Revit pipe length tag: how to show pipe length on a tag

A pipe length tag is a number a contractor orders from. Where the reader needs it, the number has to be right, so the first job is to know what Revit means by length.

This guide takes the job in order. RayCAD is a Revit tagging plugin. It does not place pipe length labels today, and you will see where that gap applies and what RayCAD does around it.

What does Revit mean by pipe length?

Length is a property of one pipe segment. A segment runs from one connection to the next, so every fitting, valve, or tee ends one segment and starts another. A run that looks like one line in the plan can be a dozen segments.

Select a pipe and read Length in the Properties palette. The value is the segment, not the run.

How do you show length on a pipe tag?

1. Select a pipe tag in the model and click Edit Family.
2. Save a copy under a new name, so the original stays intact.
3. Select the label and click Edit Label.
4. Add Length from the list of parameters. Use Break to put it on its own line below the size.
5. Select Length and click the format button.
6. Clear Use project settings if the tag needs different units or rounding from the schedule.
7. Set the units, the rounding, and the unit symbol, then click OK.
8. Click Load into Project.
9. Select the pipes and pick the new type in the Type Selector, or place new tags with Tag by Category.

How do you round the length?

1. In the same Format dialog, clear Use project settings.
2. Open the Rounding menu. Choose a decimal place, or choose Custom and enter a Rounding increment.
3. Click OK.

Rounding goes to the nearest increment, so it does not always round down. Rounding to the nearest 5 mm on a 3-metre segment is harmless. Rounding to the nearest 100 mm on a 450 mm stub is not.

Where do pipe length tags belong?

A length on every segment fills the sheet with numbers that do not mean anything to the reader.

• Tag long straight segments. A tag on a 2.4 m run helps. A tag on a 90 mm nipple does not.
• Skip stubs and short returns. They crowd the pipes around them.
• Tag where a person orders pipe. If the contractor cuts to length from the drawing, tag each cut. If they cut on site, skip it.

For the length of a whole run, use a schedule instead of tags.

How do you get the length of a run?

1. Go to View, Schedules, Schedule/Quantities, and choose Pipes.
2. Add System Type, Size, and Length as fields.
3. Under Sorting/Grouping, group by system type and size, and tick Grand totals.
4. Set the Length field to calculate totals in the Formatting tab.

A schedule adds up the segments and shows the total. Place it on the sheet, or use it to check the numbers on the tags.

What goes wrong with pipe length tags?

What does RayCAD do with pipe length?

RayCAD does not place pipe length labels today. You add those in Revit as above.

RayCAD tags pipes with size, system abbreviation, and elevation, where the information changes instead of on every segment, and groups parallel pipes under one tag block with a row per pipe. A minimum pipe length setting keeps stubs and short returns free of tags. RayCAD places each tag clear of the model and the other tags, and lists anything it could not place. See pipe tagging and the guide to tagging pipes.

RayCAD supports Revit 2021 to 2027. Try it on the rest of your pipe tags, or email us for a demo. The guide to tagging pipes covers size and system tags.