2020 is the year when we’ve changed the user interfaces of many of our tools. And Smart Browser is no exception. Not only does it have a new look in the ribbon and a remade library manage window, but it also has gotten some additional features, which can help you create a better library for everyday work.
Revit ribbon
First things first, let’s see the “new” look in the Revit ribbon. Instead of having to choose all the functions from a single drop-down menu, we decided to move the most-used commands to the front face of the tool.
So, what can you do now from the main control panel?
- Open Family Library Manager window
- Browse Families present in the current project
- Choose to continue working on previously started family modification tasks
- Run one of the created family modification tasks
Further changes to the UI have been made inside the Family Library Manager window. And we’ve added some extra features in addition to modifying the overall look.
Out with the old…
In with the new!
While the old version had all the main features that were needed, some useful ones were still missing, so the revamped UI also has some added functionality.
Right off the bat you’ll notice that now in the same size window, you can see more families. And what’s more, there is an option to change the size of the thumbnail or even show the library as just a list:
That enables you to see even more families in the window, and with the list you will also get such information as Name, Category, Family Version, and a Family Location. All of which can prove useful while surfing through your library. In addition to that, in the new User Interface version, we have made it possible to see a family’s full name and folder location by hovering the mouse cursor over the family in the Smart browser window.
We achieved this result of showing more families by cutting down on the extra information shown in window, some of which might not be as useful to see at every single moment as being able to see your families is. For example, we made the “Parameters” part of the window collapsible to give you more control of what you want to see.
In the new version the browser organization is minimized on the left side of the window. If you need to change the browser organization, it’s enough to click the “funnel’ button at the top left corner and the browser organization dialogue box will appear. As well, if you need to choose families only in a specific catalog or of a specific category, you only need to hover the cursor over the small “arrow” button and the search box will appear.
Expand/Collapse All
You’ll also notice that an “Expand/Collapse All” button was added, making it more convenient to browse the Family Browser structure that you create:
Icons for viewing
Another visual remake is the icons created for viewing selected families in 3D view, opening a family, loading a family into the project, and loading only the active family type into the project. Plus a new function: the ability to choose from the list which family types you want to load into the project.
Dockable window
And the last noticeable implementation was that now the Library Manger window can be docked just like the regular Revit “Properties” or “Project Browser” windows can, making it even easier to implement Smart Browser in everyday use.
