Generating Opening Views¶
Openings Manager provides two related view-generation workflows:
- Generate Views — creates standard elevations for New Windows and New Doors in a chosen register scope.
- Curtain Wall Views — interactively creates elevations for individual New Curtain Walls selected in Revit.
The workflows use the same opening documentation standards, but their selection and generation processes are different.
Before You Start¶
Before generating opening views:
- Review the Opening Register.
- Resolve unexpected or conflicting opening marks.
- Confirm the opening phases.
- For Generate Views, prepare the required Checked, Filtered or All scope.
- Confirm that the project contains the required opening documentation resources.
Opening marks should normally be resolved before view generation because Window and Curtain Wall view names are based on their opening marks.
Window and Door Views¶
Run Generate Views¶
From Openings Manager, click Generate Views.
Flow asks which register scope should be processed. Depending on the current register state, the available scope can be based on:
- Checked openings
- Filtered openings
- All openings
The selected scope is validated before any elevations are requested.
Non-standard Openings¶
If any opening in the selected scope is currently non-standard, Flow stops the generation workflow and reports how many openings require attention.
The available actions are:
- Standardise Now
- Cancel
Choose Standardise Now if Flow should correct the selected scope.
Run Generate Views again
Standardise Now does not continue directly into view generation.
It runs the Standardise workflow and ends the current Generate Views operation.
Once standardisation is complete, click Generate Views again.
This prevents view creation from continuing against opening information that has just changed.
Automatic Setup Before Generation¶
Once a standard scope has been accepted, Flow performs supporting opening setup before creating the elevations.
This includes:
- ensuring the required Zero Window Sill Height Global Parameter setup
- applying the standard Global Parameter rules used by applicable New Doors
- updating Window Size O/A for project Windows
These operations are part of Generate Views and can modify opening parameter data in addition to creating views.
Generate Views does more than create views
View generation includes supporting opening-standard setup. Do not treat the command as a view-only operation.
After generation, Flow also attempts to return to the project plan X-01-GF_Win when that exact view exists.
Window Views¶
Flow generates elevations for New Windows in the selected scope.
Existing and Demolished Windows are not generated by this component-view workflow.
View naming¶
The Window's Mark is used as the elevation view name.
For example:
The generation workflow also standardises the target Window/Curtain Wall mark group as required before creating the Window elevations.
View standards¶
The Window elevation workflow uses the configured Flow opening standards, including the opening section type, view template, scale and crop/depth settings.
Where the required tag family is available, Flow attempts to add the standard Window schedule tag automatically.
Door Views¶
Flow generates elevations for New Doors.
Existing and Demolished Doors are not generated by this workflow.
Door documentation is type-based, rather than instance-based.
Multiple Door instances using the same documented Door type are therefore represented by the type elevation rather than requiring a separate elevation for every instance.
Door view naming¶
The view name is based on the Door type's Type Mark, followed by:
For example:
Where the required tag family is available, Flow attempts to add the standard Door schedule tag to the generated elevation.
Door scope is type-based
The register selection is instance-based, while Door elevation generation is type-based.
Treat a narrowly selected individual Door as a request to document its Door type rather than as a separate instance elevation.
Curtain Wall Views¶
Curtain Walls use the separate Curtain Wall Views button.
This is an interactive Revit selection workflow and does not use the Checked / Filtered / All register scope used by Generate Views.
Curtain Wall Requirements¶
A Curtain Wall must meet the workflow requirements before Flow can generate its elevation.
The selected element must:
- be a Revit Curtain Wall
- use a Curtain Wall type whose name begins with CW_
- be in the New Construction phase
Curtain Walls that do not meet those conditions are not processed by this generation workflow.
The configured Curtain Wall elevation standards include:
- section type 5.6_WINDOW ELEVATIONS
- view template bc_SEC_WDW-SCHED
- scale 1:50
- Curtain Wall tag family ADa_TAG_CW-Wdw_sched_Type2
- far clip 750 mm
These are current Flow project standards rather than choices presented by the Curtain Wall Views command.
Start Curtain Wall Views¶
Click Curtain Wall Views.
Flow first attempts to activate:
X-01-GF_Win
You are then prompted to pick a Curtain Wall directly in Revit.
After a valid wall has been selected, Flow asks you to pick a point indicating the side from which the elevation marker should be created.
The marker-side point controls the viewing side used for the generated elevation.
Curtain Wall Mark Standardisation¶
When a valid Curtain Wall is selected, Flow standardises its opening mark before asking for the marker side.
The Curtain Wall participates in the shared Window W## numbering group.
The mark can change before the elevation is created
Curtain Wall mark standardisation occurs before the marker-side selection.
If you cancel during the marker-side step, the mark standardisation may already have been committed even though the elevation itself is not created.
This is different from the preview-first behaviour of the Renumber workflow.
What Flow Creates for a Curtain Wall¶
After the wall and marker side have been accepted, Flow creates the Curtain Wall elevation and applies the available opening standards.
The workflow can:
- create the section/elevation from the selected side
- name it from the Curtain Wall mark
- apply the configured view template
- set the standard scale
- set the Curtain Wall far clip
- activate and configure the crop
- clean up level datum extents
- update Curtain Wall metadata
- add the configured Curtain Wall elevation tag when the required tag family is available
The result is intended to align Curtain Wall elevations with the broader Window documentation system.
Continue Selecting Curtain Walls¶
Curtain Wall Views is designed as an interactive repeated-selection workflow.
If the current selection is cancelled or cannot continue, Flow can offer suitable Floor Plans whose names end in _Win, together with an option to finish the workflow.
Choose another suitable plan to continue selecting Curtain Walls, or finish when the required elevations have been created.
If a View Already Exists¶
Do not deliberately create a second opening elevation simply because an existing view needs repair.
Use Conform Views where an existing Window, Door or Curtain Wall elevation can be resolved back to its opening and brought into line with the current standards.
After Generating Views¶
After the required opening elevations have been created:
- Review the generated view names.
- Check the crop, template and automatic tags.
- Use Conform Views for existing views that need correction.
- Dimension the standard Window views.
- Place the opening views on sheets.
- Return to the Opening Register and review the resulting project state.
Remember that Refresh also applies the Zero Window Sill Height rule before rebuilding the register.
Project Resources¶
The current opening-view implementation expects Flow/ADa project resources, including:
| Resource | Current standard |
|---|---|
| Opening section type | 5.6_WINDOW ELEVATIONS |
| Opening view template | bc_SEC_WDW-SCHED |
| Window schedule tag | ADa_TAG_Wdw_sched_Type2 |
| Curtain Wall schedule tag | ADa_TAG_CW-Wdw_sched_Type2 |
| Window size parameter | Window Size O/A |
| Curtain Wall type prefix | CW_ |
Door generation similarly uses its configured Flow Door elevation and tag resources.
If a required resource is missing, some parts of generation may be skipped or the workflow may be unable to complete as intended.
➡️ Openings Manager Troubleshooting