Part 1 D MA TE Exploring the User Interface Creating an Effective Project Template Worksets and Worksharing Best Practices for Sharing Projects with Consultants Schedules Details Sheets PY RI GH TE Chapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Chapter 7: CO u u u u u u u RI AL General Project Setup
Chapter 1 Exploring the User Interface Revit MEP 2011 is the second release of Revit utilizing the ribbon-style interface. Having a good knowledge of where tools are located and how to access commands easily is the best way to be efficient in your use of Revit MEP 2011. Some improvements and changes have been made to the ribbon portion of the interface, so there is a slight learning curve when transitioning from Revit MEP 2010.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE set up and how you can customize it to better suit your workflow, though, you will see that it is an optimal interface for a BIM and design application. Tabs The ribbon portion of the user interface consists of several tabs, each organized by panels that relate to the topic of the tab. Each panel contains one or more buttons for the relevant features available in Revit MEP 2011. You can access a tab by simply clicking the name at the top of the ribbon.
THE RIBBON Analyze Tools for model analysis and systems checking are located on the Analyze tab. There are some other tools on this tab that allow you to add color to your ductwork and piping based on defined criteria. The Spaces & Zones panel on this tab contains the tools for placing Space objects and Space Separator lines. Architect Revit MEP 2011 is capable of modeling much more than just the components of an MEP engineering system.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE Manage On the Manage tab, you can find the tools needed to establish project settings. The Inquiry panel has tools that can be used to locate specific objects in your project model and display any warnings associated with your project. Along with the settings that can be accessed from the tools on the Settings panel, the Additional Settings button is a drop-down list of even more options.
THE RIBBON you select an actual system, only the system tab appears. The panels and buttons on contextual tabs cannot be removed or rearranged on the ribbon. The buttons cannot be added to the Quick Access toolbar. Figure 1.1 (a) Contextual tab for an air terminal; (b) contextual tab for duct system (a) (b) Family Editor Tabs The tabs in the Family Editor environment differ from those in the project file environment.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE Annotate On the Annotate tab within the Family Editor environment, you will find the types of annotation tools that can be used in a family file. The Dimension panel can be expanded to establish dimension styles within the family file. View The View tab in the Family Editor environment is limited to tools for managing the family views. Section views can be created and camera positions can be established for 3D views also.
THE RIBBON You can move panels on a tab to different locations on the tab by clicking a panel name and dragging it to a new location. Figure 1.2 shows the Mechanical panel being dragged from its location on the Home tab. The panels to the right will slide over to fill in the space left by the moved panel. Figure 1.2 Moving a tab panel You cannot move a panel from one tab to another, however. If you attempt to drop a panel onto another tab, it will return to its original location on its normal tab.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE You can establish the switching behavior of the tabs on the ribbon to determine what tab is displayed when you exit a tool or command. When you click a tool, the contextual Modify tab for that tool appears. The interface will stay on the Modify tab when you exit the tool, or you can set it to return to the previous tab. These settings are located on the User Interface tab of the Options dialog box, which is discussed later in this chapter.
USER INTERFACE FEATURES The option at the bottom of the list allows you to set the location of the QAT either above or below the ribbon. Setting it below the ribbon moves it closer to the drawing area for easier access. Moving it to this location does not take the place of the Options Bar, however. If you add several buttons to the QAT, you may want to move it below the ribbon so that it does not crowd out the filename on the title bar.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE very important to the task you are engaging in. When placing Space objects, for example, pay close attention to the Upper Limit and Offset options to ensure proper space height. You can dock the Options Bar at the top of the screen below the ribbon, which is the default location, or at the bottom of the screen just above the status bar. Right-click the Options Bar to change its docked position.
USER INTERFACE FEATURES If you do not have the Properties palette turned on, you can access it by clicking the Properties button located on the Modify tab or contextual Modify tab of a selected object. The Properties palette will remain on until you close it. When no object is selected in the model or in a drafting view, the Properties palette will display the properties of the current view in the drawing area. You can select a view in the Project Browser to view its properties in the Properties palette.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE Another change to the View Control Bar is the addition of styles to the Visual Styles tool. The Consistent Colors setting has been added so that the colors of objects will appear in a shaded view with the same consistency regardless of its orientation to a light source. So when you are viewing the model in a 3D view, the color of all sides of an object looks the same.
USER INTERFACE FEATURES Workset Indicator | Design Option Indicator You can access the Worksets dialog box by clicking the Worksets button next to the active workset window, and you can switch between active worksets by clicking the window and selecting the desired workset. These are the same tools as found on the Collaborate tab, but having them on the status bar eliminates the need to switch tabs on the ribbon to access them. This also eliminates the need to add the tools to the Quick Access toolbar.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE Figure 1.7 Additional Help options User Interface Control Many components of the Revit MEP 2011 user interface can be turned on or off for workflow efficiency or to maximize screen real estate. The User Interface button, located at the far right of the View tab, allows you to select which user interface components are visible, as shown in Figure 1.8.
MENUS AND SETTINGS | Figure 1.9 Application menu Clicking the Options button opens the Options dialog box, which has several tabs for different settings within Revit MEP 2011. The User Interface tab shown in Figure 1.10 is where you can set some general behavior for the interface. For example, you can choose between a light gray or dark gray theme for the interface from the Active Theme drop-down.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE Figure 1.10 User Interface tab of the Options dialog box What Do I Type? With Tooltip Assistance set to at least Minimal, you can see the keyboard shortcut for a tool by hovering your mouse pointer over it. The keyboard shortcut is shown in parentheses next to the name of the tool. Keyboard Shortcuts On the User Interface tab of the Options dialog box is a button that enables you to customize your keyboard shortcuts.
MENUS AND SETTINGS | you can select the command to activate the Press New Keys window at the bottom of the dialog box. Input the desired keys that will activate the command. You can input up to five characters for a keyboard shortcut. Reserved keys cannot be used for keyboard shortcuts; you can find the reserved keys using the filter in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box. Click the Assign button to apply the shortcut to the selected command. Figure 1.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE You can export your keyboard shortcut settings by clicking the Export button at the bottom of the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box. This will save your settings as an .xml file that can be edited using a spreadsheet program. Using a spreadsheet is another way to manage and share your keyboard shortcuts. The .xml file can then be imported into Revit using the Import button, allowing you to set a standard for keyboard shortcuts in a multiuser work environment.
MENUS AND SETTINGS | A context menu is a menu that appears when you right-click in open space, on an item in the Project Browser, or on an object in the drawing area. New to Revit MEP 2011 is the addition of the Repeat and Recent Commands options on the context menus. You can now repeat the last command by using the Enter key or by clicking the option on the context menu. The Recent Commands option displays a list of recently used commands for easy access during repetitive work. Figure 1.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE Figure 1.13 Context menu showing recent commands Figure 1.14 Selection set options You can also right-click an element in the Project Browser for a context menu. Right-clicking a view will activate a menu with options for applying or creating a view template from the view. You can also save the view to a new file, as shown in Figure 1.15.
MENUS AND SETTINGS Figure 1.15 Context menu for a view selected in the Project Browser Figure 1.
| CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE USER INTERFACE You can also use a right-click context menu to manage linked files through the Project Browser. Figure 1.17 shows the options available on a context menu when a linked Revit file is selected in the Project Browser. Figure 1.17 Context menu for a linked file in the Project Browser The Bottom Line Navigate the ribbon interface The ribbon is an efficient user interface style that works well in Revit.
