Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2016. Krygiel Eddy

filter. When you have a number of elements selected, click Save in the contextual tab of the ribbon and a named selection set will be created in the active project model. To load or edit any saved selection-based filter, go to the Manage tab in the ribbon and locate the Selection panel. Click the Load button to activate any of the saved selection sets, and then you can use other tools such as Temporary Hide/Isolate to continue your task work.

Selecting All Instances

      Another fast and powerful method for selecting objects is the Select All Instances function. When you right-click a single object in the drawing area or a family in the Project Browser, the Select All Instances tool gives you two options: Visible In View or In Entire Project. Selecting the Visible In View option will select only those items you can see in the current view. This will not select elements that have been either temporarily or permanently hidden in the view.

      Use the In Entire Project option carefully because you could modify elements in many places that you did not intend to change. Always remember to look at the selection count in the status bar when you use Select All Instances. Here are some common situations where you might use this tool:

      ● View titles – when updating graphics

      ● Walls – when switching from generic to specific types

      ● Title blocks – moving from design to detail documents

      ● Viewports – useful when trying to purge unused viewports

       Note that Select All Instances does not work on model lines or symbolic lines. This limitation exists because lines are not only drawn in project views; they are integral parts of other objects such as filled regions and shaft openings.

Using the Properties Palette

      The Properties palette is a floating palette that can remain open while you work within the model. The palette can be docked on either side of your screen, or it can be moved to a second monitor. You can open the Properties palette by using one of the following methods:

      ● Click the Properties icon in the Properties panel of the Modify tab in the ribbon.

      ● Select Properties from the context menu.

      ● Press Ctrl+1 or PP on your keyboard.

As shown in Figure 3.4, the Type Selector is located at the top of the Properties palette. When placing elements or swapping types of elements you’ve already placed in the model, the palette must be open to access the Type Selector.

Figure 3.4 The Properties palette contains the Type Selector (a) and is used to set view properties when no objects are selected.

      When no elements are selected, the Properties palette displays the properties of the active view. If you need to change settings for the current view, make the changes in the Properties palette and the view will be updated. For views, you do not even need to use the Apply button to submit the changes – simply move the mouse out of the Properties palette, and the changes will automatically be accepted.

      CUSTOMIZING THE APPLY BUTTON BEHAVIOR

      The behavior of the Apply button in the Properties palette can be modified by editing the Revit.ini file. If you want to disable the automatic application of settings when you move the mouse pointer from the palette into the drawing area, add the following code to the Revit.ini file:

      [UserInterface]DisableMppAutoApply=1

      If the bracketed text [UserInterface] already exists in the Revit.ini file, simply add DisableMppAutoApply=1 below it. You should restart the application after making any changes to the Revit.ini file.

Finally, you can also use the Properties palette as a filtering method for selected elements. When you select elements from different categories, the drop-down list below the Type Selector displays the total number of selected elements. Open the list and you will see the elements listed per category, as shown in Figure 3.5. Select one of the categories to modify the parameters for the respective elements. This process is different from the Filter tool in that the entire selection set is maintained, allowing you to perform multiple modifying actions without reselecting elements.

Figure 3.5 Use the Properties palette to filter selection sets.

Matching Properties

       Located on the Modify tab of the ribbon in the Clipboard panel, the Match Type Properties tool allows you to select one element and apply its type and instance properties to other elements of the same category. Once you select one element, the brush icon near the mouse pointer appears filled. Each subsequent pick on elements of the same category will replace the selected element with the properties of the first element picked. Clicking in an open space will clear the brush icon and allow you to pick a new source object without restarting the command.

      If you want to use the Match Type Properties tool for multiple objects in a more controlled manner, click the Select Multiple button in the contextual tab of the ribbon after the source object is selected. Proceed to use any of the usual selection methods described earlier in this chapter. When your selection is complete, click the Finish button on the ribbon.

      Be careful when using this tool with walls, because not only does it change the wall type, it also changes the top and bottom constraints of the walls being matched. One best practice for changing wall types without affecting height constraints is to pick a wall and use the Type Selector to modify its type.

Using the Context Menu

The context menu that appears when you right-click in the view window contains several options. You can activate the last command or select from a list of recent commands, as shown in Figure 3.6.

Figure 3.6 Run recent commands from the context menu.