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AB3725-L Multiple Discipline Scheduling in Autodesk Revit: Its Possible to Schedule Anything with Revit!

Jeff Bowers - Senior Applications Expert, IMAGINiT Technologies

AB3725-L: This hands-on lab will explore the power of Revit schedule tools. You will learn how to schedule virtually anything. We will cover scheduling techniques that will give you the tools, tips, and tricks you need to get your schedules the way you want. From custom fields, user parameters, and grouping to schedule keys, formulas and conditional formatting, its all here. Its trueyou can use Revit to schedule anything for anybody!

About the Speaker; Jeff Bowers

Specializing in the customization, optimization, and integration of Building Solutions technologies, Jeff helps AEC firms navigate the road to building information modeling (BIM) using a logical progression from 2D to full implementation of BIM. His deep industry experience makes him an able leader in the management of cultural changes necessary for firms to be successful as they transition to a modeling environment. Jeffs current work as a Senior Application Expert at IMAGINiT Technologies focuses on Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD MEP, Navisworks, and QTO.

jbowers@rand.com

Introduction:
A Revit schedule is a tabular display of information that is extracted from the properties of elements in a project. A schedule can list every instance of the type of element you are scheduling, or it can collapse multiple instances onto a single row, based on the schedules grouping criteria. You can create a schedule at any point in the design process. As you make changes to the project that affect the schedule, Revit will automatically update to reflect those changes. In this session, we will focus on creating a basic window schedule and format it to appear the way that you want. Well also discuss creating material take-offs as well as creating a key schedule for those individual window parts. Finally well touch on including formulas and using conditional formatting. At all times, please keep in mind that although we may be generating window or lighting design schedules, all of the topics included in this session can be applied to anything you model in Revit. Topics covered: Creating a basic window schedule Formatting and modifying the window schedule Creating a material take-off schedule for our windows Creating key schedules for our window parts and space lighting requirements Inserting and using formulas in our window and space lighting analysis schedules Creating conditionally formatted lighting design analysis schedules Reusing our schedules in other projects

Revit Schedule Basics

In Revit, schedules are actually views, just like floor plans, sections, and elevations. When you create a schedule, it is placed and located in the project browser under views in the schedule category. You simply drag a schedule onto a sheet as you would any other type of view. Unlike other views, such as sections and elevations, you can actually export schedules to other programs like Microsoft Excel or other database programs like Microsoft Access using the ODBC Export tool.

Creating a Window Schedule

We will assume that you have already started a project and placed some windows. 1. Navigate to the Ribbons View tab > Create panel and click on the Schedules tool to display a fly-out. Click on Schedule/Quantities as shown below.

The New Schedule dialog appears as shown.

2. Select a Category of Object to Schedule and Schedule Name The list on the left side of the dialog displays all of the basic element categories that Revit offers. You will need to check the Show categories from all disciplines" box in the bottom, left corner of the window. This will display elements from other disciplines not found in the current product. In this case, they would be objects from Revit MEP and Revit Structure. This allows you to schedule almost everything. When you select an item from the category list, the schedule name field in the upper-right of the dialog automatically updates to match the category. You have the option of changing the name of the schedule if you desire. 3. Select the Type of Schedule to Create and the Phase of Construction to be Scheduled Beneath the name field, you have the option of choosing between two types of schedules, building components and keys. For the first part of this session we will create a building components schedule which is the type used most often. Notice that you can also choose which phase of construction you wish to schedule. 4. We will start off by selecting Windows from the category list, which is found at the bottom of the list and accepting the defaults for the schedule name, type, and phase of construction. 5. Click OK. After clicking OK at the bottom of the New Schedule dialog, the Schedule Properties dialog appears. It contains five tabs. The first tab that appears is the Fields tab.

6. Create the Schedule Fields. The Fields tab is used to add, position, and create from scratch the columns that will compose your schedule. 7. Highlight a field on the left side of the dialog and click the ADD button, or double-click a field in the left column to add it to the list of fields to be scheduled on the right side of the dialog.

