Some elements cannot be deleted with the “Purge Unused” command: Views, Groups, Area Schemes, and Shared Families. How can you make sure your project files are clean and the right size?
Here are 11 tips for optimizing and compressing RVT and RFA files.
Purge Project
Details: Remove unused elements in your project.
Steps
- Go to the Manage tab > Settings panel > click Purge Unused.
- Click “Check All” to select all purgeable elements
- Click OK.
- Repeat from 1 to 3.
- Click OK once more to purge all elements.
Purging the model is a regular maintenance task, after each submission and milestone, remove the remaining elements that have accumulated in your project, and that keeps your project file size sustainable.
Repeat the process to remove any remaining elements.
The next steps are to ensure ultimate compression and optimization for our project file…
Audit File
Details: Scan damaged model elements.
The Audit function is for maintaining the health of your Revit model. It can detect and fix corrupt elements. It doesn’t inform you specifically which elements were affected.
Steps
- Go to the File tab > drop-down Open menu > click Project.
- Locate your project file and select it.
- In the Open window, check “Audit” at the bottom left > click Open.
If you are auditing a shared model, all users must exit the model, then you must follow the steps for the central model file.
Unlink the Unnecessary
Remove any unnecessary imported images or linked files (CAD/DXF/TIFF, etc.). Imported files significantly reduce performance.
You can remove linked files by going to the Manage tab and then clicking “Manage Links”. However, there is an official Model Checker add-in from Autodesk that you can use to check how healthy your model is.
Use arrays to copy and link objects together. After you expand the array, ungroup the array objects to remove their parametric association. To arrange elements in an array without grouping, you can uncheck the “Group and Associate” option in the Options bar when you create an array.
Learn more about linking CAD files
Do not Explode the DWG
I used to export 2D drawings of trees in plan view from CAD and then import them into Revit. They were small blocks with hundreds of grouped lines that I copied and pasted into my plan view.
When I wanted to color them in my final presentation, I had to break up the entire set of CAD trees.
The next thing I noticed was that the performance of the entire project view became terrible, and I noticed that the project file was also getting bigger. Unless it’s an experiment, you shouldn’t explode CAD data in Revit.
Replace Mass with Families
If you have multiple identical in-place masses, replace them with component families and consider the in-place mass as a conceptual and presentational element.
Optimize Used Families
Check the sizes of the families used. Take the largest ones and delete them, or simplify them for your needs. Then put them back into the model under a different file name.
Delete Redundant Views
Excessive sheets contribute significantly to the poor performance of Revit’s user interface. Check if you can delete unnecessary views and sheets.
Relevant View Detail
Avoid using the Fine and Medium detail levels unless you are sure you need that level for specific views or sheets. You will not benefit from a high level of detail at 1/16″ and 1/8″ scales (1:200, 1:100).
Custom Crop Region
Custom cropping of regions in multiple views consumes resources on your workstation or laptop. If you disable the Crop Regions option in views during workflow, the file size is reduced. You can re-enable the option later when you are ready to export. Revit will immediately reuse your cropping settings.
Collaboration
If you are saving a local or central file, enable the “Compact File” option to reduce the file size.
If the file is a shared file, it is recommended that you archive the original central file and backup folder before saving them in the same location and under the same name.
If the file is not a shared file, uncheck the “Detach from central” option before performing the audit.
If you change the file name of a local/central model or family when saving as, the file size is reduced because the parameters are separated. Learn more about worksharing
Warnings
Check and fix warnings. Too many warnings can result in large file sizes and have a significant cumulative impact on performance.
Mohamed Fakhry has helped thousands of architects and designers find their next project with step-by-step guidance on his blog, mashyo.com. About Mohamed
His journey began during his university years when he recognized the need for information-rich 3D models to accelerate learning and improve production processes. Now, Mohamed shares his expertise through Revit tutorials that are accessible to all.
