AutoCAD 2013 - Command Line Enhancements

A number of nice enhancements have been made to the Command Line. You can still have it docked at the bottom or top of the screen, and adjust the height to show previous lines. As always, click on any image to see an enlarged version.

As you can see in the image above, there have been some changes. A command icon has been added at the left side of the Command Line and the name of the active command is also always displayed adjacent to the icon. If you ever get interrupted in the middle of a command, you no longer need to check the command line history to remind yourself what command is running. Color has also been added to the Command Line, highlighting the minimum necessary characters for any active command options. The command options are now also clickable, making it even easier to pick an option.

Select the command icon to get a menu of recently used commands. This menu is also still available as a flyout on the context menu that displays after right-clicking the Command Line.

The enhancements I find most useful are those made to the undocked Command Line. I personally have never found much advantage in having the Command Line undocked in previous versions, but expect to be leaving it undocked when we move to 2013. When undocked, the Command Line shows a single line "floating" above the AutoCAD window. The width can be adjusted by moving the mouse to the far right side; when the cursor changes to the double arrow icon, click and drag to change the width. While a command is active, a user-seletable number of partially transparent lines of history (from 0 to 50) related to the active command will appear above the command line.

If you start a new command immediately after ending the previous command, the previous command's history lines displaying above the Command Line are replaced with the history of the new command. You can review the full command history by pressing F2 or selecting the up arrow icon at the right end of the Command Line.

The size of the full command history area can be adjusted by moving the mouse to the top of the area. When the cursor changes to the double arrow icon, click and drag to change the height. You can scroll the history area by using the mouse wheel or by moving the cursor to the right side of the history area to get the scroll bars to show.

If you move the Command Line near an edge or a corner of the AutoCAD window or docked palette, it will snap to it, and stay snapped in that position even if the AutoCAD window is resized or a docked palette is undocked. Here is the reason I will be undocking my Command Line: if you hold the CTRL key down when moving the Command Line, you can move it over the top or bottom of the AutoCAD window without having it dock. This allows you to position the floating Command Line over the left side of the Drawing Status Bar and reclaim the drawing space that the docked Command Line would have taken.

If you use the Drawing Management Feature (Project Browser/Project Navigator), this will cover the display of the project name and the current drawing type/name that is displayed on the Drawing Status Bar when a Project/Project Drawing is current. My firm does not use the Drawing Management feature, so that is not a problem for me. Even if you do use the Drawing Management feature, you can set two levels of transparency on the Command Line in 2013, one for when the mouse is over the Command Line, and one for when it is not (see below). As the image above shows, the project name and drawing type/name can be read through the Command Line with the opacity set to 65%.

Select the wrench icon at the left side of the Command Line to display a context menu that allows you to customize the Command Line and also access the Options dialog.

The AutoComplete flyout allows you to control the features of AutoComplete (added in the 2012 release). The Lines of Prompt History menu item allows you to set the value of the CLIPROMPTLINES system variable, which specifies the number of lines of command history that should be displayed above the undocked Command Line when a command is active. As noted above, valid values are integers between 0 and 50. The Transparency menu item opens the Transparency dialog,

which allows you to set the General level of transparency for the Command Line and how transparent the Command Line should be when the mouse is over it. The latter value cannot be less than the General value.

Revit: Creating a New Tick Mark Size

The project on which I was working (in Revit^® Architecture 2012) only offered two tick sizes for dimension strings: 1/8", which was way too large, and 3/64", which I thought was bordering on too small. (I am not sure if those are out-of-the-box offerings or just what was in my firm's template at the time this project was started.)

I figured there had to be a way to set up a tick mark with a width somewhere in between those two sizes, and opened up the "WikiHelp" to find out how. After searching for "Tick Mark", I found a promising search result, Changing the Dimension Line Tick Mark.

