult to accomplish. Prior to the release 2011, objects in a linked file could not be tagged—period. So Autodesk released a Room Name and Number synchronization add-on for Revit MEP. Then in release 2011, objects could be tagged through a linked file, except for rooms. So the synchronization tool was still needed. Another solution in both releases was to make a space tag that looked at the room parameters properties of spaces. Finally in the release 2012, rooms can be tagged through a linked file.
Room properties from a linked file can be included in schedules. When creating the schedule, make sure to select the pull-down for “Select available fields from:” and make sure the “include elements in linked files” is checked. Or, if the spaces are populated, they can be chosen, too. Since the models can be manipulated from the schedules or from the plan views, this makes for a good check or place to quickly adjust elements based off of where they are. Another way we can use rooms and spaces to leverage our designs is to apply color schemes. Color schemes allow the user to dynamically see how changes to the design affect the results. Here is an example of a lighting color scheme looking at the average estimated illumination value. As lights are added or subtracted from a space, the color of the space changes.
Other then room names and numbers, space tags can be used to leverage our designs. Here are some suggestions: area, zone, watts/sqft, air changes per hour, average illumination, and any custom property imaginable. For custom properties needing to be tagged, the property will need to be a shared parameter. Don’t let room names and numbers be the extent of how space tags are used. Once rooms and spaces have been populated, they can also be used as leverage in schedules. Color schemes can be set to show many useful values to improve the design process. In addition to the power values in the families placed in a space, the space itself has several properties for energy analysis each of which can have a color scheme.
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www.augi.com
May 2012