Excel - Create Sheets - Create Views - Place on sheets

I think this is a common desire for many users of dynamo is to automate views and sheet creation. There are many posts and requests on this forum for it… I found useful information is spread across the net. As I expect there are many who have created useful graphs, and many new users interested, the intent for this post is simply to share what I found useful in one place.

View.Sheets.ByNameNumberTitleBlocksAndViews does not have any control for placement.

After lots of trial and searching, I found this Youtubel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE73ALg6LL8
WIth Def download: https://mega.nz/#F!yhdkjRCJ!imryzWZsIiE8vEV1immJEw

Instead of View.sheets.bynameNumberTitleBlocksAndView, it has two Python Nodes that separate out the the sheet creation from the view placing.

The Python code came from this post
http://dynamobim.org/forums/topic/creating-sheets-for-hundreds-of-views/
In it is a link to the follow:
Make Sheets Python:
http://hastebin.com/udinigurur.hs
Place view on sheet python.
http://hastebin.com/wimaquraji.hs
Thank you @Joseph_Peel

I found this from @Konrad_K_Sobon


Which includes a link to this python: https://gist.github.com/ksobon/a197f8584754c09cde77#file-createsheetsfromexcel-py
Which will remove existing sheets from the list to create.

Creating Different View Types in one Graph?.
I’m a couple steps toward where I’d like to get to. I have a few different graphs that will process the different plan and ceiling views, and apply view templates, but yet to figure how to create the sheets and the different view type then layout on the sheets in all in one graph.

How to assign Scope Boxes?
Another common problem is the size of view when laying it out on sheet. A view too large often causes issues for View.sheets.bynameNumberTitleBlocksAndView. Setting views to a scope box is common approach, as yet I cant find any post on how to assign a scope box to a view. SetParameterByName does not work with a string input.

Align Viewports?.
There are a couple nodes floating out there with view port alighnment. Here is one:

Another is SteamNodes Align SheetViewsFromTemplateSheet.
I have yet to test this… it looks like a template sheet could be set up then feed in a list of sheets to align with.

If any other learner has found useful posts on this topic please add links to this post.
If any guru has successfully set up a complex graph to achieve, any guidance or comment would be appreciated for sure.

Thanks.

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Thank You Justin for you sintesis, I’m also trying to achive the same, to place those views on the sheets.

I started by creating the sheets, and then the views, but now the problem is how to put those views on the sheets without having to create new sheets. I would like to have a tree step process to avoid error’s.

I’ve achieve to crop views (floorplan type) with a scope box, by creating a shared parameter with the same name as the scope boxes in the model for filtering. Then i’ve just set the parameter “Scope Box” to the views.

One of the biggest problems i have also is how to put more then one view on the sheets.

Well it’s nice to kown that one is not alone in this matters. :slight_smile:

Can you please show me how you crop view with the scope box shared parameter please Jose.

Hello Justin I’ve just set it as a parameter with the node element set parameter by name, the elements are the views that come from the output of the apply templates to views (i think it can be from any other source), the parameter name “Scope box”, and the values are the element scope boxs that i’ve got from categories.
Then i’ve sorted them in the same sequence as the view elements with a node from lunchbox named list match with key values.

I’m no expert Justin hope I could help.

:slight_smile:

Apply scope box to views.dyn (7.1 KB)

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Thank you for putting this all in one place!!

1 Like

I was having trouble getting this to align correctly, it seems to align to bottom left (origin) of the sheet. Thanks for consolidating this information!

Hi all,

I’m new with Dynamo, and I would like to ask you for advice.
I’m trying to generate a list of sheets with views on it from one Excel file.
1.Column = Name of the Sheet
2.Column = Number of the Sheet
3.Column = View to locate (duplicate as dependant in case of exit one with the same name) + locate in a specific position on the sheet
4.Column = Template to Apply in each view

At the moment I’ve get column 1 and 2 (the easiest ones), but when I want to create the third column, doesn’t work, not only because I don’t duplicate the views, but also because Revit doesn’t locate the view that I want as I show in this two images.

If anyone could help me with this issue, i would be really greatful.
Sorry for bothering you with this “ridiculous” stuff.
Thank you so much for your help.

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Look at this script i have created for just excel creation because it can adapt and has checkers built in.

Also i have a update that will be coming out soon and a video on this new update is here:

To @rrjimenez on the floor plan issue, you are creating a brand new view from a floor level, so you are therefore creating a new view that cannot have the same view name as the original view.

To get around this you will have to rethink the creation and filter out the creation of level views if there is already one created that you want to use. Or the other one is to rethink your naming of the views because “level ???” is probably not the best way to name a view.

Example: Within the structural discipline we could have a building split into 3 zonesand having them level0, level0(2), level(3) will help no one in managing the views to what is on them. We follow the UK AEC standard and BS1192 for our view naming EG “01_01-First Floor steelwork”.

Thanks @Brendan_Cassidy. Let’s try that.

I am running the script below. My former script which worked perfectly, does not work in the updated Dynamo, is not creating the sheets. Any thoughts why not? I do not want views put on the sheets for me, however, l do require a certain number of sheets, sheet number and sheet to be named from Excel.

Hello. I have similar problem. The worst in Dynamo is that it works only in a period of time. Contantly changing packages without keeping old ones is so much frustrating. If you create a script it should work forever. After a year it will probably not work anymore. Dynamo should speed up work … sometimes it slows it down :slight_smile:

hi,
I am new here. I am tray to apply your script but there is sum error con please help me.