Adding a service to a Profile

[mjohnson7]

Hey all,

  I started a project with all the services I needed, and then a CB came out in which a chiller was added. Now I need to add chilled water to the profile, but I can't find the means to do it. I could make a new profile and delete the work I have done, but I think that would be a waste. I am sure I can export the IEZ from the global and import it, but I was wondering if there was an easier method that isn't described in any of the help documents and online searching I have done.

[cadbyken]

From what I have heard, this is one of the downfalls to using Profiles.  There was talk in several classes at MEPforce this year regarding profiles. 

It was also mentioned that if there is a database change needed like adding a valve as an example (kind of what you are saying) you can't update it.  Our database is just at the beginning of a major overhaul.  Given the information that I heard, I figured we weren't going to implement profiles since we never get all the information up front.

If someone else has a different opinion please speak up because I would like to use them.

[mjohnson7]

Ken,

  I can change the current services in the profile to add valves and such that are different. I stopped using ITMs for valves and accessories anyhow as RFA format is fine for getting the quantities, plus I can still add an ITM flange pack to the connector of the RFA and my pipe will auto flange to it giving me the quantities I need for those. I guess I will export the IEZ and import it into the profile and let you all know how it goes. I am sure I have done it in the past.

[cnash]

Best ways to do it is to either export and import the service or create the service from scratch. I export and import typically.

It was also mentioned that if there is a database change needed like adding a valve as an example (kind of what you are saying) you can't update it.

This is incorrect. The ITMs aren't locked in a profile. Only the services, service templates, sections, pricing, labor, etc.
You can also override specific files from one profile to another to update certain things (I use this to update pricing and labor in profiles.)

[mjohnson7]

I have exported from the global profile and imported to the job profile. There are a couple of dialogs about overwriting existing files with new, but since they are from the same database, I chose to do that. I have reloaded the service in Revit and it is all working as it should.

[Jona]

From what I have heard, this is one of the downfalls to using Profiles.  There was talk in several classes at MEPforce this year regarding profiles. 

It was also mentioned that if there is a database change needed like adding a valve as an example (kind of what you are saying) you can't update it.  Our database is just at the beginning of a major overhaul.  Given the information that I heard, I figured we weren't going to implement profiles since we never get all the information up front.

If someone else has a different opinion please speak up because I would like to use them.

We recently switched to a global database with profiles for different regions. I have no problems with updating anything in profiles. Some things, like the F-tables, I'll update the global and then copy FTimes.MAP into the different profiles vs updating each profile individually. Some things, like Sections, I'll update just in the profile needed. And there are a few things that like CAMduct processes that exist in all profiles regardless of which profile you build it in.  Since all of my profiles are built off of the global, if I need to add a service and I'll just export/import from the global to the profile.

I'd prefer to run separate databases vs profiles, but mainly for 2 reasons.

1) If I have different databases, I can have a large task on database A and in the middle of that task switch to database B to work on a higher priority task and push that update out without affecting database A. When working in profiles, that becomes a harder task trying to not have partial updates go out in one profile if another profile has a higher priority mid task.

2) Having some changes affect all profiles can make life difficult. 

[WilliamNY]

I'm not sure I'm fully understanding the issue here, but if I'm getting the general picture, I will share my process. At my company we freely and frequently use profiles on numerous Fabrication/Revit hybrid projects and, indeed, I edit the profiles all the time to add or remove parts and services. Not sure where the issue is here.

What I do is jump out of Revit and go back into the original Fabrication project database. (Whether you use a single centralized "main" database or individual project databases is irrelevant here, as Revit assumes all profiles within a database operate off the same GUID.) Then, you can edit your profile in either of two ways:

1) Go into the profile using right click > CADmep > Profiles, then select your profile. Go in there and edit it however you need to; that is, add or remove parts or services, etc. Then go back to the Global profile using the same method above.

2) Or, go into your Global profile and add whatever you need to add, then go to right click > CADmep > Profiles, then Setup, wipe out your original profile (but COPY THE NAME EXACTLY before doing so) and then re-create the profile using whatever new material you added. (I'm assuming you're familiar with creating profiles so I'll skip that step here.) Then go back to the Global profile. (Doing it this way, you're spoofing Revit into believing it's the same profile as before because the GUID and profile title are identical.)
      2a) If for some reason you have somehow created a profile that has a different, uh, "custom" GUID than the Global profile, you'll have to copy that and paste it into the new profile once it's created--again, BEFORE you clear out the old one!!!

After you finish one of the two above methods, bounce back out to Revit, go to Fabrication Settings, make sure you've got the right Profile selected in the drop-down menu, then Reload Configuration, and then add whatever new stuff you put in. Click OK and let Revit think about life for a while. It's possible that you MIGHT get a handful of disconnects in the model once the new information is processed but it's certainly way better than deleting everything you've done and redoing it.

I've been doing that for years, since we started moving data back and forth between Revit and Fabrication. Anyway, I hope that helps. Good luck.

[cadbyken]

Glad to hear that I misunderstood what they were saying.  I will play with this some more.  Appreciate it.

[bobcat09]

While profiles could use some more features to share more parts of global with the profile, it hasn't been that big of an issue managing profile changes. We share all ITM files so any changes made to an ITM file will be seen by all profiles. If the change happens to be a connector, ancillary, seam, etc. change, I have to make sure to copy those files over to each profile. But any dimensional changes will be seen without any extra lift. And we prefer to not have costing auto update in a profile when we update global. It's been easy to get pricing updates by coping over the correct files into the requested profile.

We have our profiles broken out between precon and VDC with several offices and locations. I hate the thought of trying to manage global for all of this. Since Revit requires mapping out your services from the profile, we teach our VDC team to just add all of the global services. There's always something changing and they don't know all the info up front. Having everything in the profile, makes loading a new service pretty easy. And if you don't need it, don't push it over.

[PipeFitter72]

I set up batch files to copy various files from a location to all subfolders named "database".
That way I can copy connectr.map mateials.map, etc to all profiles in one shot.
Very fast and also very dangerous LOL