8. Add all the fields shown in the column on the right. To remove a field from the list to be scheduled, click on a field in the right column and click the Remove button, or, double-click a field in the right column. By selecting the Include elements from linked files option in the lower left corner of the window, scheduling elements from other Revit projects is quick and easy. 9. Organize the Schedule Fields. The order of the fields in the right column from top to bottom determines the horizontal position of the fields in the schedule from left to right. 10. After adding available fields to the list on the right, you can reposition them by selecting them and using the Move up or Move Down buttons in the lower right hand corner of the dialog. 11. Clicking OK at the bottom of the dialog will create a schedule as shown. We will learn how to modify and format the schedule in the next section.

Formatting and Modifying Schedules

Accessing the Schedule Properties Dialog Once a schedule is created, we can go back into its properties at any time to change which parameters are scheduled, how they are organized and how they appear. Most users keep the Properties window open as they work in Revit 2012. If they make a schedule view current, the schedules properties immediately display in the Properties window.

If the Properties window is not currently displayed on your screen you can retrieve it by navigating to: Ribbon > View tab > User Interface > and clicking on Properties.

Picking on any one of the Edit buttons will return you to the tab of your choice in the Schedule Properties dialog. For example, clicking on the Edit button to the right of Fields in the Properties window will open up the Schedule Properties dialog with the Fields tab displayed.

On the Formatting and Appearance tabs of the Schedule Properties dialog, you can specify various formatting options, such as column orientation and alignment, grid lines, borders, and font style. Options you select on the Appearance tab only control the display of your schedule once it is added to a sheet. Formatting Tab Options: To change the way any field in the schedule looks, simply select it from the field list on the left side and then make your changes in the options boxes on the right. You can change the name of the field by editing it in the Heading text box. Below the Heading box are two options for changing the orientation and alignment for the text in the fields. Both of which have drop down menus. The Field Format button allows you to change the appearance of only numeric fields. This option will not be available for all fields. o o By default, the Use Project Setting is checked. Clearing the box will allow you to change the units and rounding/precision for that field only in the schedule. Different options will appear for different types of numbers, such as area, percentages, etc.
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The Calculate Totals option will display subtotals for only numeric columns in a group. This setting is only available for fields that can be totaled, such as room area, cost, or count. If you clear the Grand Totals option on the Sorting/Grouping tab, no totals display. You can also hide a field in a schedule by checking the Hidden field box. This option is useful when you want to sort the schedule by a field, but you do not want that field to display in the schedule. For example, if you needed to schedule only the windows found on the second level of a project.

Appearance Tab Options: The Appearance tab will allow you to change the type and size of the grid lines in and around the schedule as well as changing the text font, size and style for the header and body text. Keep in mind that these options will only be visible once the schedule is placed on a sheet.

Schedule in the Project Browser Same schedule in Sheet view

Modifying Schedules: There are various methods for modifying schedules to improve their readability and to keep them up-to-date with changes in your project. All schedules update automatically when you modify the project. For example, if you move a wall, the square footage updates in a room schedule accordingly. Or, you could select a window in the project and change the manufacturer property. The window schedule automatically reflects the change to the manufacturer property. Editing Schedule Cells: You can edit the cells in a schedule by clicking in them. You can either select a value from a list (if available) or enter text. As you add new values, they become available in that field's list.

For schedules grouped by type, changes to a type are propagated to all instances of that type within the project.

You are only able to edit a schedule cell while in the schedule view, not from a sheet view unless you right-click and choose edit schedule.

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Sorting and Grouping: After you create a schedule, you may want to change its organization and structure by grouping columns. You can create several layers of headings and subheadings to provide more detail in your schedule. Grouping provides the ability to combine or in this case group multiple fields under a single column.

Group Headers or Subheaders: 1. Drag your cursor over multiple adjacent headers or subheader fields to select them.

2. Click Group on the Schedule/Quantities tab of the Ribbon.

3. The selected fields will be listed under a blank field where you can then enter a new name for a field. Type in Window Information in the blank field. The text in the new field will be automatically centered as shown below.

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Ungrouping Headers or Subheaders: You can undo the grouping at any time by selecting the new heading in the schedule and the clicking on Ungroup on the options bar.

Schedule Properties Sorting/Grouping Tab Features:

On the Sorting/Grouping tab of the Schedule Properties dialog, you can specify sorting options for rows in a schedule, and add headers, footers, and blank lines to sorted rows. You can also choose to show every instance of an element type, or collapse multiple instances onto a single row. Sorting is useful for displaying information in a specific order such as by level. There are 4 options to choose from for sorting order. The Count field is the only field that you cant sort.

