Overview

ViewGen is a powerful Revit plugin designed to automate the creation of multiple view types for rooms and spaces in your project. Instead of manually creating callouts, elevations, and sections for each room, ViewGen can generate hundreds of views in seconds with precise control over naming, templates, scales, and other properties.

What ViewGen Does

ViewGen automates the creation of three primary view types for rooms and spaces:

Key Features

Intelligent Selection

• Filter by Type: Choose to process rooms, spaces, or both
• Individual Selection: Pick specific rooms/spaces from a filterable list
• Search & Filter: Quickly find elements by name, number, or level
• Visual Preview: See how many views will be created before generation

Flexible Configuration

• Per-View Settings: Configure scale, detail level, phase, and templates separately for each view type
• Custom Naming: Automatic view naming with configurable prefixes (e.g., CO_, EL_, SEC_)
• Smart Defaults: Automatically selects appropriate phases and elevation types
• Custom Scales: Choose from standard Revit scales or enter custom values

Elevation Control

• Direction Selection: Choose which walls to document (N, E, S, W)
• Type Selection: Use Interior or Building elevation types
• Smart Placement: Automatic marker positioning with conflict resolution

Section Features

• Longitudinal Sections: Cut through the longest dimension
• Transverse Sections: Cut through the shortest dimension
• Height Control: Based on level, room height, or custom values

Quality of Life

• Refresh Function: Update available rooms, templates, and types without restarting
• Bulk Selection: Select/deselect all with one click, Shift+Click for ranges, Ctrl+Click for multi-select
• Real-time Updates: Live preview of selection count and total views to be created
• Error Handling: Detailed error messages for troubleshooting

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Autodesk Revit (compatible version)
• Valid Arxitech ViewGen license
• An active Revit project with rooms and/or spaces
• Floor plans for the levels containing your rooms/spaces

Launching ViewGen

To launch ViewGen, locate the ViewGen command in your Revit ribbon (typically under an Arxitech or Custom tab). Click the button to open the ViewGen modeless window.

Interface Guide

The ViewGen interface is organized into a tabbed layout for easy navigation:

Global Settings Tab

The first tab you'll see contains global settings and element selection:

View Type Toggles

At the top, three toggle buttons let you enable/disable each view type:

• Create Callouts: Enable to generate plan callouts
• Create Elevations: Enable to generate interior elevations
• Create Sections: Enable to generate building sections

Enabling a view type reveals its dedicated settings tab. Disabling it hides the tab and prevents those views from being created.

Element Selection

The main area shows a filterable table of all rooms and spaces in your project:

• Filter Radio Buttons: Choose "All", "Rooms Only", or "Spaces Only"
• Search Box: Type to filter by name, number, or level
• Select All Checkbox: Toggle selection for all visible items
• Refresh Button: Update the list if rooms/spaces were added or modified in your project

Selection Shortcuts

Use these keyboard shortcuts for efficient element selection:

• Click: Select/deselect individual elements
• Shift+Click: Select a range of elements from the last clicked item to the current one
• Ctrl+Click: Add or remove individual elements from your current selection
• Select All Checkbox: Quickly select or deselect all visible (filtered) elements

Selection Summary

At the bottom, a summary line shows:

• Number of selected elements (rooms and spaces breakdown)
• Total number of views that will be created based on current settings

View-Specific Tabs

When you enable a view type, its settings tab appears. Each tab has a close button (X) that disables that view type and hides the tab.

Callout Settings Tab

• Callout Type: Select the callout view family type
• Scale: Choose from standard scales (1:50, 1:100, etc.) or select "Custom" to enter your own
• Detail Level: Coarse, Medium, or Fine
• Phase: Which phase to show in the callout
• View Template: Optional template to apply
• Boundary Type: Rectangular or Polygonal
• Margin: Extra space around the room boundary (in project units)

Elevation Settings Tab

• Elevation Type: Interior Elevation or Building Elevation (auto-selects Interior if available)
• Directions: Check boxes for North, East, South, West walls
• Scale: Standard or custom scale selection
• Detail Level: Coarse, Medium, or Fine
• Phase: Which phase to show
• View Template: Optional template to apply
• Depth: How far the elevation extends (in project units)

Section Settings Tab

• Section Type: Select the section view family type
• Section Types: Enable Longitudinal (longest dimension) and/or Transverse (shortest dimension)
• Scale: Standard or custom scale selection
• Detail Level: Coarse, Medium, or Fine
• Phase: Which phase to show
• View Template: Optional template to apply
• Height From: Level, Instance (room height), or Custom
• Depth: How far the section box extends (in project units)

Action Buttons

At the bottom of the window:

• Preview Button: Opens a preview window showing exactly which views will be created
• Create Button: Starts the view generation process

View Types

Callouts

Callouts are plan view references that show a detailed area of the floor plan. ViewGen creates callouts that perfectly frame each room or space with the specified margin.

How Callouts Work

• ViewGen calculates the room/space boundary
• Adds the specified margin on all sides
• Creates a callout on the appropriate floor plan
• Names it using the pattern: CO_{RoomNumber}_{RoomName}

Rectangular vs Polygonal

• Rectangular: Simple rectangular callout boundary (most common)
• Polygonal: Follows the room shape more closely (for irregular rooms)

Elevations

Interior elevations show the vertical surfaces (walls) of a room. ViewGen can create elevations for any combination of the four cardinal directions.