That article, as it turns out, covers how to change the Tick Mark assigned to a dimension style, not how to create a new tick mark. Unfortunately, there is no link in that article to the section on how to create an Arrowhead Type, which is under an entirely different main heading in the Revit User's Guide section of the WikiHelp. (Revit User's Guide > Document and Present the Project > Annotating > Dimensions > Modifying Dimensions > Changing the Dimension Line Tick Mark is the article to which I first went. The article on how to create an Arrowhead Type is in Revit User's Guide > Customize Revit > Project Settings > Annotation Styles > Specifying Arrowhead Styles.) I have no problem with having the information related to getting a Dimension Style to look a specific way in two places, but it seems to me that an article about changing the tick mark in a Dimension Style, after explaining which property in a Dimension Style should be changed to change the tick mark (something so obvious even I figured that much out without even looking in the Help), should anticipate the possibility that the desired tick mark does not already exist and provide a link to the article that explains where and how that is done. Is not the beauty of an electronic reference its ability to provide direct links between related items, even when the overall organization dictates that those items are not located under the same heading?

I was about to go back to the search results, when I noticed a comment posted under this article, asking a similar question to the one I was trying to answer. Linette Pouwels had a problem with the 3 mm tick mark (the metric equivalent of the imperial 1/8" tick mark) and was looking for a way to make a 1.5 mm tick mark. My hopes were raised for a moment when I saw that someone from the Autodesk Revit User Experience Team had replied, but then dashed when the reply stated that the tick mark could not be edited, only selected from those on the list. A URL was provided for requesting an additional tick mark option. I could not believe that the only way to get a tick mark of a different length would be to submit Product Feedback on the Autodesk website, and then hope that some future release would include an additional tick mark size. With a deadline looming, I terminated my search and settled on the 3/64" tick marks for the project at hand.

While reading the AUGI Revit Architecture forum today, I came across a post that stated that the writer knew how to create a new tick mark type. While the post did not say how to do so, I took that as a sign that the reply I had read in the WikiHelp was incorrect, and after poking around I discovered the way to do so. (I only found the other WikiHelp topic noted above after discovering the method on my own, and using "Arrowhead" rather than "Tick Mark" when searching the WikiHelp.) Here is how to create your own tick mark or other Arrowhead Type:

1. On the Manage ribbon tab, select the Additional Settings tool.
   
2. Choose the Arrowheads option on the flyout.
3. In the Type Properties dialog, select a type that is similar to what you want.
   
4. Choose the Duplicate Button, and provide a name for the duplicated type.
   
5. Edit the new type's parameters as needed. For my new Diagonal Arrowhead Type, all I needed to change was the Tick Size, to 1/16".
   
6. Click OK to dismiss the dialog. The new Arrowhead Type is now available for use in a Dimension Style.

The choices for the Arrowhead Style property are limited to what is provided out-of-the-box, but you can customize each of those Arrowhead Styles by creating a new Type and changing the active parameter values for that Type. (Only parameters that apply to a given Arrowhead Style are active when selecting that Style; the Tick Size property applies to all of them.)

Postscript: I submitted a change to the Revit English 2012 WikiHelp Changing the Dimension Line Tick Mark page that adds a link to the Specifying Arrowhead Styles page. Perhaps it will be approved and published. Post-postscript: It was approved.

ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 3

First Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 1)
Previous Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 2)

Annotative Hatch Display Components
ACA 2013 offers the option of making a Hatch component annotative. This allows you to establish a single scaling (based on the scale you would apply when plotting at full size) and then have ACA adjust the hatch scale by the scale factor of the current annotation scale factor. This might eliminate the need for multiple Display Representations whose sole purpose is to change the scale factor on Hatch components, along with the associated Display Representation Sets and Display Configurations (eg, the out-of-the-box Low Detail, Medium Detail and High Detail Display Configurations). If you use those Display settings for other purposes, you may need to hold on to them, but the annotative Hatch component could simplify your Display Representation settings, once you go through and convert all of your Styles and Material Definitions, of course. (Even with annotative hatching, you may not want to have the same scale factor for all scales.) You can choose not to make Hatch components annotative, if the current setup meets your needs.