Formatting Tab Features: In addition to the obvious abilities to change Heading Orientation and Alignment for cell values, you have the ability to hide certain fields, even if you have chosen to sort by them. In the schedule example on this page the Level field was set to be a Hidden field. The rows are first sorted by Level, yet the Level column does not appear in the schedule.

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Creating a Material Takeoff Schedule

Material takeoff schedules list the sub-components or materials of any Revit Architecture family. These schedules have all the functionality and characteristics of other schedule views, but they allow you to show more detail about the assembly of a component. Any material that is placed in a component within Revit Architecture can be scheduled.

Creating a Window Material Takeoff Schedule

We will again assume that you have already started a project and placed some windows. 1. Navigate to the Ribbons View tab > Create panel and click on the Schedules tool to display a fly-out. Click on the Material Takeoff schedule type.

2. The New Material Takeoff dialog box appears which looks much like the New Schedule dialog box we saw when we began our typical, component, window schedule. Choose your desired type of Material Takeoff category from the list on the left side of the dialog, change the title of the schedule to suit your needs, confirm the Phase to be scheduled, and then click OK at the bottom of the dialog.

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3. The next dialog is the Material Takeoff Properties window. This has the same five tabs as the regular schedule properties window. The only difference is the fields list on the Fields tab. The list now has multiple fields with Material as the prefix. Simply add any of those fields to the list of Scheduled fields on the right and click OK at the bottom of the dialog.

4. Review the resulting Material Takeoff Schedule as shown below. Note: Some of the previously discussed formatting and modifying topics have been applied to the schedule.

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Creating a Key Schedule

Schedules, particularly for windows, doors, or rooms, can comprise multiple items that have the same characteristics. For example, a room schedule might have 100 rooms with the same floor, ceiling, and base finishes. Rather than enter all this information manually for all 100 rooms in the schedule, you can define keys that automatically fill in information. If a room has a defined key, then as that room is added to a schedule, fields in the schedule automatically update, reducing the time required to produce the schedule. In this example, were going to continue using windows as our base element. You can define keys using key schedules. Key schedules look very similar to component schedules, except you define them to your specifications. When you create a key, it is listed as an instance property for the element. When you apply a value for the key, then the key's attributes are applied to the element.

Creating a Window Trim Key Schedule

Once again we will again assume that you have already started a project and placed some windows. 1. Navigate to the Ribbons View tab > Create panel and click on the Schedules tool to display a fly-out. Click on Schedule/Quantities as shown below.

2. Select the Window Category on the left side of the New Schedule dialog as the desired key category. 3. Click on the radio button in front of Schedule Keys Revit will automatically fill in the Schedule Name and the Key Name. 4. Change the Schedule Name to Window Trim Schedule and the Key Name to Window Trim. 5. Click OK.

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In the schedule Properties dialog in the Fields tab, you will notice that Key Name and Comments are the only available fields. In this example, we are going to be creating a window trim key schedule. To do so, we will have to add some custom fields to the schedule. Creating New Project Parameters for a Key Schedule: 1. Click on the Add Parameters button in the middle of the dialog.

2. In the resulting Parameter Properties dialog, note that by default, the Parameter Type is set to Project Parameter. 3. Under Parameter Data, enter Brick Mould for Name and change the Type of Parameter to Yes/No from the drop down menu. We will leave the Group Parameter Under set to Other. 4. Click OK. 5. Once again back in the Schedule Properties dialog, select Add Parameter. 6. In the Parameter Properties dialog, under Parameter Data, enter West Coast Brick Mould for Name and change the Type of Parameter to Yes/No from the drop down menu. We will leave the Group Parameter Under set to Other. 7. Click OK. 8. Follow the previous steps to add one more parameter called Florida Brick Mould using the same options. 9. Once you have these three custom parameters, Click OK. A new key schedule view will display.
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Add Rows to the Key Schedule: When the current view is a key schedule, Revit automatically displays the Modify Schedule/Quantities ribbon tab. 1. To add two rows to the new key schedule, click twice on the New button found on the Rows panel of the Modify Schedule/Quantities tab as shown below.

