Importing CTB Settings

[RobDraw]

I thought there was a way to import CTB settings from AutoCAD into Revit. However, I cannot find directions on how to do this. All I can find is how to set them manually.

Is there a way to do it automagically?

[RobDraw]

Here is what I've found. Revit can import lineweights automatically according to layer not by color. If your layers are all set to the default lineweight, that is what Revit is going to see regardless of the CTB. There is a way to make a table for colors but not automatically, at least that I have found.

[Lee Roy]

A way to import a CTB? Not that I know of, off the top of my head.

 

However, it is possible to map colors to lineweights by doing the following, manually: Click the "Insert" tab, then in the "Import" panel click the little arrow in the bottom-right corner. This brings up the translator for mapping "DWG/DXF Color Number" to "Line Weight". "Save As..." when done, so you can "Load..." it into your future projects.

 

As it says, and you mentioned, this only applies to layers that have the lineweight set to "Default" in the layer manager. As long as your layers are set to "Default", Revit will import the layer color to your specified lineweight.

 

 

 

 

Aside: I don't know why people change that value to anything besides "default", as it's overridden by the .ctb file anyways.

[Lee Roy]

  RobDraw said:

Here is what I've found. Revit can import lineweights automatically according to layer not by color. If your layers are all set to the default lineweight, that is what Revit is going to see regardless of the CTB. There is a way to make a table for colors but not automatically, at least that I have found.

 

It will import by color if the layer is set to default lineweight. If the lineweight is not set to default, it will create a new linestyle with that width named after the layer.

 

  Revit said:

NOTE: These values only apply to lines and layers set to DEFault lineweight in source dwg/DXF file. Lines and layers with set lineweight value are automatically imported at that width.

 

If you're imported a dwg/dxf, set all your layers lineweight property to "default" and you're good to go with Revit's mapping tool.

 

If we have a dwg from an outside source, we save the original in an "Incoming" folder, then copy it to a "Linked" folder for use in Revit. That copied file is then manipulated/cleaned for proper use within our Revit model; changing layers to "default" is part of that, as well as ridding the drawing of objects/layers that are un-necessary for our uses. This requires less time than if we were to fight the layers from within Revit not to mention the system/program speed of a stripped-down dwg vs the original.

[Lee Roy]

In summary...I took an hour or so to create a .txt map file for our Revit. We then spend minimal time cleaning the file to be linked (which should be done regardless). Part of that cleaning is changing the layers to "default" which makes the import work properly.

 

Again, import a ctb? Not possible. Above is our process, whether you (or anyone else) chooses to do similar.