As an example, I created a copy of the out-of-the-box CMU-8 Wall Style, called CMU-8 Anno. Since the display of the Hatch component for this style is controlled by the assigned Material Definition, I also made a copy of the Masonry.Unit Masonry.CMU.Stretcher.Running Material Definition, called Masonry.Unit Masonry.CMU.Stretcher.Running.Anno and made the Plan Hatch and Section Hatch components annotative. I chose to match the Spacing as specified for the General Medium Detail Display Representation (meant for 1/8" = 1'-0" drawings) by dividing the out-of-the-box Spacing in the CMU-8 Wall Style by 96 (the scale factor for 1/8" = 1'-0"). So the Plan Hatch Spacing became 8/96" (or 1/12") and the Section Hatch became 12/96" (or 1/8").

You will need to make those changes in all of the Display Representations for which you want the annotative hatching to be in effect. For this example, I wanted to compare the previous system with annotative Hatching, so I made the same edits to the Plan Hatch and Section Hatch components in all of the Display Representations. (General Presentation did not require editing, since it used a solid hatch.)

WARNING: When changing to annotative hatching, check the box in the Annotative column first, and then change the value, if necessary. When you check the Annotative box, ACA will change the Scale/Spacing value by dividing it by the current annotation scale value. If you change the values first, and then check the Annotative column box, the changed values will be divided by the current annotation scale factor, and you will have to reset the values again. Also note that if your current annotation scale happens to be the one for which the non-annotative values were meant, you can keep the resultant values. But if that is not the case, you will need to change the values.

In the image below, the same two Walls are shown in a Layout in multiple viewports at several scales. The CMU-8 Wall uses the out-of-the-box Wall Style of the same name (Imperial), and the out-of-the-box Material Definition and display settings. The CMU-8 Anno Wall is a copy of the CMU-8 style, with a custom material applied. The custom material has had the Plan Hatch component set to be annotative, and the same Spacing value has been applied to all of the Display Representation that are shown here. As you can see, the annotative hatch has the same spacing at all scales. The non-annotative hatch spacing generally varies with the scale, with some variations due to the different spacing values for Medium Detail (1/8" = 1'-0" and 1/4" = 1'-0") and High Detail (1/2" = 1'-0" and 1" = 1'-0").

ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 2

First Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 1)

Transparency
Transparency, added to AutoCAD^® (and AutoCAD^® Architecture) in the 2011 release, is now fully integrated into AEC objects and the AutoCAD Architecture Display System. Previously, Transparency could be applied to the main object only, by using the tools on the Transparency panel on the Home ribbon tab. Entity Transparency is now an editable property for parent AEC objects, on the Design tab of the Properties palette, in the Basic category, General subcategory.

Valid values remain integers in the range of 0 (fully opaque) to 90 (most transparent) or "ByLayer" (use the Transparency set on the layer) or "ByBlock" (use the Transparency set on the parent object, useful only for nested objects, object components or Material Definitions). This same value can be edited in the Object Display dialog, on the General Properties tab, where you can type an integer value directly, or choose a value from a drop-down list.

The easiest way to access the OBJECTDISPLAY command is by selecting an object, right clicking and choosing Edit Object Display from the context menu. Transparency is now also fully integrated into the Display System, allowing you to set a Transparency value for AEC Object components as well as in Material Definitions, Display Theme Styles and Layer Key Styles. As noted for main objects above, "ByBlock" and "ByLayer" are choices for components, Material Definitions and Display Theme Styles, so you do not need to hard-code Transparency values unless you want to do so. The Transparency values can be edited in the usual ways, in the Style Manager, when editing a Style or Definition or on the Display tab of the Properties palette, and can be applied at the drawing default, style-override or object-override levels.

