Q: How can I get room names from a linked model to appear in my Design Master circuit descriptions?

A: While room information from the linked model can be displayed on plans, Revit does not currently use the linked model to populate the Room: Name or Space: Name parameters in electrical devices. As a result, Design Master can’t find that information to include it in the circuit description. You will need to define the rooms as spaces in your electrical model for them to carry through to the devices and circuit descriptions. Fortunately, Revit does have tools to speed up the process.

Follow the steps below to quickly define the spaces in your electrical model.

1. Set the Linked Model to Room-Bounding

Select the linked model. Then use the Edit Type button in the Properties panel, or the Revit Type Properties command, to edit the type properties. Check the box for the Room Bounding parameter, then press the OK button to save your changes and close the dialog box. This parameter will allow you to quickly define spaces based on the geometry of the linked model.

2. Generate Spaces

Go to the floor plan for the area to which you want to add spaces. Run the Analyze-> Space command, followed by the Modify | Place Space->Place Spaces Automatically command. This command will automatically generate spaces for each closed and bounded space on the drawing.

Repeat this process for each level of your model.

The quality of your results will depend upon the quality of the linked model; some modification may be required. Also, Revit may define spaces for small hollows, such as those inside support columns. These spaces can be removed by generating a Space Schedule, then deleting the unnecessary rows.

3. Import Room Names from the Linked Model

After you’ve generated spaces on each level in your model, you can quickly name and number them by running the Analyze-> Space Naming command. This command will compare your generated spaces against the rooms in the linked model and import the relevant room name and/or number for each. You can set the command to do this for every level in the model, or for specific levels.

Once each space has been named, the room names should populate in your circuit descriptions.

Troubleshooting

After completing the steps above, if your room names still aren’t populating, here are some common issues you can check:

• In the Project Options command, check the following settings:
  • Circuit description method must be set to Use Design Master circuit descriptions. Otherwise, Design Master will not make changes to the circuit descriptions, including adding room names.
  • Include room names in circuit descriptions must be set to Yes.
• In the Circuit Edit command, check the following settings on any circuits not showing the room name:
  • Description Replacement must be blank. Circuit descriptions that are being manually overridden will not include room names.
  • Include Room Name in Description must be set to Default(Yes) or Yes.
• The device location is determined by its insertion point. For devices like recessed lights, this can result in them technically existing outside of the room they occupy. To solve this, edit the family, then enable the Room Calculation Point parameter in the Properties panel. This will add a moveable point to the family, as shown below. The location of this point in the model will determine what room the device occupies. Set the room calculation point, then reload the family into the project.