Twice is once too often!

What if the object was self-annotating however, and the note was simply a generic label and the information displayed in the note was attached to the object itself?

The last part of this graphic may bemuse, but in the self-annotating world described here, the worst case scenario is that an object does not have the relevant data entered, in which case someone must add the data.

The subtle difference here is that this need only be done once and henceforth the object will be self-aware. I am confident that you will agree with my opinion that a question mark showing missing data is better than a note showing incorrect data. When providing advice to clients I insist that the text tool be the absolute last resort when noting-up a drawing.

In the near future, manufacturer-specific objects will emerge that contain not only relevant notational data but enough codes and information that they will be able to manufacture and deliver based purely on the model content. Uniquely identified objects will then relate to external databases showing maintenance requirements for a spatially aware building lifecycle management. Components arriving on-site can be zapped to identify where in the building they fit.

It is nonsense to suggest with todayÝs hardware, the practical production of a 3D building model down to the detail of bricks and mortar, but a simplified object can still contain everything needed to communicate design intent throughout the design and supply chain. Keep the library components graphically simple but data-rich.

The proofÍ For those of you using Revit, there are many ways of achieving this but as a simple proof of concept try creating a multi-category tag with a label that points toward the Type Comments. This is one of few parameters that exist in all components. Then, within a project, add a relevant note to a wall style or even a detail component. From the draughting menu, the Tag > Multi-category tool will allow you to hover over the components and the note will appear like magic.

On a final note, I started using AutoCAD at release 2.6 and Revit at release 2.1 ± thankfully it has come a long way!

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