It is easy to customize a number of Revit text or tag leader features, but, you may need a bit of help finding the settings you need to adjust. If you do not see your company standard leaders appearing by default in Revit, check out the following:
Step 1 – Set or Create Arrowhead System Family Types
First of all, take a look at the Manage tab > Settings panel > Arrowheads. This is where you can create new arrowhead types that can be assigned to text or tag types with the size, fill, etc. that you need. We can select from a number of predefined Arrowhead Styles to select a shape for a custom arrowhead but we cannot add a new, custom shape.
Tip for Lasso Leader Lovers
If your construction document standards call for lasso leaders for pipe size tags you might try duplicating the arrowhead type of Open Dot 1/16.” Name the new arrowhead type appropriately and tweak it to suit your needs. The Open Dot 1/16” arrowhead type uses the Dot arrowhead style, with the Fill Tick option not checked to get the open dot leader. Adjust the Tick Size in your duplicate type to specify the overall size of your arrowhead dot so that it is large enough to simulate your lasso. I know it isn’t as handsome as a lasso, but it is the best solution I have found so far. Check out the example at the end of this post.
Be advised that just like your text, your arrowhead will automatically scale up and down in size along with the view scale so you may need to create a couple of open dot arrowhead sizes.
Step 2 – Create or Adjust a Text Type or Tag Type Family
Once you have an arrowhead type designed to your satisfaction, navigate to a text or tag type properties dialog . The leader arrowhead is a text or tag type property parameter.
There are several options for navigating to a text or tag type property dialog:
- Click to select a text or tag object: Right-click, click on Element Properties and then click the Edit Type… button in the Element Properties dialog.
- Access from the Ribbon: In the current view, click to select a text or tag object, go to the Element Panel on the Ribbon and use the little, black triangular fly-out icon to select Type Properties.
- Access from the Project Browser: Existing tag type properties can also be accessed from the Project Browser, under Families > Annotation Symbols > (the tag family) for example Pipe Tag > Pipe Size tag. Right-click an existing tag type and choose Properties.
In the Text or Tag Type Properties dialog, edit an existing type or click the Duplicate button to create a new text or tag type and give it an appropriate name.
Click the pulldown to the right of the Leader Arrowhead parameter to select from a list of Arrowhead styles available in the current project including those you may have created in the Manage > Settings > Arrowhead dialog. In our example, of the pipe size tag we might choose the Open Dot arrowhead style we created in Step 1.
Test out the new text or tag type that you have created in the current project.
Copying New Text or Tag Types to other Projects
Once you create new text or tag types you may wish to copy the types to other projects, particuarly project start-up template(s) so that the new types are readily available in future projects.
Use the Transfer Project Standards tool to copy new text types to other projects.
Interestingly enough, various MEP object tags like pipe size tags, wire tags, etc. are not able to be copied using the the Transfer Objects Standards tool. Short of recreating the tags in one or more project templates there are several options for duplicating custom MEP tag definitions in other projects. The examples below continue with our pipe tag as an example.
- Copy to clipboard and paste: Select a pipe tag type in the Project Browser > Families > Annotation Symbols > Pipe Tags > right-click a pipe tag type of your choice and choose Copy to Clipboard. Make a second project current and go to the Modify tab > Clipboard panel > and click Paste to paste a new definition into another file.
- Save a new pipe tag family file or edit an existing family file from the Project Browser: Right-click the tag family name (not the type name) in the Project Browser and choose Save. You will have the opportunity to create a new family file (.rfa) or write over an existing family. You can then load your new tag family into any project at any time.
Best Practice Tip! Keep a copy of the original families provided with the software intact just in case you need to refer to them in the future. Also, keep your custom, company-specific content in a separate folder or folders alongside the out-of-the-box content on a company server. Separating your content from the out-of-the-box content makes it much safer and easier for you to take advantage of new or updated content as it becomes available and eliminates the possible danger of overwriting your content customizations.
