How to use Space Tags Instead of Linked Room Tags

In the past I have used linked architectural views in Revit MEP to show room names, numbers and door tags. In Revit MEP 2011, we can now tag doors directly, allowing us to place door tags by view where we want them. This does not work for room tags.

Currently the room tags are reading information from the room object in the linked architectural model and I link that view.  At this month Revit User Group of Nebraska (Rugon) meeting my good friend Craig Thomas suggested just adding spaces and tagging those. Craig is a smarty pants, and  life saver.

The space object in the MEP model linkst to the room object in the architectural model. The space object will read the room information from the room object and can be tagged by view in the MEP model.

First make the rooms in the architectural model available in the MEP model by selecting the linked architectural file, going to its Type properties and checking the "Room Bounding" box.

Make your workset "Shared Levels and Grids". This is important. If the space belongs to a workset that is turned off in a certain view, it can not be tagged. Use the Space tool on the Analyze tab to place a space object in the required rooms. The spaces will automatically link with the room object and tag themselves in that view. Use the Space Tag tool to tag the same space in a different view.

This allows you to have separate tags in Lighting, HVAC, Telecom, Power, and Plumbing views all calling the same room information from the linked architectural file.

The default space tag will most likely not look like the architects room tag even though the room name and number will be accurate. If the architect requires matching space tags, you can always create client specific space tags, to match architects that you do a lot of work for.