Adjust the Key Schedule as Required: Make the following changes to the key schedule by clicking in the respective schedule cells. Confirm your changes by reviewing the image below. 1. Change the Key Name heading to Location. 2. Under the Location heading, change 1 to Exterior and 2 to Interior. 3. Check or clear the check boxes as shown. You may have to click the check boxes more than once to clear or add the checks to match our example.

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Applying a Key Schedule to Elements in a Component Schedule

Once we have our Key Schedule created, we can apply it to an existing schedule or create a new schedule from scratch. In this example we will apply the Key schedule to the Window schedule we created in the previous exercises. Applying a Key Schedule to an Existing Window Schedule 1. Go to the Project Browser and set our typical Window component schedule to be the current view. 2. In Properties, click the Edit button across from the Fields parameter. 3. You will find that the 4 parameters we just created for the Key Schedule (the Window Trim key and the 3 types of brick moulds) appear in the Available fields list on the left side of the Schedule Properties dialog. Holding your CTRL key down, click to select all 4 of the new parameters and then click the Add button in the middle of the dialog to add them to the Scheduled fields list on the right (Window Trim, Brick Mould, West Coast Brick Mould, and Florida Brick Mould). Your Scheduled properties tab should appear as below.

4. Click OK. Your typical window component schedule should now appear as shown below with additional columns displaying the added parameters. 5. Under the Window Trim field in the schedule, click in each of the fields to activate the drop down list. Pick either Exterior or Interior and watch the rest of the molding fields update.

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You cannot modify key values while in a component schedule. You must go to your key schedule to make changes to key values. A component schedule that contains values from a key schedule is automatically updated when the key values are changed in the key schedule.

Applying a Key Schedule to Elements in Non-Schedule Views

You can also go into a non-schedule view such as a floor plan, section or elevation view and assign an element a key. Assigning a Key to Window Elements in a Non-Schedule View 1. Select a window in a non-schedule view. Go to the Properties window to view its current property settings. 2. Under Instance Parameters, scroll down until you see the Identity Data category. The first row should be labeled Window Trim. 3. Click in the field to the right of the Window Trim instance parameter to activate the drop-down list and choose from the available options, either Exterior or Interior. 4. You will see that any change you make from the Window Trim style drop-down list will affect the readonly check boxes for the type of mould to be used at the bottom of the Properties window. These changes are automatically updated on the window schedule. These are the properties defined in the key schedule.

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Including Formulas in Schedules

Just like a typical spreadsheet file, we can manually create and insert fields with formulas into our schedule. This makes the process of calculating totals or percentages much easier. Adding a Simple Formula to a Window Schedule 1. Go to the Project Browser and set our typical Window component schedule to be the current view. 2. In the Properties window, click the Edit button across from the Fields parameter. 3. In the Schedule Properties window, select the Calculated Value button. 4. In the Calculated Value dialog, enter in the name of the desired field. For our window schedule example we can name it: Window Square Footage. 5. Make sure that Formula button is selected. 6. Leave the Discipline set to Common. 7. Set the Type to Area. 8. Enter a formula of Height*Width, which, represents Height multiplied by Width to calculate the square footage of window area. Keep in mind that the parameters (such as Height and Width) are case sensitive and must be a defined parameter in the family and or Project. 9. Click OK. Our window schedule has a new column containing a header that matches the name specified in step #4 and each cell in the column displays the square footage of the window listed in that row as shown below.

More about Formulas You can only use parameters that already exist in your schedule. When creating parameters do not include a dash (-) in the parameter names, It will limit how the parameters might be used. In formulas it would be interpreted as a subtraction operator.
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Your formulas can include complex combinations of syntax and abbreviations using parentheses and conditional statements such a Yes/No, comparisons or Boolean operations. The units of your formula result must match the units of the formula type specified or you will receive an inconsistent units error and your formula will not produce a result. What if you wish to calculate the cost/square foot of your windows? You would need to divide the cost parameter for each window by the calculated area of the window. Your formula, by default would have two different types of units; cost and area. Since you need the end result to display in currency values (cost) you need to strip the area units from the formula.

