Materials
The materials database allows you to enter, edit or delete materials, gauges (thickness) and stock sheet sizes that can be assigned to fittings and parts to be manufactured. You can create, modify, or duplicate materials in the MEP Content Editor as needed.
Use the Relationship Manager tool to investigate all data associated with a material and its specifications.
Search for a Material
In MEP Content Editor, click Components > Materials.
In the search box, enter a search string to locate a material.
Click to customize the column display.
View Relationships for a Material
Select a Material and click Relationships. See View and Manage Fabrication Data Relationships.
Add a Material
- Click Add to add a material.
- Select Main, Insulation, Ductboard, or Finish.
- Specify the following information as needed.
Basic
- Name: The name is combined with the Category field when displayed in the list of materials in Revit.
- Abbreviation
- Category: The category is combined with the Name field when displayed in the list of materials in Revit.
- Connectivity
- Type
- Material Specifications:
- Geometry*
- Geometry Type
- Geometry Data
- Manufacturing* (Rectangular only)
- Development Turnover
- Click Apply.
A new material is now created and ready to be applied to a part.
Duplicate a Material
You can duplicate an existing material, then rename and edit it to create a new material.
Select a material and click Duplicate.
Modify or Delete a Material
Select a material and click Edit or Delete.
Tip: You can click on the material name in the list to edit it.
Note: If you have Viewer access to the fabrication configuration and select a material, View appears in place of Edit.
Types of Material Data
| Type | Can be assigned as part material | Can be assigned as insulation | Can be assigned as a Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main | Yes | No | No |
| Insulation | No | Yes | No |
| Ductboard | Yes | Yes | No |
| Finish | No | No | Yes |
Finish data types will be a combination of data that lives in the main database as "Main Facings" and data that lives in the Product Information (an external database) as "Finish". Data merged from the Product Information will adhere to the following rules:
| Part has a Main Facing | Product Information has a Finish | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Nothing changes. |
| Yes | Yes | Nothing changes. |
| No | No | Nothing changes. |
| No | Yes | A new Main Facing is created and assigned to the respective part. |
Note: Main Facing will be described as "Finish" in the user interface.
Revit will allow you to use both "Item Main Facing" (the new single source of truth coming from MEP Content Editor and "Product Finish" (coming from the Product Information). It is recommended that you migrate away from using the data coming directly from the Product Information.
Both Main and Finish are used as primary identity data, meaning that this data is used to automatically organize the parts (*.itm files) into a folder structure as: (Brand/Range/Material/Finish/...) For example, you may be creating or organizing parts from the same Brand, Range, Material. MEP Content Editor will add or move these parts to the same directory (e.g., Autodesk/Grooved/Carbon Steel/Unassigned/...). If that part naming is simple (e.g., Pipe, Tee, Elbow) there is a strong possibility of name collisions (parts of the same name are not allowed to exist in the same folder). The finish would become an important piece of identity data allowing the same named parts to live in unique folder paths (e.g., Autodesk/Grooved/Carbon Steel/Galvanized/... vs Autodesk/Grooved/Carbon Steel/Painted/...).