Checklist of elements to purge when creating a Revit Template from an existing project

When creating a Revit Template from an existing project, the general rule is to keep only elements/information that will be re-used on all/most new projects.

To begin, create a Revit Template from an existing project file following the guide in this Autodesk article – How to create a Revit Template from an existing project file.

Here is a checklist or list of things you should do to ensure there are no unwanted element/information left in the new template:

• • • Delete all/unwanted 3D geometry (Highly recommended to do this from the default 3D view);
      1. 1. Disable any active ‘View Template’ in the 3D view.
         2. Toggle Design Options to show all.
         3. Open V/G Overrides and make all model elements and imported categories visible.
         4. Turn off any active view Filter, Scope Boxes, and Section Boxes.
         5. Select all elements in the 3D view, then filter to deselect Levels, Project Base Point, Survey Point, and if necessary, grids.
         6. Delete selected elements.
         7. Reveal Hidden Elements and repeat steps 5 & 6.
         8. Verify that there are no unwanted elements left by using the ‘Zoom To Fit’ command to see every element left in the model.
    • Delete unwanted levels and Grid Lines.
    • Check for and delete unwanted Design Options.
    • Delete unwanted Views and Sheets.
      • • Note: In some cases, it might be easier to delete all views and sheets and recreate them as seen fit.
    • Delete unwanted annotative elements (For the remaining views and sheets that will be a part of the template) do the following for each view:
      1. 1. Disable any active view template, view filters, scope boxes, and section boxes in the view.
         2. Turn off view cropping, and visible crop region.
         3. Delete all unwanted annotation elements.
         4. Reveal hidden elements and repeat the step above.
         5. Once done, you can re-apply view cropping, Scope/Section Boxes, View Templates, and filters.
    • Cycle through the remaining views and delete unneeded Scope Boxes and Section Boxes.
    • Open the ‘Manage Links’ dialog and delete unwanted links (Revit/IFC/CAD Formats/DWF Markups/Point Clouds/Topography/PDF/Images) from the model.
    • Open the ‘Phases’ Dialog and remove unwanted phases.
    • Check for and delete unwanted annotations, and Legend Components from Legend Views.
    • Check for and delete unwanted images/PDF references in Schedules/Quantities views.
      Selectively purge unused;
      • • Open the Purge Unused dialog, Check All, then go through the list to uncheck items you wish to keep before clicking OK to purge selected.
    • Open ‘Project Information’ and erase data you do not wish to keep in the template.
    • Open ‘Project Parameters’ and remove parameters you do not wish to keep in the template.
    • Check for and delete unwanted Shared Parameters.
    • Review Sheet Issues/Revisions and remove unwanted data.
    • Reset Shared Coordinates and set default location for the template.
    • Review and remove unwanted View Templates.

Additional tips

One of the key benefits of creating a template from an existing project is that you spend less time setting up and organizing project information and standards, but this can quickly become counterproductive when you expend even more time cleaning up an existing project to be used as a template.

Sometimes, when there are too many items, especially families, and annotation symbols, to go through and purge, it might be easier to simply purge all and reload standard elements using the ‘Transfer Project Standards’ tool.
Same approach (delete all and reload/recreate necessary) can be used for views, as well as material assets.

This checklist is only to serve as a guide on items to review when cleaning up a Revit template created from an existing project. It's up to you to check your team’s needs and workflow to determine what approach works best for you.