Revit is a very powerful Building Information Modeling tool allowing you to harvest all kinds of data from the model including wall ratings, electrical voltage, and many many other items, but sometimes you just want to enter in dumb data (Data not tied to any Revit Elements). Unfortunately this is not possible, or is it?
I have received this request quite often, and I always like to preface that there is a preferred "Best Practices" method in place. If at all possible always schedule the information from the model.
"Ok ok Bill, I don't give a crap about best practices, I got a deadline, and want to enter the data in a dumb schedule. Is that possible?"
Yes.
I call it "The Key Schedule Hack". You may have heard of it before. I certainly didn't invent it.
Here is the process.
1. Create a new key schedule
Pick a schedule that you will never ever ever use. My go to? Pipe Insulation. When was the last time you scheduled pipe insulation? Never? Ok, good, me to. Lets move on.
2. Pick a schedule that you will never ever ever use. My go to? Pipe Insulation. When was the last time you scheduled pipe insulation? Never? Ok, good, me to. Lets move on.
3. Create the parameters
Next, you will want to create all the parameters for your columns.
4. "Insert Data Rows"
Now you can add rows for your data. Not too hard, right?
5. Enter Data
Data entry may not be the funnest part, but it comes with the territory.
Next, we will look at how to use Dynamo to get our excel data into Revit, so we don't have to re-enter it if the data's origin is excel.