This is not a sales pitch for the MEP Productivity Pack (MEPPP) per se, but a call to action. We are giving away, for free, our Shared Parameters file, User Guide and some reference material to promote and facilitate this cause.
" Imagine a world where an engineer or designer can use any manufacturer’s family to drop in the model, and have the family tag and schedule instantly or even better yet by having the schedule already filled in with actual selection information"
Read on to learn more...
Much of the following information is from our MEPPP user guide, which is included in the free information kit, where we started this initiative 8 years ago - with many paying customers already committed to a workflow which embodies a standard.
Overview
Welcome to the CTC Software Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Productivity Pack (MEPPP) for Revit. The first three Chapters document the standards used when creating this release of the MEPPP. These standards will serve as a starting point as we continue to work with manufacturers and organizations in pursuit of Revit standards for the mechanical and electrical industry. History would show (e.g. Autodesk SEEK standard) us that standardized shared parameters alone is not enough to establish an industry standard. We need standardized shared parameters that are also developed into standardized schedules, standardized connector settings, and standardized formulas to truly pursue an industry standard.So why would someone want a standard? The answer is simple; time is being wasted fixing content to schedule and propagate flows, which only hurts the bottom line. Firms are not using intelligent information in the models because it requires too much time to accomplish that. Imagine a world where an engineer or designer can use any manufacturer’s family to drop in the model, and have the family tag and schedule instantly or even better yet by having the schedule already filled in with actual selection information. Instead of spending valuable project time and budget to fix families and perform data entry, we should spend time reviewing selection information in the model, using intelligent information to propagate flow through systems, and reviewing clearances and layout for optimization. This is only possible if an industry standard is achieved.
There is no better place to begin this discussion than standardized shared parameters.
"time is being wasted fixing content to schedule and propagate flows, which only hurts the bottom line"
Background
In the words of Autodesk, “Shared parameters are parameter definitions that can be used in multiple families or projects. The shared parameter is a definition of a container for information that can be used in multiple families or projects.” Think of shared parameters as the connectors of information in the BIM world. They connect information in the Revit families – to information in the tags - to information in the schedules. These containers of information all have very specific data types, which allow engineering calculations to be performed in the model. An airflow data type, for example, is uniquely differently than a number data type. The image below (click to enlarge) shows a sample of some of the different data types available for shared parameters. The key element to standardized shared parameters is utilizing the right data types for each possible piece of information. It is also important to not use “units” in shared parameter names since “units” can be changed in the project making the shared parameter value and name invalid.FYI: click here for a related post on units/data types.
"The key element to standardized shared parameters is utilizing the right data types for each possible piece of information"
Shared Parameter Goals
So what were the main goals and objections when creating the mechanical and electrical shared parameters for the MEPPP?- Preserve proper data types
- Use names that are clear and easily understood by users
- Keep names short enough to be easily read in any of the many Revit windows displaying them
- Use names that don’t contain “units” so the name is always valid in the project and also compatible with the Metric System
- Use tool-tips for clarifying abbreviated shared parameters and also for instructions to users
- Use hidden shared parameters to de-clutter the properties window for users in the project.
"Use tool-tips to clarify abbreviated shared parameters and also for instructions to users"
Abbreviations Based on ASHRAE and NECA
After multiple iterations, over the years, of developing master shared parameters, the parameter name length has been the most challenging goal. The previous release of the MPP included shared parameters that were clear in description but they were all in long sentence format, which ended up being a little more difficult to decipher in some of the Revit windows. The right side, of the image below, shows an example of some of these dilemmas with sentence format.Thus, the ideal scenario is to abbreviate names, but which standard should be followed? The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is recognized as a leading organization in our industry with extensive development of Standards currently being used across the globe. The 2017 ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals includes Chapter 38: Abbreviations and Symbols. This chapter was used as the foundation for abbreviations in the MEPPP shared parameter file. Similarly, the electrical abbreviations are based on National Electrical Code (NEC) and National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) standards. As shown on the left, in the iamge below, this has dramatically cleaned up parameter names in Revit windows while still keeping parameter names in-line with what the industry already knows and accepts.
"We always wanted to abbreviate names but did not know what standard for abbreviations to follow"
The MEPPP Shared Parameter File
The current release of the MEPPP has taken the need for intelligent parameters to another level. We have Articulated Cartesian Arms with super flexibility that require a great quantity of of hidden parameters containing formulas, we have auto-sizing Air Terminals and Equipment that rely on parameters with tool tips to help users through the auto-sizing process, and we have engineering equations in many families that heavily rely on shared parameters with proper data types.So, here is what we ended up with, which hopefully is the beginning of an industry standard:
- Over 2000 shared parameters with implemented abbreviation standard from ASHRAE (2017 ASHRAE® HANDBOOK - Fundamentals Chapter 38. Abbreviations & Symbols & ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013)
- Electrical parameters, and symbols, are based on NEC and NECA
- Over 500 shared parameters include tool tips
- Over 500 shared parameters are invisible in project to provide the user the cleanest environment in the model
"we have engineering equations in many families that heavily rely on shared parameters with proper data types"
Video overview: Shared Parameters for Industry (YouTube)
As stated at the beginning, we need standardized shared parameters that are also developed into standardized schedules, standardized connector settings, and standardized formulas to truly pursue an industry standard.
ASHRAE, NECA and Autodesk, we need your help in pursuing an MEP industry standard for Revit. We look forward to further collaboration and engagement in regards to this.
"ASHRAE, NECA and Autodesk, we need your help"
We also need MEP Engineers, designers and contractors to continue to reach out to your contacts at ASHRAE, NECA, Autodesk, and manufacturers to help consolidate everyone’s effort. There is a clear benefit for the manufacturer to follow a widely adopted standard that is being used by engineers. Better and more compatible families developed within a standard increases their chances of being the basis of design and scheduled on the drawings, which is a step above making it into a specification.
This discussion has already started with manufacturers, but you can still send them this MEPPP Information Kit and tell them to contact CTC Software (feedback@ctcsoftware.com) and would welcome a continuation of this important discussion.
The following image shows shows how the MEPPP shared parameters file is organized:
Download the Free MEPPP Information Kit
To help facilitate this standard please download and review our 269-page MEPPP User Guide, the Shared Parameters file and lists/examples: family list, view template list, schedule and detail example PDFs and much more.Here are the files you get when you download the kit (in a 40 MB ZIP file):
This is a peak at the Table of Contents for the comprehensive MEPPP user guide:
Conclusion
With this information in hand we, Blake Guither (Gausman & Moore), Dan Stine (LHB) and Shawn Zirbes (CTC Software), hope you will join us in this important endeavor to make our industry more efficient!For BIM Chapters updates, follow @DanStine_MN on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn
For help with Phasing and Design Options on Revit MEP projects see my ArchSmarter course.
I also write blog posts for Enscape - a new paradigm in rendering, animation and VR for AEC.