Transparency as a Display Property in Style Manager - Display Theme

Transparency as a Display Property in Style Manager - Layer Key Style

Transparency as a Display Property on the Display Tab of the Properties Palette - Wall Object

Transparency as a Display Property via the Object Display Dialog - Wall Object

Transparency as a Display Property of a Material Definition

Keep in mind that Transparency works like any other object property: the value applied to a nested object will take precedence over that of the parent obejct. In 2011 and 2012, the only option was to apply Transparency to the parent object (for example, a Wall). Setting an explicit Transparency value to a Wall object would make the Wall display with the Transparency set. Doing the same in ACA 2013 will only make the Wall transparent at that value if the display of all of the Wall's components is set to be "ByBlock" (or just happens to be hard coded to that same value). For components whose display is controlled by an assigned Material Definition, then the Transparency of the active component of the Material Definition would need to be set to "ByBlock". When opening files created in previous versions, it appears as though the component values default to ByBlock, which would preserve the previous behavior.

Next Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 3)

ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 1

AutoCAD^® Architecture 2013 adds a number of new features to the Display System.

Layer Keys for Display Components
An often wished for feature is now in the program: it is now possible to assign a Layer Key or Layer Overrides to a component of an object, instead of just hard-coding the layer name in the style. If you have ever wanted to have layer control over one or more individual components of an object, but did not want to have the hassle of setting and maintaining those layer names in each style, you can now add Layer Keys or Layer Overrides to a style to have components placed on a particular layer via layer keying.

In general, I find using the display system to control the visibility and appearance of most components of AEC objects to be quite adequate and would just as soon avoid throwing layers into the mix. But there are a few items where it would be nice to be able to control the visibility of a component with a simple Layer Freeze/Thaw, rather than going through the hassle of adding new Display Representations, Display Sets and Display Configurations. For example, we use a zero-width component to display a line that indicates the fire-resistance rating of a Wall, and its display is controled by the assigned Material Definition. There have been projects where, for certain drawings, I wanted to turn off this component, as it was interfering with other graphics. Being able to do so by freezing a layer would be much easier than setting up another Display Representation for materials, editing that for all of the materials in the drawing and then setting up a Display Set and Configuration to use the new Display Representation. Hard-coding a layer name in a Display Representation has always bothered me, as it means future edits if the content needs to be used with a different layer standard. The new Layer Key/Override feature allows source content to be set up that will generate layers based on the current Layer Key Style and avoid having a hard-coded layer name in the Display Representation.

There are a few nuances that you need to master in order to be able to use the new feature. The most important is that your source file (where you store and edit the display settings) cannot have any objects of the type to which you want to add a Layer Key or Layer Override in the file. For Drawing Default settings, this will likely be your template file, so that should not be a major problem. For Style Override settings, you will have to delete any instances of objects of the style being edited prior to being able to edit the override settings, and you will not be able to add any instances afterwards, as that will cause the layer to be resolved and defeat the puropose of using a Layer Key. The Layer Key and Layer Overrides are not available at the Object Display Override level, because, by definition, you have to have an object in the drawing in order to apply the override. This feature does not make much sense as an individual object override, anyway. You cannot access this feature on the Display tab of the Properties palette; you have to edit the settings in a dialog, through Display Manager (Drawing Default settings only) or through Style Manager.

Before starting, make certain that the current Layer Key Style in the source file drawing or template has all of the Layer Keys you wish to assign. If you are going to use custom Layer Keys, be certain that you update the Layer Key Style in your Layer source file with the custom keys, and, if you are not set up to automatically import the Layer Key Style from your Layer source file, in your template files.

In the composite image above, the Swing Component has had the custom DOORSWING Layer Key added by clicking in the blank area in the Layer Key column on the Swing line, and choosing the DOORSWING Layer Key in the Select Layer Key dialog. Once a Layer Key is assigned, the value in the Layer column for that component is cleared, and will remain that way until an object is placed in the file. As previously mentioned, you want it to stay that way in your source file(s), so that the resolution takes place in the target file.

In order to make use of the Layer Overrides, you must first set a Layer Key. If you want to assign a component to a layer, but do not want to create a custom Layer Key, you can use Layer Overrides. Keep in mind that if the resultant layer does not already exist in the drawing, it will be generated based on the attributes of the assigned Layer Key, so choose the Layer Key accordingly, or be prepared to adjust the layer properties after the fact. In the composite image above, the Frame component has the DOOR Layer Key assigned, and then, by clicking on the icon in the Layer Overrides column on the Frame line, a Minor 1 field override of "Fram" was set in the Select Layer Overrides dialog.

