MAIN CENTRAL FILE MANAGEMENT

Set Up Properly

Refer to this blog post for Revit 2017:

http://revitoped.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/revit-2017-enabling-worksharing.htm

Compact Regularly

The main central file must be Compacted at least once a week.

Do it when sychronizing with Central.

Compacting not only reduces the file size, it also integrates changes into the file structure creating a more robust file.

It is important that new local files are created after compacting any central file.

If you do not it is possible Revit will refuse to save changes made in your local file back to the compacted central file.

Refer to PROTOCOLS>MODEL MANAGEMENT>LOCAL FILES.

Purge Regularly

The main central file should be Purged weekly, although this can be reduced to monthly once most families have been established within the model.

It is important to establish purging protocols for the project so useful things are not removed from the Central File.

It is not necessary to purge absolutely everything:

• • Unused large families are best to purge, like casework, doors, furniture, specialty equipment, windows.

  • Purge Groups and images not longer being used.

  • Unused family Types don't take up much memory so need not be purged.

  • Do NOT not purge annotation, so standard annotation families are always available.

  • Unused system families (walls, floors, roofs) may also be kept if the project has standardised these elements.

Save a Backup Regularly

Save off a backup copy of the main central file at least monthly. Create a folder to keep these backups in.

The correct procedure to save a backup central file is:

• 1. Open>Project (use command from top left R so you get a dialog box)

• 1. Once the file is open select Save As

  2. Save in the Archive folder, add the date in ISO format (YYMMDD) to end of file name.

  3. Close.

Do a Save As of Central File Regularly

Do a Save As of the Central File at least monthly. Use the same file name (i.e. Save over the top of the existing Central File).

Make sure there are no users connected to the central file, and that all users have relinquished everything.

This procedure completely rewrites the central file and is considered more robust than Compacting the file.

Make sure all users create new User Files after doing a Save As on the central file. Otherwise they may re-introduce problems.

Delete user and temporary views

At least monthly delete not longer required user and views created for temporary purposes. You will need to establish protocols with the team to identify which views can be deleted.

Don't Rename or move a Central File

If you rename or move a central file in Windows Explorer Revit local files will not be able to find it.

Revit keeps it's own record of the central file name and path.

If you want to rename or move a central file use Save As from within Revit.