In the first part of this two-part blog post, I introduced a way to graphically identify unreferenced views by applying a red color to view tags that have not been placed on sheets. The process is fairly straightforward: create a filter for callouts, sections and elevations with a blank sheet value and then apply a red color to those tags. If you wanted to keep this filter consistent from view to view, then you can add these filters and color rules to your view templates.
But what if you wanted to customize your section, callout and elevation tags so that they displayed TEMP or TEMP VIEW in the tag itself? Well, the good news is that you can easily do so with very little effort! If properly created, you can even have the views automatically categorize themselves within the project browser without the need for a custom browser organization.
From time to time, it is a good idea to remove unwanted views since they contribute to increased file sizes. With this method, it will be very easy to identify and remove unwanted views from your model. In addition, since the temporary views will be unreferenced, they will not print due to the hide unreferenced view tags settings in the print dialogue box.
To build the temporary tags, you will need to go to Manage > Additional Settings and select the type of tag you want to create. In this example, we will focus on Section & Callout Tags. Elevation tags are similar but the tag creation requires a custom body and pointer family first.
To create the temporary section head, simply edit your standard section head family and remove all of the detail reference labels. You will then replace the reference labels with text (TEMP, or TEMP VIEW) since these views will not be placed on sheets. Be sure to save this family with a new name since you do not want to overwrite your standard section head family. In this case, I saved this family as Section Head – Filled Temporary.rfa. Once saved, load the family into your template. Note: This process is the same for the callout head.
Now that you have created your temporary tag families (section, callout or both), you can now build the tag. To do so go to Manage > Additional Settings and select the type of tag you want to create. In this example, I duplicated my building section tag and renamed it so that it had the word Temporary in it. I then swapped out the Section Head - Filled for the Section Head – Filled Temporary family file that I just loaded into my template. I left the Section Tail as is since it is graphically appropriate. Note: This process is the same for the Callout Tag.
Once you have built the Temporary Section tag (and/or callout tag) you are now ready to assemble those tags as a section type. In this example, I duplicated the Building Section system family, then renamed it as Temporary Section. Once renamed, I applied the temporary Callout Tag and Section Tag that I created earlier. Note: This process is the same for the Plan and Detail Callout Tag.
Now that you have created the Section and Callout Type, you are ready to use them in your drawings. Here is an example of the Temporary Section and Temporary Detail Views categorized without any customization to the project browser. Finding these views is easy and will allow you to make an informed decision on which views to keep and which views to delete.
Here is an example of the Temporary Section and Temporary Detail Views in your model. As you can see, it is really easy to distinguish between the views on sheets and the temporary views. Since these views are unreferenced, you can apply the filtering rules from the Part 1 blog post and color these sections to further distinguish the various view types.
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Sash Kazeminejad
AEC Senior Application Specialist
Sash is a registered Architect and LEED Accredited Professional who holds a Master of Architecture from Montana State University. Sash’s experience includes project management, BIM management, and design for architectural firms in California, Montana, and Oregon. In addition to being a Bluebeam Certified Instructor, Sash is an Autodesk Certified Instructor who provides Revit Architecture training and solutions for AECO firms. Find Sash on Twitter.