We often want to identify a material in the model with smart "text" - or rather, a tag. In this case, we are talking about a Revit material defined within a System Family (e.g. Wall, Ceiling, Floor), a Loadable Family (e.g. Furniture, Casework, Doors, etc.) or Painted on a surface (which overrides the material defined in the Family).
Keep reading to learn more...
The two examples, Material Keynote and Material Tag, are shown in the image below—referencing the wall and the upper/base cabinets. The boxed text is a Keynote Tag and the adjacent text is a Material Tag.
FYI: It should be pointed out, that even though we can define multiple materials for some elements, e.g. several layers within a wall (Brick, Insulation, Studs, Gypsum Board, Etc.), we can only keynote/tag a material exposed in a view—i.e. we can click on it. Materials hidden within a wall or equipment family cannot be tagged.Both values represented in the previous image are defined within the Material Browser as seen in the image below.
- Material Keynote > Keynote
- The value must be selected from the Keynote file
- Material Tag > Mark
- The user can enter any value here
When either of these methods are used, the tags will update automatically if the family/type is changed (which also changes the material) or if a different material is painted on the elements being tagged.
When a Material is copied (in the Material Browser) the Keynote value is also copied (i.e. same keynote value is listed for the new material), however the Mark value is not copied (it will be blank). The latter is preferred if you want to ensure the same value is not used for multiple materials.
Getting both the Keynote and Mark parameter in the same tag is not possible without some customization using the API (i.e. programming) or Dynamo (i.e. Visual Programming). In a reply to Carina's question, Aaron Maller, Director at ParallaxTeam, correctly stated ".... in two separate tags. Only way to connect them is through a Shared Parameter (not automatic in Revit)". And, Benjamin Glunz, CEO at BIMsmith offered this link: Copy Keynote Values to Shared Parameters
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