Copy/Monitor Best Practices

• Performance: Use Copy/Monitor to monitor changes to the smallest number of elements required to coordinate efforts across teams. Overuse of Copy/Monitor without thoughtful planning can result in performance degradation.
• File names: After you link a model to the current project and establish relationships between elements for monitoring, if you change file names for the linked model or the current project you need to reload the link to maintain the relationship. If you don't reload the link, the monitoring relationship cannot be maintained.
• Grids: Do not associate grids with a scope box until after you have copied the grids from a linked model to the host project. You cannot view scope boxes that are defined in a linked model.
• Walls: To ensure that you copy all walls in the model, use a selection box and a filter in a plan view, or use a 3D orthographic view. For troubleshooting information about copied walls, see Walls Copied to Revit Structure are Inaccurate.
• Columns: When using Copy/Monitor to copy columns from an architectural model to a structural model, use the Split Columns by Levels option. For example, if the architect adds columns that span levels 1 - 4, the engineer can split the columns at each level. This design avoids problems with the analytical model. See Specifying Options for Copy/Monitor and Copy/Monitor Parameters for Columns.
• Floors: Use Copy/Monitor to copy a floor from an architectural model to a structural model. To make it a structural floor, edit the floor’s properties in Revit Structure to specify its Structural parameter. See Modifying Instance Properties.
• Shape-edited floors: If you use Copy/Monitor to copy a shape-edited floor (or slab), the copied element is flat. Use the Slope Arrow tool to slope slabs when possible, or use a separate slab in each building model. See Sloped Surfaces.

 Spaces: If you link an architectural model to an MEP model, use the architectural model to place spaces in the MEP model. After linking the architectural model, open a view in Revit MEP and select the linked model. Click Modify | RVT Links tabElement Properties panelType Properties. In the Type Properties dialog, select Room Bounding. You can then reference elements in the linked model when creating spaces. See Room Boundaries in Linked Models.

• Levels: Use Copy/Monitor to copy levels from the origination model (typically the architectural model). Monitor other elements only if required to meet your design requirements.  
• Spaces: If you link an architectural model to an MEP model, use the architectural model to place spaces in the MEP model. After linking the architectural model, open a view in Revit MEP and select the linked model. Click Modify | RVT Links tabElement Properties panelType Properties. In the Type Properties dialog, select Room Bounding. You can then reference elements in the linked model when creating spaces.

  For more information about room boundaries and spaces in linked models, see the following topics:

  • Room Boundaries in Linked Models
  • Working with Spaces in a Linked Model

Related topics

• Multi-Discipline Coordination
• Copy/Monitor Overview
• Copy/Monitor Workflow for Linked Models
• Troubleshooting Copy/Monitor Issues