Video: Customize DWG Export Setups

Customize export options for DWG files to collaborate with team members using different software types.

This video demonstrates the following:

1. Open a view to export and create a new export setup or duplicate an existing setup.
2. Make changes to the layer assignments as required.
3. Add modifiers to layer assignments based on parameters assigned to elements.
4. Customize other attributes such as lines, patterns and fonts.
5. Export the DWG file.

Note: This video was recorded using Revit 2016. When using a newer software release, you may notice differences in functionality and user interface.

Transcript

When you collaborate with others on a project, you may find it helpful to export Revit views to DWG files so that the files can be viewed in other software applications. When you set up the export, customize the export options to create DWG files that meet the standards that you require.

First, open the view that you want to export, and select the Application menuExportCAD FormatsDWG to open the DWG Export dialog. In the Select Export Setup section of the dialog, click the ellipsis ( … ) to open the Export Setup dialog.

When you make changes in this dialog, create a new setup or duplicate an existing setup to save your custom settings for use between sessions or across multiple projects. In this example, we'll create a new setup, and we'll select the AIA standard as our starting point.

Each category in Revit has projection and cut layer assignments that will be used upon export. If the cut assignment is gray, then the category contains elements that can't be cut. Begin by selecting a category and sub-categories. Then, make changes to the layer name and color, as required. In this example, we'll change the color for railings to 1 (red).

Next, you can add modifiers to a layer assignment based on parameters assigned to an element. We'll add the phase status to the Wall categories. Notice that a hyphen is applied as a separator character between the layer assignment and the modifier. We'll apply similar modifiers to the Window and Door categories. When you use modifiers, the values for the modifiers are set at the bottom of the category list. In this example, any categories using the Phase Status modifiers will append Demo (for Demolition) and use color 7 (white), or append Exst (for Existing) and use color 8 (gray). New and temporary status elements will not be modified.

Other aspects of the DWG export, such as lines, patterns, and fonts, can be customized for export on the other tabs in the Export Setup dialog. When you are finished making changes, click OK.