Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

📑 Table of Contents

  1. General Questions
    • Revit version support
    • Cross-project compatibility
    • Template support
  2. Workflow & Operations
    • How COPY works
    • How REMOVE works
    • Template detection & warnings
    • Views vs Templates selection
    • Applying to single template-based view
  3. Filters
    • Template handling
    • Name conflicts (Merge/Overwrite/New Only)
    • Custom parameters
    • Supported rule types
  4. VG Overrides
    • Difference from Filters
    • Use cases
    • Export both Filters and VG
  5. Export/Import
    • How Export works (source view)
    • How Import works (target view)
    • Import to multiple views
    • Export from Templates vs Views
    • PAT file purpose
    • Excel vs CSV
  6. Performance
    • Capacity limits
    • Speed
  7. Troubleshooting
    • Filters don’t appear
    • “Value” instead of actual values
    • Pattern not found warnings
    • Custom parameters not created
  8. Licensing & Support
    • License per version
    • Multi-user licensing
    • Support channels
    • Bug reporting
  9. Tips & Best Practices
    • Filter organization
    • Coordination meetings
    • Template workflows

General Questions

Q: What Revit versions are supported?

A: Visibility Manager supports Revit 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Each version has a dedicated optimized build.

Q: Does it work with templates?

A: Yes! The tool intelligently detects if a view uses a template and reads filter settings from the template automatically. When copying filters, you can choose to apply to views directly or to their templates.

Q: Can I use this across different projects?

A: Absolutely! Export filters from one project and import them into any other project. The tool handles missing parameters and patterns automatically.

Workflow & Operations

Q: How does the COPY function work?

A: COPY duplicates selected filters or VG overrides from your current view to target views/templates.

Key points:

Step by step:

  1. Open a view that has the filters/overrides you want to copy (source)
  2. Left panel: Select which filters or overrides to copy
  3. Column 2: Select target views
  4. Column 3: Select target templates (optional)
  5. Click COPY
  6. Choose conflict resolution if items already exist:
    • Merge - Keep existing, add new ones
    • Overwrite - Replace existing with imported settings
    • New Only - Skip existing, add only new ones

Example:

Note: Current view is never modified - it’s your reference!

Q: How does the REMOVE function work?

A: REMOVE deletes selected filters or VG overrides from target views/templates.

Key points:

Step by step:

  1. Open any view (used as reference)
  2. Left panel: Select which filters or overrides to remove
  3. Column 2: Select views to remove from
  4. Column 3: Select templates to remove from (optional)
  5. Click REMOVE
  6. Confirmation dialog appears
  7. Selected items are removed from all target views/templates

Example:

Use case: Clean up multiple views by removing outdated or incorrect filters/overrides at once.

Q: What happens when target views use templates?

A: The tool detects templates automatically and shows a warning:

Warning dialog:

⚠️ Template Detected

The following views use templates. 
Applying changes will affect ALL views using these templates:

- Template: "Architectural Floor Plan" (used by 15 views)
- Template: "MEP Coordination" (used by 8 views)

Total views that will be affected: 23

Do you want to continue?
[Yes] [No]

What this means:

Why?

Your options:

  1. Continue [Yes] - Apply to templates (standard workflow)
    • All views using those templates will be updated
    • Usually the desired behavior for coordination!
  2. Cancel [No] - Stop and reconsider
    • Review which views are selected
    • Decide if you want to affect that many views
  3. Work with templates directly - Select from Column 3 instead
    • More explicit about what you’re doing
    • Same result, clearer intent

Best practice:

Q: Should I select Views (Column 2) or Templates (Column 3)?

A: Both columns work, but there are strategic differences:

Column 2 - Target Views:

Column 3 - Target Templates:

Example workflows:

Scenario 1: Standardize all architectural views

Scenario 2: Update specific views without templates

Scenario 3: Mixed - some views with templates, some without

Pro tip for coordinators:

Q: Can I apply to both Views and Templates simultaneously?

A: Yes! You can select from both columns at once:

This is useful when:

Q: How can I apply to ONE view that uses a template without affecting others?

A: You need to break the template link first:

In Revit (before using the tool):

  1. Open the view
  2. Properties panel → View Template → <None>
  3. View is now independent
  4. Now use Visibility Manager - only this view will be affected
  5. (Optional) Apply a different template afterwards if needed

Why this is necessary:

Alternative approach:

Q: What’s the difference between main categories and subcategories?

A:

Most BIM workflows use main categories for visibility control. Subcategories are advanced refinements for specific scenarios.

Why main categories are powerful: Main categories cover all major element types and provide comprehensive visibility control. Even with main categories only, you have complete control over Model, Annotation, and Analytical elements across your entire project.

Filters

Q: What happens when the target view has a View Template?

A: This is covered in the Workflow & Operations section above.

The tool shows clear warnings and lets you choose the best approach.

Q: What if filters with the same name already exist?

A: You have three options:

Q: Can the tool handle custom parameters?

A: Yes! The tool:

Q: What filter rules are supported?

