Multiple Buildings - plan display

[Gerald D Lock]

We have a new project in the office that consists of 3 buildings with a 3100 floor-to-floor and 1 building which has had a brief/program change that requires it to have a 3600 floor-to-floor.
Each building is planned to be modelled in a separate file then hotlinked into a master (site & layout book) file. Can someone point me to a good solution for ensuring all floor plans show walls cut (at nom. 1100) in plan views that are saved in the master file?
Tried setting all walls to Symbolic Cut, but then realised that there are balustrade walls that need to show un-cut. Perhaps we set these to Outline Only, but I'd like to know if there is a more elegant solution.

[Ignacio Azpiazu]

I don't think there is a more elegant solution the way the floorplan cutplane is defined today.

For selecting and editing, troubleshooting, setting intersection priorities, in symbolic-display walls, it helps to keep balustrade walls in some 'partial height' layer (A-WALL-PRHT in US conventions). Also some layer for walls that won't show at all on floor plans, like parapet walls for kitchen counters or other stuff happening overhead.

[Barry Kelly]

I think that the trick is to use the master file to hotlink the buildings in but use it to produce the site plans only - not the individual floor plans for each building as they would have to rely on the storey settings of your master file.

You can still have the layouts from the individual buildings in the master file but be sure to link the drawings on the layouts to the views in the individual building files (external source) and not those of the master file itself (internal source).
The easy way to do this is to set up the plans section, elevation views and layouts in the building files as if they are a one-off building.
Then have all files open at the same time.
Open the 'Organiser' in the master (site) file and on the left side open one of the building files and look at its layout pages.
Drag those across to the layouts of the master file on the right hand side of the organiser.
They will automatically be linked to the 'external source'.
Repeat for each building.

Or you can manually link each building view in by choosing to link to an external source and browsing for the file and views - just takes a bit longer.

I would only use the master site plan file to directly produce the site plans and any 3D or elevational views of the entire development.
Not the individual floor plans of each building.

Barry.

[DGSketcher]

You do know some clever stuff Barry! Thanks, I needed to know this, will now go and apply it on a project I have been struggling with.