Following yesterday's post, Create a New Local File Daily, the other Open dialog box option related to Worksharing is Detach from Central. Today I will talk about when you might want to use this and what to watch out for.
If you need to simply review a Revit model or are...
troubleshooting, you can open the model Detached from Central to avoid causing any problems in an active project. The result is a complete copy of the model is opened into your computers memory, but is not save anywhere yet.
Using this option is the only way to separate a model from the central model. You cannot just copy the central model from the server to your desktop, using windows file explorer, as this will result in a new Local File which will connect itself to the Central File you just copied from.
There was a time when it was not possible to revert to a non-worksharing model. This option was added to accommodate the need to do so... but it is a rare need. At my firm, every project is started as a worksharing project and we have done all building projects in Revit for many years now. I cannot think of a single time we ever needed this feature.
Additionally, if a project uses worksets to control visibility, choosing the discard option will result in views and prints changing. FYI: my next post will be on why you should avoid using worksets to control visibility. Regardless, some firms do in fact use worksets to control visibility, so if you receive a model from them you would not want to discard worksets.
Below are ways in which worksets are sometimes used to control visibility...
In the Worksets dialog the default visibility setting can be set (a project wide setting).
The default setting described in the previous image can be overridden per view, or in a View Template as shown here.
Filters can also be used to control the visibility of worksets as seen in the next two images.
As as said, in general, I am not an advocate of using worksets to control visibility as I will explain in the next post, but it can, and is, being done. So choosing Discard Worksets can change the way a model and drawings look and print. Once worksets are removed, and only one person can work in the model, it is not an easy task to add them back if Revit elements are distributed over many of them.
If you need to simply review a Revit model or are...
troubleshooting, you can open the model Detached from Central to avoid causing any problems in an active project. The result is a complete copy of the model is opened into your computers memory, but is not save anywhere yet.
Using this option is the only way to separate a model from the central model. You cannot just copy the central model from the server to your desktop, using windows file explorer, as this will result in a new Local File which will connect itself to the Central File you just copied from.
FYI: You can create a new central file while in the Save As dialog, via the Options button, but this requires you to create a new file and does not always clear all the elements checked out. Using Detach from Central does not create a new file (unless you save).When you use the Detach from Central option, you are presented with this dialog (see image below). If you are ever in doubt about which option to choose, always pick the top one; Detach and preserve worksets.
There was a time when it was not possible to revert to a non-worksharing model. This option was added to accommodate the need to do so... but it is a rare need. At my firm, every project is started as a worksharing project and we have done all building projects in Revit for many years now. I cannot think of a single time we ever needed this feature.
Additionally, if a project uses worksets to control visibility, choosing the discard option will result in views and prints changing. FYI: my next post will be on why you should avoid using worksets to control visibility. Regardless, some firms do in fact use worksets to control visibility, so if you receive a model from them you would not want to discard worksets.
Below are ways in which worksets are sometimes used to control visibility...
In the Worksets dialog the default visibility setting can be set (a project wide setting).
The default setting described in the previous image can be overridden per view, or in a View Template as shown here.
Filters can also be used to control the visibility of worksets as seen in the next two images.
As as said, in general, I am not an advocate of using worksets to control visibility as I will explain in the next post, but it can, and is, being done. So choosing Discard Worksets can change the way a model and drawings look and print. Once worksets are removed, and only one person can work in the model, it is not an easy task to add them back if Revit elements are distributed over many of them.