How Elevations Work

• ViewGen calculates the room center point
• Places elevation markers intelligently to avoid conflicts
• Creates elevation views for selected directions (N, E, S, W)
• Names them using the pattern: EL_{RoomNumber}_{RoomName}_{Direction}

Elevation Type Selection

ViewGen uses smart defaults to automatically select the best elevation type:

• 1st Priority: Interior Elevation (most common for rooms)
• 2nd Priority: Internal Elevation (alternative naming)
• 3rd Priority: Any non-Building elevation type
• 4th Priority: First available elevation type

You can manually override this selection to use any elevation type available in your project, including Building Elevations.

Sections

Building sections cut through the room to show vertical relationships and details. ViewGen creates two types of sections:

Longitudinal Sections

• Cut through the longest dimension of the room
• Best for showing length-wise features
• Named: SEC_{RoomNumber}_{RoomName}_Long

Transverse Sections

• Cut through the shortest dimension of the room
• Best for showing width-wise features
• Named: SEC_{RoomNumber}_{RoomName}_Trans

Section Height Control

You can control how tall the section box extends:

• Level: Extends from the level to a standard height above (default: 12 feet or equivalent in your units)
• Instance: Uses the room's or space's actual height parameter for precise fit
• Custom: Enter a specific height value for specialized documentation needs

The default setting is "Level" which works well for most documentation scenarios.

Typical Workflow

Settings Reference

Common Settings (All View Types)

Callout-Specific Settings

Elevation-Specific Settings

Section-Specific Settings

Naming Patterns

ViewGen creates view names automatically using this pattern:

• Callouts: {Prefix}{RoomNumber}_{RoomName}
• Elevations: {Prefix}{RoomNumber}_{RoomName}_{Direction}
• Sections: {Prefix}{RoomNumber}_{RoomName}_{Type}

Examples:

• CO_101_Office - Callout for room 101 (Office)
• EL_101_Office_N - North elevation of room 101
• SEC_101_Office_Long - Longitudinal section of room 101

Tips & Best Practices

Performance Tips

• Start Small: Test with a few rooms first to verify settings before processing hundreds of rooms
• Use Filters: The search and filter features help you focus on specific levels or room types
• Disable Unused Types: Only enable the view types you actually need to speed up generation
• View Templates: Applying templates during creation is more efficient than applying them afterward

Organization Tips

• Consistent Prefixes: Stick with the default prefixes (CO_, EL_, SEC_) for easy sorting in the Project Browser
• Phase Selection: ViewGen automatically selects the most appropriate phase (prioritizing the active view's phase or common phases like "New Construction", "Existing", "Design"), but always verify it matches your needs
• Room Numbers: Ensure your rooms have proper numbers before running ViewGen for better view names
• Browser Organization: Consider setting up Browser Organization rules to group views by prefix or room number

Elevation Best Practices

• Interior vs Building: Use Interior Elevation types for room documentation - ViewGen auto-selects this when available
• Direction Selection: You don't always need all four directions - select only the walls that need documentation
• Marker Placement: ViewGen handles marker positioning automatically, but complex projects may require manual adjustment of some markers
• Scale Selection: 1:50 or 1:100 are common scales for interior elevations

Section Best Practices

• Longitudinal vs Transverse: For square rooms, both section types will be similar - you might only need one
• Section Depth: A depth of 5-10 feet (or equivalent in your units) usually captures all relevant elements
• Height Control: Use "Level" for standard rooms, "Instance" when room heights vary significantly

Workflow Efficiency

• Use Preview: Always use the Preview function before creating hundreds of views to verify exactly what will be created
• Refresh When Needed: If you modify the model during your session (add/remove rooms, change levels), use the Refresh button to update the element list
• Modeless Advantage: Keep ViewGen open while working in Revit - you can switch between the plugin and your model without closing the window
• Save Configurations: Document your preferred settings for different project types to speed up future workflows
• Selection Shortcuts: Master Shift+Click and Ctrl+Click (documented in Interface Guide) for faster element selection

Troubleshooting

• License Issues: If ViewGen doesn't launch, verify your Arxitech license is valid and active
• Missing Rooms: Ensure rooms are placed and bounded correctly in the model
• No Floor Plan Found: ViewGen needs a floor plan view for the level - create one if missing
• Elevation Type Not Available: If interior elevation types aren't showing, load the Interior Elevation family from the Revit library
• Views Not Created: Check the error messages in the completion dialog - they provide specific details about failures
• Wrong Phase: Always verify the phase selection matches your documentation needs
• Boundary Errors: Rooms or spaces without valid boundaries (unplaced, unbounded) will be skipped with an error message
• View Name Conflicts: If a view name already exists, ViewGen automatically appends a number to ensure uniqueness

Common Use Cases

Interior Design Documentation

• Enable all four elevation directions
• Use 1:50 scale for detailed wall documentation
• Apply interior elevation templates with appropriate visibility settings
• Create callouts for furniture layout documentation

MEP Coordination

• Focus on sections (longitudinal and transverse)
• Use appropriate MEP-focused view templates
• Consider creating space-based views for MEP spaces
• Use custom section heights to capture ceiling-mounted equipment

Quick Room Schedules

• Create callouts only (fastest option)
• Use 1:100 scale for overview documentation
• Select specific rooms by level for phased documentation

Advanced Tips

• Batch Processing: Process rooms by level or zone to maintain organization
• Template Strategy: Create view templates before running ViewGen for consistent results
• Custom Scales: Use custom scales when project standards differ from Revit defaults
• Sheet Placement: After creation, use ViewGen in conjunction with sheet management tools for automated placement
• Naming Conventions: Customize prefixes to match your office standards