A: All standard Revit filter rules:

VG Overrides

Q: How many categories are supported for VG Overrides?

A: All Revit main categories across Model, Annotation, and Analytical types.

Example (Revit 2025/2026):

The application automatically detects all categories in your Revit version, so support grows as Revit evolves.

Current limitation: Main categories only in v1.0. Subcategories planned for v2.0.

Q: What’s the difference between Filters and VG Overrides?

A:

Filters:

VG Overrides:

Both managed by this tool:

Q: Why use VG Override export/import?

A: To quickly standardize:

Use case for coordinators:

Much faster than:

Q: Can I export both Filters and VG Overrides together?

A: No, they are separate operations by design:

Why separate?

Workflow if you need both:

  1. Export Filters → Creates “ProjectName_Filters.xlsx”
  2. Export VG Overrides → Creates “ProjectName_VG.xlsx”
  3. Keep both files together
  4. Import each separately to target project

Best practice:

Export/Import

Q: How does Export work - which view is used?

A: Export uses the current active view as the source:

What gets exported:

Important:

Example:

  1. Open view “Level 1 - Architectural”
  2. This view has 20 filters
  3. Select 15 filters to export
  4. Export creates file with those 15 filters
  5. Current view unchanged

Best practice:

Q: How does Import work - which view is affected?

A: Import applies to the current active view:

What happens:

Step by step:

  1. Open the view where you want to import (target)
  2. Click Import
  3. Select Excel/CSV file
  4. If view uses template → Warning appears 
    ⚠️ Template Detected
   
Current view uses template: "Architectural Floor Plan"
This template is used by 15 views.
   
Importing will affect ALL 15 views.
   
Continue? [Yes] [No]
  5. Review warning and decide
  6. Filters/overrides are imported

Important difference from COPY:

Example scenarios:

Scenario 1: Import to single view

Scenario 2: Import to template-based view

Scenario 3: Import to multiple views (workaround)

Q: Can I import to multiple views at once?

A: Not directly with Import. Here’s the recommended workflow:

Method 1: Import → Copy

  1. Import filters to one view (gets them into the project)
  2. Use COPY function to distribute to multiple views
  3. This gives you more control over targets

Method 2: Import to Template

  1. Open a view that uses the target template
  2. Import (applies to template)
  3. All views using that template update automatically
  4. Most efficient for standardization!

Method 3: Import repeatedly

  1. Open first target view → Import
  2. Open second target view → Import
  3. Repeat for each view
  4. Less efficient but works

Best practice for offices:

Q: Export from Template vs. Export from View - what’s the difference?

A: There’s NO difference - Export always uses what’s visible:

Key concept:

Example:

To export template filters:

To export view-specific items:

Pro tip:

Q: Why does the tool export a .PAT file along with Excel?

A: Revit fill patterns are stored separately from filters. The .PAT file contains:

This ensures that when you import filters to another project, all patterns are available and filters display correctly. Without the .PAT file, filters would import but show missing pattern warnings.

Q: What if the .PAT file is missing during import?

A: The tool shows a warning but continues:

Q: Can I edit the Excel file before importing?

A: Yes! You can:

Q: Excel vs CSV - which should I use?

A:

Q: Can I import filters created in older Revit versions?

A: Yes! The tool handles API differences automatically. Filters exported from Revit 2023 work perfectly in Revit 2026 and vice versa.

Performance

Q: How many filters can I copy at once?

A: Tested with 100+ filters to 50+ views simultaneously. No practical limit!

Q: Does it slow down Revit?

A: No. Operations are optimized and use Revit API efficiently. Copying 50 filters takes ~5 seconds.

Troubleshooting

Q: Import says “Success” but filters don’t appear in my view

A: Check:

  1. Are filters enabled? (View → Visibility/Graphics → Filters tab)
  2. Is your view using a template that doesn’t include these filters?
  3. Do the filter categories match elements in your view?

Q: Filters import but show “Value” instead of actual values

A: This was a bug in v1.0.0, fixed in v1.0.1. Update to the latest version.

Q: “Pattern not found” warnings after import

A: The .PAT file wasn’t imported or is in a different location. Re-import and ensure the .PAT file is in the same folder as the .XLSX file.

Q: Custom parameters not created during import

A: Make sure you clicked “Yes” in the custom parameters dialog. If you clicked “No”, parameters won’t be created and filters using them will fail.

For complete licensing information, pricing, and terms: 👉 View Licensing & Pricing Guide

Tips & Best Practices

Q: Any tips for organizing filters?

A: Yes!

Q: How to set up filters for coordination meetings?

A:

  1. Create filter sets for each discipline
  2. Export all sets to Excel
  3. Share Excel files with coordination team
  4. Each discipline imports relevant filters
  5. Everyone has identical view setups!

Q: Can I use this for Revit templates?

A: Absolutely! Common workflow:

  1. Build perfect filters in test project
  2. Export to Excel
  3. Import into company template
  4. Distribute template to all projects

Still have questions?

Contact us: itzikb.bim@gmail.com

Documentation: [link]

Video tutorials: [link]