In an ideal situation, every aspect of a project would be on board with building information modeling (BIM).
But what happens when you have information you need to add and it’s in a spreadsheet?
There are tools to bridge the gap between BIM software like Revit and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. One such tool is Ideate Sticky, which recently got an update for Autodesk Revit 2014-2016.
The aptly named add-on acts as a virtual sticky note, importing and synchronizing Excel file content into Revit’s project environment by way of Ideate BIMLink. These “notes” can be added to BIM projects in a familiar sheet format.
Ideate Sticky is designed to manage necessary non-BIM data such as client-specific requests, consultant details and even contractor updates to keep it available for all team members.
Updates to Ideate Sticky
“Ideate Sticky user feedback was integral in the development of features in this update,” said Glynnis Patterson, director of software development at Ideate Software. “We designed this to allow end-user control of the assigned line styles, as well as out-of-the-box default values to get our customers up and running with great results.”
So what can users expect to see in the update?
- Support for line style mapping for a bit of visual fidelity to Excel
- Support for hidden rows and columns within Revit projects
- Introduction of Sticky definition as a named region in order to split long Excel worksheets into pages
- Support for included images within the header for versions 2015 and forward
“The ability to support embedded graphic images in the Microsoft Excel schedule [and] to support many Excel line styles will greatly enhance the graphic fidelity of the Sticky schedule within the Revit environment, reducing the necessity for additional schedule editing,” said Richard Taylor, technical evangelist at Ideate Software.
Excel in Revit
The incorporation of Excel information into Revit won’t affect scheduling, according to the company.
“Customers can easily link the Excel schedule into Revit knowing that the proper formatting of fonts, images, line styles, merged cells and hidden rows and columns will be handled by Ideate Sticky,” noted Taylor.
For more information about Ideate Sticky, check out the website.