Do not forget to change the component attributes from BYBLOCK to BYLAYER for any components to which you assign a Layer Key, unless you only want them on a separate layer and want them to display with the attributes of the main object.

If you make Drawing Default level changes in your template file and then start a new drawing with that template, the Layer Key and, if specified, Layer Override will be resolved when the first object of that type is added to the new drawing. If the resultant layer does not already exist in the drawing file, the layer attributes specified in the current Layer Key Style (as modified by any Layer Overrides set) will be used to generate the layer. If the layer does already exist, the layer will be left as is, just like any other use of a Layer Key. At that time, the Layer Key and Layer Overrides columns will be locked and the resolved layer name will be shown in the Layer column. You can then edit the Display Representation and change the layer name if you so choose - the Layer Key and Layer Overrides are inactive from that point forward, even though the Layer Key name will remain displayed. The same holds true when adding an object that has a Style-level display override in the source file that includes a Layer Key or Layer Key and Layer Override.

There is a way, however, to impose a Layer Key/Override on a file that already has objects within it. When set at the Drawing Default level, with the file open, open the Display Manager (on the Manage ribbon tab, on the Style & Display panel, select the Display Manager tool). In the Display Manager, open a source file that has the unresolved Display Representation in it (such as your template file). Use the Display Manager to copy the Display Representation from the source file to your current file and choose Overwrite Existing.

Select OK to register the change, close the Display Manager and return to the drawing. You will not notice any immediate change, but the Layer Key/Override from the source file has been copied into this file. In order to get this to resolve, you need to execute the "add" command for the object type affected by the Display Representation. For example, start the DOORADD command if you have copied a Door Display Representation. Doing so, even if you cancel before placing an object, will cause the Layer Key/Override to be applied, affecting all existing objects in the file as well.

If you have a drawing with objects of the same style name, but without the Layer Key/Override set (or with it set, but resolved to a previous Layer Key Style), you can use the Style Manager to overwrite the style from a source file with an unresolved Style-level Layer Key/Layer Override. If you have a Tool palette tool referencing the style from such a source file, you can also right click the tool and choose "Re-import..." from the context menu. The only difference here is when you start the "add" command to trigger the resolution of Layer Key/Override, if redefined style is not the current default style, you will have to change to that style on the Design tab of the Properties palette to get the change to take effect.

In all of the above cases, keep in mind that you will not see the effects of the Layer Key/Override if the Display Representation that has the Layer Key/Override set is not active in the currently active Display Set. The change will take place, but until you change the Display Configuration/view direction to a combination that makes the Display Representation that has the Layer Key/Override applied, you will not see it.

Next Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 2)

ACA 2013 - Grouping and Subtotals in Schedule Tables

The ability to group items within a Schedule Table and have subtotals for each group has long been wished for by AutoCAD^® Architecture users, extending back to when the program was called Architectural Desktop. That wish has been granted in the 2013 release, which supports up to three levels of grouping and subtotals.

In the past, you have been able to sort by the values of one or more properties, which would get objects with the same value for a given property in close proximity. If you specified a quantity column in your Schedule Table (whether displayed or hidden), you could also get objects with identical values in all columns to collapse onto one line. For properties with numerical values, you could specify that the total of all items in the Schedule Table be shown at the bottom of the Schedule Table.

Tracking the area of Spaces is a common need in architectural design. The image above shows a sample schedule for Spaces, such as might have been created in a previous release. The Schedule Table is sorted first by the Space type (using the Style automatic property source to acquire the name of the Space Style) and has a quantity column to collapse identical lines. While the Schedule Table avoids the use of room numbers to have some identical rows, inevitably you will want to include data that will prevent all Spaces of a given type from collapsing on one line (if nothing else, the areas of the Spaces of one type are unlikely to all be identical in a real-world design), leaving you with multiple Total Areas for each type. The image below shows the "new" Sorting/Grouping tab (formerly just "Sorting") of the Schedule Table Style used to produce the Schedule Table shown above. The Group feature is not enabled for either of the columns being sorted.