Creating Consistent Formula Units 1. Go to the Project Browser and set our typical Window component schedule to be the current view if it is not already. 2. In the Properties window, click the Edit button across from the Fields parameter. 3. In the Schedule Properties window, field tab select the Calculated Value button. 4. In the Calculated Value dialog, enter in the name of the desired field. For our example we can name it: Cost/Square Foot. 5. Make sure that Formula radio button is selected. 6. Leave the Discipline set to Common. 7. Set the Type to Currency. 8. Enter a formula of Cost/(Height*Width/1SF). 9. Keep in mind that the parameters (such as Height and Width) are case sensitive. In a formula such as this, the math within the parentheses is performed first. Here, you are multiplying the Height by the Width (measured in square feet), and then dividing it by 1 unit of the type of unit you wish to strip from the formula. The formula then divides the Cost by this value. The result is a cost value that you are displaying using the type Currency (two places to the right of the decimal point). 10. Click OK. Your result should be a new schedule column with a header of Cost/Square Foot as shown below.

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Adding Column Totals to a Schedule

Now that you have a column that displays the costs of individual windows per square foot, you might wish to total the column. 1. Go to the Project Browser and set our typical Window component schedule to be the current view if it is not already. 2. In the Properties window, click the Edit button across from the Formatting parameter. 3. In the Fields column on the left of the Schedule Properties Formatting tab, click on the Field that matches the Column header of the column you wish to total, such as the Cost/Square Foot as shown below. 4. Click the check box in front of Calculate totals in the middle of the dialog. 5. Click OK and check you results.

Conditional Schedules
Conditional format schedules are often used as design analysis tools rather than documentation of construction. They might be used to evaluate design options or to run design checks that automatically flag issues that need attention. We will create two examples that might be used while performing preliminary lighting design in Revit MEP 2012.

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Creating Conditional Formatting for Design Analysis

Locate Spaces that have No Lighting Fixtures: In this scheduling example we use conditional formatting to identify spaces where light fixtures have yet to be placed. As the design develops, the conditional formatting requirements will no longer be met and the software will eliminate the schedules yellow cell flagging. No yellow cells, no rooms missing light fixtures! 1. This exercise assumes you already have created a basic Space Lighting Analysis schedule that would have as a minimum your spaces names, numbers, and average estimated illumination. Go to the Project Browser and set your Space Lighting Analysis schedule as the current view. 2. In the Properties window, click the Edit button across from the Formatting parameter. 3. In the left column of the Formatting tab of the Schedule Properties dialog, click on the Average Estimated Illumination field. This space parameter is calculated by determining the Lumens contributed by each light fixture at the lighting calculation workplane, divided by the space's area. 4. Click on the Conditional Format button on the right side of the dialog. 5. In the Conditional Formatting dialog confirm that Condition has the Field set to Average Estimated Illumination, the Test is set to Equal to and the Value is set to 0 fc. You are creating a condition that will flag wherever the Average Estimated Illumination for a space is equal to zero (0). 6. Click on the color swatch to the right of Background Color 7. Select a color from the Color dialog for the color you wish to use to flag the spaces missing light fixtures. 8. Click OK in each of the dialogs to close them out and view your conditional schedule.

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Comparing Existing Conditions to Design Requirements

Locating Spaces that Do Not Meet Design Requirements: Perhaps you are confident that you have light fixtures in all of your spaces but, it would be most helpful to know how closely your lighting layout meets the design requirements of specific space types. You might set up a key schedule that lists space lighting level types that could be assigned to your spaces such as Corridor, Office, etc. to establish their lighting requirements. You could then add conditional formatting to your schedule that would flag where your lighting design provides either too much or not enough lighting based upon your design criteria. Create a Space Lighting Requirement Key Schedule: We will assume you are using the same Space Lighting Analysis component schedule as previously. The process to create our lighting required key schedule will be similar to the process of creating a window trim key schedule. 1. Go to the View tab > Schedules > Schedules/Quantities. 2. For the Category of new schedule, select Spaces. 3. For the Name, use Space Lighting Requirements. 4. Click the radio button in front of Schedule keys. 5. For the Key name, specify Lighting Level Type. 6. Click OK. 7. Click the Add Parameter button in the center of the Fields tab. 8. Enter Required Lighting Level for the new parameter name. 9. Specify Electrical as the Discipline. 10. Specify Illuminance as the parameter type. 11. Group the new parameter under Electrical-Lighting. 12. Click OK. 13. Note that the new parameter has been added to the scheduled fields column on the right side of the Fields tab as shown below. 14. Click OK to close out of the dialog and view the resulting key schedule. 15. Double-click on the Key Name cell of the schedule and replace it with the name Lighting Level Type.
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16. On the Ribbons Schedule/Quantities tab > Row panel, click on the New tool to add rows to your new key schedule to specify your space lighting level types and their required illuminance in foot-candles as shown in the example below.

