Sheet Assistant
Introduction
The Sheet Assistant tool expedites the process of creating consistent sheet collections for all types of projects and disciplines. Using Sheet Assistant, teams can ensure that sheets have accurate placement of views relative to other sheets of the same series types.
For example, a plan set of multiple floor buildings can be produced with precise placement and specification of views and their respective view templates.
This tool can be used to place views on new sheets, align views on existing sheets and adjust positioning of views based on standard configurations.
Running Sheet Assistant
Click on the “CTC Software” tab and click the “Sheet Assistant” button.
When Sheet Assistant is run, it will take a moment to parse the project model for sheets and views. This may take longer for models with a large number of views and sheets.
Getting Started
The Sheet Assistant has multiple workflows. Most often, however, users will need to start with the Sheet tab.
Each of the views in the graphic can be selected to perform changes to the method of positioning (Alignment Method).
HINT: Use the search boxes to find sheets by name more quickly.
Select a single sheet as the source. Notice the graphic representation of the approximate sizes and positions of the views found on the source sheet selection.
The graphic represents the approximate positions, alignment locations and sizes of the views which includes the annotation crop if enabled. There can be some discrepancies between the graphic representation and the actual appearance on the sheet due to view ‘extents’, view titles and view types.
Working with the Layout Graphic and Alignment Methods
The graphic representation below the source sheet selector is a close approximation of the views on the sheet as well as their size, proportion, position and types. This can be extremely helpful to understand the outcome of applying the layout to other sheets.
Their numbers correspond to the number for each view on the sheet.
Each of the views in the graphic can be selected to perform changes to the method of positioning (Alignment Method).
The dotted lines on the view graphic display the method of alignment that will be used for the view.
Methods
Horizontal - determines the location point along the horizontal (X) axis of the sheet.
Vertical - determines the location point along the vertical (Y) axis of the sheet.
By Level - uses the levels in the view to align by.
Notes about Alignments
Alignment is accomplished in various ways. Some methods work better if the extents of the crop and annotation crop are understood.
Alignment is dependent upon absolute coordinates as determined by Revit. If titleblocks are not the same size or in the same position as the source view, alignment may appear off.
Not all views can be aligned in the same manner.
In some cases, manual adjustment of the views on the sheet may be necessary.
Applying Layouts to Existing Sheets Based on a Sheet
Determine the target sheet or sheets to apply alignments or views to. Select the target sheets in the list by left-click. Deselect by clicking the sheet again.
While clicking, notice the list of sheets with their views appearing in the right-most selection window. This is where the selection of which views to align is made. Select and deselect the views in the same manner.
Adjust the source sheet views method of alignment as needed. Then, when satisfied with the placements and selections, click apply.
Double-check the target sheets to verify the desired results. If some adjustment needs to be made, run through the process again, this time picking different alignment methods.
Applying Layouts to New Sheets
The Sheet Assistant can create sheets and place views on them based on a source sheet selection. Views that can be duplicated or shown on more than one sheet can be placed and positioned similarly to the source.
On the ‘Sheet’ tab select a source sheet and make any desired adjustments to the alignment methods.
Click the ‘New Sheet’ tab.
Click the button labeled ‘New Sheet’ to bring up the new creation form. Here select a title block then fill in a sheet number and name. Hit enter to start a new row/sheet.
Click ‘Create’ to close the form and show the list of sheets that will be created.
The new sheets will appear in the list of the middle pane. They will be selected and represented in the right pane. Click the arrow to reveal the views that will be placed on the new sheet.
Each view in the list will present some options:
Duplicate Sources – This places the same instance of the source sheet view on the target sheet.
Existing Unplaced Views – This places the selected view on the sheet. This list only shows unplaced views.
Keep Original – If the type of view supports it, this will place the existing view on the sheet. This does not remove from the sources sheet or duplicate it.
Skip – By default, don’t add a view in this place.
Depending upon the source sheet view, the methods above are enabled and disabled according to the workflow. For example, some view types cannot be placed on more than one sheet. Therefore, if the source view is a plan, ‘Keep Original’ will be disabled.
For ‘Duplicate Sources’, specify a suffix to avoid Revit’s default copy naming behavior. Enter the characters (no special characters) that should be used to prefix the name of the new copy. When all of the desired selections have been made, click apply.
The new sheets will be created. Check them for accuracy and make adjustments as needed.
Accuracy is dependent on how similar the source sheet is to the choices made during creation (which views, settings, titleblock, view title, view templates, etc.).
Creating and Using Sheet Configurations
Sheet configurations are files that store information about a sheet layout. They can be used to apply standard sheet layouts from one project to another.
The configuration file only stores positions, view types and names. The views they place depend on what is available in the target project.
To Create a Configuration
Switch to the ‘Sheet’ tab to create a sheet configuration and select an existing sheet from the list.
Adjust any of the alignment methods to be used by the views as desired.
Click the ‘Save’ button.
In the form that appears, give the configuration a name. This will be stored with the configuration to help identify it’s intended application.
Click ‘Save’ and browse to a location to store the configuration.
To Use a Configuration
Load up a configuration by switching to the ‘Configuration’ tab and clicking ‘Load Layout Configuration’.
Browse to the location of the sheet configuration files. Configurations are displayed in the configuration picker. This is a graphic representation of the configuration.
When the configuration is loaded, adjustments can be made if necessary. These changes are not automatically saved to configuration file. To save the changes, switch to the Sheet tab and choose to save over the previous file by browsing to it.
Apply the sheet configuration to Target and New Sheets in the same manner as using a source sheet from the current project.
Options
[X] Remember the size and position of the main window. – this determines how the tool behaves when launched
[X] Pin views on sheets – sets the default when the tool places or adjusts views on sheets. Can be overridden individually.
[X] Default Alignment Method – set the desired methods here to define the initial state when working with source sheet views.