While getting totals for each Space type in the sample Schedule Table above might not be too difficult, on a real project with tens or hundreds of Spaces, it could be quite a chore, and in the past, would likely have resulted in exporting the Schedule Table contents to a spreadsheet program, followed by additional formatting and manipulation to get useable subtotals. Doing this repeatedly as changes are made to a project in the early design phases can be tedious. In a copy of the previous Schedule Table Style, the Group feature for the SpaceStyles:Style property has been activated by checking the Group toggle under that property.

The Display Subtotals For Group toggle has also been checked. While you can override the formatting of the Group property, this was not done, as indicated by the "None" text; the Subtotal Format Override was used, however, to increase the height of the text from 3/32", as set on the Default Format tab, to 1/8", as indicated by the Height designation. The default Group Orientation of Column was kept. Group Row Repeat and Group Row Indent are disabled when using the Column orientation,. Group Row Separation was changed from None to Blank Row. The results can be seen in the image below.

When grouping by a property using the Column orientation, all items with the same value for that property are listed together ("grouped"). Instead of having that property value shown on each line, the individual row lines are deleted (including at the subtotal line, if used) and the value is shown once, centered on the group of rows. A subtotal line appears at the bottom of each group, in this case showning a subtotal for the quantity and for the total area. In order to use the subtotal feature, at least one column in your Schedule Table Style must be set up to display a total. Since a height override was applied to subtotal rows, the text on these rows is larger, making them stand out a little. A blank row appears between each group, also helping to distinguish between groups. At the very bottom, you will note that the "grand" total line still appears. Unfortunately, a blank row does not separate this line from the group and subtotal line above, nor can you override the formatting of the grand total line.

Doors are another object that are often scheduled. A simplified Door Schedule, such as might have been done in a previous release, sorted by Door Type, is shown below.

As with the Spaces, in this simple example it would be easy enough to add up the totals per Door type, but not so on a real project. The image below shows the settings made to a copy of the style of the Schedule Table shown above, to implement groups and subtotals.

I chose to display the subtotals for each group, change the alignment of the group from the default "Middle Center" to "Middle Left" and made the same Subtotal Format Override (1/8" text height) as was made on the Space Schedule above. Setting the Group Orientation to "Row", makes the Group Row Repeat and Group Row Indent choices active. The Row orientation for groups takes the column for the property being grouped out of the Schedule Table and inserts a row above each group labeled with the column header name and the property value, separated by a colon (":"). Group Row Repeat will repeat that row at the bottom of the group, which can be helpful with nested groups or groups with many lines; I chose to not include that here. Group Row Indent can make it easier to read a Schedule Table with nested groups all using the the Row orientation. This example did not need to use either of those, as there is only one group and I chose to provide a blank row separation between the groups. In the final beta version, on which these samples are based, I was unable to get the Group Row Indent feature to work. It had worked in a previous version, so I am hoping that it was either an issue with my installation or that the problem is resolved in the shipping version.

The image above shows the results of those settings. If you choose to set up grouping on multiple columns (properties) in your schedule table, the results will be sorted by the left-most first, then within each of those groups, the second grouping will be applied and, if you specify a third grouping (rightmost), that would be applied within each of the second groupings subgroups. Once you choose a column orientation for a group, any additional groups to the right of that also must use column orientation.

New components for Schedule Tables mean more display settings. The image below shows the components and out-of-the-box Drawing Default settings for Schedule Tables (final Beta, US Imperial content). There are separate display settings for Data Text, Separator Lines, Title Separator Lines and Indent Lines for each of the three levels of Groups, as well as settings for Data Text, Row Lines and Column Lines for each of the three levels of Subtotals. These are all set to ByBlock, with the exception of LtScale, which is set to 1, so they will initially inherit the properties of the parent Schedule Table object. You may want to edit the Drawing Default values of the newly added components to be compatible with the settings for the previously available components (especially if you have customized those settings).

