What’s New in Revit MEP 2014: This “Fitting” is Just Right! Ability to Embed .CSV File to Revit MEP Fitting Families

Revit MEP 2014 has some great enhancements, one of the best is the ability to embed the .CSV file onto Revit MEP fittings, and other types of families as well.
 
One of the most common issues that we come across when supporting Revit MEP for designers at Ideate, Inc. is the common problem of “custom” Pipe Fittings that do not display the correct proportional (connector sizes are indicating the correct diameter, just not the graphical appearance) size. The main reason for this is because the Lookup Table file ( or .CSV file ) for that family isn’t found. To overcome this issue, and others, the ability to embed the .CSV file has been added. 
 
This new feature is different in this release of Revit in four distinct areas:

1. Pipe and conduit fittings use the function: size_lookup.
2. “Lookup Table Name” is a user defined parameter, which can be modified or removed.
3. The “.csv” is removed from table names in formulae. See the following example:
   • e.g. [size_lookup (“Pipe Fitting - Generic,” “FOD,” Nominal Diameter + 0' 0 1/8" Nominal Diameter)]
4. A new Lookup Tables Manage… button has been added. This is a new button available in the Family Types window to manage lookup tables. The Manage Lookup Tables dialog lists all related lookup tables for the family. It provides the ability to import, export or delete lookup tables for the family.  See the following dialog:

 

One of the major benefits of this feature is that with the .CSV data embedded into the family, that family will then “know” how to model themselves, which if the file was “not found” could lead to unexpected results.
 

Using this ability to add the lookup function to the family will provide a convenient means to not only define parametric fitting content, it will be flexible for use even if not all considerations are accounted for in the “embedded” lookup tables by the use of the default value parameter in the function. 

Don’t forget to look through other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for AutoCAD MEP, Revit Structure, Revit Architecture, Civil 3D, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2014

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Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior MEP Application Specialist

Bill has over 20 years experience in applying AEC design solutions for large commercial companies. A graduate of Pasadena Institute of Technology, he has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill has also had the opportunity to act as Lead AutoCAD Designer for multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

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