About When to Link Models

You can use linked models for

• Separate buildings on a site or campus
• Parts of buildings which are being designed by different design teams or designed for different drawing sets
• Coordination across different disciplines (for example, an architectural model and a structural model)

Linked models may also be appropriate for the following situations:

• Townhouse design when there is little geometric interactivity between the townhouses
• Repeating floors of buildings at early stages in the design, where improved model performance (for example, quick change propagation) is more important than full geometric interactivity or complete detailing

The Revit project can consist of many individual linked models to create an aggregate model of all the data. Before breaking up a project into multiple models, however, carefully consider the following limitations and workflows:

• Limited joining and interaction between elements in the host project and elements in the linked models will prevent elements from cleaning up or joining with elements in linked models. However, some elements, like rooms and ceiling outlines, can be generated from the geometry located within the individual linked models.
• The challenge of managing element names, numbers, and identity data between the host project and the linked models can result in duplicate names or numbers. This challenge is especially true for multiple or repeating units that are linked to a project, such as hospital operating rooms and hotel rooms.

  In these cases, use a group to define the repeating unit, instead of a linked model. See Editing Elements in Groups.

• Separate project standards for the host project and linked models can cause models to become unsynchronized.
• In order to maintain control, linked models need to be carefully managed.