File Organization

[lkenshalo]

I just started as a Revit modeler at an engineering firm in Anchorage, Alaska and I have a question about work flow;

 

How are you all organizing your Revit files on your OS? It seems like my predecessor really lacked in that department and my coworkers are trying to get me to come up with a better way to organize our drawings and models. We're an MEP firm.

[tzframpton]

Revit models aren't that hard to organize on the file level since there's usually only one file per project (eg: "Project.rvt") where all Architectural, Structural and MEP exists in a single model, or one file per discipline (eg: "ARCH-Project.rvt", "STRC-Project.rvt" and "MEP-Project.rvt") which are then linked together respectively. Since Revit is a project management tool, you'll want to consolidate your models as much as possible/necessary. This way you'll reap the full benefits of the Revit platform and all it has to offer.

[RobDraw]

There is more to Revit than the models. Here is an example of what we have. It's a work in progress but it might help.

 

The families folder is for families that we have gotten from manufacturers/other sources for this particular project. Standard families/templates/etc. are stored in a central location on the server in a similar format that Revit does by default.

 

[tzframpton]

There is more to Revit than the models.

Hmm... the O.P. asked how to organize "our drawings and models". What you've shown is great and all, but that's more of a project directory structure, but I agree it still applies to the O.P.

 

And for goodness sake, why is the Revit folder a sub-directory of "Dwgs"? Would you put a Word Document in a folder named "DLLs"?

[RobDraw]

Because we draw in Revit.

[f700es]

To me a folder labeled "DWGs" would be one that holds ".dwg" files. Maybe I am being to literal but that is how I read it. Now if "DWGs" mean "Drawings" then cool but I would have just called it that, "Drawings". As too eliminate any potential confusion.

Not picking a side just my 2 cents.

[RobDraw]

Not my job to determine or change our folder structure. It is old and does need revamping to reflect the change to Revit but it definitely wouldn't be called Modeling. When it does get changed, it will probably be called something like Working. I guess I should have cropped that part out. It is a bit unclear. I hope that the OP ignores that part. It was my intent to show him what we have in our Revit folder, not where that folder is.

[f700es]

I was going to ask if this was a setting from some time ago.

[RobDraw]

Sometime ago is right. It's been like that for over 12 years.

[BalajiBBI]

In my office we usually maintain local server for central files. Other Folders would contain families, templates related to the project in sub folders.

[lkenshalo]

Thanks for all the replies! Always interesting to see how you guys are working.