Before the first wall
In today’s post I’ll walk through how I prepare models when starting a project, what needs to happen before anyone on the team opens the file. I split this into two levels.
The two layers
The first is template-level: settings that live in the .rte file and arrive automatically in every new project. No manual work per project, the template does it once, and from there it travels with the file. All of this is configured according to the company’s own requirements.
The second is project-level: things that have to be configured manually for each project, because they depend on information that only exists once the project exists, a client, a site, a contract, a team, and so on.
Template-level .rte | Project-level (manual) |
|---|---|
| Browser template | Shared coordinates |
| Shared parameters | Datum, grids, levels, reference planes |
| View templates | Project North vs True North |
| Families | Project Information |
| Titleblock | Sheet numbering |
| Starting View | Model Coordination view |
| IFC export settings + view | DWG export settings |
| Units | Warnings = 0 |
What the template already carries
This is also a good moment to review the company’s recent projects and pull out lessons learned, so the base template improves and doesn’t keep dragging mistakes from years ago.
From there, check that the official company template has the following in order:
Browser organization Every model has to use the same project browser template, and it can’t be the generic one Revit ships with by default. The company needs to build its own.
Shared parameters The shared parameters file is loaded, and every parameter is assigned to the correct categories.
View templates All view templates loaded and configured. Previous projects should serve as a reference for building and improving these. Check that naming is correct, and the same goes for the filters within the templates themselves. This is also a good moment to make sure Object Styles, Line Weights, and Line Patterns are properly set up.
Families and naming The template carries all approved families with the correct naming and types already defined. Not just system or loadable families, this also includes filled regions.
Titleblock The titleblock family loaded and configured, both for the Starting View and for the standard sheets.
Starting View
Set up a specific view as the Starting View instead of the default {3D} view Revit opens with. Use that view to place labels that read parameters such as: Project Name, Location, a specific shared parameter, logo, and so on.
IFC export Have the IFC export settings configured, along with the export view with the corresponding template applied.
Units Confirmed and consistent across all models in the project.
Tip: Manage > Additional Settings > Detail Level > set all scales to High. This way every new view is created at high detail level without needing a template.
What you configure per project
Project-dependent settings can’t be standardized the same way template ones can. They’re just as important, because getting them right can save a lot of time, work, and arguments.
Shared coordinates How models relate to each other spatially. Key for everything else to work properly.
Datum Grid and level configuration. I usually assign scope boxes to grids and levels to keep everything tidier and be able to control the visibility of all those elements at once. The datum serves as a reference for the rest of the models.
Project North vs True North Configured before creating the first view. Moving Project North afterward affects every floor plan in the model and corrupts the IFC georeferencing on export.
Project Information It’s advisable to keep Project Information centralized in a spreadsheet or document that serves as the source of truth. A Dynamo routine can then fill in these parameters in batch.
Sheet numbering This sometimes depends on the client, but ISO 19650 defines a structure for naming information containers based on fields separated by hyphens, where abbreviations or codes identifying parameters such as number, project, originator, or discipline should appear.
Model Coordination view Set up the views by discipline that will be used for clash detection. This allows the Model Coordination environment in Forma to be configured.
DWG export settings It’s worth having an export configuration that lives inside the models and is the same across all of them, agreed on and tested.
Warnings There should be zero warnings, but it’s never a bad moment to check it in 20 seconds and start off on the right foot.
Maintenance
Once the project is launched and every team is working on it, we move into another phase of setup: maintenance. Check out this other blog post if you’re interested in how to approach a BIM model audit.