Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Monitor a Multiple-Segment Grid

When multi-segment grids were introduced they were not able to include them in the Copy/Monitor "loop" for Grids. We can monitor them, sort of. Since Copy/Monitor won't cooperate we can create our own "copy" of multi-segment grids by selecting them in the linked model and using Copy to Clipboard and Paste Aligned to Current View. We just need to remember to use the TAB key to cycle "in" to select elements in a linked model. Alternatively we can sketch our own version over the grid(s) in the linked model.

Once we have our own version we can use the Monitor part of C/M to let Revit watch over it, sadly...only sort of.

When we just use Monitor Revit recognizes the individual segments, not the whole multi-segment grid as a complete grid. If their original changes the process break downs even further. We do get a warning that the monitored grid has changed. If we select our version of the grid we don't get the Stop Monitoring button that normally allows us to sever the relationship. Our version also doesn't trigger the Coordination Monitor button when we select it after getting the warning when we reload the link or open our project fresh. If we just delete our version the coordination monitor warning is still lurking and I find that it will show up again later complaining about the deleted grids (ours). At this point it is messier to use Monitor than just watching for changes ourselves.

If we are willing to place individual grid segments over their multi-segment we can use Monitor and get normal results if we monitor each of their grid segments against our own individual segments, just not if ours are also are a multi-segment sketch based grid.

Short story, even using monitor only on multi-segment grids leaves us wishing for better. Hopefully the Copy/Monitor tool will get smarter and work with Multi-Segment grids too!

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