You may also have noticed new columns in the Display Properties for Layer Key, Layer Overrides and Transparency. Look for more on those in a future post.

Revit - Wall Type Edit Tip

This may be old news to more experienced Revit hands, but I discovered this today and thought I would document it for future reference. When editing a Wall Type in the Type Properties dialog, if you make changes to either or both of the "Coarse Scale" parameters under the Graphics category...

...and then decide you want to review the Wall's Structure by clicking on the Construction > Structure parameter's Edit button, be aware that if you click on the OK button in the Edit Assembly dialog (whether or not you make any changes)...

...your "Coarse Scale" parameter edits may get lost.

I say "may", because I found at least one circumstance under which it did not result in a deletion: if I click the Edit button and then choose the Cancel button to exit the Edit Assembly dialog, I can then click the Edit button again and if I choose the OK, the "Coarse Scale" parameter edits will be preserved. There may be other sequences that do not result in the loss of the "Coarse Scale" parameter edits. Edits to items under Identity Data do not seem to get lost like the "Coarse Scale" parameter edits do.

If you are certain you want to keep your "Coarse Scale" parameter edits, then the safe thing to do before pressing the Structure parameter Edit button is to use the Apply button in the Type Properties dialog. Doing so registers all edits up to that point in the Revit model and "Coarse Scale" parameter edits will not get lost when editing the Structure and choosing OK to dismiss the Edit Assembly dialog. Of course, if you do select the Apply button, you will not be able to discard any previous edits by choosing Cancel to exit the Type Properties dialog. So make certain you really want to keep all of the edits made before selecting the Apply button.

Revit Family Editor - Lock Column

While working in the Family Editor, have you wondered what was the purpose of the Lock column in the Family Types dialog? I have often wondered what this column, first introduced in the 2011 release, does, and was never able to find anything about it in the Help. Today, thanks to a link posted by Richard Black in this thread in the AUGI Revit Architecture - Families Forum, I was able to watch this video, which does a good job of explaining what effect locking a dimension parameter has.

ACA Structural Member Styles - Part 5

First Article in the Series (Structural Member Catalog)
Previous Article in the Series (Manually Created Structural Member Styles)

Structural Member Contextual Ribbon Tab
In addition to the accessing the various Structural Member tools on the Manage ribbon tab, from the flyout of the Style & Display panel, once you have at least one Structural Member in your drawing file, you can select a Structural Member and access the Structural Member Catalog, Structural Member Wizard and Insert Member Shape tools as well as a tool to open the Style Manager filtered for Structural Member Styles from the Structural Member contextual ribbon tab, shown below in it ACA 2010 incarnation.

Revit: When is a Reference not a Reference?

I was adding an "L" shaped wall cabinet Casework family to my model yesterday, and was surprised to find that I did not get a stretch grip at the end of one of the legs. I was also unable to use the Align tool to adjust the extend the length of that leg to the face of a perpendicular Wall. The family is set up such that the height and depth of the wall cabinet mass is set in the Type, but the length of each leg is an Instance Parameter.

I had successfully done this operation previously, but apparently with a different family. I was confused as to why it was not working, when it was clear from the object's properties that an Instance Parameter had been used for both leg's length. I edited this particular family (which I did not create) and found that somehow the Reference Plane at the end that was not responding had its Is Reference parameter set to "Not a Reference". After changing this to one of the other choices, the stretch grip was activated and the Align Tool was able to be used to align the end of the leg with other geometry.

After discovering the reason why, it all made sense. I have used "Not a Reference" on occasions where I have a Reference Plane in a family that controls the position of some minor geometry (such as the "swing direction" arrow of a horizontal slider in a plan view) that I do not want to use as an alignment plane in the placed family, but had never previously seen that value assigned to a Reference Plane that defines an important part of the geometry of the family.