Linking a Tag to Filled Region Text Properties

[truthjusticeUSAway]

Hello,

I'm building a load calc file for a building and am trying to use filled regions for reference. In the past, the company I work with has used a custom room tag which automatically inputs the user-generated are, room number, and room name into the tag. The information is input to the filled region and the tag automatically pulls the information in.

My question is how do I set up the tag to do this? I have Revit 2014 and there are no parameters for "Text" on my filled regions as seen in the picture below (taken from a project where the tags work).

[Aaronb]

I'm a little confused by the process here. Why are they using filled regions? Can't you just use a room/space tag and tag the actual room? That tag will tell you the same information. What are they inputting manually and why?

[truthjusticeUSAway]

I'm a little confused by the process here. Why are they using filled regions? Can't you just use a room/space tag and tag the actual room? That tag will tell you the same information. What are they inputting manually and why?

A couple reasons. If we link the tag to the region, it is much easier to edit the area display of the tag. If you just use the tag linked to the room, there is no area input and we have to wait on the architect to update their plans in order for things like room names and numbers to update. Moreover, using the filled region lets us color code the rooms so we know which rooms we've input to TRACE 700, which we haven't, and we can see when the region no longer matches the floor plan after an update to the arch file and we know we have to edit the inputs for the room in TRACE.

Either way, I'm not asking if I should do it this way - this is how we do it. I just want to know why my filled regions in one project have a text input for room names, numbers, and square footage while the other project doesn't have this and how I can make them appear in the new one.

[jmk]

You would need shared parameters (so they can appear in tags) added to the "detail items" category.

[Aaronb]

A couple reasons. If we link the tag to the region, it is much easier to edit the area display of the tag. If you just use the tag linked to the room, there is no area input and we have to wait on the architect to update their plans in order for things like room names and numbers to update. Moreover, using the filled region lets us color code the rooms so we know which rooms we've input to TRACE 700, which we haven't, and we can see when the region no longer matches the floor plan after an update to the arch file and we know we have to edit the inputs for the room in TRACE.

Either way, I'm not asking if I should do it this way - this is how we do it. I just want to know why my filled regions in one project have a text input for room names, numbers, and square footage while the other project doesn't have this and how I can make them appear in the new one.

Gotcha. Just curious, that's a method I'd never thought of using for TRACE data. In that case, jmk's method should work fine.

[truthjusticeUSAway]

Gotcha. Just curious, that's a method I'd never thought of using for TRACE data. In that case, jmk's method should work fine.

It really is worth the little extra effort to do this with TRACE. When I didn't do this and there was an arch plan change in the past, it was always a headache to check space-for-space what changed. Simply seeing that the LC plans in Revit no longer align with the arch in the file is way easier. The tags just make it much easier to read the plan and keep the information in order and I guess I don't necessarily need them, but it helps.

I don't know if it's because this is my first time in Revit 2014, but I can't seem to find how to add the text parameters to my filled region and where to make them shared.

[Aaronb]

Under the Manage tab, select Project Parameters, then "Add". Then select the shared parameters you want (you may have to add a text parameter to your shared parameters file). Then check the Detail Items box and hit ok. You'll have to repeat this step for any additional parameters you want to add.

[truthjusticeUSAway]

Alright. Well, thanks for all the help. For some reason my Revit won't let me click "OK" when I do what you just told me to. I can add the parameter to the filled regions under "Text", but not as a shared parameter.

[Steve_Stafford]

1. You can create a shared parameter called Filled Region Area
2. In the project you can create a Project Parameter assigned to Detail Items
3. You can create a tag that uses the Shared Parameter called Filled Region Area
4. When you create a Filled Region you can enter the Area value that Revit reports into the Filled Region Area parameter
5. You CAN'T have Revit automatically fill that value in for you

The back story of "area" being displayed in filled regions is that some people want the area command from AutoCAD in Revit. They want to pick a few points and get a value for the area described by the shape of the points they picked. Unfortunately you're using something that was "hacked" to sort of meet a specific need. It was never meant to do what you are attempting to use it for. Revit MEP intended for us to use Spaces to match up against the architecture model and use them to export to Trace.

[Steve_Stafford]

Fwiw, if you used Spaces and a project parameter associated with spaces you could generate color plans like this a bit more automatically than drawing lots of filled regions. Admittedly this image is a simple mockup.

Import architects model, check the Room Bounding option, create spaces, use the Space Naming Utility to synch up arch room names and numbers. After Exporting to Trace select all the spaces either in model views or a schedule and "check" the Exported to Trace parameter. Create a floor plan for each level and assign a color scheme to each based on the Export to Trace parameter. Uncheck any that weren't for some reason. When you get a new model from the arch review it against yours, run the Space Naming Utility again to match up names/numbers if things have changes...export to trace...repeat.