Revit’s mechanism for dealing with file positioning issues

Revit’s mechanism for dealing with file positioning issues

This is a very consequential and paramount blog for all the Revit users out there since I am going to elaborate about file positioning issues when a model is linked to a host model. A lot of critical situations are confronted by modelers during stationing a model in a host model regarding the positioning of the geometry of linked models in the current project. The intended purpose of linking a file can never be fully optimized and derived until it is properly positioned in the host model.

Positioning issues and how Revit deals with them

  • Oftentimes Revit users have to face problems and discrepancies regarding geometry positioning in linked model corresponding and relative to host model.
  • For example when architectural model is linked in a structural model by structural engineer, he may discover or observe that the linked model does not share the same coordinate system relative to structural model or the host model. In other words when the linked model and the host model do not share the same coordinate system then Revit automatically displays a dialog box that gives indication to users that linked and current projects do not share same coordinate system and due to this Revit will automatically revert to Center-to-center positioning.
  •  However, there are possibilities that Revit may display another alert saying that it is incapable of finding the centre of the recently imported geometry in the host model for stationing the import. This eventually creates obstacles for Revit users when it comes to centering linked files in the current view.
  • In case if Revit users confront with these alerts they are simply suggested or required to close these alerts by clicking on close and after which they should proceed with their task.
  • Users are suggested to tackle the positioning issues only when the linked model is imported in the host model.
  • Revit’s mechanism is such that there is an internal coordinate system for each project when it comes to entire elements of a model. Coordinate system of a project is only familiar to that project alone.
  • There is hardly any positioning related issue if Revit users are working on a standalone model whose position is not influenced or relevant to any linked model.
  • On the other hand if Revit users want to understand and know the position of host and linked models it is important for them to share the coordinates.

So when Revit users share the same coordinate system for linked as well as host model they are never going to face any positioning related issue.

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