Sheet and View Creation

hi,

using a great script from Neil Reilly to create views from levels and put on sheets using excel. Just wondering how i would modify it though to create views from duplicating other views instead of levels. Tried changing the custom node “get level by name” to get a view and then linking “view duplicate” instead of “FloorPlanView.ByLevel” but that didnt work.

Link to his script if anyone wants

Hi I’m not very into this workflow. If I understand you right you already have views and want to create other views from them using diuplicate views. You could achieve this using Clockwork Nodes for duplicating views. Here is quick sample

If you dont’t have the views which you want to duplciate you simply need to create them first and feed into the duplicate node from Clockwork package. Hope this helps. If this is not your problem please be more specific about the workflow you need. Cheers!

Hi Petar, yeah i already have the views. Trying to create other views duplicating existing views and naming them through the linked excel file. The F column in the excel file is the view (floor plan in this case) I want to duplicate. The D column is what its to be named too.

I gave the below a try looking at your example but got this error

I think maybe i need to adjust the the custom node “Get Level by Name” to “Get FloorPlanView by name”. Not sure if im on the right track with work flow. Thanks for your help.

I’m little bit busy now if you upload your script and sample project here I could review and post my proposal later. Also another users can help you better if there is a script and sample project uploded by you. Thanks.

Hi @vanman
Can you try this workflow?

Name the existing views (the ones you want to duplicate) with a certain logic
Use the node from Springs package to filter out only those views by the logic
Example - I used 3 leading characters; which will be dropped later

The idea was to create 2 copies (one copy for an overall scale like 300 and one copy for part plans (100 scale) with the “x” number of dependents being off the copy and not the view that is being input. Later on, extended the scope of the graph by setting up a view Template (to set up the scale and manage later) and also setting the scope boxes. Bear in mind that Revit remembers the order in which Scope Boxes are created so they had to be sorted by name…

Please omit the portions which are not necessary now. You can use this workflow (attached .dyn) as a starting point and modify the graph to set the values from Excel columns instead of auto-generating them
Duplicate Views & Assign Properties.dyn (35.2 KB)
Filter ScopeBox by Name.dyf (6.7 KB)

Hope this helps. If not, like @Petar_Penchev1 suggested, upload the files so someone can check & help!

2 Likes

Hi, please find link below to test files that will create a view from a “level” and place on sheet

Thanks Chandrasekar, ill try incorporate your workflow

Still struggling to get it to duplicate views instead of levels and run :sweat:

Here, MyVit package nodes
You can get all of your views in your sheets. In my example i do not have 4 plans, so 5 viewports for 5 sheets.

Thanks Jean, ill give it a go trying to link it into the script. I think my main issue is duplicating a view from the specified view name from the excel file. linking the excel file view name to duplicate the revit view. At the moment it will link the specified “level” in the excel file (coloumn F). I want it to link to a “view” and duplicate. not “level”. Sorry if im over explaining. unsure if im using the correct terminology to get exactly what im trying to do across :slight_smile:

Hi @vanman
Sorry - Think your intent is still unclear.

May I suggest to break down your intent into smaller tasks first? Then the nodes would fall into place.
Something like:

  1. Duplicate View
  2. Rename the view from Excel value

When you are duplicating an existing view, it is already associated to a Revit "level"
So can’t follow what is to be copied from Excel…

Thanks Chandrasekar,

trying to

  1. Duplicate view from selected Value in Excel (column F). At the moment, this will only create a view from a core level, not any view name.

Hope this helps.

Hi @vanman
Duplicate View from selected Value in Excel (column F)
As per the Excel, Column F values are Level 0 and Level 1

So, is the intent to create a new Floor plan View based on a Revit level whose name is read from Excel?
Is that correct? So not trying to duplicate Revit views using Dynamo… Is that correct? Duplicate was used because of the Revit command…?

Even simpler would be: Can you explain the steps that you would do to achieve the same if done manually?

So, is the intent to create a new Floor plan View based on a Revit level whose name is read from Excel?
Is that correct?

Yes correct but from a Revit Floor Plan View. Not sure if we saying the same thing :smile:

So not trying to duplicate Revit views using Dynamo… Is that correct?

No using dynamo to duplicate the view from the view name specified in Excel.

Normally.

  1. Duplicate revit view
  2. Rename
  3. Put on sheet.

Want to do this for multiple views using dynamo. The script as is worked but the only issue with it is column F. The user defined view from revit to duplicate. When inputting any view to duplicate, it dosnt work. It will only work with a specified level that revit has. I want it to work from any view specified. Thanks for sticking with me here. your a champion.

In the sample file i uploaded.

it will work with Level 0 and Level 1 in column F. I want it to work with the views under the group “views to duplicate”. So inputting “Level 0 Copy 1” and “Level 1 Copy 1” in column F. this is where the script wont work

@vanman

Normally.

  1. Duplicate revit view
  2. Rename
  3. Put on sheet.

That means you are duplicating an existing view

Sorry I can’t open 2017 Revit file. Please check if this answers your query…
You have to use Revit views as the base to duplicate and then rename the resulting views

What you are saying appears to be doing as per the line below - do correct me if wrong…
Inputting a name in the Excel with Revit not having that view already will throw an error in the script

Do you have revit 2015 or 2016? Think it will make more sense if you see the sample file

2016

Hey Chandrasekar,

Uploaded 2016 version. Hopefully it will all make sense now when you change the F column views to the views to duplicate from and see how it dosnt work :slight_smile:

@vanman
Saw these couple of errors - Are you seeing the same errors?
Python error is beyond me to help - Sorry!

Sorry Chandrasekar, i forgot to add a project parameter to the 2016 revit file and the templates in that file are a different name. Please add the following project parameter and change excel template name and it should work

Please make sure this node is like the picture below too, i may have saved over it in my attempt to get the script to work the way i wanted. Just have to right click and edit it. I can re upload things correctly if its to many changes for you

Hi!
Thanks for your workflow, very usuful!

I wanted to modify some things, instead of adding an automatic sufix (CODE BLOCK: x + "100"), I need to replace the 6 first characters (instead of your 3 ML), i guess the amount of characters it’s not a problem, for an other 6.

For example, all my views works with prefix in order to classificate all the disciplines in the project browser (original prefix “**BMS.01_**FloorPlan” to duplicate view prefix “**FPT.01_**FloorPlan”).

Currently, I can’t run the workflow because Filter Scope Box By Name Node it’s not intalled, but at my final workflow i will delete that node, because we don’t need it.

Obviously, if I already change the name, don’t need a “Copy 1” at the end of the View Name. Does your workflow solve that?

Thanks in advance!