Creating a schedule in Revit is an essential process for extracting, organizing, and analyzing critical data directly from your Building Information Model (BIM). This allows you to quantify components, track project progress, manage costs, and generate accurate reports for various aspects of your design.
Understanding Revit Schedules
Revit schedules are tabular views of information extracted from the properties of elements in a model. They are dynamic, meaning any changes made to the model elements will automatically update in the schedule, and vice-versa. Schedules are invaluable for:
- Quantification: Counting elements like doors, windows, and fixtures.
- Material Takeoffs: Calculating volumes, areas, and lengths of materials.
- Cost Estimation: Linking quantities to cost data.
- Quality Control: Checking for missing information or inconsistencies.
- Documentation: Providing detailed lists for construction documents.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Schedule in Revit
Follow these steps to generate a comprehensive schedule in your Revit project:
Step 1: Prepare Your Project
Before you begin, it's always a good practice to save your work. This ensures that any changes you make are preserved and allows you to revert if necessary. A well-organized project with consistently named elements will also make scheduling much smoother.
Step 2: Accessing the Schedule Creation Tool
You can initiate the schedule creation process through a couple of common methods:
- Using the View Tab:
- Navigate to the View tab on the Revit ribbon.
- In the Create panel, click on Schedules and then select Schedule/Quantities from the dropdown menu.
- Via the Project Browser:
- Locate the Project Browser panel (typically on the left side of your Revit interface).
- Scroll down to the Schedules/Quantities branch.
- Right-click on Schedules/Quantities (all) and choose New Schedule/Quantities... from the context menu.
Step 3: Selecting Your Schedule Type
Upon opening the 'New Schedule' dialog, you'll need to choose the type of schedule you wish to create:
- Select Category: From the 'Category' list, choose the specific element category you want to schedule (e.g., Doors, Windows, Rooms, Walls, Structural Columns, Plumbing Fixtures). This determines which properties will be available for selection.
- Schedule Type: Ensure 'Schedule/Quantities' is selected for standard element schedules. You might also see options like 'Graphical Column Schedule' or 'Material Takeoff' depending on the category. For example, a Material Takeoff allows you to quantify materials within elements.
- Name the Schedule: Provide a descriptive name for your schedule (e.g., "Door Schedule - Level 1", "Finish Schedule"). This helps in organizing your Project Browser.
Click OK to proceed to the 'Schedule Properties' dialog.
Step 4: Configuring Schedule Fields
This is where you define the columns that will appear in your schedule.
- Available Fields: On the left, you'll see a list of 'Available fields' specific to your chosen category. These are the parameters (properties) of the elements.
- Scheduled Fields: On the right, the 'Scheduled fields' list shows the parameters that will be included in your schedule.
- Add/Remove Fields:
- Select a field from 'Available fields' and click the Add Parameters arrow (>) to move it to 'Scheduled fields'.
- Select a field from 'Scheduled fields' and click the Remove Parameters arrow (<) to remove it.
- Order Fields: Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons on the right to arrange the order of your columns in the schedule. Common fields include:
- Mark: Unique identifier for an element.
- Type: The specific type name of an element (e.g., "Single Flush Door - 900x2100mm").
- Family: The family name of an element (e.g., "M_Single-Flush").
- Level: The level on which the element is hosted.
- Count: The number of instances.
- Area/Volume/Length: Dimensional properties.
Step 5: Refining Data with Sorting, Grouping, and Filtering
The 'Schedule Properties' dialog offers powerful tools to organize and filter your data under the Sort/Grouping, Filter, and Formatting tabs.
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Sort/Grouping:
- Sort by: Choose one or more fields to sort your schedule data. For instance, you might sort by 'Level' first, then by 'Type'.
- Then by: Add secondary and tertiary sorting criteria.
- Header/Footer: Check these boxes to display a header or footer for each group. This can include totals or counts.
- Blank line: Inserts a blank line between groups for better readability.
- Itemize every instance: If unchecked, Revit will combine identical instances into a single row, showing a 'Count' for them. Check this if you need a row for every single element.
- Grand Totals: Add overall totals for specific fields at the bottom of the schedule.
-
Filter:
- Use filters to show only specific elements. For example, you can filter a door schedule to only show doors on 'Level 2' or doors with a 'Fire Rating' of "1 Hour".
- You can set conditions like "equals," "does not equal," "greater than," etc.
-
Formatting:
- Adjust how each field's data is displayed. You can change column headings, alignment, and appearance.
- Conditional Formatting: Apply specific formatting (e.g., color, font) to cells that meet certain criteria, highlighting important data points like areas below a minimum standard.
Step 6: Formatting and Appearance
Beyond basic formatting, you can customize the schedule's visual presentation:
- Appearance Tab:
- Control text styles for titles, headers, and body text.
- Set grid line styles, shading, and outline properties.
- Determine column width behavior.
Step 7: Review and Placement
Once you've configured all properties, click OK. The schedule will be generated and will appear as a new view in your Project Browser under Schedules/Quantities.
- Review: Double-click the schedule in the Project Browser to open and review it. Make any necessary adjustments by accessing its 'Properties' palette.
- Place on Sheet: To include the schedule in your construction documents, drag and drop the schedule view from the Project Browser onto a sheet view. You can then adjust its position and size on the sheet.
Practical Tips for Effective Scheduling
- Consistent Naming: Use clear and consistent naming conventions for families, types, and parameters to ensure accurate sorting and filtering.
- Shared Parameters: For data not inherently available in Revit's default parameters (e.g., custom cost codes, specific supplier info), create Shared Parameters and add them to your families or project.
- Combine Schedules: For very large projects or specific report needs, you might create multiple schedules and combine them on a sheet for a comprehensive overview.
- Leverage Calculated Values: In the 'Fields' tab of 'Schedule Properties', you can add 'Calculated Values' to perform mathematical operations on existing fields (e.g., total cost = count * unit cost).
Common Revit Schedule Types and Their Uses
| Schedule Type | Purpose | Common Fields |
|---|---|---|
| Door Schedule | Lists all doors, their types, sizes, fire ratings, and hardware. | Mark, Type, Family, Width, Height, Material, Fire Rating, Hardware Set, From Room, To Room |
| Window Schedule | Details window types, dimensions, sill heights, and glazing. | Mark, Type, Family, Width, Height, Sill Height, Glazing Type, U-Value |
| Room Schedule | Quantifies rooms, their areas, perimeters, finishes, and numbers. | Number, Name, Area, Perimeter, Volume, Floor Finish, Wall Finish, Ceiling Finish, Occupancy, Department |
| Wall Schedule | Provides information on wall types, construction, areas, and fire ratings. | Type, Area, Length, Thickness, Construction, Fire Rating, Base Constraint, Top Constraint |
| Material Takeoff | Calculates precise quantities of materials for estimation and procurement. | Material Name, Material Area, Material Volume, Material Thickness, Material Cost, Element Type |
| Equipment Schedule | Lists mechanical, electrical, or plumbing equipment with specific data. | Type, Family, Manufacturer, Model, Voltage, Power, Flow Rate, Location, Service |
| Sheet List | Generates an index of all sheets in the project with titles and numbers. | Sheet Number, Sheet Name, Drawn By, Checked By, Issue Date, Discipline |
By mastering schedule creation in Revit, you gain powerful control over your project data, enhancing documentation, coordination, and overall project management efficiency.
