Setting up sheet sets is a necessary process during the Construction Documentation phase. Each series ensures that the various trade packages have all of the information to complete the task. This tutorial describes how to create sheet sets using Dynamo automatically.
Background
To align with various trade packages, architects break down their Construction Documentation into sheet sets, also known as drawing series. While the categorisation of sets may vary slightly from office to office, typically there will be a dedicated set for Demolition, Site Plans, General Arrangement (GA) Floor Plans, External elevations, etc. Each set receives a unique drawing number prefix so that drawings are grouped and easily identified.
The problem
At the beginning of a project, the project team will generally focus on GA Floor Plans, Sections, and External Elevations. As the project progresses, however, the team will need to set up all of the other sheet sets. To assist this process, some companies create placeholder views in their Revit template. The limitation with this approach is that the placeholders are just there to help the team get started. Rarely do they cover all of the views needed.
The process of manually creating sheet sets usually involves duplicating existing views, renaming the view, and assigning the associated view template. Most, but not all sheet sets, can be derived from the GA Floor Plans. For example, Concrete & Precast Setout, Partition Setout, Floor Finishes, etc. Depending on the size of your project, this process could take days.
Creating sheet sets with Dynamo
Parametric Monkey has developed the ‘Create Sheet Sets‘ Dynamo graph available as part of our Dynamo Package Development service to help solve this problem. Given every company has slightly different sheet set classifications, the graph is customised based on your office’s naming conventions. The graph runs within Dynamo Player and only needs to be run once. Once run, the graph will create sheet sets based on a pre-created set. For example, it will take the GA Floor Plans, duplicate the views, rename the views, and assign the correct view template.
To run the graph:
- In the Project Browser, select the views to be duplicated. If no views are selected, an error will be returned.
- Define the selected views’ prefix. This prefix will be replaced in the new sheet set views.
- Define the view duplicate method.
- Select the view templates to be applied to the various sheet sets and their associated view name prefix.
- Press Play to run the graph.
If prompted, choose if you would like to rename the corresponding level and views. Typically this is ‘No’.
If a view already exists with the same name, then these views will be skipped to avoid duplicates and returned separately. This graph can be combined with the ‘Create Sheets‘ and ‘Place views on sheet’ graphs to complete the sheet set process.
Conclusion
Setting up sheet sets are a necessary evil. However, with the emergence of automated routines, such as those afforded by Dynamo, it is possible to reduce the time needed to complete the task significantly – resulting in improved efficiency and cost savings. To find out more about our Dynamo Package Development service, drop us a line and discover how we can automate your Revit workflows.
