Monday, August 17, 2015

Filter Linked Grids and Levels

As soon as we rely on or need to use linked files we are confronted with the presence of their grids and levels. Some people use Visibility/Graphics to interact with the linked files and override them so they can shut them off. I like using a Filter for each instead.

Since I have control over the naming of my grid and level types I can make them unique enough that it is unlikely to compete with the naming used for those that are in any of the linked files. Naturally, the last thing I want to attempt is to get the other trades to align their grid/level names. It's a lot easier to just deal with my own naming.

For example let say there are four linked files; Structure, HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical. They all have grids and levels that use different names. As long as mine are distinctly different from theirs I can filter them all off with one filter for grids and another for levels...since I may want to restore one or the other at times, separately.

Here's the Filter dialog configured to filter out all Grids but mine; I called it Not Local Grids. My Grids have a type name prefixed with AEC, but a firm's own acronym or something else that makes it unique works too. This can change from project to project easily too...if necessary.


Now I just add the filters to my View Templates and all the views that are going to get put on sheets and printed will behave with minimal input from me here on out. For coordination I'll use working views that don't have the filter applied or temporarily override the view template so I can toggle either of them on if necessary.

Here's a bonus Filtering tip that was shared at RTC (sorry I don't recall whose session it was). If you are filtering with a specific criteria but can't recall if the first letter is capitalized or not just leave that letter out. For example if you aren't sure if it is Concrete or concrete just enter oncrete as your critera. Pretty subtle and clever!

5 comments:

Chris said...

I like that solution. Quicker than using VG on the links and much less riskier than managing worksets through links.

You could always add a project parameter to make a "type comment" and filter for that parameter, since type comments don't exist for levels and grids.

troy said...

I like to think that I can trust everyone to use Shared Levels and Grids (or an appropriate name that is agreed early on), which we can then use Manage Worksets and force close the workset in their linked model.

However as I'm sure everyone has seen we sometimes have to rely on your method, the only thing we do differently is our filter is for Grids that do not reside on workset (company grid/level workset). Has the same result.

Steve said...

The advantage of the workset is turning it off everywhere at once...until someone makes a mistake and leaves a grid or level on the wrong workset and we notice it on plot day.

The filter...set it forget it...don't have to worry about them. Unless they decide to change their grid and level type names to the same as "ours"...but that sounds like the Dept. of Nasty Tricks to me.

glavoc said...

I've been playing around with this and the only thing i managed to get to work is when i filter by Family or Type name.
Tried what Chris has suggested, but assigning custom property to grids and filter by it doesn't work for me.

Definitely better than relying on worksets or linked visibility graphics

Steve said...

I think it is easiest to just use a special type name.