Drawing lines in revit

[Jessica28]

Hello. I am running revit MEP 2017...I am fairly new to revit but am learning...I'm attaching a little picture of what i am trying to accomplish. it's a simple line with 2 segments. I need to add those 2 lines together and then add other numbers to that. I am trying to cut down on the amount of adding i have to do and also to stay out of the scheduling as much as possible. Too much data input. I just want to know if there is an easier way to get the full length of the line like a pline in autocad? Sometimes these lines have 3 turns or 4 and i'd rather stay focused on the drawing than having to go to a schedule that i know can do it for me too...Out of all the things i've had to get used to while transitioning to Revit, this one has to be the most annoying. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks, Jess

[tzframpton]

You can use the Measure tool and enable the Chain option. See below:

 

[Jessica28]

Sure. That's great. But now we're drawing a line that needs to appear and then applying another command to get the overall length. On an average job there are line 300 lines to do this to. That's a lot of added work. Unbelievable how great revit can be and how cumbersome it can be at the same time. I did drawings in cad in half the time. Just had to think more when it came tomschedules due to the fact that revit does the schedules so nicely for me. Think more and risk errors in cad in half the time? Or take twice as long in revit and think less. I wish it was that easy because they want revit to be used. I like revit. Just had it's drawbacks. Wish I could get this little issue to go smoother. Someone needs to leave autodesk and make a better aoftware for prefab.

[tzframpton]

If you're using Lines in Revit to begin with, you're probably doing it wrong. Many ways to solve this problem if you'll give up AutoCAD ways in a program that is not AutoCAD. AutoCAD is literally a program that was built to use.... "lines". Revit is not, so you'll need to find a different way.

 

Line based Family can be used, and schedule the data. Or use Conduit tool and schedule the data. Many ways to do it, just not with lines. Having a template with a schedule set up for auto-populating this type of data in tabulated form is 100x better than the AutoCAD way.

 

-TZ

[Jessica28]

We actually do use some kind of line based family with a schedule. But these lines need add lengths put to them as well. The add lengths vary and need to be added through the schedule for some reason. So thats what we do. then that schedule needs to be lined up with the receptacle schedule. If one thing gets added or deleted then the schedules dont line up...All kinds of issues. I just wanted to be able to get a length, do the added math in my head and add the number to the receptacle schedule. Would be so much easier and faster....Yea, i know that Revit is built differently. And has been great in so many other ways. It's just this one thing i can not seem to be able to find a solution that has been able to save us time. My lack of Revit experience hasnt helped either. Have had to lean on others to help with a solution. I'll keep looking for a better way.

 

Jess