Experiment with your Schedule Keys 1. CTRL+Select several spaces of the same type. 2. In the Properties window use the pulldown to the right of your new Lighting Level Type parameter to specify the lighting level type for the selected spaces. 3. Notice that the new, read-only Required Lighting Level parameter that you created is automatically populated with the illuminance value specified for that particular Lighting Level Type in your key schedule. The Average Estimated Illumination and Room Cavity Ratio values do not display values because the various selected spaces have different values. 4. Change the Lighting Level Type of the spaces and note the changing value of the Required Lighting Level. Add the Lighting Level Type to other spaces as required. 5. Press ESC once to deselect the multiples spaces. 6. Open your Space Lighting Analysis schedule You will find that your Space Analysis schedule contains the assigned Lighting Level Types and the Required Lighting Level parameter values for the spaces you selected above. However, as
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shown in even in the snippet of a schedule below, it would be difficult to quickly determine which spaces require additional design attention. A calculated value schedule parameter for the Lighting Delta and conditional formatting that automatically flags you if you are more than a certain number of foot-candles above or below the required lighting level for your spaces would make your job much easier.

Adding a Lighting Delta Parameter to your Space Lighting Analysis Schedule 1. Select your Space Lighting Analysis schedule in the Project Browser. 2. In the Properties window, click the Edit button across from the Fields parameter. 3. Click on Calculated Value button in the middle of the Fields tab. 4. In the Calculated Value dialog, enter a name of Lighting Delta for your new parameter. 5. Click on the radio button in front of Formula. 6. Set the Discipline to Electrical. 7. Set the Type to Illuminence. 8. Set the Formula to be: Average Estimated Illumination-Required Lighting Level Just as before the names of the parameters you are using in the formula are case sensitive, they must appear just as they appear in the schedule. To help you out, Revit provides the button to the right of the Formula with three dots on it. Click the button to have a list of eligible parameters for you to select from to build your formula. You simply need to add the subtraction operator. 9. Click OK.

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Adding a Conditional Format to the Lighting Delta Parameter: 1. Click on the Schedule Properties dialog Formatting tab. 2. In the Fields list on the left side of the dialog, click on Lighting Delta. 3. Click on the Conditional Formatting button. 4. Click on the pulldown beneath Test. Set the value to Not Between. 5. Set the not between values to whatever design criteria you would find useful. How far away from the Required Lighting Level can you vary in your design? In the example below, our values are set to -5 fc and 5 fc. So, we could be 5 fc less or 5 fc more without getting flagged. All other values with be flagged. 6. Click on the color swatch to the right of Background Color to choose a color to indicate your variance from your design criteria in your Space Lighting Analyis schedule, in our example, it will be orange. 7. Click OK and click OK again to check out your schedule. Add or subtract lighting fixtures in flagged spaces to meet your design requirements and the conditional formatting disappears in the lighting delta column.

Reusing Schedules
Create schedules you expect to use frequently in your project start-up templates. Use the Insert from File tool to copy a schedule definition from one project to another. It can be found on the Ribbon at the Insert tab > Insert from File flyout > Insert Views from File.

Tip! Keep a Revit project on the server that contains infrequently used company standard schedules to copy into projects as needed to help keep your project start-up templates file size as small as possible.
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Summary
In this session we covered the basics of Revit 2012 schedule creation, modifying and formatting. We discussed material take-off schedules and we shared a number of scheduling methods that take advantage of advanced features such as creating parameters, key schedules, formulas, calculated values and conditional formatting to create schedules. Revits interactive, live scheduling capabilities will support your design and design analysis processes as well as construction documentation needs.

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